Destiny: The Legendary Hunter

[Seviriegnty]

I am not sure if this is a question for the game or for this fanfic series LMAO.

Click to shrink...

For the fanfic, sorry if I worded it weirdly.

 

[Writers-Ablood]

For the fanfic, sorry if I worded it weirdly.

Click to shrink...

As I mentioned earlier, some things will be early, and some late. I can't exactly pinpoint it as the story will develop on its own.

 

[Writers-Ablood]

A/N: WE'REEEEEEEEEEEEE BACK BABY!!!!! Enjoy the chapter, took a few days off for writer's block and cuz work was getting tough.

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Void's jumpship cut a clean line through the empty expanse of space, thrusters flaring as it steered towards the golden green planet in the distance, the moon fading away in the distance, now a mere glimmering spot in the dark.

"Obsidian," Void said, arms crossed as the stars thinned to a field. "Route us to Ishtar Sink."

"Roger that, " Obsidian replied, light pulsing. "I will take us to the edges."

Void watched the ETA tick down, thoughts moving faster than the ship. If the city was right and Ishtar was really stirring, then the Vex weren't just awake—they were already working.

«Eager,» Zamyr murmured, the word curling through his mind like smoke. «More eager than we expected.»

"Feels like it," Void said. "If they're throwing their weight around this openly without a care for being detected, they're not just routing a patrol. They're protecting something. Plus, this sudden spike in Vex activity on Venus of all places definitely means it's something they're not willing to let go of this easily."

Obsidian tapped into the City bands and skimmed narrow-beam traffic. "I'd agree to that. City's receiving crazy updates," he said. "Clustered Vex activity around Ishtar Academy....and there are even signs of Fallen arc weapons. Looks like the Vex and Fallen are really going at it."

"House of Winter," Void said, nodding to himself. "That explains the quiet on their end these last few weeks. If they're busy trying to pry open an old Vex outpost on Venus, they won't be poking Earth anytime soon."

"Speculation easily aligns with what we're seeing," Obsidian agreed. "Fallen scavengers are being sighted in the Ishtar Academy ruins. Hmmm, City's even mapping out their jammers that they set up to prevent a leak of information."

Void exhaled through his nose. "Mapping their jammers? That's a damn power move. I guess the City's new network is really not playing around. Those bastards are having way too much fun."

The Jumpship shook, and a hum resonated through it as space folded and spat the ship out to the other side.

"Setting thrusters to low, sonic engines live. We're here." Obsidian spoke up, its eye pulsed as the Jumpship gently steered through Venus's horizon and pierced through its thicket of clouds.

Void's eyes widened, and Venus filled the canopy. Its foggy bands peeled away to show jungles thick as myths and black spiralling geometry stabbing up through them. The jumpship hissed, riding down the misty gusts. The cockpit lit a warm orange, then cooled to the planet's vibrant green. Void looked down and saw the thin streams of water cutting silver lines through the maze, and then his eyes finally shifted to the ominous ruins at the centre.

"Put me down north of the Academy," Void said.

"Copy." Obsidian manoeuvred the ship, leaving it gently hovering above the northern edge of the Academy.

The next instant, Void transmatted down below.

Glimmer scattered, coagulating to give him form. Void landed on his feet and heaved a breath; the air smelled of a strange mixture of petrichor and rusted metal. Lush vines strangled the academy's plinths of white stone, forming a protective and thick layer of green around the structure.

Void moved carefully, wading through the tall grass, using his blade to cut through the sprawling flora till he could actually see the edge of the Academy grounds in the distance.

He swiftly settled down in a clearing. Void's eyes glistened with wonder as he looked at humanity's first and last colony on Venus.

'As expected, seeing it myself just feels different.' Void's eyes darted around. He could see the marbled statues that had eroded over time, the grand complex that had rusted through the ages, and the massive courtyards that were overgrown.

