Festival of the Lost

(A/N: Sorry for late upload, it's pouring rain and hail over here. Stay safe everyone!)

Rain fell to the ground and the dark sky created a somber mood as hundreds of caskets were lined up with people all around. I stood in front of Mac's casket and had my hand over its surface with my eyes closed in a moment of silence. "I'm sorry, my friend. I wish you were still here so that I could listen to your stories and have the chance to hear the infinite amount of wisdom you hold, but you deserve the peace and quiet that was given to you. I just hope that you're happy and safe, that's all I ask..."

Sayuri and Amelia stood next to me with their heads bowed in silence, their eyes red and puffy. The refugees were scattered around, saying their goodbyes to their friends and family. Sam's voice sounded sad and melancholic as he said 'I never knew how much it would hurt to have someone you know die...'

I lingered at Mac's casket for a moment longer before stepping away and toward Mara, Leo, and Akina. Caarjin had gone home to see if his wife would be up to moving to Earth and into the City, while Wraith, Sigbrand, and Sigwulf had been dispatched to Venus for a scouting mission. Leo was dressed in a nice black suit and Akina in a black dress.

Although they didn't know Mac and the rest of the deceased civilians, they were adamant about honoring their deaths. Mara, Sayuri, and Amelia had hit it off quite fast in fact, and they hastily welcomed her and berated me for keeping her a secret from them. Man, you should've seen their faces when they learned that we slept on the same couch...

I watched as the various survivors mourned the lost as Zavala, Cayde, and Ikora held a moment of silence for the fallen Guardians who died trying to fight the Osmium King. The day was marked on the calendar as "The Festival of the Lost. We ended up joining the refugees and they shared stories of how Mac had defended their camp from a whole pack of wolves, and how he was their Hero.

We ate, drank, and comforted those who were in the darkest depths of depression with everything we could offer until the rain had cleared and the sun set behind the mountains. Just as we were about to leave, Zavala's voice rang out in my head. "Guardian, meet us in the Vanguard's meeting room. We have much to discuss."

I sighed and turned to Sayuri, Amelia, and Mara before saying "You three can go back home, I gotta go and see Zavala. I'll be back soon." I disappeared from sight and sped toward the Tower. I leapt across the walls and vaulted into the hangar. I saw a familiar blonde woman staring at me with an amused face as she asked "What, come to see me so soon?" with a cheeky grin.

I shook my head and said "No, no I have enough women as is, ahaha!" Amanda adopted a pout before laughing in a lighthearted manner and saying "A fling'll never hurt anyone!" I rubbed my temples and said "Yeah, sure, I'll think about it. Now can I go and see Zavala now?" She punched my chest lightly and said "You could've left anytime big guy." before moving off to her workbench and grabbing a wrench to continue working.

I walked through the doors to the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor. I waited until the doors opened and I was greeted by the familiar sight of Cayde lazily flipping a knife in his hands while laying on a rafter, Zavala leaning over the table with the holographic map of the City, and Ikora flipping through a large book with a relaxed expression.

"Yo."

All of them turned their gazes to me and I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. Zavala nodded his head and said "I'll get to the chase Guardian. We've come to the conclusion that you will be placed on guard duty for a month since you abandoned your post. We went easy on your punishment since you saved our asses multiple times. I hope you understand, however, that it wouldn't be fair to not punish you just because you're strong."

I smiled and said "Yes sir, I understand completely. I'll not make up excuses. What I did was uncalled for and childish, so I will accept my punishment." before slamming my fist over my heart in a salute. Zavala saluted me back and Cayde groaned "C'mon! You could've resisted and made it more entertaining..." Ikora looked at Cayde and said "If you want entertainment, go to that fight club of yours, or I could disband it if it's not entertaining enough..."

Cayde sighed and said "Fiiiiiiine, you win. Just make sure you report to me at like, say 5 in the afternoon?" Ikora and Zavala both looked at Cayde and said "No." in unison. Cayde had a defeated look on his face as he muttered "Fine...8 in the morning, and no later." Ikora nodded her head and said "Thank you Cayde. And here I thought I'd have to force you to be sensible..."

Cayde shivered and replied "Yeah, not doing that again..." leading to an awkward silence. Zavala cleared his throat and said "Thank you for your cooperation, Guardian, I expect to see some impressive field work from you in the future. Dismissed." I saluted once more and walked back into the elevator and leaned against the wall with a relieved sigh.

Being in the same room as those three always made me sweat and feel uncomfortable. I stepped out of the elevator and began to walk back to the house that Wraith had gifted me. Seriously, he's got too much money...damn showoff.

