this isn’t finished yet but it’s already long enough without all the action and i haven’t written anything in forever either so just take this trash
“Edix…”
He woke with a start, sitting up in bed quickly as a gasp left him. Edix could hear a voice in his head, distinct but like a whisper. It echoed around his mind before quieting again, leaving him with a whirlwind of thoughts and confusion.
“Edix…”
And again! There it was again, much louder this time as though something were beckoning to him. Edix rubbed the sleep from his eyes and climbed out of bed, frowning at the cold floor beneath his feet. It was still early in the morning, the sun not yet risen and the morning frost still settled across the City. Edix grabbed a jacket and his slippers, quietly slipping out of his room and sneaking past where Zavala had long since fallen asleep on the couch again. He never always made it to bed most nights, so it wasn’t an unusual sight to see the Commander asleep on the couch and no doubt after he’d spent most the night reading reports. Edix looked at his father for a moment, watching for any signs he might wake, before quickly leaving the apartment and making his way through the silent Tower.
Few Guardians were milling around the place still in the early hours, some turning in engrams to Master Rahool and others handing over bounties to Xander, the frame in charge of the bounty board. It was easy to slip by unnoticed, most of the Guardians either too tired to care about the young man in slippers or had frankly seen stranger sights by now.
Edix listened for the voice again and headed to the Vanguard Hall, unnoticed by a weary Shaxx laid back on his grubby couch and further unnoticed by the few civilians wandering around maintaining things. The only individual who did notice him was Cayde, the Hunter still wide awake and taking what was left of the night shift. There were no other Guardians around the Hunter Vanguard, luckily for Edix and also unluckily for him as it meant he was quick to be noticed by Cayde.
“Hey there kiddo, what brings you down here this early in the morning? Even your old man’s still asleep by now.” Cayde greeted, Edix stifling a sigh and heading over to him.
“Morning Cayde,” he replied, “I’m just… I couldn’t sleep. Something woke me up.”
“Explains why you’re wondering around in your PJs.” Cayde’s mouth flashed in the equivalent of a grin, watching the navy rise in the Awoken’s cheeks. “So what woke you?”
Edix looked around a little, that gesture alone indicating to the Hunter, well-versed in subtle gestures, that Edix did not want anyone to hear what was about to be said.
“I heard a voice,” he said in a low tone, standing close to the Exo. “It was saying my name, but it wasn’t like any Awoken’s voice I’ve heard before.”
“So it wasn’t your freaky Awoken telepathy?” Cayde frowned, Edix shaking his head. “That’s weird. So what do you reckon it was?” He said, cocking his head in interest. Usually when Awoken were disturbed during the night, it was almost always due to hearing the voice of another just like them in their head. But the fact that Edix had said it was unlike anything he’d ever heard before concerned Cayde - ever since he was a boy, Edix had showed promise with his abilities as an Awoken and had been able to see into the most well-defended of minds.
“I don’t know. But whatever it is, it’s strong and it’s somewhere kept in the Tower.”
“In the Tower?” Cayde repeated, receiving a worried nod. “Well, I think I have an idea where it could be coming from, but you gotta promise me one thing. You won’t say a word to another soul.”
Edix frowned, looking at Cayde. That implied that Cayde knew something about what he was interested in, and that intrigued Edix greatly. “I promise.” he said, Cayde looking around before beckoning Edix to follow him.
They left the Vanguard Hall together, Edix following quietly just behind Cayde as he was lead through the Tower and down to the lower levels. The stairways seemed to go on for miles, taking them down to what felt like deep underground until finally they came to a locked door.
“Zavala will kill me if he finds out I’ve taken you down here.” Cayde sighed as he unlocked the door, keeping a hand on the handle for a moment. “He and Shaxx did this after finding your little pet on Io after you tried to hide it, and swore on oath to never tell anyone. Made me and Ikora swear too.”
“So why are you showing me this now, whatever this is?” Edix asked, brow furrowed. The whisper in his head had grown to a firm tone, clear and much louder than it had been. He found it hard to believe what Cayde was implying, he had been under the impression that Kilgharrah had been slaughtered. “Cayde, what is it?” Edix asked again, gesturing to the steel door. Cayde pushed it open slowly, bowing his head a little.
“The last surviving Ahamkara.” The Hunter said finally, letting Edix through the doorway into a cavernous opening. It was massive, and only confirmed Edix’s suspicions of being deep underground, and there in the middle was Kilgharrah. He had grown since Edix last saw him on Io, at the time just a newborn and now as big as the Tower itself. There were chains keeping the Ahamkara anchored, around the hind ankles and even on his great horns that had started to grow. By no means was the Ahamkara old, instead still very young from the perspective of an Ahamkara’s overall lifespan, but already he looked so weary and haggard. The beautiful feathers of his wings were dulled and grey, moulting and ragged, while the scales had lost their yellow colouring. The mane was patchy as well, and it all brought tears to Edix’s eyes.
“Kilgharrah?” He whispered, moving over to the edge of a cliff and staring up at the once-magnificent creature. “What have they done to you?”
The creature made a low, mournful noise that only brought more tears to the Awoken’s eyes. Cayde hung back by the door, unable to look at the creature as Edix turned to look at him.
“How could you allow this?” He asked, staring at the Hunter.
