"Thank you," I responded, nodding as I took my staff. I used it to then hold myself steady as I slipped off the bed and stood, my legs still somewhat weak. Once I had my balance, I looked to Ikora, who had stepped forward. "Let me be the first to welcome you to the Warlock order. I will not be your mentor, but I will make sure you are put in good hands. For now, I will assign you your Ghost." As she spoke, my new companion flew in through the door. It nodded to the Warlock Vanguard, before turning to me. It had a simple white shell, clean and unblemished, as though it were made yesterday. "Hello, Invictus. I am Gamma, and, it would seem, now your Ghost. I look forward to working with you." I nodded to the small machine. "As do I, Gamma." Then, it disappeared, and I felt the new presence settle itself in my Light. Then, I looked back to Ikora. "Your ghost will show you to your new quarters. Tomarrow, it will inform you as to your new mentor, as well as where to meet them. Until then, farewell." With that she left, as did her peers. When they were gone, I turned to Artemis. "You wouldn't happen to know a quiet place where one could simply hear their own thoughts, would you?" I said with humor.

I paused, thinking of the courtyard I had tendered to and cared for with my time spent here. "Actually, yes. It's not too far."I said with a smile, walking at a comfortable pace for him. The courtyard had been in the east wing of the tower, right outside where the procedure had been done. It didn't take long, as promised, to reach the grounds, an exo nodding to me before opening the massive double set doors that swung inwards, welcoming us. It was always a pleasant site to see, and I was pleased to know the helpers of the towers had kept up with it in my absence. I led him past the training grounds, he'd no need for that at the moment and towards the edge where the garden lay. The fence was gone, trees towering above us, soft grass welcoming. The garden overlooked the mountains of old Russia, the site was serene and peaceful. I turned to him, with a smile. "Would this suffice?"I had asked with a light chuckle, wind picking up the branches above us and swaying them.

"I should think so, yes. But, one last thing." I said. Then, I took off my ether mask, and took a deep breath, a smile on my face. I then lowered myself to the ground and sat with my legs crossed, putting my staff to the side, before patting the ground next to me. "Might you join me? I've never meditated before, but I imagine it might be better with company." With that, I closed my eyes, and ignored all but my newfound Light.

I hesitated momentarily, having not shared company in the courtyard before, but sat down next to him nonetheless. I stared out to the mountains and the outskirts of the City, noting the broken wall from fallen attempts at breaking through. I had fought along side Ana Brey at the skirmish, protecting what I was reborn to do. [i]so much death[/i] I shivered as the breeze picked up and instead of thinking more of the topic, I closed my eyes and centered my light. The power of solar, arc and void coursed through freely and I immediately relaxed, letting my mind go.

Through my mind's eye, I looked at myself, my new strength. It was bright, brighter than explanation, but... incomplete. Shapeless, in a way I did not know how to define. So, I reached out and felt the light of my friend. The differences were as stark as they were numerous. Her light was scarred from battling the Darkness, keeping it at bay, but all the stronger for it. I sensed what I could only guess was loss and longing, but also pride, perseverance, and a little humor. Taking a step back, I felt the shape - or rather shapes - of her light. The shifting mysteriousness of void. The sharp agility of arc. The patient precision of solar. Though obviously different from the shape mine would take, it helped me define what was missing. In terms of the Light, I had just been born; a mass of clay, waiting to be shaped. Well, that just wouldn't do, now would it? Even though I had not yet had the chance to show it much, I liked to think myself a creative fellow. So, like any good curious person might do, I experimented. I shaped my light this way and that, seeing how it reacted, then trying something new. I imagined I must have looked fairly strange, what with my seemingly random moments of eureka. But just from sitting there, testing this and that, I learned a lot. My light seemed to accept any changes to it, keeping a... memory, you could call it, of each shape, but always yearning for more. It took any shape I gave it, from a shield to wings, a hammer, and other, stranger shapes. At one point, it took the form of a tree; the next, a hawk; the next, a giant. So many possibilities available with just my light alone. Some were slightly more difficult than others, such as the shield or the hammer, as though something was missing from the puzzle. I imagined that those would take the form of the various elements. Even so, I continued, ever curious, searching for new ideas. It wasn't until someone called my name that I opened my eyes. When I did, the sun had already set, and the night was growing progressively darker.

