Hi, all! This is another facet of Rezyl Azzir/Dredgen Yor (gamer tag Basket34Ball) Paradox story, told from the perspective of James' rival Dredgen Yor in a series of journal entries. This only complements the series, so you won't get the full experience just reading this. This is a link to the Table of Contents: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/222610151?page=0&sort=0&showBanned=0&path=0 If you're ambitious, here's the first part to get you started: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/222438285?page=0&sort=0&showBanned=0&path=0 Hope you enjoy! ____________________________________ [u][b]Entry 1760[/b][/u] [u][b]Unsolicited by subject[/b][/u] [i]Who the hell are you?! What are you doing in my home?![/i] <Your home? Are...are you...Yor? You're a murderer...> *sound of gun being drawn* Damn right I am! Answer my question! [i]Who the hell are you?![/i] <You've been gone at least a month! No one was watching the kids, so I volunteered. No one thought you'd be back.> Well, they were wrong, weren't they? What have you been doing here? [i]Have you touched any of my stuff?[/i] <Stuff?> Don't give me that bulls***! You've been in my room, I bet. Did you do anything with my things? <There...was a bunch of Hive bones and rune books lying around. That didn't seem right to keep in a house with kids...especially if you weren't returning...> NO. [i]What did you do?!?[/i] *disjointed steps and the sound of a door opening* No. No no [i]no no NOOOOOOOOO[/i]!!! It's all gone! Everything! All my research, my materials, my notes, [i]GONE[/i]!! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL-- [u][b]Entry 1761[/b][/u] [u][b]Unsolicited by subject[/b][/u] Palamon burns. Dredgen Yor destroyed the village and most of its inhabitants. Jaren Ward and his posse weren't present, so they avoided the destruction. Yor stands in Palamon's Main Street, breathing hard from his psychopathic outburst. His sanity broke, but I can see self-awareness returning to his features. He seems surprised by Palamon's current state. "Shrimp? What...what the hell happened?" "[i]You [/i]happened, Dredgen." "...[i]Me?[/i] No, no I--" "I warned you what would happen if you killed with the power of Darkness. It would only become easier." "That's a lie!" "When have I ever lied to you?" "I've only killed Guardians! In the Crucible, a place where they had a chance to--" "No, Dredgen. You killed their Ghosts. Hundreds of Guardians are permanently dead because of you." "Why would I kill these people, though?" "You don't remember?" "There's...there's a haze of anger...and loss...just like I felt against the Fallen when...when Ana died. I...I lost something important, didn't I?" "Your hive research. The man watching Travis and Courtney threw it away." "Oh, God. OH GOD. I've lost her! I've lost her forever!!" Madness flickers in his eyes and his hand twitches towards Thorn. It gets choked out by a numb wave of terror. "The kids. Shrimp, [i]where are Travis and Courtney[/i]?! "Travis is dead, Dredgen. You shot him. I don't know what happened to Courtney." Psychosis returns with a vengeance. I disappear into his armor to avoid being shot. He shoots the ground, burning buildings and scraps, and smoke filling the night sky. Thorn glows greener than I've ever seen, drawing power from his pain and rage as spikes embed themselves on every available surface. And over the roar of the fires and the hissing of Thorn, Yor is bellowing like a monster. He draws on every last ounce of air in his lungs as his shout reduces to a croak, but he keeps his red-faced mouth open in hate, no sound escaping from his lips. He breathes in only to yell again, shooting the whole time. "Daddy!" Courtney Yor appears running down the road. She's oblivious to the danger she's in, but her father notices her. Yor raises his gun to her but she is undeterred, continuing to run toward him. Nothing terrible happens. I can sense familiarity breaking through Yor's demented state and fighting his blood-lust. His gun shakes violently, as though Thorn is trying to control his arm. We can both sense the trigger will go off again, so Yor jerks his arm to the side with an anguished cry. A girl's scream is heard. Yor glances back up to see if his daughter is hurt, but she keeps running toward him. He starts to realize how much of a danger he is to her and tries to run away. "Daddy!" she calls again, too close for her father to escape. She grabs his leg and curls around it like a koala. "Don't go, Daddy! I'm scared!" "[i]Go away, Courtney![/i]" "I can't! I'm too scared! Don't leave me alone!" "You...you can't follow me, Courtney." "[i]NO!![/i]" "DON'T YOU GET IT?! You'rs not safe around me! [i]No one's[/i] safe around me. I [i]have [/i]to leave." "No, Daddy, don't leave me! I'm afraid to be left alone! Who will take care of me?" Yor looks down at the sobbing toddler on his ankle, and I sense compassion and love untainted by Darkness coming from him. Yor turns and kneels down, holding his daughter tightly in his arms. "You damn well better be able to take care of yourself! You're...you're your mother's daughter. She was one of the best Hunters ever gifted by the Light, and every Hunter is able to live out in the wilds. [i]Both[/i] your parents were Hunters. You can make it, Courtney." "H-how?" Yor withdrew his embrace and held out his hand. A sphere of Void Light formed in his hands. "This is the Void. Only the strongest Hunters can master it. Can you hold it?" Yor reaches out to hand off the Light. Courtney hesitates before grabbing it. It shrinks to fit in her hand, then dissipates into her. Her eyes flutter shut and she falls against her father, asleep. "It took to her. Find a Ghost and become a Guardian, baby-girl. Be a better one than me. Shrimp, let's get the hell out of here." [u][b]Entry 1769[/b][/u] Shrimp, let's make this a log. Been a long time since I made one. What? You've been keeping unsolicited entries? Dammit, like what? Rrrgh, figures. Guess you had to, after...all I've done. ... It's taken some deep soul searching to figure things out, and I'm nowhere near done. Light's all gone now, but...I feel better than I have in a long time. Darkness doesn't seem to be trying to take over, for now. But I gotta keep it in check. And stay away from people. Ward came searching for me, wanted to bring me to justice for Palamon. I killed him just to get him to stop, but somehow his Ghost couldn't revive him. Thorn's poison must be getting stronger. I'm just about to throw it away, leave it behind for someone to find and think Dredgen Yor is no more. I know that won't convince the Vanguard. That's why I sent Ward's Ghost back, to talk to someone in his posse. It's better if everyone [i]thinks[/i] I'm dead, but I'm not ready to give up yet. I mean...there's a chance I can get better...right? Wow. All this time and [i]that[/i] shuts you up. Why [i]have [/i]you stuck around? I'm really not a Guardian anymore. Stopped being that a long time ago. I've always been a Guardian and I've never been a Guardian? Geez, Shrimp, can you be any [i]more[/i] esoteric? What do you mean, you didn't resurrect me? I...I'm [i]actually [/i]that young, not like that's my age from the day you found me? Shrimp, how do you know this? Adoption home? What was I doing in...I had Darkness in me even then? And my [i]Guardian[/i] parents were scared of keeping me?? Shrimp, who the hell were they? WHAT?! Rezyl Azzir's my father? But...that would mean... [i][b]Continued in Comments[/b][/i]