“There was nothin’ I could do, kid, you know that. Zavala-”
“I don’t care what Zavala said! I don’t care what the rules are! Kilgharrah has never hurt anyone and never would, and you just let them do this to him?!” Edix was furious, fists shaking from how hard he’d clenched them in his distress. He stomped over to Cayde, squaring to him.
“There’s nothing I could have done.” Cayde repeated, shaking his head.
“You could have tried.” Edix hissed, eyes narrowed before he pushed past him forcefully.
“Where are you going?” Cayde called, moving to keep up with the determined Warlock and forgetting to close the door behind him.
“To get Razelighter. That is the only thing that could break those chains.”
“How could you even know that for sure?”
“Because I was raised on the stories of the Great Hunt. There’s no way Shaxx or Zavala would not have a means of breaking those chains themselves. They wouldn’t release him willingly, only when it suited them and their interests. Either way they’d have a way of breaking the chains, and if I know either of them they would use Razelighter.”
“This is risky, Edix.” Cayde groaned. This kid wasn’t as head-strong as Zavala was, but by the Light he certainly rivalled his father.
“I know.” Edix stopped, facing Cayde on the step above him. “That’s why you’re going to help me.”
omg i swear u guys hate me holy shit. all under a cut again
Where were you rezzed?
“In a grave outside of a long-abandoned village. Lots of burnt-out buildings, lots of Fallen arc spears around. It looked like there had been a battle there forever ago.”
How long ago was it?
“Well, I was a child when I was rezzed, and I’m in what would be a mortal late-twenties now. So a long time ago.”
Did you have anything in your pockets?
“No, but I was buried with a stuffed bunny toy.”
What was your first week alive like?
“Stressful. I was just a child and I couldn’t defend myself, so my Ghost had to ping the Vanguard on the emergency frequency for a rescue. We hid under a rusted-out piece of metal for a day before Zavala, my dad, arrived.”
How did you react to your new role as a Guardian?
“When I was old enough to understand and start training to be a Guardian, I thought it was great. To be able to stand up for what was right and to defend the last of humanity, it felt right. Now though? I just want to be left alone to study my plants and raise Kilgharrah, my Ahamkara.”
Do you have any regrets?
“That I wasn’t able to save Cayde in the Prison of Elders.”
How did you get your name?
“My dad named me in my first life. When I was brought back to the Tower after being resurrected, he recognised me immediately and reinstated my name and got to raise me again.”
Does your ghost have a name?
“Spiro. We found audio logs about an old game with the same name when we were exploring, and he liked the name so we used it. Turns out we spelled it wrong until we found a copy of the game, but I don’t care. It’s cute.”
What is your ghost like?
“Spiro is a worrier. But at the same time, he’s got more common sense than I do and he’s really good at talking me out of bad moods. I don’t know what I’d do without him, irrespective of being a Guardian.”
How do you feel about the last city and the vanguard?
“The Last City is my home and the Vanguard are my family, but they need work on how they operate since Cayde died. Dad’s become more distant and Ikora is more unpredictable and I worry for the both of them.”
What’s your favourite place to go?
“Io, to see Asher, or to just hole up in my garden or greenhouse and continue my studies.”
Do you participate in strikes or the crucible?
“Strikes. I rarely go into the Crucible. While I respect Lord Shaxx, it’s distracting hearing him shout at me all the time in Crucible matches and I get stressed out faster when he does. I know it’s meant to be motivational, but I don’t like it a whole lot.”
How do you celebrate the holidays?
“I spend it with dad, or with Artie when she returns to the Tower from her ventures. I’ve tried repeatedly to persuade Asher to come to the Tower for Dawning at least, but he isn’t interested. So I split my time between home and Io for him so he isn’t lonely out there.”
Who is your favourite NPC and who is your least favourite?
“…. I’m fond of Asher. Everyone calls him an asshole and an angry prick, but he has his reasons for being like that and I believe that underneath it all he’s a charming man. That said, I don’t like Petra. She puts too much stock in her Queen, if she can even be called that anymore, to the point it blinds her to Mara’s failings. I could stand there until I’m bluer in the face telling her this, and she’d still find reason to call me a liar.”
Where do you sleep/call home?
“I have my own apartment in the Tower, but sometimes I do just go back to dad’s apartment if trying to cope by myself gets to be too much. I’m lucky that he always welcomes me there, and it’s good for him too for me to be there. Dad doesn’t exactly have a concept of sleep, so if I’m there it means he can try and rest.”
Do you have any pets or companions?
“I may or may not have an Ahamkara called Kilgharrah, three cockatiels called Bert, Den and Dor and two cats, Nebula and Merlin.”
(side note, the cockatiels are named after my nan’s cockatiel - Bert - and my late grampy and nan - Dennis and Doreen <3)
Does anyone live with you?
“Aside from the actual horde of pets, not really no. Artie sometimes stays over if she’s gotten in trouble, or for other reasons. Other than that, no. It’s just me.”
How do you unwind or comfort yourself?
“I hole up in my garden and greenhouse for days at a time if things have been bad. It’s not a great attempt at comfort, but it does help a little. Normally though I just sit down in the evenings with my crochet and make a bunch of stuff.”
What would truly break you?