During the middle of my session, I felt an odd sensation, a friendly essence which I welcomed. I had figured it to be a good learning experience for my companion, allowing him to observe the will of light. Light was different with each child of the Traveler, varying immensely. Some had more control and preservance, while others allowed more will and freedom. Guardians shaped light and light shaped guardians, a beautiful cycle. I had once seen an individual who bent and shaped their will into a cloud of darkness, letting the abyss consume and blacken his light. I snapped from my revere as I felt Invictus' presence slip away, and instead focused on his, observing as he experimented. One session wasn't enough to grasp the full concept of light, but it was a step forward. I opened emerald eyes and stared into the blue hues of night, my hand landing on my companions arm. "Invictus, perhaps it's best for you to rest now, I'll show you your quarters." I said while standing up and offering him a hand.

"Ah, yes, heh." I said, rubbing the back of my head. "It would seem I got a bit carried away in my... curiosity." I smiled sheepishly as I stood, picking my staff up as I did. "I guess it is wise to get some sleep now."

I offered him a smile and nodding, leading him out of the courtyard. The exos on guard shut the set of doors behind us and we walked in comfortable silence through the tower. I could feel stares of the other guardians, yet I couldn't pin point the exact expression that flashed through their eyes. Surprise..pain..acceptance? We stopped at his door and I gave him a polite bow, Hade materializing from my armor. "Cayde would like a word with you...looks like no rest tonight."He commented with his broken voice. I looked to my fellow comrade, releasing a sigh. "Rest up guardian, I'll see you later."

"Aye, and you." I said with a smile. Then I walked through the door and closed it behind me. I looked around the sparse quarters, before my eyes fell on the bed. I felt my expression harden at the sight. "Let's see what you have to tell me this time." [spoiler]Gonna skip the dreams again, not very interesting stuff, just the whole "come back from a loss stronger" shpeal.[/spoiler]

I made my way towards the Hall of Guardians, my steps echoing loudly off the walls as I descended the staircase. Awaiting me was the sight I had grown to miss over the years, the exo staring down at his map. He looked up upon my arrival, opening his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Ah, if it's not my favorite Huntress."He had said as I leaned up against the table. Zavala had been watching with his piercing blue eyes but I purposely avoided his gaze. "You say that to all your hunters."I said, a hint of humor returning to my voice. "Now, what would you like to discuss?" He stared at me, folding his lanky mechanical hands together. "Well, I wanted to know if you were staying this time." I froze, a whole array of emotions coursing through me, no doubt readable to the quartermasters who awaited my answer. I hadn't realized how much of an impact I had on the houses, instead being blinded by the pain I had felt. The rage. The fire. "I've made many mistakes in my life as a guardian, but I assure you, that my loyalty is yours." I responded after I found my voice again. The answer had seemed to please the exo and just like that I had been accepted...but I felt the uncertainty. "I have to put you on house arrest, meaning no bounties and no time spent outside the City walls...hey it could be worse."He said to me, my shoulders sagging with defeat. With no further questions and an unwavering gaze from Zavala, I turned on my heel and left. The night air was crisp as I walked back to my quarters, staring at my cot as I entered the room. Time to dream of the Vault.

