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Chapter Text

"Hello? Can you hear me?" The voice sounds sweet. I open my eyes as I take a large breath of air, some of it filled with sand. Then I sit up and take in my surroundings. I'm in a ship, though most of the ship has sunk into the hot sand, which explains why I breathed in so much of it. "Oh, good. It worked." The voice said, and I turned to see where it was coming from.  It was a floating orb.  I say orb, but it was the best way to describe its shape. It was black, with gold on the edges and a woven design on its body. "I didn't think it worked. You were buried so far down in the sand." The ball goes on saying as I try to figure out what's going on. 

"Right, you must be confused. Let me explain. I'm a Ghost. Your Ghost now." it explains. "My Ghost?" I ask, my voice sounding raspy. "Yes. You're a Guardian." I look at the ball, confused. It sighs will a hint of laughter. "It a lot to take in. The Traveler chose you to protect the citizens of Earth. With me, you've been granted the power of Light and immortality." "Was I dead?" The ball nods. "You were. I don't know for how long." I nod, trying to wrap my head around everything this thing was telling me. "The Vanguard back in the Last City will be able to explain more." "The Last City?" "It's the last safe place on Earth." "Why can't I remember anything?" I ask, pulling myself out of the sand.

"When you wake as a Guardian, you don't remember your past life." "Oh." I stand there quietly, brushing myself off. "Let's get going then," I say and follow my Ghost out. Outside, I'm blinded by the Sun.  It's reflecting off the sand around us, making it worse. "Where are we?" I ask as we start walking. "In a country once called Egypt." "Of course, I died in a desert." I sigh, feeling the sand in my boots as I walk. We trudge through the desert for a while trying to find something, or then my crashed ship with no luck.  The heat starts to get to me, and I know I need shade and water soon. "Look over there!" My Ghost yells, pointing to something in the distance. It looked like a pyramid poking out of the sand. 

"We can rest there." She says, flying ahead of me. We reach the Pyramid as the Sun begins to set and manage to find a way in. The moment I get inside, I start to feel better. It's still hot in here, but now I'm not in direct sunlight. "We can rest here for a bit." My Ghost says, turning her eye into a light for me. "I'm going to water before I get back out there, or I won't make it." "I don't think we will find any here," She points out as we head deeper into the Pyramid.  "Let rest then. We can look after." My Ghost nods in agreement. As we find a nice place to rest, my hand trances the paintings on the walls. "Hyrogliths." My Ghost explains as if she knew what I was going to ask. "They are ancient, and by the looks of it, they are in excellent condition." she goes on saying. 

"Can you translate them?" I asked. "Very little. This one over here talks about an Egyptian goddess named Amunet." I nod completed, sucked into the Hyrogliths. "And this one?" I ask. "The goddess Nut." "Nut as in the food." "It's pronounced Newt."  "Oh, okay," I say, nodding my head. "I want that to be my name." My Ghost says, turning to me. "You want Nut to be your name?" She nods. "Alright then. Nut. It's nice to meet you." She flies into my shoulder and cuddles into the crook of my neck. We find a small room to rest in for a few hours. Waiting for the Sun to set, hoping it would make the desert air cooler. When I set out of the Pyramid a while later, I was greeted by the cool desert night. "We need to move fast. There should be an old town nearby. Hopefully, they will have a ship we can use." Nut explains before we set off. 

As we make our way through the desert, I enjoy looking up at the sky. There wasn't a cloud blocking the stars, so I had a fantastic view.  We ended up finding the old City of Cairo, which was a few hours' walks. "We need to be careful here." Nut began to explain. "There is a chance that we fun into some Fallen.  And you still don't have a weapon." I look slightly confused. "Fallen?" "It's an Alien race that showed up when the Golden age ended. They want the Traveler and its Light." I nod, still not fully understanding. "I'll explain more when we have the time." Nut adds, already knowing I didn't understand.  We search Cairo till the Sun begins to rise with no sign of jump ship and luckily no sign of Fallen.

My stomach makes a rumbling sound, and my throat feels so dry. "I need food and water," I say, knowing Nut wouldn't be able to help. "There is nothing here. The desert has been reclaiming it for years." I collapse on the ground. "I don't think I will ever make it back to the Tower," I say with a sigh. "We've only been doing this for a day. Don't give up hope." "Hope? Nut, we are in a desert with no food or water. I need both to survive." "If you die and can revive you." She explains. "Then I will be hungry and thirsty still." She gives a few beeps but doesn't say anything more. "Is there any way we can contact the City? Get someone to send help?" "I can try and send out a distress signal, but you aren't a registered Guardian yet. We might not get a reply.

"Try, please." I plead. I hear Nut beep a few more times, then she nods. "Done. I don't know how long before we will get a reply. If we will." I stand back up and look around. "There used to be a River here." I point out, seeing the dry river bed. "Yes. the Nile." Nut states. "If we are lucky, there might still be water at one point and maybe some fish." "It's our best chance." I nod, and with Nut in toe, we start following the River bed.  A few hours later, the Sun had fully risen, and the desert heat returned, and my need for water became desperate. I notice that I'm not sweating anymore, and I know my time is up. My vision begins to blur as I stumble to the ground, then everything goes black. 