“… losing those important to me, or getting left behind by them for something or someone better. It’s… it’s a scary thought and I try not to think about it.”
Most embarrassing moment?
“Having to explain to Asher why I wasn’t available on Io for a couple of days after my top surgery. He took it really well, and was fully supportive in his own way, but it was still embarrassing to have to explain.”
Any cherished memories?
“Meeting Kilgharrah and his mother for the first time beneath Io. While his mother died shortly after, she was the most breathtaking sight I’ve ever seen. A real Ahamkara, in all her glory, just sat there. Her wings and feathers and scales were just incredible and were largely immaculate, despite being hidden where she was for so long. Another cherished memory is meeting Artemis for the first time. She’s been a dear friend, even if she has her own dangerous endeavours. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
artie is @slumberblues‘s
What was your highest and/or lowest point?
“After the incident regarding Crota and how I got my scars, I was at my lowest point. I wouldn’t eat, hardly spoke. I got caught apparently performing Hive rituals in my bedroom on three different occasions before the Vanguard realised there were shards of Crota’s soul crystal lodged in my eye.
My highest point? That would have to be when my transitioning was finally finished with and I could be me.”
Views on the enemy races?
“I don’t believe the Fallen to be our enemy, despite the fighting I think they could be our biggest ally.. The Vex and Hive, and by proxy the Taken, are perhaps our biggest threats and need to be dealt with first. The Cabal are just pathetic and the Scorn are abominations.”
Which enemy race is your most/least favourite?
“The Fallen are most interesting to me. I’ve tried to communicate with Captains on various occasions, before some Guardians came blundering in and slaughtered them for no damn reason. I hate the Hive and the Vex.”
What’s your role in a fireteam? (Tank, support, buff/healer, comic relief? Or are you the dead weight?)
“Dead weight.”
“Healer, Edix.”
“Thanks, Spiro.”
Do you have any mentors/mentees?
“The commander is my mentor and my father. I hope I don’t end up with any mentees, I’d be useless to them.”
What is your favourite weapon type/favourite weapon?
“Better Devils is a good handcannon and I will hold onto it forever. After that, I really like Thunderlord. Handcannons, auto rifles, shotguns and machine guns are the ones I prefer to use when I have to. Although, Eternity’s Edge is a good sword on the rare occasion I use it.”
Do you play Gambit?
“No.”
How do you feel about the Drifter?
“I don’t trust him. I’d like to, I hear about his intentions a lot and how he means well for the most part, but it’s just the interactions with the primevals and Taken that concern me.”
If you could be any class/subclass (not just your own), what would you be and why?
“I’d like to be better at using Ward of Dawn. I didn’t realise until lately that I actually had that ability, but it isn’t as strong as dad’s.”
What are your thoughts on the Nine?
“I don’t like them, since their whole business is shady in and of itself, but their aesthetic is cool.”
Any secret crushes or relationships we need to know about?
“…. noooooo…..”
“He likes Asher.”
“Spiro!”
Does your Ghost approve, or haven’t you told them?
“Of course I know, Edix spends a lot of time in his head and I can always hear his thoughts unless he really doesn’t want me to, which is rare. He’s just embarrassed to admit to it and thinks it couldn’t possibly come to anything, given Asher’s nature.”
You’re about to go off-planet on assignment, and will only be able to eat protein rations and food gel for a month. What’s your last meal?
“Anything my dad cooks. Despite all the jokes everyone makes about the commander, he does make really good meals.”
If you could take over any NPC’s job, who would it be and why?
“I don’t know. I think it’s expected that I take up overseeing the strikes and nightfalls from my dad, but I don’t think he’ll relinquish his duty that easily. Asher’s job is interesting, but I fear the day he… y’know. I don’t like to think about that.”
What is the most beautiful sight you’ve seen?
“I’m not sure. I’ve seen a lot of beautiful things, varying from places to things. Although, I think when I caught the rare blooming of a flower on Venus is pretty good.”
Do you have a favourite colour?
“Blues are nice colours.”
Show us your favourite outfit!
“I don’t have one”
What’s your favourite shader?
“The Io shaders are nice, even though people say they’re not. Some of the ones Calus offers are pretty good too, though I don’t really like things that are overly ostentatious.”
If you could make a wish to an Ahamkara for anything - no strings attached - what would you wish for?
“I’d never ask Kilgharrah for anything when he’s old enough to actually grant wishes, but I suppose I’d just ask to be able to help people more than I already can.”
oh boy this is gonna be a LOT under a cut bc tbh I’m just gonna do all of them >.>
01: Do you have a good relationship with your parents?
“It’s better now with my dad. We hit a rough patch during the Red War after he ran away to Titan and left me practically in charge of everyone, since they recognised me as the Commander’s son and all. It wasn’t a good time for a while between us, but we got better and now we have a better understanding of one another too. My Pa? He’s long since dead, before I was resurrected too, so I don’t have a relationship with him.”
02: Who did you last say “I love you” to?
“..... I’m not sure. I feel awkward saying it sometimes, like it’s reserved for romantic relationships only. Though I say it to dad sometimes, and to Artie too.”
03: Do you regret anything?
“A lot. Not being able to save my Fireteam in the Hellmouth being one, not being able to save Cayde being another. Lots of things.”