Ishtar Academy, the apex of humanity's knowledge collected and stored in its golden age vaults. The place truly felt like it had been forgotten, as if plucked from the timeline. Despite the centuries that the City had existed, there was no mention of the academy, and barely any attempts to access it.

Till now.

Void shifted with unease. He crouched down, eyes flickering to the side as his hand settled on the hilt of his blade. 'A presence?'

Five fallen squads scuttled between cover, frantically scampering away from the academy's entrance with low chatter. Inches across them, Vex harpies flickered into existence, lining the gates. Goblins dropped in with their shields already up, a Minotaur phased through the gate and hardened mid-stride as it raised its cannon and aimed.

The Fallen Captain felt a shiver down its spine; it looked back and screamed. But it was too late.

The Minotaur fired, crackling energy gathered at the tip of his gun and shot towards the Eliksni.

The Captain was barely grazed and vaulted. Instantly, he fired a shock rifle into a line of Harpies. The burst shredded three, sent the rest into a wild spin. From the left, the goblins stood up and returned a volley of fire; the minotaur did the same, this time, the laser rifle in its hand charged up.

It fired, drawing a white line across the grit as the laser tore toward the Captain. The Captain folded behind cover a half-second before the rock itself dissolved. A heated battle ensued with the Eliksni scavenger and the Vex guarding the academy ruins.

Void leaned back into the clearing and whispered, "Looks like they already started."

"Vex activity is ramping up; they're clashing against House Winter all across the academy. This is crazy." Obsidian answered.

"It's all going to shi* huh. I guess the City was right about it being a high spike in activity." Void frowned, observing the situation himself.

"There is one problem, though." Obsidian's eye pulsed, and it irritably spat out, "City's getting live updates here. One of our scouts is still in the academy. And...from the looks of it, they just triggered the distress signal." Obsidian flittered uneasily.

Void sighed, "Fine, ping the location, might as well help the extraction."

A small blip appeared on his radar, marking the location of the City's scout.

"Careful," Obsidian added. "Vex density is really non-trivial, and it's continuing to rise."

"Relax." Void rolled his shoulders, and a blue aura flared around his figure. "With that said, no dragon business on this one, so don't interfere."

«Hmph, how dull,» Zamyr breathed, amused. «I was sure we were getting better with my powers.»

"Not today," Void said, mouth tilting. "Like Obsidian said, I've been slacking off. For now, I'll stick to Light."

Lightning gathered at his heels. Void's figure flickered, and a blue blur shot towards the gates.

He moved.

An instant later, Void was across the courtyards, racing through fern and shattered glass, a stride that didn't waste breath. Void cut through the conflict, streaking across the skirmish between the Winter Captain and the Vex Minotaur.

Void jolted, weaving through the battle unseen, he reached the backlines. A Goblin turned, feeling the sudden movement, but before it could even understand what had happened, Void conjured a dagger and stabbed through its eye, beheading it in one clean strike.

A Harpy shrieked, its core lit up, inches away from firing a laser. Just then, lightning coiled at Void's wrist, and he flicked a finger. A bolt of thunder struck the Harpy, bursting it open.

Void didn't wait; his figure blurred again, and he darted.

He reached the first arch of the Academy, a gate of white stone wrapped with vines and Vex growth blocked his path. Void flickered forward with a swift kick and flung it open, his eyes tracking the blip on his radar. He stopped for a fraction of an instant, mapping out the route in his mind.

Void looked up and vanished.

Like a spectre, he rushed through the academy's maze, blending in with the shadows, unseen and unheard.

Just as he reached the location, his comms crackled and Void slid to a stop. He crouched down, tracking the signs of the scout.

Static crawled. The ping sharpened.

"Scout's alive," Obsidian said in his ear. "Heart rate high. But the light signature is being masked. He's trying not to be seen by both sides."

Void nodded. "Got it."

He got to his feet. Void took a step forward. Just as his foot touched the ground, he scattered into mist.

Voices flooded his senses—Fallen clicks and snarls to the right; Vex resonance to the left; and finally a faint trace of light, anxiously pulsating with life.