I feel something cool on my forehead when I wake with a start. I sit up and see that a cloth has been placed on my head. I look around and see that I'm not in the desert anymore. Instead, I'm on a ship. When I stand, I get dizzy and fall back on the bed with a loud thud. "Careful there." A new voice says. I look up to see who saved me.  He was a man, a human man.  He had a helmet on that didn't cover his face. The helmet looked like one of the Hyrogliths that Nut and I saw in the Pyramid. His outfit was interesting as well. He had a robe on, with feathers around his neck and his gauntlet glowed a bright orange. "Where am I?" I ask, my voice still raspy. "On my ship. I got your distress signal." I looked around, noticing Nut wasn't with me. "Nut?" I ask aloud, and she appears over the man's shoulder and flies into my arms. "Thank heavens," I whisper to her. 

"Do you have a name, Guardian?" The man then asks me, handing me a bottle of water. I think about it. What did I want my name to be in this new life? "Amunet," I say, then the man lets out a small chuckle. "What? Is it that bad?" He stops laughing as a flash of guilt crosses his face. "No, it's not that. My name is Osiris." I put it together, then laughed myself. We both seem to have an interest in the old Egyptian gods. "Thank you, Osiris, for saving me." He smiles. "It was nothing. You are a fellow Warlock, after all." I look at him, puzzled. "Warlock?" He chuckles again. "That right. Nut told me she hadn't given you all the information yet. Risen in the desert doesn't sound very pleasant." I nod in agreement.

"Well, to start, you are a Warlock like me. We value knowledge above all." I chuckle a bit. For the short time, I've been alive, I've wanted to know everything. "The next is, we Guardians are the protectors of the last City. It were most of humanity has gone to since the Collapse. You can study that more once we get you back to the City." I nod, hanging on to every word he says. "The last thing I want to talk about is your Light. All Guardians have access to the Light. It is what makes us Guardians. With the Light, you have powers. Healing and immortality are some of them. The other is something we call subclasses. Mine is Solar." He explains, showing off some of his Solar energy in the palm of his hand.

"Has any come out to you?" I shake my head. "That's fine. We will work on that. Rest for now. We will be back in the City shortly." He confirms then returns to the front of the ship.  I sit in the bed for a few minutes, but then my curiosity takes over, and I join Osiris up by the cockpit. "Can't sit still?" He laughs. "Neither can I most of the time. It drives Saint crazy." "Saint?" I ask, taking up the co-pilot seat. "My partner and Titan Vanguard." I nod. Nut mentioned the Vanguard once before. "What is the Vanguard?" "The governing body for the Guardians. There is a Titan, Hunter and Warlock leader. Each is in charge of their respected class. Out of the three leaders, one is also in charge of all the Vanguard. That would be me."

My eyes stare at him in shock. It wasn't just a regular Guardian that came and saved me. It was our leader.  "I-" I start to say, but Osiris holds a hand up to stop me. "Don't apologize." I look down at the floor sheepishly. He must think I'm useless. "You are new and got Risen in a horrible place. It's my job that our Guardians arrive safely." He assures me like he could read my mind. "Thanks," I say again, then I turn to look out the window, not saying another word. I watch the sky and terrain change as we fly. Watching the desert turn into mountains, then the sea, then mountains again. "Amunet," I hear Osiris say, so I turn to him. "Welcome home. Welcome to the last City." I look ahead of us as the clouds clear and see a giant white orb in the sky; underneath it is a sprawling city surrounded by a wall. "Home at last," I whisper, a smile across my face.

Chapter Text

I imagined the City with skyscrapers high in the sky with a large wall in-circling the area. Instead, I see small houses built close to one and others with people milling about. The giant wall I expected to protect everyone was in shambles. Section of the wall was missing entirely. To be honest, the City looked like it was barely hanging on. I try my best to hide my shock from the state of the City, but by the look on Osiris's face, I'm failing. He softly chuckles as he lands his ship before turning to me. "I know the City isn't what you were expecting. We've had a difficult time recently, and we are still trying to recover."

"What happened?" "The Fallen did an all-out attack on the wall. We were barely able to hold it back," he explained, and I nodded, absorbing everything he was saying. "There is a lot for you to learn, young Amunet. But I know you will do great things,"   he says, giving me a reassuring smile. "Uh. Thank you." I reply, stumbling on my words. "Let's get you some armour and weapons; then we can get started on your training." I nod as I follow him out of his ship and into the City. "Where are we going?" I ask, trying to keep up with him. "To our temporary command centre. The new one will be up there once construction is done." He said, pointing off into the distance. I look to see a new wall being built. It seems like it's in its early stages.

"It's huge," I whisper before catching up with Osiris. "That was the Speaker's decision. He wanted the new Tower to be a beacon of our strength." "The Speaker?" I ask. I feel like every answer leaves me more confused than before. "Yes. The Speaker is the one who speaks for the Traveler." I could hear hints of something in Osiris's tone when speaking about the Speaker and Traveler. "I'm assuming the Traveler is the large orb above the City," I ask. "You catch on quick. You are correct. But that is all for another time." We then arrive at the command centre he spoke of earlier. This was the first time I was around other Guardians besides Osiris. They all had their Ghost hovering beside them as they hurried by, some with folders, other books or weapons and armour in their hands.