04: Are you insecure?
“.... Yes. Though it’s not so bad anymore, not like it used to be at least.”
05: What is your relationship status?
“Complicated. I like Asher, but sometimes I think he just sees right through me. Though I’ve taken to actually going out into the City more at night with some friends. That’s led to a loooot of kissing various Guardians.”
06: How do you want to die?
“I’d prefer not to, to be honest. Though I’d like to avoid death by Hive at least. I’m not sure, I’ve never particularly thought about a final death kind of scenario.”
07: What did you last eat?
“I don’t remember.”
“You had cookies Zavala made you, because you forget to eat.”
“Oh yeah. Dad makes great cookies.”
08: Played any sports?
“Does running around Io for Asher, collecting samples and fighting Vex count?”
09: Do you bite your nails?
“Only when I’m nervous, but even then I’m more likely to just fiddle with loose threads or bounce my leg.”
10: When was your last physical fight?
“Two days ago when I needed to gather samples of Radiolaria and Phaseglass for Asher. I’m still finding bruises from that.”
11: Do you like someone?
“Asher. But he doesn’t see me, not really. At least, not outside of being his assistant, I don’t think.”
12: Have you ever stayed up 48 hours?
“Yes, and I don’t remember any of it. I try not to do it too much, Spiro is forever telling me off and so is Dad.”
13: Do you hate anyone at the moment?
“Since I don’t count, no I suppose not.”
14: Do you miss someone?
“Yes. I worry for Artemis when she’s out on Hive murder-sprees and I... often miss her greatly. Cayde too.”
15: Have any pets?
“Too many! I have three cockatiels, two cats and an Ahamkara!”
16: How exactly are you feeling at the moment?
“Weary and very tired.”
“Well that all-nighter you pulled in your greenhouse didn’t exactly help.”
17: Ever made out in the bathroom?
“Probably? I know that I made out with a Titan on my first night out when I was very much wasted, but whether it was in a bathroom or not I couldn’t tell you.”
18: Are you scared of spiders?
“.......”
“He stands there like he’s rooted and cries if it’s a big one. He’s that scared of them.”
19: Would you go back in time if you were given the chance?
“Yes. I know it’s never a good idea, but... I know I could save Cayde, if I could go back in time. I know I could get to him on time.”
20: Where was the last place you snogged someone?
“In the corner of some club in the City, I think.”
21: What are your plans for this weekend?
“Studying my plants and tending to my garden.”
22: Do you want to have kids? How many?
“God no, never. It’s hard enough just taking care of Kilgharrah and myself, let alone anyone else.”
23: Do you have piercings? How many?
“I’m tempted to get some, at least some in my ear.”
24: What is/are/were your best subject(s)?
“I don’t really know. I’m good at botany and horticulture, and I’m learning more about the Light in-depth but other than that I don’t know.”
25: Do you miss anyone from your past?
“My Pa. I didn’t know him, I was killed as a toddler and at the same time as him, so I don’t have any memories. Dad showed me pictures of him, though, and he looks nice. I wish I did know him better.”
26: What are you craving right now?
“Peace and quiet. A partner. I dunno.”
27: Have you ever broken someone’s heart?
“I don’t know. I’m more likely to break my own half the time with how attached to things or people I get.”
28: Have you ever been cheated on?
“Hah, no.”
29: Have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry?
“At time of answering, I don’t have one, so no.”
30: What’s irritating you right now?
“Being so god damn cold. I have a sweater on and the heating on and my own Solar Light and I’m STILL COLD!”
31: Does somebody love you?
“My dad does. I don’t like speaking for anyone else I know, though.”
32: What is your favourite color?
“Largely any of the Io shaders. Blue’s good too, and green.”
33: Do you have trust issues?
“Depends who’s asking me to trust them. I trust my dad, Artemis and Dad with my life. Plus Othion and his husband Izel. Oh, and Vigil, since he guards the Speaker. Ikora, too. But the likes of the Drifter? It’s getting harder to say.”
“Long story short, sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn’t.”
34: Who/what was your last dream about?
“I dreamt of a throne world that belonged to Crota, and it was filled with warped versions of the plants in my garden. Everything was a sickly Hive green and there was a broken throne with vines snaking all around it. I was sat in it, and there were hordes of Hive knelt around me like I was royalty.... I think it’s just a scrambled memory, after getting that shard of Crota’s soul crystal in my eye.”
“Yeah, that’s all it was. Don’t think on it too much, Edix.”
35: Who was the last person you cried in front of?
“My Ghost. It feels weird to be crying around anyone else sometimes.”
36: Do you give out second chances too easily?
“Yes. Sometimes I’m too kind for my own good.”
37: Is it easier to forgive or forget?
“I think it’s easier to forgive. That way you can move past it and carry on, rather than forgetting about it and then it coming back to haunt you at inopportune times.”
38: Is this year the best year of your life?
“I doubt it. Cayde died, Dad and Ikora have been arguing, the Drifter moved into the Tower Annex, the Black Armory opened its shady doors, the Spider is very interested in even more shady things, the Nine have rocked up with their Emissary and even with Mara gone, she’s up to no good as usual and I don’t like it.”
39: How old were you when you had your first kiss?