"There," Obsidian's voice echoed. "Under the rotunda. Behind the collapsed curator's desk."

Void shifted, silently appearing behind the presence.

An exo hunter in a ragged yellow cloak crouched under a tilted slab, one hand on a sniper rifle that scoped the outside through a broken window, and the other on his comms as he read out the events.

The hunter's eyes flicked to Void in a panic, but widened just enough to show relief as he chuckled. "Ghost sword. Never thought I'd meet someone like you this way." The hunter gave a weak salute, "It's Shiro-4."

"Pleasure's all mine." Void smiled casually, returning the salute, "But, that aside, what the hell are you doing scouting this shi*hole?"

"Honestly? I don't have a damn clue." Shiro cursed under his breath, "Wasn't like this for the first two days, but shi* hit the fan faster than I could react."

Shiro jerked his chin toward the inner quadrangle. "Overall? From what I know, the Winter bastards tried to jack some vex vaults. The Vex were naturally not too eager. And then, well, you probably know the rest."

"You've been here for two days?" Void asked.

"Ikorra assigned me to look into it briefly, but I honestly thought something deeper was at play." Shiro shrugged. "It's not like the Vex to frantically defend some old vaults. The likelihood that Winter actually ran into a main Vex stronghold isn't small."

"Agreed. If anything, the rising Vex resistance only confirms that." Void nodded, "And if it really is a Vex stronghold, that just means that the show's just getting started. Minotaurs are just the first step."

"You wouldn't think they'll bring out a Vex mind, do you?" Shiro-4 cackled wryly as he peered through his scope, still whispering his reports into the comms channel.

"At the very least, if they did, we all know that the House of Winter isn't getting off easy. And neither will we" Void shook his head. "If you're done scouting, I'd rather I help you extract."

"Extract? With all this info just lying around? I'd be crazy to leave this right now." Shiro-4 ducked into his scope once more, keenly reading the battlefield one unit at a time.

"While I appreciate your sense of duty." Void groaned. He walked forward and grabbed the rifle from its setup. "Stay any longer and you risk getting caught up in the crossfire. I am sure the Vex aren't thrilled to have us here, and I know for a fact they already know of us."

Shiro-4 frowned.

The Exo hunter slowly got to his feet, "Fine. Let's do it your way then. Lead the way."

"Good." Void handed back the rifle and crouched over to the window, peering down, "We've got plenty of room to leave. Ah, but there is one thing." Void's eyes flicked back, and a faint jolt of electricity wreathed his form.

"Hmm?" Shiro-4 stored his rifle in its engram and hung it at his belt.

"Make sure you keep up," Void smirked, and blue lightning enveloped him entirely. The next second, he flickered away.

Shiro-4's eyes widened for a split second. The Exo's light flared, coiling around his body as he darted to the window and streaked to follow Void.

=

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[Writers-Ablood]

A/N: Enjoy the chapter, check out my Patreon for more!

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=

[Ishtar Academy]

"HOLY SHI*" Shiro-4 slid across the battlefield, ducking below a minotaur's laser as it grazed past his hood.

His eyes darted side to side. Shiro-4 waltzed through the battle following Void's trail.

The two Hunters flickered through the ruined courtyard like two lightning bolts, jolting between pillars, across broken balustrades, through the chaos of Vex and the Fallen fighting tooth and nail.

Shiro was quick on the uptake; he instantly realised that Void had carved out a path with his blue afterimages hanging in the humid air, as he streaked ahead.

"Left," Void called out and deftly flickered to the side.

The next second, Shiro-4 raced behind him and followed through.

The hunters cut under a collapsed arch, sprinting past a legion of Vex minotaurs blocking the gates. As they ran ahead, a barrage of laser shots cut through space where they'd been a heartbeat before.

Shiro-4 sped up, darting beside Void, "Where the hell are we going?" The exo grit his teeth.