It was a flurry of activity. "Osiris, there you are. We've been looking for you. The Speaker wants to speak with you." A guardian says. She was taller than me but shorter than Osiris. She had dark skin, and her hair was shaved down as short as it could without being considered balled. And beside her, her Ghost." "I'm sorry, Ikora. I got a distress signal from a newly risen Guardian. I went out to rescue them." He explains while motioning to me. I offered a small wave, feeling embarrassed again that I had to be rescued. "Amunet, I would like to introduce you to my star pupil, Ikora Rey. Ikora, this is our newest Warlock Amunet and her Ghost Nut."

I see Ikora giggle. "Did you name them Osiris?" He chuckles. "I did not. She picked her name all by herself, as did her Ghost." "He found me out in the desert. I pick my name from the Pyramid I was in." I explain, and Ikora gives me a warm smile. "As long as he didn't force you. He can be stubborn at times." I look at Ikora, surprised that she would talk about her teacher that way. "You said the Speaker wishes to speak with me?" Osiris asks, getting the conversation back on track. "Yes." Osiris then mumbles something under his breath before turning back to face me. "Our tour will have to wait till later, Amunet. Ikora here will make sure you're adequately equipped. Then, when I return, we will continue your education." I look to Ikora, who smiles then back to Osiris and nod my head. "Excellent. Ikora, take care of our new recruit."

"Of course, Osiris," she assures him before he turns and heads up a nearby set of stairs. "Well, let's get you to the vault to see what we can spare." I nod and follow her lead. The vault is a room off the command centre. It seems to be split into a few different areas—one for weapons and one for armour for each class. "The Warlock section is over here for armour; then you can pick two guns from here. After that, I can take you to the archives if you want to study. Or maybe food? Whatever you chose."

"Thanks," I reply as I begin sifting through everything. I find something that will tide me over for a bit. It wasn't my style, but it will suffice for now. It's a simple duster that I pair with a t-shirt underneath. I pair it with a pair of back pants and attach some knee guards before grabbing a pair of boots and a helmet. I look at myself in the mirror, and I'm surprised at how I look. I look nothing like Ikora or Osiris. My skin is light blue, and taking a close look, I see ripples of light under it. My eyes are a brilliant amber that looks like they are glowing. My hair, also blue, is a mess and caked with sand, and who knows what from my time in the desert.

"What am I?" I whisper. "Awoken," Ikora answers coming up behind me. "We don't know much about them, other than you came from the Asteroid Belt out by Mars. There are quite a few Awoken Guardians and citizens as well. A ship full of them arrived a long time ago, and they've been flourishing in the City ever since." I nod, turning back to look in the mirror. Did I come from that first shipful? Or was I a descendant of them? "One more thing," Ikora says, and I turn back to her as she hands me a bond with an eagle on it. "Each class has an item that represents them. For example, we Warlocks wear bonds on our arms. This one has the eagle, which also means us."

"Thanks, Ikora," I say as I slide the bond on my arm. I move next to guns. There were so many I didn't know where to start. I walk around picking one up to examine it then put it back down. This was all overwhelming. I pick a sniper up, liking the feel of it as I examine it. "Want to keep this one?" Nut asks me as she comes to see my choice. "Yea. I like it." "Perfect," she says before the gun glows then disappears. "What?!" I say, and Nut laughs. I stored it for you. When you need it, I will bring it back." She explains. I want to ask more questions, but I let it go. I continue going through guns until I come at some locked behind glass. There is one in there that caught my attention. It was gold, and the sides of the gun looked like wings while the bottom seemed to be wrapped in bandages.

"I want that one," I say, pointing to the gun. Ikora laughs as she comes over to see the one I'm talking about. "Ah yes, Vigilance Wing. An excellent pulse rifle and an extremely rare one. That is Osiris's personal collection, so sadly, you can't have it." I let out a loud sigh before turning to find another gun. I picked another up with markings similar to the ones I saw in the pyramids. "The messenger. Osiris designed that pulse rifle." Ikora explains as I play with it. "Can I have this one?" I ask, thinking I would be denied like that last one. Ikora goes to reply but is cut off by Osiris returning. "Of course. I designed it to be used, not to stay locked away." I smiled, looking back at the one behind the glass but decided to drop the question before I asked it. I'll get my hand on Vigilant one day.

"I see you found everything you need." He states as he walks around me. "I did, thanks to Ikora." "Thank you, Ikora, for helping Amunet." Ikora bows to Osiris. "Is there anything you need from me?" Ikora asks. "No. Return to your studies for now." She nods before turning to me. "It was nice to meet you, Amunet." "You as well, Ikora. Thank you again." She smiles before turning and leaving. "Now that you're equipped, we must discover what subclass you want to use." I got to answer, but my stomach rumbles, causing Osiris to chuckle. "Food first. I think." Nut says, and I nod in agreement. "I'll escort you to the mess hall. The food there is adequate. From there I want to see you in the training ring. First, we need to make sure you know how to shoot your gun and find out what subclass you wish to use." 