“In mortal terms, around 24 or 25? As a Guardian, no idea. I don’t count the years so much.”
40: Have you ever walked outside completely naked?
“Oh my god no. I’d rather die than do that.”
51: Favourite food?
“Not sure I have one, to be honest with you.”
52: Do you believe everything happens for a reason?
“Sometimes. Not everything can be attributed to that logic, given the nature of this bastard existence some things are just at random and have no or little reason to them.”
53: What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night?
“Worked on some more jellyfish to give to families in the City. They lost more than we did during the Red War, so I try to give something nice back to them when I can.”
54: Is cheating ever okay?
“No. If you can’t do it on your own merit, then you don’t deserve to reap the rewards through cheating.”
55: Are you mean?
“I can be, but I don’t like to.”
56: How many people have you fist fought?
“Not that many. I’m not all that strong, physically.”
57: Do you believe in true love?
“I’d like to, but sometimes it just doesn’t seem possible.”
58: Favourite weather?
“When it’s raining on an autumn day, because at least I’m not too cold. But also I can just sit by the window, wrapped up in blankets and listen to the rain while I crochet or read.”
59: Do you like the snow?
“Yes! It’s so much fun to roll around in it and throw snowballs at other Guardians!”
60: Do you wanna get married?
“I don’t think so. It’s bold to assume a relationship would last that long.”
61: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby?
“Depends who’s calling me that and the circumstance of the name. If they’re taking the piss, and I don’t know them, then I’m not happy about it.”
62: What makes you happy?
“Little things. Looking after my plants, helping Asher, my crochet projects, being able to spend time with my friends.”
63: Would you change your name?
“No. I like it how it is.”
64: Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed?
“Probably, since I don’t know who they were, their name or what they looked like. I was... very drunk.”
65: Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do?
“Well that’s literally never gonna happen, so I’m not even engaging in this hypothetical.”
66: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around?
“Yes. Artemis is very dear to me and we have an understanding of one another. Even with our differences, I still feel comfortable around her.”
67: Who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to?
“Artemis, duh. Well, maybe Ikora.”
68: Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with?
“Probably Artie again. We talk about the Hive a lot, given our dispositions.”
69: Do you believe in soulmates?
“I’d like to, just not in my own case.”
70: Is there anyone you would die for?
“My dad, Artemis. I’d die for Asher and, in fact, have. Many times. Curse you, Pyramidion.”
Never have I ever gotten weird plant juices into my mouth. > For Edix
>.>
<.<
he tries his best not to ingest plants. And 99 times out of 100 he succeeds because he isn’t a raging weirdo. BUT. When you’re out there in the solar system cataloging all the bizarre-ass plants and taking samples of specimens to then dissect and examine later, there’s a very good chance you’re gonna be attacked by a weird predatory plant.
Does him making different kinds of tea from certain tea-friendly plants count as weird plant juices?
I am your best friend and i gave you coffee money do i still get a drabble
yes. suffer.
basically the twins Edix and Eli are now Zavala’s biological kids because I fuckin said so
Zavala's head was spinning as he woke up that morning, smelling burning wood amidst the brisk morning air. It bit at his skin under the thin nightshirt he was wearing, forcing a shiver from the Awoken. As he pushed himself into sitting up, bile rose in his throat and he moved to the small bucket he and his partner had managed to get hold of for such sickness.
“Again, Zavala?” Came the sleepy mumble of his partner, the other Awoken moving and propping himself onto an elbow as he watched his lover vomit.
“I wouldn't be in this state if you had just used the protection Saladin suggested all those months ago.” He hadn't been carrying for very long, only about three or four months, but it was wreaking havoc on his body. Awoken were different from humans; for one thing, both sexes could bear children. They were equipped to do so, both men and women having what humans deemed “the other’s equipment”. So for male Awoken to wind up carrying ('pregnant’ felt too odd to use) wasn't an odd occurrence.
“Hey, you were the one who insisted we fu-”
“Shut up.” Zavala grunted, grip on the bucket's rim denting it. A chuckle left his partner.
“You're so cute when you're grumpy.” He said, getting up from beneath the furs with a yawn. “Alright, I'm goin’ and getting breakfast. I'll tell Saladin you said hi in Vomitese.”
“I'll Vomitese all over you if you don't shut up.” Zavala growled, slowly moving away from the bucket. Arc crackled up the Titan's arms, the Hunter dancing away from it with a cackle of amusement.
“Ya love me really, Blue.”
“How many times have I got to tell you not to call me that?”
Zavala was exhausted. He was tired and it was set deep in his bones. He didn't even have the strength to hold the two little baby boys he'd just delivered not two hours ago. But oh, how they wailed for their father from Saladin’s arms.
Saladin stood by, watching the twins carefully as Zavala rested. He'd been there when the Titan had gone into labour and had been there for the hours afterwards while Zavala’s partner rested himself, having been up all night worrying about the Titan and the little twin boys. Shaxx was asleep somewhere on guard, so to speak, to make sure no one disturbed Zavala unnecessarily. The Hunter was also asleep on the floor next to Zavala’s bed, on arm up and holding his hand as the Titan slept.