I began to think about how weird it felt to have one of my future descendants around in the present, which was pretty damn weird since I knew a lot about his life from the few months I was stuck watching him. It was like looking at a younger me, even though in three years he'll be the same age as me.

Well, anyways, Leo and Akina's relationship has improved, and their families are doing very well in the City. It always made me happy to pay them a visit and chat with Shin. I don't know why, but Shin reminds me of someone, but I can't put a finger on who it is that he reminds me of...

'Hey Sam, who does Shin remind you of?' Since I couldn't tell on my own, I thought that asking someone else would help. 'I don't know. He's like a mix of me, you, and Cayde with a hint of Wraith's sarcasm...' I chuckled and nodded my head in agreement.

I continued to walk down the lantern-lit streets and watched as people walked around in festive costumes, ate special foods, and honored the dead. 'They really weren't kidding when they called it a festival...' I smiled at Sam's remark and said 'Yeah, I didn't expect this. Not in the slightest...'

I had to talk to the various people who had called me over to converse, making my trip much longer than I planned for it to be. I finally reached the door to my luxurious marble house that looked like something that a fancy noble would have in a fantasy book.

"I'm back! Took me forever to get past all of the civilians..." Sayuri bolted into my arms and rubbed her silky hair against my cheek as she said "Welcome home!" in an excited voice. I laughed in a lighthearted manner as I stroked her fluffy ears, eliciting a girlish giggle from her.

I released Sayuri from my embrace and walked over to Amelia and Mara before wrapping them into a tight hug. I pulled away and looked at Mara before asking "So, I heard you stepped down as Queen. What made you do that?" Mara smiled slyly as she said "You." in a pleasant voice.

I chuckled and said "I should've known that would be your answer." before walking toward the kitchen and asking "What do we want for dinner? I'm kind of hungry after all of that walking..." Amelia laughed and said "I'm fine with whatever. I'm feeling quite hungry myself." I shrugged and pulled out a load of fresh meats and vegetables from my inventory and set them down on our large kitchen table.

"Now that's what I call a feast..." Mara practically had stars in her eyes as she walked up to the table and sampled every dish. Sayuri and Amelia joined Mara while I stood still in deep thought. Sayuri turned and noticed that I hadn't moved, so she asked "Lucifer? Are you not going to eat?" I looked up and said "No, I'll eat without a doubt, but I was wondering if I should invite others over since we have a decent amount of food..."

Mara laughed elegantly and said "Of course we should! The more the merrier after all!" I called Wraith, Sigbrand, Sigwulf, Leo, Akina, and their families, as well as Caarjin, although I doubt he would be able to show up since he's nowhere near Earth at the moment...

We ended up having quite the party with everyone having fun and eating until they couldn't eat anymore. Leo and I had a drinking contest, and all I can say is I feel bad for the poor boy. then, I made the mistake of challenging the Grimsson's to a drinking contest. I forgot that they were legitimate Vikings that drank since birth.

I looked around the living room and saw everyone except for Sigbrand, Sigwulf, and Wraith passed out on the floor or one of the various couches scattered around. The two brothers were still drinking and enjoying their liquor since their scouting mission was rather difficult. I guess they needed all of the alcohol that they could get for their next trip.

"So, I heard you got stuck with guard duty for a month. Pfft, lucky bastard!" Sigbrand muttered as he swished his drink around in his mug. I laughed and said "Nah, it's probably not as fun as you think. I'd rather be on the frontlines fighting our enemies, but the City does need protection as well, so I guess it'll be a big deterrent if I'm there.

Sigwulf nodded his head and said "Aye, no bastard will ever come close to the walls with you there!" with a hearty laugh. Wraith looked over at us and shrugged his shoulders before saying "I don't know, many of our enemies don't know our names, so they will still attack us from time to time no matter who's in the City at the time." All three of us looked over at Wraith with blank expressions and said "Buzzkill..."

We all laughed and I waved them goodbye as I picked Sayuri, Amelia, and Mara up and walked up the stairs to our room. "Nyahaha, stop that tickles!" Sayuri's voice echoed around the halls as she shifted around on my shoulder.

"Lucky son of a bitch..." Wraith muttered under his breath as he turned his gaze back to the papers he was reading. Sigbrand and Sigwulf had sly grins on their faces as they asked "What, are you jealous that you can't get girls, or is it about the other thing...?"

Wraith clicked his tongue and said "Shut up..." in an annoyed voice.