"I'll do whatever I need to," I assure him, earning me a warm smile. Osiris leaves me again at the mess hall needing to go to another meeting. I feel small in a room full of Guardians. Most of them are in groups talking amongst themselves as they eat. "Don't worry. You'll make friends soon enough. You're only a day old." Nut assures me, knowing what I was thinking. "All the Guardians seem so powerful, and here I am, needing to be rescued day one," I grumble as I play with my food. "You need to let that go, Amunet. Everyone is different. I've seen new Guardians barely come alive before where they were received." I raise an eyebrow to my Ghost. "You aren't saying that to make me feel better, right?" "I'm not. Now eat so we can get you into training."

I chew on my cheek, thinking about arguing but let it go before finishing my meal. Once done, I make my way to the training grounds like Osiris requested. Inside I'm overwhelmed again by the amount of Guardians. Some were standing around talking; others practised hand-to-hand combat while others were going to the shooting range. "Osiris said he would meet me here, right?" I ask Nut, looking around. "I think so," she states, and I sigh. Might as well do something, so I don't look like an idiot standing around. I decided to go to the shooting range first. There I could keep to myself. I find a quiet corner, and then I get Nut to pull my sniper out before I load it and begin to practise. The first few shots are ruff. I take the but of the gun to the face from the recoil. It stings, and when I bring my hand to check the spot the gun hit, I see blood. "Want me to heal it?" Nut asks, and I shake my head no. It's a lesson I'll learn, I think to myself.

I readjust the gun, so the recoil doesn't hit me before I take aim and try again. I miss the mark, but I also don't hit my face. I reload and try again, and again, and again, slowly moving towards the target. After a bit, I finally manage to hit it, and I have a smile that goes ear to ear. "Well done, Amunet." I jump up to turn and see Osiris standing behind me. "I'm sorry I didn't wait." I stutter, feeling like I'm in trouble. He smiles, shaking his head. "There's no need. I'm sorry I was late. I was pulled into another meeting." He then pauses as his hand rests on the cut on my face. "You didn't get Nut to heal you?" He asks. "I didn't feel the need. It's only a small cut." 

He raises an eyebrow knowing there was more. "It's a lesson for myself," I add, and he smiles. "Well, I see you've been doing well with your sniper. Have you tried the pulse rifle?" I shake my head no. "I will show you how it works. That way, we avoid any more unnecessary injuries." I look down to my feet before Osiris lifts my chin up to look at him. "No need to be embarrassed. We were all newly risen at one point." "I keep telling her that." Nut chimes beside me. I suppress an eye roll at my Ghost as I watch Osiris as he explains how the gun functions. He then takes a few shots so I can see the recoil before he hands it back to me to try. I take a steadying breath before I aim and pull the trigger. The recoil isn't as bad as the sniper since this gun is now as powerful, but it still throws me off balance for a moment. 

I readjust my stance and try again, hitting the centre of the target. "Perfect." Osiris cheers. I continue shooting a bit more at different targets before Osiris puts his hand on my shoulder to stop me. "I think that is enough for now. I want to discuss your light with you before the day is over." I nod, handing Nut both my guns and then follow Osiris out. "So I discuss sub classes earlier. There is Void, Solar and Arc." He explains as we sit down at the far end of the ring. "I told you that I use solar." He adds, making a puff of fire appear in his palm before it disappears. "Now, I want you to choose what you want to use." I stare ahead, thinking about it before closing my eyes and concentrating. I hold my hand out, similar to what Osiris did moments ago, and then I let chance choose. After what feels like forever, I feel heat emanating from my hand, and I open my eyes to see fire. 

Osiris claps his hands together smiling. "Well done, Amunet." He muses. "Now you can work at horning your Light. But that will have to wait till tomorrow. You've had a ruff first day, and I think it's time for you to rest." "But I don't have anywhere to stay." I point out as I stand. "There are barracks you can stay at till you earn some glimmer for your own place," he explains as he leads me out of the training ring. "Glimmer?" I ask. "It's the currency of the Last City. We also use it as a fuel source when needed." I nod.

We walk through the City as Osiris points to different points of interest to visit once I've had some time to rest. "Here it is. This is the Warlock barracks. Inside you'll find a bed with your name above it and a chest for you to store your gear. There is also a bathroom that you share with your fellow Guardians." I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Tomorrow, you will meet with some more Warlocks to train." I turn to look at Osiris, confused. "I'm not training with you anymore?" "I have other things I must attend to. You will be in good hands, I assure you. Once you are ready, we will get you on some scouting missions. Till then, rest and practice." "Alright. Thank you for everything, Osiris." "You're welcome. And good luck." He replies before turning to leave. So this was it—the start of my life as a Guardian. I was ready.

Chapter Text

The first order of business was to take a shower. I was covered in sweat, dirt, blood, and who knows what, and I needed to get clean. I found my bed, put my gear away, and saw that I had some basic necessities in my chest: some towels, soap, shampoo, and pj's. So I grab what I need for my shower and head into the communal bathroom. I expected the bathroom to be open to the world stalls side by side. Instead, they are small private cubicles with doors. I find one that's empty, turn the water as hot as I can take it and wash everything away. It takes a bit to scrub out every last bit of dirt and caked-on blood from my hair. However I died in my past life must have been bad. When the water finally runs clear, I know I'm clean. So I step out, put my pj's on and head to bed. It takes a bit to fall asleep since I'm in a new place. I hear a whisper across the room as other Warlocks talk to one another. When I manage to fall asleep, I'm swallowed by a nightmare. In it, I'm back wondering about the desert, but this time I'm alone. I was left to wonder on my own, with no water, no food or shelter in the sweltering heat.