As the ship landed, my ghost transmatted us out, and I took a look around. Either my teacher had some very good connections, or the Vanguard really wanted me to succeed: the location for my first training session was one of the locations used for Crucible matches. Specifically, one of the newer ones, Sector 618. "Ah, welcome, Invictus!" I turned to see my mentor holding his arms out in greeting; an Exo warlock with an excited look on his face, such that I could not imagine another. I chuckled at the gesture before replying. "Good morning, sir." He waved a hand at that. "Oh, none of that, my friend, we're both Guardians. Here, however, we are both students." When he saw my questioning stare, he chuckled back at me. "What, never heard that a teacher learns just as much from the student as the student does from them?" "Well, then, I hope not to disappoint." I said with a smile. He nodded in response. "Well, I believe I should introduce myself: my name is Samuel-12, but most simply call me Sam." "It is good to meet you, Sam," I said, extending my hand in greeting. He shook it without hestation, which slightly surprised me. "And you, Invictus. Now, on to business." He took a step back and clapped his hands together. "Most guardians take a little while to attune themselves to an element naturally. Some attune very quickly, with rare cases showing attunement immediately after resuection. In cases where we would like the process to complete fast than it naturally is, or the guardian wishes to go ahead and attune to a different element, we tend to give them a... jumpstart, if you will. A taste of the element, so that they have a model to go off of. Thankfully, arc is the simplest if the three to accomplish this with." He then held his hands in front of himself, and an orb appeared between them. With a moment's concentration, it soon filled with crackling lightning. "Here, take this," he said, handing the object to me. I took it, immediately feeling the energy within. I looked to him, then back to the orb, closing my eyes and concentrating. I quickly felt the orb drain into me, the energy traveling throughout me. I quickly responded, giving it purchase in my light, letting it bind to my light. Once it had done that, I grabbed hold of it and fed it, letting it grow again. Sam was apparently impressed. "Nice job! Now, focus that, and aim for that target, and let's see some fireworks!" I opened my eyes, my sight immediately finding the target he was talking about. Then, with an outbreath, I let it fly. And with a bright flash and a great clap of thunder, the target promptly exploded into hundreds of tiny pieces. For a moment, Sam simply stood there in surprise, before turning to me. "I... I'll be honest, I did not expect something so impressive from such a new Guardian." I scoffed a bit at that. "What, did you think it would just fizzle out and do nothing?" "Yes." At that, I chuckled a bit. "Well, I believe that is simply the beginning." With that his smile returned and he shook his head. "So it would seem, my friend, so it would seem."

It had been nearly two hours into the start of my "house arrest" and already I was growing restless. I had been so used to being on edge and battle ready, but all was quite. The silence was deafening. Since I would find no use wearing my armor, I dressed in simple civilian clothes and helped around the tower. Master Rahool had a mass amount of engrams needing decryption, Banshee some weapons that needed repairs, I even helped Eva with her shading options. I had once glanced at Shaxx but earned a very disapproved look from Cayde. Apparently the crucible was included in the house arrest, my mood dampening immensely. It hadn't helped that darkness plagued my dreams the night prior, dark circles ringed beneath my eyes. I didn't have much of an option once I finished the tasks, so I opted to tend to my courtyard. I added a few new things to the training grounds itself and moved on to the garden afterwards. New plants to improve balance and to add a soothing atmosphere. I sat there after my handiwork and breathed slowly. Perhaps this house arrest had been for the better although I hated to admit it. Both my mind and body had been battered with moving nonstop, the peace almost...relieving. I closed my eyes and sat still, wind picking up and rustling the branches above me. Yes, perhaps this was better for me as of right now, just peace and tranquility. I wondered how my friend faired in his training, worried of not knowing if his mentor would treat him as an equal. I abandoned the negative thought immediately. Guardians treated their own in acceptance, a smile forming on my face as I left it at that and began my meditation.

