Chapter - I

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Curiosity, he would admit, was his biggest weakness.

On Earth, in his first days, it had caused him no end of troubles. His first forays had taken him far and deep, into the blue oceans, to see what he could find. Ruins, mostly, submerged after cataclysms that he could not know. He found many dead down there in the dark and the wet of the ruined world. But none that the Light would fill and enflame and raise up, to give him his purpose.

None that were worthy to be his Partner.

And so, his only purpose was his curiosity, which drew him further out and down, beyond the ancient, sunken cities and roads. Down so deep that he had to use his light to see the way, he found great hulks of rotting, rusted steel and iron. Thick formations of coral grew around many of them, covered in bright flora and surrounded by fish, serpents and other strange, intriguing creatures. But there were few bodies to be found here, few souls to test, and of those small handful, thousands of bodies even so, none of them carried the worth he sought. The worth he required.

And so, he moved on.

At least, after a week or so in the stomach of a particularly aggressive shark of some sort.

For a time, he explored the wide, varied continents of Earth. They were vibrant, lush, and more than merely beautiful to behold. He spent hours trailing along behind innocent animals that cared little for his attentions, or simply could not perceive them— it was so hard to tell, sometimes, when he was cloaked— and even observing the scattered, primitive humans— and associated, of course— cast so far from the Traveler's resting place in the city.

The Last City, that was.

A name whose accuracy was borne out the more he wandered the devastated world…

Those who would listen, and who he believed could make the journey, he directed to the City. It was a worthwhile way to pass the time, at first, while he searched for his Partner. But, as more and more of his kindred found their Partners and he remained, alone and lost. Bereft of purpose, beyond his search… And his guidance.

Soon, a scant few hours to explain matters and sketch out a map on old, rusted sheets of metal became hours to regale his listeners with stories of the City. Of the Ghosts, and the Traveler, and of the Guardians that had for all men a home. A place of safety. Where all would be able to live, work, and be whatever they wished without fear of the monsters that preyed upon them.

Almost all were willing to try for the hope— the dream!— he put in their heads.

Some even made it to the City.

Most did not.

And so, soon, he began guiding them there himself. There were so many details that changed and emerged— tribes that moved in, or out, and Fallen who came and went, preying on easy targets— that it was simply… Easier, that way. And safer, too! For everyone involved.

But…

"You will find your other half soon enough." The Speaker said, on his hundredth journey from far-reaches to the City with those from his most recent group that had not seen fit to make homes along the way in their smaller, quieter enclaves.

"It has been centuries…" He said, "So many dead, unfit for me."

"In time." The Speaker reassured him, "But, for now, be content with what you've done."

"What I've done?"

"A Guardian may protect those here." The Speaker said, reaching up to wrap his fingers gently around the little ball that made up the Ghost's shell. "But you, my little guiding light, bring those here to be protected. Do not discount such a need."

"A… Need?"

"A need indeed." The Speaker said as he turned away, "Now go, be the guiding light for the lost out there. You will find your partner one day, so be not afraid."

"I… I will." The Ghost promised eagerly, turning and flitting away, over the wall and down, off on his next venture.

It took months to find his next group of those amenable to his words and guidance, far to the south, on a large peninsula. Most of it was dominated by high cities, ruined by time, and the Fallen that picked over it. As well as violent, dangerous tribes of survivors that attacked him before he could speak. Soon, he gave up on the staggering cities and learned to stay to the forests and mountains. The people there were more peaceful, once he'd shown he meant no harm.

Peaceful, but stubborn, and set where they lived.

The last village he could find was small, barely a dozen small huts of sheet-metal and wood, ringed by a palissade of the same. They had small fields around it, growing what they could in the rocky mountain soil, but from what he'd learned most of their meals came from hunting and fishing the rivers around the mountains. They were dirty and tragically ignorant, living in filth, but good people.

At least, good enough not to try and smash him on the rocks.

After long days spent with them, telling them stories of the high wall of the city and the Guardians' power, their elder-woman came out of their walled village to meet him. She was barely ninety, but walked on weak, shaky legs and needed a cane to get by. Her hair was grey and wispy, and her eyes were a weak, watery blue.

But her smile was so kind, so gentle…

"You have decided against my offer." He said, lowering himself to float at her diminished height.

"We have." She said, "The journey is too far for us."

"I see…"

"We are grateful, though." She told him, smiling even more gently, "Your stories… They brought us hope. Of light and warmth. And, maybe one day… Who knows? Your City may not be the Last."