 At first, I'm fine, but then, as the Sun gets higher in the sky, the dehydration kicks in. My throat feels like it's on fire, and my skin feels like it's melting. I keep pushing, hoping that I can get some water. As I continue, the hallucinations begin. I see Osiris standing in front of me, arms crossed, looking disappointed. "Osiris," I whisper, my voice hoarse from the lack of water. "Such a disappointment." He tsk. "I had such hopes for you, but I can see now it was all in vain." I open my mouth to reply, but it's filled with sand. "You aren't worthy to be a Guardian. Therefore you won't be needing this." I then look up to see him holding Nut. I reach out as he begins to crush her. "AMUNET!" My Ghost screams before I wake up screaming myself. It takes a moment before I remember where I was. I was in the Last City. I was safe. Nut is in front of me, looking worried before I grab her and pull her to my chest. "Shhh, Amunet. It was just a dream. You're alright." She whispers as I rock myself back and forth.

"Is she alright?" I hear someone mumble. Right, I'm in the barracks. "I'm fine." I croak, releasing Nut, then pulling myself out of bed. Sleep was the farthest thing from my mind, so I got dressed in my armour and went off to search for the Library Osiris spoke of. It took me about thirty minutes before I found what I was looking for, the Library. It was in a section of the Tower that was already built. I go down the spiral staircase through some stone arches and then stop as I'm left breathless at the size of this place. There are rows and rows of books on shelves from floor to ceiling. "Oh, my Light," I whisper as I walk forward, hands gliding across the books. "I could spend days in here," I mumble, still in awe at the size of this place. I could hear Nut chuckle beside me. "You really are a Warlock at heart." I chuckle as well, wondering where to begin. "I think I should start with the History of the City," I state, hoping Nut could direct me. "Hmm. That would be over here." She explains, leading me through a maze of shelves. "If you want to start at the beginning. You should start with the Golden age and go from there." 

I nod as she takes books from the top and brings them to the nearest table. "Crap, I forgot to grab something to write with." Nut shakes her body, disappears for a moment then returns with a notebook and some pens. "You are wonderful; you know that." "I try." She muses before lying beside me as I begin to dig in. For an almost destroyed civilization, we managed to keep a record of quite a lot of the past, and I was in heaven. So I go book by book, learning about everything I can, starting from the first contact with the Traveler on Mars. I only notice how much time has passed when more people begin to flood the library. From my current book about the Fallen, I look up and see Ikora making her way toward me. "I went looking for you in the barracks and was told you left early this morning. I should have expected to find you here." She laughs. "Nightmares kept me up. So I figured I would come and study." Her smile faded a bit as a concerned look replaced it. "Nightmares, already?" "What do you mean already?" "It's common for Guardians to suffer nightmares. We deal with quite a lot."

"So I'm not alone?" "No, Amunet, you're not alone." She assures me as she comes to take a seat beside me. "What are you reading?" "Books about the Fallen. They seem to be the enemy we've fought with the most since the Collapse. I want to know everything I can about them." "They are." She sighs. "It's good you want to learn about our enemy. But you must also practice your skills." "And I will." Ikora chuckles, closing the book I had. "Then let's go." She says, dragging me out of the library. We returned to the training ring, where another Warlock was waiting for us. "Hey, Eriana," Ikora says as we join the other Warlock. "Amunet, this is Eriana. Eriana, this is our newest Warlock Amunet." I offer a slight wave, but I'm left speechless at Eriana. She's a robot. Ikora chuckles as she sees my face. "Eriana is an Exo. A machine with a human mind." Ikora explains. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare." I mumble, staring at my feet, embarrassed. "There's no need for that. I know seeing an Exo for the first time can be," She pauses. "Jarring. But just think of me as anyone else."

I nod. "I figured you could use some close combat training and who better to help with that than other Warlocks?" "Close combat?" I ask. "Fist fighting." I looked down at my hands and wondered how strong I could be. "Don't worry. Warlocks don't do close combat training often. But I wanna see where you stand." I swallow the lump in my throat but nod in agreement. Better to learn now than out in the wilds. We all put our weapons down and I removed my cloak before going face-to-face with Eriana. "Alright, the rules are: No use of light or weapons. Only your fighting skill. The first one to pin the other wins." Eriana and I both nod in agreement then Ikora backs away to let us fight. I dive in first wanting to get the upper hand right away but Eriana expected this, grabbing my hand and flipping me over her shoulder. The air left my lungs when I hit the ground and I was left gasping for air as I watched the Exo move in for the attack. Thinking quickly I lifted my legs as she dove, throwing her backwards and giving myself the chance to pull myself off the ground.

She stumbles as she lands chuckling. "Good counter. But I can see you swaying. You don't have the stamina." she teases and that sets me on edge. I dive between her legs grabbing her ankle and throwing her off balance before her face slams into the dirt. I hear her swear before she rolls over and I take a boot to the face. This knocks me on my ass and my head spins when it connects to the ground. That was it. I was too dizzy to counter as she moved to pin my arm and legs. "Point, Eriana." Eriana jumps up and offers a hand to help me up. I took it knowing I wasn't going to do it on my own. "Nice try. Only thing is don't let anger get in your way. That will always lead to you losing." She explains. "I'll bare that in mind." Nut then comes over and heals any cuts or bruises I got but she couldn't stop the ringing in my ears. "Mind if we call it for now? That last hit did a number." Eriana looked guilty at that as she came to examine my head. 