The two little boys just squirmed and complained with mewls and whines in Saladin’s arms, both of them too tiny to contain the Light that radiated beneath their pale blue skin. Their Awoken marks almost looked too big for their little faces; upside-down chevrons a stark white against blue and sitting just under their scrunched-up eyes that refused to look at the world they’d been born into. They were precious and Saladin was proud to hold them as Zavala slept.
Everything was burning. The whole settlement was on fire, the glow lighting up the sky and even touching the underside of the Traveler itself. Fallen were screeching from all over the place, attacking innocents where they stood and desecrating what they dared when they fell. People, mortal people, were running and screaming and it was all Zavala could do not to abandon his fellow Risen and be with his two sons and his partner. He struggled not to drop everything and run to protect only them, but he knew that stopping the Fallen here meant keeping them safe where they hid further into the settlement. So he stayed put, using his Light to destroy any four-armed insect that got in his path.
Saladin and Shaxx fought beside him, living and dying and living again in rapid succession as they dealt with the onslaught of Fallen arc fire. The telltale shiver of Arc Light shot up Zavala’s spine and he knew his Fists of Havoc, as they had all taken to calling it, was ready. He charged forwards, body surging with electricity in a brilliant blue, and leapt into the air. He called forth the storm and the thunder as he jumped, coming crashing down and bringing the lightning with his fists as they met the solid earth beneath him. Fallen were sent crashing backwards with an array of chittering screams that were cut short by their bodies just disintegrating before Zavala.
As he was almost distracted by his work, the line the few Risen in the encampment had been holding gave way to a horde of Fallen. They broke through the measly defences they had scrambled to put up in time and began to wreak havoc throughout the huts and tents. They slaughtered villagers where they stood or knelt, cradling their children or their loved ones. Zavala stared, almost helpless for a moment until he was run through.
When Zavala came to, his chest was burning with pain and he rushed to his feet. The Titan looked around and saw he was alone in the burning street, Saladin nor Shaxx in sight as he grabbed a discarded auto rifle from the ground. It still had a full clip as he took off in search of his mentor and friend. Soon, however, that search was abandoned as he heard the bloodcurdling screams coming from the food stores where most people had been hiding. Where his partner and children had been hiding.
The Fallen had found them.
By the time Zavala had fought his way there, the screaming had dissipated into silence. Not a sound was made in the area as he ran to the storehouse. The door was broken in and from where he was stood he could see the limp and bloodied arm of a body. Fear gripped his heart and pulled at his ribs, making his chest hurt more and his heart work faster as he broke into a sprint. He grabbed the splintered doorframe as he reached the storehouse, chest heaving with heavy breaths as he looked inside.
There was blood everywhere, contaminating all their food but worst of all forming pools on the ground. All of the people that had been hiding here, nearly thirty of them, were dead, and among them at the far end of the stores were Zavala’s family. His partner was slumped against the back wall, his Ghost a crushed mess of panels and glass in front of him. He wasn’t coming back, but worst of all were their children. The twin boys, Edix and Elijah, laid slain in his partner’s arms. Their faces pale and their eyes closed, no glow to their skin anymore as blood soaked their clothes and hair.
Numbness overtook the Titan as he fell to his knees, chest growing tight and eyes stinging with tears as his face prickled with warmth. It was a foreign feeling, but there wasn’t anything else he could feel. It was grief and rage and sadness and hatred and despair all mashed into one dangerous mix. His Light tried to reach for his partner’s, finding nothing but the Void there in its place. Behind him, Zavala was dimly aware of heavy footfalls and he didn’t care if it was a Captain coming to finish him off - he would kill every last stinking Fallen with his bare hands if he had to!
A hand found its way to his shoulder and Zavala didn’t look up; he knew it was Shaxx who had found him, not some Captain. The Solar rolling off the other Titan was immense and it almost burned Zavala but he didn’t care. Shaxx was talking, but Zavala didn’t care to listen. His children, his partner, his entire world was just gone.
Zavala stood by the three graves in silence, the rain soaking his clothes and armour and rolling down his face. There were no tears there for the drops to mingle with, not anymore. He stared at the fresh earth that had just been placed over the bodies, stared at the water soaking into it gradually. Thunder boomed above his head and lightning crashed in forks and sheets every so often, and Zavala felt nothing but the Void. It was cold and numbing, almost soothing in his grief. He almost wished he could make little sparks of Arc dance across his hands (his partner had loved watching him do that), he wished he could make children’s hair stand on end and watch them shriek with laughter. But there was only Void now.
The walk to the Vanguard Hall was silent, Kilgharrah making occasional chitters here and there to Edix in an attempt to drawn some kind of reaction from the distraught Warlock. Edix had wrapped the little dragon up in a blanket before he left his room and was marched to the Hall with Ikora leading the way. Things weren’t looking good and they were about to get even worse as they entered and saw Zavala talking to a small group of Titans.
As he was talking, he heard Ikora entering and clearing her throat. Looking up, the Commander saw a teary Edix holding a wiggling bundle in his arms and a very concerned-looking Ikora next to him, arms crossed. Whatever had transpired, it wasn’t good.
“Everyone leave. This is now a private matter of the Vanguard.” Ikora barked, voice carrying across the room and echoing as the staff and few Guardians quickly left and closed the great doors behind them. She gestured sharply for Edix to move to the war table and set the squirming bundle of blankets down. Once he had done so, he choked back a distressed sob before revealing Kilgharrah.