"I hope not." He answered, turning to look up to the stars. "I hope not…"

"Where will you go?"

"I… Do not know." He answered, "There is nowhere left to search. Nowhere anyone could walk from, at the least. And… And the City doesn't have enough ships to just give me one. Ships big enough for that are too rare, too important."

"I can imagine." She said, looking up at the stars. "Tell me…"

"They are beautiful, in a clear sky, with barely any clouds." He explained for the woman. She was hard of sight, he knew. And without the man that served as her eyes, described things for her, he would have to handle it. "The clouds are thick, though. They frame the stars, like… Twinkling paintings, hung in the sky."

"You have a way with words."

"I've had practice, over the years."

"In your stories, these… Warriors—"

"Guardians." He said, "They are Guardians."

"They have… Things like you."

"Ghosts." He answered, watching the clouds, "Yes."

"You haven't found yours."

"Nowhere on Earth." He confirmed, "I have… Been everywhere. Found no one. Perhaps I was never meant to, though."

"Hmmm…." The woman hummed and then sighed a simple, "No."

"No…?" He scoffed, finally turning to face her again and rolling to the side a bit in surprise. "What on Earth do you mean, 'no'?"

"You have a partner out there." She said, "I'm sure of it. You've searched Earth, but… Have you searched all the stars?"

"No, but-"

"Then never give up hope, until you have searched every last star." She said, reaching out to pull him into a warm embrace against her chest. "Every ruin, every star-station, every moon— Every remnant. Search, until you find your partner. You gave us hope, so do not lose your own."

"I…" He paused, then hummed and finished, "I won't."

She released him, then, and pushed him up towards the sky, and said, "Then goodby, Ghost. And fortune upon you."

"Not Ghost." He said as he floated up and away, "I am… Guiding Light."

He spent the next sixty years out in the cold black of space, searching wherever he could think to search. From the furnace that was Mercury, to the sand and rock of Mars and Luna, and beyond. From the asteroid belt— where he wasn't constantly under threat of a hunt by Awoken pirates, and least— to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and their rings. Anywhere he knew of, or found out about, which could hold his partner's remains he searched.

All the way to quiet, distant Pluto…

He found nothing, and sat in space, floating and looking at the stars. So many stars…

And he would search them all.

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Beyond Sol, there was… Remarkably little. Systems were barren and cold, or if they were not, settled by those unfriendly to Guiding Light. Most systems were occupied by large, stocky aliens stripping their worlds of resources and patrolling with large war-fleets. Twice, he was very nearly captured by gravity-traps, and three times, he had to run and hide from gunships that did all they could to find him and capture him.

To what end, he had no idea.

And no desire to learn, for that matter.

It took… Well, frankly, he had no idea how long he wandered for, dodging pirates, war-fleets and all else. But, eventually, he reached a sort of border. Where life seemed to end. The worlds past it were dead and quiet. Guiding Light searched here, as always, but found nothing. Not even ruins of what once was.

There was… Nothing at all.

Only darkness.

And silence…

But, he pressed on, until finally he… Felt something. Something in the Light around and in him, that shifted as he moved through space. It passed after a short moment and, though it unsettled him more than a little, he pressed on. Because what else was he supposed to do now? So far from Earth?

Weeks passed after the strange sensation, before he finally saw it…

A shattered moon, hanging over a blue and green world. And without a single spec of space-debris, either. At least of the technological variety! Which boded well for him, he hoped. Here, he was sure, he'd find something. Anything.

Even just a brief rest…

"Humans…" He murmured as soon as he had come down, into the world, and found a city. Looking down from on high, he could see them, going about their day without an apparent care in the world. Along with something else— humans with cat ears? How odd— but humans nonetheless. "Human beings… Out here?"

How?

He didn't know, but…

The city was a walled one, situated on the coast-line and flanked by mountains that the walls used as anchors. Well-made roads stretched out from it in every direction, and he could see the occasional vehicle, cars, carts, and more, all passing by below. But, strangely, there were no graveyards that he could see in the city. Or, well, there were a few, but they were so small…

Oh no.

What if they cremated their dead?

How would he ever find them to scan them?

"No, no, no…" Guiding Light murmured, zooming down into the forest, "M-Maybe out here, somewhere? Maybe their dead are just buried outside the walls? That would make sense. Save space."