I hissed as she touched the back where I hit the ground. "Sorry about that. Yeah, I'd be okay if you took a break. A Ghost can heal but the pain and sometimes effects of the injury can't be fixed. This seems to be one of them." Ikora then comes over and agrees. "Go get some food and rest. I'll let Osiris know what happened. Tomorrow we will continue with Light training." "Same time tomorrow then?" "Yes. Now go." I nod waving at both of them before grabbing my gun and heading to the mess hall. The noise there from all the Guardians talking wasn't helping my headache. So I ate quickly and made my way back to the library. There I was guaranteed some quiet. "Are you sure you want to study?" Nut asks as I pick up where I left off this morning. "Yeah. For some reason, it helps." "Okay. But take it easy." "I will." For the rest of the day, I buried myself in book after book as I tried to absorb as much information as I could. Each new book brought me answers to the previous but also more questions. It was a never-ending cycle and I loved it.

Only did I register how my time passed when my stomach growled. Hunger was winning over my desire to keep reading. Packing up my notebooks, stopped at the mess hall, grabbed something quick to eat then went back to the library. At some point after that I passed on a book, only to be woken back Nut the next morning. "You're due to meet back up with Ikora in an hour. I figure you would want to shower and eat first." I looked at the time and got moving. I made it back to the ring just in time. "Get a good rest?" Ikora asked. "If rest you mean she spent the rest of the day and night in the library then yeah." "Amunet." Ikora groans. "What? It was restful. I ate and slept and I'm ready to go." She sighs, shaking her head. "Well, it's time for Light training." "No Eriana today?" "Nope. Just you and I. Now let's go and show me what you can do." We got right into it. Ikora might be a Void user but she showed me the basis of Light wielding in general. Up to that point, I was only able to conjure up a small fire.

With her help I was able to make that fire into a solar grenade. I marvelled after I threw my first one. It stuck to the ground and looked like a mini sun. Next was turning my Solar Light into something I could use in close combat. "As you saw yesterday. Fighting face-to-face with an enemy is difficult. So we devised a way to use our Light to help us. What I want you to do is channel your Light in the palm of your hand, similar to creating a grenade. But instead of throwing it to the ground or at an enemy, you are going to push it out as a melee attack. Do you understand?" I nodded walking over to a training dummy. I follow her instructions and I reach out to hit the dummy when it ignites. I jumped back surprised at how powerful that attack was. "That was great. Now you know what you can do when an enemy gets in your face." I look at my hand amazed at the destruction I can cause. "With great power comes great responsibility." Ikora and I both turn to see Osiris walking toward us. 

"We can do a lot of damage with our Light. Therefore we must be able to control it." To prove a point Osiris conjures up a flaming sword and with one slash all the dummies burst into flames. "Control is the key." "Control," I repeat looking at the dummies. "You seem to be doing well." He adds. "Ikora and Eriana are great teachers." "They are. I knew I was trusting you in good hands." "Is there anything else you wanted, Osiris?" "No. I only wanted to see how you were progressing. Sorry to disturb you both." "You could never, Osiris," Ikora interjects. "Regardless, keep up the good work." "I will," I assure him. He smiles and nods before leaving. That little boost of morale was what I needed to let me know I was doing good. Now I was determined to do better.

Chapter Text

And better I did. Every moment that I wasn't in the library I was in the training ring. I was determined to keep improving so Osiris would continue to be proud of me. I also wanted to go on a mission but no one seemed to think I was ready for that yet. It was a bit of a letdown. I thought I was improving enough but when I asked Ikora she always shut me down. "You need more than your mind and skill out there in the world." She would tell me but I never understood what she meant. For a Warlock, I thought that was all at matters. Growing our minds to improve our understanding of the Light and fight our enemies with that knowledge. When I told her that one night she smiled and shook her head. "That is only the beginning. Which is why I told Osiris you aren't ready for an assignment yet." I stopped my combination and turned to her. "You what?" "You heard me." "I knew I wasn't getting assignments but I figured you weren't giving them to me, not that you told Osiris." "It is up to the Vanguard to give them out. I just offer what I see while training you."

I was pissed. I thought Ikora was just holding me back. I didn't think she would tattle on me to Osiris. I take up my flame sword in hand and stab the nearby dummy in the chest. "I'm done," I growl pushing passed her to the showers. "Amunet," "I don't want to hear it. I trusted you." "He was bound to find out your progress sooner or later." "My progress is fine, it's you holding me back now." "Is that what you think?" She grabs my arm to stop me. "Do you really think that you would stand a chance out there against our enemies?" "I don't know because I've never seen them! All I do is study and practice. There is only so much I can do before I need real-world experience!" "You aren't ready." "Says you." "I've been on there." My eyes narrow. "You've seen them when Osiris had to rescue you. " "Oh no." I hear Nut whisper. That was something I told her in confidence. I pull my arm free and stand face-to-face with Ikora. "You're a real bitch you know that?" "I'm just telling the truth." "Truth? You want the truth?