An audible noise left Zavala as he stared down at the infant dragon, eyes wide as he remained visibly calm otherwise. Cayde-6 was already asking questions in alarm.
“Is that what I think that is?!” He squawked, mouth lights flashing orange. “Where did you get that?! How did you get it into the Tower undetected?” He was in complete shock, the Exo hesitant to move closer to the little beast. It didn’t seem like it could have possibly been a living and breathing Ahamkara, it was so innocent, and yet there it was cleaning its scales and chirping at Edix.
The doors to the Hall banged open suddenly, a thunderstruck Lord Shaxx storming in and staring at the baby on the table.
“HOW THE HELL IS THERE ONE LEFT?!” He bellowed, staring at Zavala behind his helmet though everyone could tell his expression was one of fury. “How could we have possibly missed one?! It isn’t POSSIBLE!” He roared, voice filling the empty room and driving more tears to fall from Edix’s eyes.
“Evidently, Shaxx, you missed not one but two. Edix found the mother on Io. She called out to him through the Awoken mind.” Ikora said, almost snidely. The Commander and the Crucible Handler had prided themselves in their hunt of the manipulative beasts, Lord Shaxx bragging about it every so often in gesture to the skulls that hang as trophies in his area of the Tower. The comment only wound Shaxx up more as he clenched his great fists and stormed towards the quivering dragon, ready to smash it to a pulp in such rage no one in the room had seen either at all or for a very long time. Edix gave a cry and grabbed Kilgharrah, pulling him out of Shaxx’s reach.
“He’s just a baby! You can’t blame him for the things only a few Ahamkara did!” The Warlock shouted at the Titan, eyes filled with barely unshed tears as he cradled the dragon in his arms. No one had ever dared to raise their voices at Lord Shaxx, least of all Edix.
“Give me the dragon, boy, you don’t know what you’re doing!” Shaxx snarled, as the heat of Solar Light radiated from him. Edix shook his head.
“No! You can’t make me! I made a promise to look after him! I’m not breaking it! Not for you, not for anyone in this Tower!” Edix shouted. “Kilgharrah hasn’t hurt anyone! He’s just a baby!”
“Zavala! Tell him!” Shaxx snapped at his old friend, Zavala unusually silent and calm. “Zavala?”
All eyes turned to the Vanguard Commander, watching him stare at the dragon with eyes like a hawk.
“Edix. Explain.” He said quietly.
“I was running a mission on Io for Asher when I felt a presence in my mind. I followed it into a network of caverns beneath Io’s surface before I found an adult Ahamkara. She was ancient and she was a mother. This baby was cradled in her paws, but he was a stillborn. She asked me to care for him and I promised her that I would. She didn’t demand anything, nothing of this ‘great price’ everyone says the Ahamkara ask for. Only that I care for him.” Edix hesitated as he was explaining, taking a breath to steady himself. It still hurt to think about what had happened. “She gave the last of her life to bring him back, using part of my Light to help the process. I could feel her dying, and I could feel him living. I made a promise to the mother and I brought Kilgharrah back to the Tower with me to care for him.”
As Edix spoke, he spoke with conviction, with defiance and determination. When this Warlock made a promise, to anyone, he would do everything in his power to uphold it. Zavala could see the emotions in his face and the shining of his tears only reflected them. He had essentially raised this boy from a young resurrection, he knew Edix well. Now Zavala was faced with a massive dilemma. Kill the Ahamkara and lose the trust and respect he’d gained from Edix, or let him care for the Ahamkara and risk the safety of thousands of lives he’d worked so hard to save.
“The damned thing needs to be executed!” Shaxx snapped in the wake of Zavala’s silence.
“I am in agreement. We cannot allow a live Ahamkara, infant or not, to survive or reside here at the Tower. It is putting everything we have worked towards in peril." Ikora said firmly, arms crossed where she stood at her usual station around the war table.
“No, please. Zavala, please.” Edix pleaded, tears welling up again and streaking down his face. “Kilgharrah hasn’t hurt anyone! He couldn’t hurt anyone! I’m begging you, please don’t kill him!”
Zavala just watched Edix cry and beg, watching how close he held the Ahamkara to his chest. He had never felt such confliction in his long, long life. He cared for Edix greatly, he’d raised him after all, but the Ahamkara were a dangerous threat. More dangerous than the Fallen, than the Vex, than the Hive. Just allowing one to live threatened the safety of the City and it would only take one fully-grown Ahamkara to destroy everything and turn everyone against each other. It would destroy the City in a matter of days.
Zavala couldn’t allow it.
“The Ahamkara will be executed.” Zavala decreed with an air of finality. Edix stared at him before he burst into fresh tears. Anger, ugly and fierce, reared its head in him.
“You monster! You asshole! What the hell is wrong with you?!” Edix screamed, eyes burning with tears and body alight with the flames of the Dawnblade. “You can’t do this! He hasn’t done anything to hurt anyone! He wouldn’t!”
“You have five minutes to say goodbye before the creature is to be removed and imprisoned until we can execute it correctly.” Zavala said, trying to remain cold and indifferent on the outside. Inside, he was in turmoil. He hated seeing Edix cry and now he had just destroyed every ounce of trust the Warlock had placed in him. The Commander just turned to leave, his sentence delivered with conviction.
