Cardinal swam through the heavy liquid like it was tar, thick and pressing in on her so that when she tried to breath she felt as if her skin was too small for her, sputtering the bitter fluid out. It burned her, unlike any fire she had ever felt. As if she was being pulled apart atom by atom. [i]You could be so much more than you are.[/i] The whispers were clearer, stronger than they had been before, more like a full voice rather than a soft breath. She could recognize it as her own. Breaking through the surface, she gasped and flailed for a moment to stay afloat, the tar-like substance sucking at her arms and trying to pull her back under. Nearby Cardinal saw the outline of gravel, stark contrast to the blacker-than-black ocean around her. As she made her way towards it, her feet hit the shifting rocks and she pulled herself free. Panting on the stones Cardinal lay flat on her back, looking up at the nothingness above her. After she had caught her breath, she stood and turned to look at the small salvation of ground she had found. It was only a small island of broken chunks of what she now recognized as chitin. [i]Chitin.[/i] The word formed in her head as if she had known it her whole life. Kneeling down, she picked up a chunk. It crumbled to dust as soon as her fingertips gripped it. [i]"You could have the strength to crumble your enemies like this very chitin."[/i] Cardinal froze, reaching for a hand cannon she never knew she had, and pointing it at... ...herself. Cardinal had never seen herself before now, but she recognized the white hands, the dark cracks of steel throughout her biceps, and the familiar voice that the exo in front of her spoke. And the face... strange, terrifying beauty was housed in the white metal face and the two iron horns coming off the back. They reminded Cardinal of the ears of some kind of beast, extinct since the collapse. [i]"Please, holster that crude weapon,"[/i] the clone said. [i]"We are the only weapon you need."[/i] "What do you want from me?" Cardinal asked it, the grip on her weapon tightening. The clone laughed, a chilling, rattling laugh that made the circuits in Cardinal's mind freeze. Her hands started to shake until she dropped the gun, clenching her fists to stop them. [i]"You ask the wrong questions. What you should ask, is 'what can you offer me?'"[/i] the clone started to walk around Cardinal, its feet skimming the ocean like it was solid stone. [i]"We have a... certain interest in your future."[/i] The clone stopped behind Cardinal, examining her before resuming its circling. [i]"If you will do as we ask, then the Eliksni will know no fear, nor suffering."[/i] The clone stopped in front of the guardian, those glowing eyes burning holes into Cardinal's own. [i]"That is what you wish... is it not?"[/i] Cardinal narrowed her eyes. "Who are you? How do [i]you[/i] know what [i]I[/i] want?" The clone laughed that terrible laugh again, this time softer. Cardinal kept her hands still. [i]"Why, isn't it obvious? We. Are. You."[/i] With every word the clone took a step forward until it was so close that the guardian could count every bulb in its eyes. It stood like that a long time until Cardinal shook her head, breaking the spell of deafening silence. "I don't want any part in this. Not when The Guardian is against you." The clone stepped back, narrowing its eyes. "If you won't be persuaded... perhaps [i]she[/i] will be." With that the clone spun around, walking into the sludge around them with as much effort as watching a butterfly. The black fluid bubbled and started steaming where the clone stood as she sank into it, melting into the sludge. A long tendril grew from that spot, reaching out and touching Cardinal's forehead. A loud ringing intruded her mind as she started falling upwards, leaving the island and the ocean below her as she hurled upwards... [b]Author's Note:[/b] Meant to get this up yesterday, but totally forgot so whatever, here we go! Previous Page: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/255599072/0/0 Next Page: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/255699690/0/0 All Pages: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/255351687/0/0