You're jealous of how Osiris cares for me. How he is devoted to how my training is going." "Careful." "No, you be careful. Because I'm done with your training. I've been here for months and I haven't improved enough for an assignment. It seems I'm not the problem here then. My teacher is." I could see the hurt across her face and I didn't care. I pulled my arm free and continued to walk away. That's when I felt void energy behind me and I turn just in time to dodge out of a nova bomb. I pick myself up and with a flick of my wrist throw a solar grenade that hits Ikora square in the chest knocking her over. "See what I mean." I laugh as she puts out the fire and stands. "Amunet, Ikora enough!" I turn on a dime and see Osiris standing behind me. Well fuck, I'm dead. "If you want to fight, take it to the crucible." Osiris walks past me to Ikora. "I expect better of you Ikora. To attack another while their back is turned." He tisk her and I chuckle. He then turns to me. 

"You are no better. You could have been the bigger person and walked away." That wiped the smirk off my face. "I was coming to see how you were progressing. But it seems you still have to mature before I send you out on assignment." I couldn't argue with him after what he saw but I didn't want to stay here and be ridiculed anymore. I turned and ran from the ring. For months I've been trying to work at getting his approval and in less than five minutes it was gone. I didn't know where I was running so I just kept running. The streets of the Last City were still new to me but I was so lost in my mind that I didn't realize how I got there. The next thing I knew I was at the outer wall on the opposite side of the City. I finally managed to calm myself down from the outburst earlier. Me running out as I did wasn't going to help my situation either. Maybe if I go back and explain to Osiris the situation. No, Ikora has likely twisted it and used it against me by this point. All I can do now is continue my work. 

I won't be able to do any of this unless I find my way back. "Nut, do you have any idea where we are?" No answer. "Nut?" I look around and I don't see my Ghost. I must have lost her as I ran. Great, this is just great. Can my day get any worse? The gods seem to take that as a challenge because the sky opens up and it begins to downpour. I watch as everyone around me takes cover but I continue to walk. I needed to get back and I wasn't going to let a little rain stop me. I try my best to retrace my steps but the streets are a maze. But together in such a haste during the dark ages. Each time I think I'm heading in the right way I seem to be right back where I was. To make matters worse I was starting to get cold. The rain still hadn't let up and I'd been walking around for a solid hour in the downpour. Maybe it was time for a break. I find an overhang to take shelter in and wait for the worse of it to pass.

How I manage to get myself lost in the City is a mystery. I've studied it so much since I arrive that you would think I would have come across a map or something. But no. I could ask a citizen for directions. But that would make me look weak. No, I could get out of this on my own. After a bit, the rain starts to let up and the crowds return to the street. I take that as a chance to find my way back. Maybe if I follow the crowd I might find another Guardian who I can tail back to the Tower or at the very least find my way back on my own. I started to my good headway as I saw the Tower getting closer. The downside is now I was shivering from the rain. I couldn't get sick, not now. I feel like my skin was on fire and I know that walking in the pouring rain had got me sick. I couldn't do anything till I got back to the Tower. There I could find Nut and she could heal me. I stumble through the streets as the fever gets worse. I tumble forwards and someone catches me before I fall. 

"Are you okay?" The voice sounded robotic. Like an Exo. It also had an accent. I didn't know that was a possibility. "Sorry, I got dizzy," I explain pulling myself free and seeing just who I crashed into. It was a Guardian for sure. The armour alone told me that even before I saw the Ghost at his side. "You are a Guardian, no?" "I am, but I seem to have lost my Ghost." "Lost Ghost. Hmm." He places his hand on my forehead. "You are burning up. Come, I will get you back to the Tower." "I can get there myself." "You might think you. But I can see you can't stand much. Come, I will help." I couldn't argue as he loped my arm around his shoulder helping me forward. At least if I had to run into another Guardian it was one willing to help. People clear out of the way of us as the Guardian escorted me through the city. Who was this Guardian? Everyone seems to know him. My answer came as soon as our feet touched the Tower. "Amunet!" I look up and see Nut as she flies into my chest.

"I was so worried! I couldn't keep up with you." "It's fine. I'm the one at fault. I shouldn't have taken off as I did." "Good, you found your Ghost. Now let's get you to a bed." "I should be good now that I have Nut." "Ghost cannot heal a fever." I look to Nut and she nods in agreement. I must have missed that part. "Okay, then I'll go back to the barracks." "Nonsense. You come to my home." His home? "I couldn't." "Yes. Now come. I expect someone there will be happy to see you." I looked at Nut and she was just as confused but I wasn't in any state to argue.  I let him practically drag me to his home as Nut tried her best to maintain my temperature. I didn't think I could fall sick this fast. "Almost there," The Guardian assures me. I nod and after another few minutes arrive at his front door. "Osiris, I am home." What?! "Saint, where have you- Oh, you found Amunet." Saint. This was Saint-14! I tried to scramble to pull myself from his grip but he was a Titan and it wouldn't be that easy.