“You fucking asshole! You monster! You’re no better than what we fight against! You’re worse!” Edix screamed until his throat was raw, heaving sobs leaving him and lungs spasming as he sobbed. “You are blinded by hatred for things you know nothing about! You are a monster and a coward!”
Kilgharrah made a little noise and looked up at Edix, blinking. The poor thing was too young to understand, it hadn’t grown into the intelligence the Ahamkara were known and feared for. As Edix crumple to his knees, he held the dragon tighter to his chest and sobbed. Shaxx stood too close for comfort, the Warlock hissing a venomous ‘fuck off’ to the Titan. He could feel a little presence in his mind, feeling Kilgharrah nose around his face to explore the tears curiously. Edix’s Light and soul burned. In hatred for the Tower, in hatred for everything Guardians stood for if it meant the murder of an innocent life, in distress, in disgust at Zavala’s actions. His chest burned and ached as he cried, wheezing and coughing as his eyes were flooded and his nose ran.
The five minutes went by faster than Edix wanted them to, he was almost sure Shaxx had moved in before the time was up, and before he knew it Kilgharrah had been snatched from his arms. Edix cried out and watched as Shaxx held the squirming creature by the neck, biting back another sob and failing as the Ahamkara was carried out. He couldn’t breathe, everything hurt. Only Cayde came to his side and helped him to his feet, the Warlock pushing him away and glaring at him with red-rimmed eyes and a snotty nose.
“You… You didn’t do anything… You could have persuaded him otherwise!” He snapped, sniffing and glaring at Cayde as more tears kept coming. Cayde sighed, mouth lights glowing a faint orange with the imitated noise.
“You know I couldn’t, kid. You know Zavala’s opinions on these things, you grew up with them.”
“It’s all bullshit! It’s all lies!” Edix shouted at him. “Everything we know about the Ahamkara is wrong! Not all of them were manipulators! Not all of them corrupted! Zavala is blinded by his hatred for them!”
Cayde only sighed again and shook his head, crossing his arms. While he’d never been that close to Edix in his youth, he still cared deeply for him.
“Look, there is nothing I can do to change this.” Cayde said with an air of finality, starting to walk past Edix before slowing beside him. “But all I can say is that creature is going to be taken to the labs to be put down humanely.”
With that, Cayde continued out of the Hall and left Edix behind in his confusion. Why would Cayde tell him such a thing? Unless…
Edix looked down the corridors, checking the coast was clear before he had his Ghost, Spiro, break into the sealed lab. Cayde had given him that information so he could rescue Kilgharrah, and Edix seriously owed him a big one for it.
As the door opened with a soft hiss, Edix found Kilgharrah chained and muzzled on the cold metal table. There was initially no sign of life until the dragon shifted and squirmed sleepily. He’d been drugged with sedatives, but he wasn’t dead. Edix held in a relieved sob as he freed the dragon and picked him up, turning on his heel and running from the labs. There was nowhere on Earth he could go that would be safe. Only Io was safe for Kilgharrah now.
Edix ran for the Hangar, grateful for the cover of the late night and the lack of workers there as he broke into the consoles with Spiro’s help and summoned his ship. Alarms started to go off as the ship came around without the proper permissions, Edix transmatting inside and setting course for Io. They cleared Earth’s atmosphere in mere minutes, the jumpship having them arrive on Io in an hour. They were in the clear.
Asher Mir was working at his station in the strange twilight hours of Io, the Jovian moon’s night hardly a real night. Regardless, it provided him with enough light to continue with his work and that was all he needed. There were footsteps behind him, making him turn. The Awoken hadn’t been expecting visitors.
He turned with a poisonous quip ready on his tongue, his words dying as he saw Edix approaching. His helmet wasn’t on as it usually was, his long white hair falling freely around his shoulders. As the other Awoken approached, Asher could see tears streaming down his face. Then the researcher saw what the other was carrying. A dragon. An Ahamkara.
They sat together on a rock near Asher’s station, Edix crying quietly and the abrasive researcher trying his best to comfort him. The younger Warlock spoke quietly between sobs as Kilgharrah slept in his lap. He was terrified of the repercussions of breaking the young Ahamkara out before his execution, terrified of losing Kilgharrah because of his own carelessness. He was terrified of being hunted down by Guardians on Zavala’s orders. He was terrified of becoming an enemy of the Tower; it had been his home, the only thing he’d known for so long.
Asher just listened to him, sitting beside him with a hand on his back and a look of near-concern on his usually-scowling or frowning face. He knew the severity of the Ahamkara, he knew their history and the dangers they posed. Yet he also knew that Edix wouldn’t have done this unless it was in good conscience; he’d come to know his assistant very well over the years, and he knew that Edix rarely made impulse decisions or decisions at all that weren’t well thought out. He knew the importance of the promise Edix had made to the mother Ahamkara, knew the importance of Kilgharrah’s rescue.
There wasn’t much he could say to reassure Edix. Asher Mir was known for snappy quips and an abrasive, hostile attitude. He didn’t do comfort. All he could do was sit there and just hold Edix gently, both of them sat in silence as Kilgharrah slept peacefully.