"Perhaps we should take a break, before you blow up the entire wall." I nodded, exhausted and leaning on my staff, before taking a seat against a wall. I had been practicing Thunderstrike, one of the most simple Stormcaller abilities, since the morning. As Sam had quoted when we started, "It is better to master a single kick than to know of a thousand." So I practiced. I had gotten to the point where I could hit a target half a meter across accurately from 50 to 60 meters away. That alone had impressed Sam a great deal. Then I started to do it less than four seconds, then three, and so on, until I could fire a bolt off quicker than I could aim. So far, I had gone through hundreds of targets, both of our Ghosts struggling to make targets quick enough for me to destroy, forced to use the dust of old targets to make new ones. As I sat and caught my breath, I looked around at my handiwork. "At this rate, I'm not sure you'll even need a gun. Any idea how you're doing this, though?" Sam said, interrupting my reprieve. "I have a theory, yes." I leaned back and looked at him. "Two points: one, that ether is an artificial substitute for the Light the Eliksni once wielded; two, that ether is effectively our lifeblood, keeping us alive and strong. From this, a question emerges: what would happen if an Eliksni were given Light again?" Sam's eyes widened at the implications. "That... is an absurd amount of potential, if it's true." I nodded to that. "Aye, it is. And considering we can likely use my performance as a baseline for a starting point." "Damn. Remind me to never piss you off." I chuckled at that, waving the fear off. Then, with a grunt, I stood back up. "Hold it. I think that's plenty of training for today." He spoke with a mild amount of concern in his voice. "Come on, Sam, I'm just getting started." I said with humor. He shook his head away that, chuckling. "You are one crazy sonuvabitch, you know that?" He sobered. "Seriously, though, you need some rest. Besides, being a Warlock isn't just about blowing shit up with you mind. It's about being smart enough to know what to blow up, where, and when. Besides, I think you'll like what I've got to show you back at the archives." I raised a brow at that. "Is that so? Well, then, I'll trust you to lead the way."

I sat perfectly still, my meditation session taking a dark turn. I had cleared my mind completely, but now that I had time to think, I couldn't help but relive my past. Soon after my resurrection I sought the guidance from the legendary Hunter Pahanin himself. Under his wing were five others who held the same interest in learning his knowledge of the Vault. From him we learned of the Trials of Kabr, starting from the shield of Aegis made from his own light, to Atheon himself. He deemed us ready to go into the Vault, to avenge his team, but we were not ready. No. Nothing could prepare us for the dark abyss that swallowed and suffocated us as we pushed forward. We were brave, yet also ignorant of the raw power that surged through the very air. It was Atheons home, his territory and we [i]invaded[/i] it, we sought his end and he retaliated with great vigorousity. Even with our knowledge we weren't ready. I remember the sickening crack I heard from Adrestia's bones as a Preatorean smacked her into the wall. I remember the look of fear on Apollo's face as a neat stream fired from a line rifle sliced through the back of his heart. The screams from Athena and Atlas as she yelled for us to move through the portal, the oracles trapping her forever in the corners of time. We struggled to bring the relic to the center, Aries and I, but even the light was not enough to protect us. Atheons torch hammer blasted with arcane force against our shield, deteriating it. I fell to the ground as the shield gave away and I watched as the one I loved hovered above me, taking the devestating void damage. His smile was one I would never forget, for it haunted me each night since I escaped that vault. When I returned, I sought my mentor, so I could confide in his comfort and support. Only then did I realize that he had been murdered by another Guardian. I remembered feeling nothing but pain each day and I grew cold from it. I strayed from the vanguard and became a mercenary for hire. I was in a bad place with no family, no ghost and no light. I walked in darkness and carried the weight of the world on my shoulders...people grew afraid of me, whispered my fate as I walked by.. I opened my eyes from my somber thoughts, my mood that of grief and frustration. Even though I had come back to the light, I felt as if part of me was still in the vault...it was only then I had realized I was crying. Only then I had realized I had not changed.