"Ah, it seems she noticed who I was." He chuckles. "Amunet, calm yourself." I look up to see Osiris standing in front of me hand on my forehead. "You are sick. Let's get you out of these wet clothes. I am sure we have something you can wear while they dry." "I will be fine. I didn't mean to intrude. I'll head back to the barracks." I tried to walk away but I stumbled again and Saint caught me. "You are in no state to go anywhere right now. And you are not intruding. Now come. Saint will get you a warm bath ready." I felt completely mortified at my situation. I was rescued again by Osiris. Saint handed me over to Osiris as he disappeared into what I suspect was the bathroom. "You had me worried when you left the training ring this morning." "I-I-I'm sorry." I stutter, shivering from the cold. "Apology expected. Ikora explained the situation after you left." I tense at that. What did she tell him? "We will speak of it later when you are of sound mind." I could only nod as he walks me to where Saint was. 

"The water is ready," Saint confirms. "Excellent. Amunet are you able to get in the bath without help." "I should be." "Call us if you need us." I nod as he removes my arm from his shoulder and I brace myself on the wall. Once the door closed leaving just Nut and I, I get out of my wet armour and climb into the warm bath. I don't think I had a bath since I rose and it felt wonderful. "Amunet, where did you end up?" Nut asks coming to sit on the edge of the tub. "To be honest, I don't know. I think on the other end of the city." "I'm shocked you managed to get that far." "So am I. How could I be so reckless? I should have noticed you weren't there. Maybe Ikora is right that I'm not ready for an assignment." "Now don't think like that. You made one mistake." "Nut, it was a pretty major mistake. I left without the one thing that could bring me back to life." "But you learned from it right? I think that a plus." I close my eyes unsure of how to answer that. Had I learned from the mistake?

There was a soft knock on the door and I sink into the water before Nut answered it. "Yes?" "I have some clothes for Aumunet." "Leave them at the door," I say and I watch as a hand pushes them in. "Thank you, Saint." "Osiris has food ready when you are done." Right, I still had to face Osiris. "Okay," I reply not wanting him to stand out there and wait for me. "You can't hide forever." "I know Nut." "Then wouldn't it be better to get this over sooner rather than later," I grumble sinking below the water one last time before pulling the plug. I dry myself off before grabbing the clean clothes Saint gave me. It looked like an oversize t-shirt and sweatpants. Right, I was smaller than both of them. I take one last breath and head out of the bathroom toward the voices. "Ah, how do you feel now Amunet?" Saint asks as I take a seat. "A bit better. Still a bit dizzy and I feel exhausted." "After you eat you can sleep. Osiris has prepared the guest bed for you." "This really isn't necessary. I have enough energy now to get back to the barracks." 

"No. You will stay here till your fever is gone." It was Osiris that spoke this time and by the tone of his voice, this decision was final. I looked down feeling like I let him down again. "Apologies. Osiris can be a bit tuff at times but he means well. He speaks of you often. Of how well you are progressing for such a new Guardian." I looked up at Saint confused at his words. Osiris speaks well of me? But Ikora has told him that I wasn't ready for e assignment. "He does?" "Yes. He says it is nice to see a Warlock take to our history with such ferocity. The same ferocity that she puts into her training." I was shocked. I didn't expect this. "Yes," Osiris says not looking in our direction. "You are making progress at a speed I did not expect." I knew there was a but. "But your actions today show that there is still room for improvement." "I understand." "You will be assigned a fireteam once your fever is gone." "A fireteam?" "Yes. You will be working with them on missions and such." I was confused and when Osiris turns around he can see the confusion on my face. 

"Did you expect that I would send you out there alone?" "Kinda." "Guardians will go on Solo missions, but we rather have them out with a team." There is still a lot I have to learn after all. "I didn't know." "Ikora did tell you there was more to your mind and skill. I just wished she explained it to you. It might have avoided the incident that occurred today." I looked at my plate playing with my food. I still felt bad for how I acted today. "You need to eat, little one," Saint says placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm not hungry." "You must be after being out in the city all day." "Is it not to your liking?" He asks. "It's not that." "I am not angry with you Amunet." I look back up at Osiris. "What happened today was a mistake, correct?" I nod. "And did you learn from said mistake?" "Yes." "That it was a day of learning." "I am still sorry for how I acted." "And I thank you for the apology. But not eating isn't going to fix it." He's right. I take a tentative bite of the food. 

It was new to me, not something they have in the mess hall. The taste was different, but a good difference. "Do you like it?" Saint asks. "I do." "I told you she would like it, Saint." "You were right." Osiris chuckles at that and I continue to devour my food, only now realizing just how tired I was. When my plate was taken away I yawned as the exhaustion returned. "I think it's time for you to sleep. As Saint said, I prepared the guest room for you and put some medicine with water on the bedside table. It should help with the fever." "Thank you, both of you. It was very kind of you to help me." "It was nothing. You are like family." Saint chuckles patting me on the back. Family? To people, I barely know? "Uh. Thanks. Where is the bedroom?" "This way, I'll show you," Osiris replies realizing my change of tone. "Saint means well." He says as we get to the room. "Is just that-" I pause. "I barely know either of you." "We know. But we also know you will do great things. And if you let us, we can help." I was still hesitant. "Think about it. But for now, sleep." I nod crawling into bed and Osiris turns the light off for me. With the medicine taken I begin to drift to sleep. My mind was stuck on what Saint said. Family.