For weeks, he searched the forest in vain, until he found a wide valley nearer to a small something built away from the large city. Here, roaming along the cliffs, he found strange platforms. Platforms that, at a scan, he found to be… Launchers?

"What could they possibly be launching?" He hummed as he ran over each of the platforms. He found nothing but, standing on them, he turned and looked out on the forest. "Something, obviously, but… They sent it out into the forest?"

Intrigued, he descended from the cliff— top to begin his search.

And now… Now he found the dead.

It was rare, of course, and he only found pieces. A hand here, no partner, and a leg bone there, again, no partner, but he was on the right track. At least, he hoped. He found plenty more as he wandered the forest, carefully roving over every scrap of dirt, rock, tree and mud. Now he had found bodies, after so long, he was not going to miss out on his partner because he was careless.

That was unacceptable— unacceptable!

There were beasts in the forest— aside from the normal ones, obviously— that hassled and harassed him if he grew near. But, cloaked and quiet, they left him alone. So he supposed they were more interested in playing with him— in a very not fun way, that is— rather than threatening him. So he ignored them.

Until, finally… He found it.

The body was old, hidden under a bush that was steadily growing into it and rotted nearly entirely away. It was missing an arm, and only had a scrap of armor on its chest, but… He felt it. The resonance, of Light within him synchronising with the Light of the dead in front of him. It was the only way to describe it— synchronicity.

Purpose…

After so long, so terribly long, purpose at last!

He almost whooped for joy, before he caught himself and opened himself up to the Gift of the Traveler. Light bloomed from him and around him and, within moments, he felt the connection form. Solidify. Coalesce into a taut cord. The, the Light faded, and he looked down on the man. He wore only simple trousers and a simple shirt— he had no materials to make much else— and gasped and flailed in the bush as consciousness returned to him.

"It's alright, it's alright!" He tried to reassure the man as he struggled free of the brush and stumbled into the clearing. Guiding Light trailed along beside him, humming reassurances, "Just breathe, in and out, nice and slow."

The man stumbled to a tree and slid down to sit on the ground, sucking in deep breaths and clutching at his heart. Finally, he gasped, "What…?"

"I am Guiding Light." He explained excitedly, bobbing to either side eagerly as the moment— the moment at last!— started to overwhelm his senses, "A Ghost. Er, your Ghost, I mean. You, ah, died, at least a couple months ago. B-But now, you're alive again!"

"I-I am…?"

"Yes." Guiding Light said, "I am your Ghost, and you are my Risen. Guardian, that is. I, uh, I raised you so, you know, Risen— But the modern term is Guardian. At least, I think it is? It's hard to know for sure, I'm afraid, i-it's… Been so very long, you see."

"I…" The man— his Guardian!— stood on shaky legs, sucked in a breath, and asked, "Where are we?"

"In the forest." The Guardian's stare was flat, and he rushed to add, "U-Uh, in a forest near to a small sort of… Town, or something, I haven't been there. And near to a large city. That way." He turned and looked off to the South as he said that, and then turned back to his Guardian. "I don't know much else, I'm afraid. I haven't looked."

"I… See." He said, sounding like he was getting used to his own voice. Finally, he asked, "Where should we go, then?"

"Well, the smaller of the two is closer, but… The cliffs are a challenge." Guiding Light answered, "I believe the larger city will be easier to reach. And probably more helpful besides. A small place like that couldn't possibly be all that important, right?"

"If you say so…"

"Ah, uh, first, a weapon!" There weren't components enough around to repurpose into even a shoddy weapon, and no weapon - obviously! - to use, so… Guiding Light turned, using his powers to shape and fold the ruined breastplate that had been left on the ground into a small hatchet. "Here, this will help you protect yourself."

"Against…?" A distant howl answered, and the blonde Guardian sighed, plucking the hatchet from the dirt and sliding it into the belt around his waist. "That answers that, then. Lead the way."

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Okay. So. May have gone overboard on the Ghost's backstory. >.>

Anyway, new story, as voted on by the people in the doobli-doo at the top of the chapter. Want to get a vote next time? DM me. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, and here is a small disclaimer -

SOME bits of lore, Destiny and RWBY both, WILL be tweaked in this fic. Some shown here include -

The Ghost can leave Sol unharmed - mostly through luck.

The Ghost can directly make things, like the hatchet, which I dunno if they can do EXACTLY. I know they, like, make ammunition. But given we can't just say 'Hey, Ghost, make me a fucking missile out of that scrap metal' I'm guessing it has nuance.

Anyway, g'day to ya.