Curiosity - and more than a little bit of excitement - filled me as we approached the Tower. I had always enjoyed Old Earth literature, and had not read any in quite a while. Whatever Sam had in mind, I trusted to be high-quality. Once we landed, I met up with Sam next to the hangar exit. We nodded to each other, and started for the Tower Archives. As we walked, I passively sensed the emotions of those around me with my Light. There was quite the variety: happyness, anger, curiosity, frustration, fear, grief. I stopped at that last on, reaching out a bit further, before I realized who it was. When Sam noticed I wasn't following him any more, I waved him on ahead. "I'll be there in a minute, I need to go check something." At that, he paused, and I felt his light reach out much as mine had, before it withdrew and he nodded. "Just try not to get lost, Invictus." He said with a slight smirk. Then he laughed a bit as he turned around and continued the way we had been going. I shook my head at his antics, before turning to find the garden. It wasn't far away, and I soon found it with Gamma's help. When I got there, I made a beeline for when Artemis and I had meditated yesterday, and quickly found my quarry. I quietly took a seat next to her, closing my eyes to meditate. Instead of focusing inward, however, I reached out and used my Light to comfort her, attempting to ease her sorrows, to let her know she was not alone.

My mind had gone in a downward spiral, focusing on all the bad that had transpired in my life. I had no control over my thoughts as they got darker and darker, the abyss wrapping around and suffocating me. My teams blood were on my hands along with all of bounty heads I've collected throughout the years. [i]darker[/i] my thoughts went, digging deeper. The abyss had almost taken me, but I felt something; a light, a beacon. It was soothing and comforting, the dark tendrils that clouded and grasped at my mind slipped away slowly. I reached out towards the light, grasping it as if it were my lifeline, the essence blanketing around me. My eyes blinked open and took a large inhale, letting it out shakily. I looked over to my companion beside me, my eyes widening slightly. "Invictus?"I breathed out, wiping away my eyes.

I opened my eyes and looked to my friend, a smile crossing my face as I put a hand on her shoulder. "Whatever your past, whatever your mistakes, you will never be alone. As long as some small mote of Light survives, this will stand true. Do not forget that."

I looked to the Fallen and released the breath I hadn't known I had been holding. His words had calmed the storm that had threatened to surge and erupt. I sighed softly and gave him a grateful look. "Thank you, Invictus."I said while offering him a small smile.

I shook my head at that. "No, thank you. You are the one that made this possible. Without you, I never would have made it." I smiled again. "It is our duty to be beacons of hope to those in need. Sometimes, though, we need some hope ourselves." I stood, offering a hand. "I think you've spent enough time brooding on the past. It time you start looking to the future."

I looked to him gratefully and took his hand, lifting myself up. His words rang true and I smiled at that, sighing contently. I had lost all hope because I had been so intent on staying in the past. We all deserved second chances. I just had to let myself accept the opportunity and road to redemption. I wiped away the last of the drying streak marks and looked to him. "I hope I wasn't interrupting your training."I said, almost guiltily.

I shook my head at my friend. "Even if you had, it is far more important that you are ok. In any case, no, we had already decided to stop for the day. Something about "not pushing myself too hard"?" I said with a smirk.

I let out a light laugh at his comment and gave him a pointed look. "The difference in making the impossible the possible lies in a man's determination."I said while looking out to the city and pausing. "I am proud of you Invictus. You set out on your path and here you are, despite the odds. I'm honored that I could partake in your journey."

My smile softened. "As am I, Artemis. As am I." I looked to the sun setting on the horrizon, admiring the sight for a moment, before turning back to her. "It would probably be wise to get some sleep. Would you like me to walk you to your quarters, or would you like some privacy?"

"My house arrest has given me to much privacy."I said with a laugh, looking to him. "Come, you can tell me about your training along the way."

I chuckled a bit at that. "Well, there's not really much to tell. Have you ever heard the saying, "It is better to master one kick than to know a thousand?"" I shook my head. "That is basically what I did. My mentor, Samuel-12, helped my tune to arc, and then I simply blew stuff up with lightning for the next several hours. Nothing nearly so impressive as to warrant much excitement." I said as I gave her another smile.