Fellow New Monarchians, this chapter will have [b]NO[/b] action. Zip. Zadda. Zero. None. It has come to both me and Z3R0M1ND01 that we haven't really fleshed out the back story of the characters. So that's what this chapter will be about mainly. Hopefully, you still enjoy the read! EDIT: Had [url=http://www.listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=kc_9RT4q8YA&feature=endscreen&list=RD02iKg3ReiSPTw&NR=1]this[/url] song on loop while writing this. On a side note, it seems like we aren't as active as we used to be, a sad shame really. =================== VIII. A Walk =================== Droplets have begun to fall from the sky, the tears of the Traveler itself no doubt. Sad to see [i]this.[/i] Humans fighting humans, destroying each other's destiny before it even had the chance to flesh itself out. Every person dead, even the ones we perceive as universally evil, had memories and experiences unique only to them. Yet, I killed them with no remorse, no pity, and no regret. The rain is cold. It is a cold which even puts the icy winters to shame. [i]You killed them.[/i] The rain is cold because they make my mind go numb. The voices return, each drop another whisper in my ear and another voice which screams in my head. I feel parts of me die in this living body, yes, like a ghost with a beating heart. These ghosts of my past are particularly haunting. One commands me to do one thing, and the other, just the opposite. A sensation of another hand is touching mine, but it is not warm like a living human's, it is cold. Malicious? No. It is rather comforting to me, and I close my eyes to breath in the aquatic woody smell from the forest. Turning to my right to see whatever has held my hand, every degree gets harder. I see a face, one which I've not seen in years. [i]Her.[/i] "Aeni..." Is all I'm able to mutter before my mind is blank and I'm filled with a black happiness. "But...you're dead." A soft smiles graces her, and she speaks in a soothing voice, "Indeed I am." She takes hold of my other hand, and I hang on to her every word. The other voices are mere murmurs in the background now. "I have passed, physically, from this world. Yet, it appears even physical death could keep me away." She looks to the floor for a few moments, contemplating her next words. The smile slowly fades, and by the time she looks up again, there is no hint of it. "But who is truly dead?" She raises her left hand and cups my cheek, "Your eyes...They used to shine so bright. There was a hint of a sparkle in them when I knew you in this world. A hint of [i]life.[/i]" She sighed in a disappointed manner, and shed silent tears as if she had just remembered the loss of a loved one. With every drop that fell, another piece of me broke. I fell to my knees, the weight of guilt bearing down on me. "I miss who you used to be." The rain pittered and pattered against the dirt. It ran off my skin and began to sting like fire and blade against my flesh. The voices became louder, the howls becoming unbearable. The constant shouting, the taste of failure, and the smell of death all begun to rip my will apart. My will to live and fight, but also my physical will to stand. I can feel my eyes beginning to corrode and rot away. My bones begin to grow weary and my body weak. Tired of resisting these...demons which lurk me. I slump over on all fours, defeated. I only see dirt, but I know she's looking down on me, and I can't bare to look up and meet her gaze. "Who did I used to be?" I barely managed to whisper. Like a mouse's voice amongst a storm. The voices become even louder than they used to be. I can feel their dark presences looming over me, some even shouting in my ear. Their constant shrilling drowns out the rain and lightning. A new voice joins the malicious chorus and speaks in a freezing and sharp voice; I can't endure this. [i]So end it.[/i] "[b]WHO DID I USED TO BE?![/b]" I yelled towards the voices. They stopped, but I could not even hear the rain. I hear both voices, the sharp one in my right ear and the soothing one of Aeni in my left. "Happy." [i]Happy.[/i] I voices leave, and everything begins to return to normal. I fall over and look towards the sky, feeling every drop touch my skin. I stay like this for a little while, until I noticed I'm taking too long. I grab my rifle and walk towards our camp. I see Dax sitting there, already prepared to leave. I know he heard. In silence, he gets up and walks; I match his footsteps. We're moving towards The City, only a day's run if we hurry. This silence; I welcome it. It is a nice foil as compared to what happened but a few moments ago. The walk is bland. We walk on dirt roads, concrete roads, and even cobblestone road. We've not passed a single soul in the hours of walking we've done. However, with a sudden voice, Dax begins to speak, "I had two partners once." I question where this comes from, but decide to let him continue, "I can't remember their names anymore, despite it only being a few weeks since one has passed, and a few years since the other had fallen. The first one, the one that died a few years ago, was a Titan. He was a heavy built, with heavy armour to match him. Though a bit of a jarhead, he was a great guy. A bright future ahead of him. A good leader by example when the time came." I listen closely, not wanting to miss a detail. "He was a loyal friend, and the first person that approached me in the Guardian 'training camp'. During a training exercise though, he was fatally wounded. It was supposed to be a simple elimination style training, one fireteam against another; training rounds, of course. A 'man' on the other team, however, disliked him extremely. He passed real rounds through the scanner by placing them in the fingers of his glove to make it seem like armour." "What exactly happened I'm not too sure anymore, but he seemed intent on killing our entire team. One of the Guardians spectating the match shot the gun out of his hand before he pulled the trigger on us though. He was apprehended and presumably executed for his actions. My friend though, he died before any medical Guardian could reach him." He clears his throat before he continues, "Me and the Hunter of the fireteam trained, so as not to be caught off guard again. I've gained experience in wilderness survival, overall combat, and training other Guardians. However the coincidence that I found you in the snow that day was mainly due in part to the Hunter. In fact, you wear his glove; the index fingerless one." "Long story short, there was a time when you battled with the Fallen and a Hunter in your group fell, correct?" He looks over his shoulder to see me nod, "Wore primarily red and white, also had a knife in a sheath bandaged around his right forearm?" I nod again, "I was attempting to rendezvous with him, so I followed the destruction your team left behind. It appeared I came a day too late though, a scavenger Fallen had looted him and made off into the snow." "Thus, I followed his tracks. I reached the snow, but amidst the blanket of white, I couldn't find whatever hole it hid itself in. So, I waited until morning. I waited and watched, until I then saw two figures in the distance, one being drug behind the other. I made my way over there, and apparently just in time too. The rest, well, you know what happened." Another silence returned, though this one was slightly uncomfortable. "Why did you tell me this?" He contemplated the question, until it appeared to me that the original reason arose in his head, "I don't know what battles you've gone through, I don't know what battles you're going through, but you shouldn't let the past chain you down. But do not forget the past for the scars you bear remind you that your past is real, and always will be." We arrive upon the crest of the mountain. I look towards the sky once more and see a break in the clouds and a ray of light shining through. Shining it's golden rays towards our sanctuary and another chapter in my story, The City. ==================== Thus we reach The City. My internet has been utterly horrendous lately, but as always, if you wish; comment, like, criticize, or do anything except plagiarize; because that's just not cool. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the read, next chapter should come out in the near future! Have a good day!