"Just follow me!" Void zipped through the battlefield without looking back. He frantically zig-zagged through the conflict, flickering in and out of vision and taking turns at breakneck speeds at the fraction of a second.

Shiro-4 followed the same route because he could already see that Void had a clear way out. And as they stretched across the chaotic battlefield, his thoughts were confirmed. Void's erratic route was far too difficult to track for the Vex or the Fallen.

Neither the Minotaurs nor the Eliksni Captains could land a single shot at the two figures that shot past them.

"DUCK!" Void screamed and crouched, Shiro-4 grinded to a halt and dug his feet into the ground, pulling himself down.

The next second, a legion of Minotaurs warped ahead and unleashed a storm of bullets.

Void's eyes pulsed; the world had paused; He could already see the barrage of lasers hanging in mid-air, targeted towards them.

He moved.

Charging towards Shiro-4, Void tackled the hunter and hurled both himself and Shiro to the right.

The gears of time creaked till they eased back into motion.

Lasers blasted overhead, Void and Shiro-4 tumbled across the courtyard, the hunters jolted mid-air, just as their feet grazed the ground, the two flickered away in a blinding flash.

Two thunderbolts struck the lush jungle surrounding the academy. The light arced and spat out two figures. Shiro slumped to the ground, elbows on knees, helm tilted back as he heaved a breath.

"That was f*cking crazy", he chuckled and looked down at his arms that still faintly shook, as if in disbelief.

Void braced his hands on his thighs and let a laugh out, short and raw. "You should've seen the Moon," he said. "This was a cakewalk."

Shiro huffed, then nodded. "I can agree to that." He eased back into a tree and looked up, "Still, I never thought you'd be this fast. You move like you're on fire. Zipping from one step to the next."

"Appreciate the compliment. But I am not there yet." Void dusted his hands, "Besides, as an arc hunter, I am sure you've seen better. Weren't you under Sai Mota during the war?"

Shiro-4 shivered slightly at the name; memories of the lunar war flashed in his eyes, "Well, compared to the Captain herself, we're all so-so. I don't think anyone's that good."

Void nodded, "What makes her that good anyway?" He walked to a tree and leaned, glancing back at the academy.

"Hmm?" Shiro-4 hummed in thought till an answer crossed his mind. "It's hard to explain, but think of it like this. You're a bullet, fast, erratic and lethal. But the Captain? She's a storm. Barely anything survives her wake."

"A storm huh?" Void straightened, rolled his shoulders. "I kinda get what you're saying," he said and walked towards the academy's courtyard once more.

Shiro turned his head. "Where are you going?"

Void lifted a brow. "Where else?" He tapped two fingers on the sheath of his blade. "Back inside."

Shiro pushed to his feet, stumbling once. "You're joking."

"I'll be fine," Void said, steady. "Besides, the only reason I came out was to help you extract. I've still got business to handle inside."

Shiro stared at him in awe, then at the academy's courtyard. "So you're really going back there?" he muttered.

"That I am." Void grinned and stepped towards the academy, "Tell the Vanguard I'll take care of the spiking activity." The Arc was already gathered under his boots. A flicker later, he was gone.

Shiro watched the space where he'd been for a heartbeat, then shook himself and brought a hand to his comms. "Scout Shiro-4," he said. "Extracted successfully."

Static followed, and then Ikorra's voice echoed on the channel. "Copy. You did well."

"Ghostword helped me extract," Shiro said, already unslinging his long rifle. He set up a new spot observing the academy's courtyard from the outside. "He did say he's going back in to take care of the activity. For now, I am observing the situation from the sidelines."

Silence gripped the channel. Moments later, she replied. "Acknowledged," Ikorra said, softer. "Keep your eyes on him in case he needs help."

"Already on it." Shiro sighted along the scope, tracking a bolt of light that seemed to jolt towards the centre.

—

[Ishtar Academy, Courtyard]

The standoff had worsened. Hundreds of House of Winter squads had flooded the area. Fallen Captains roared orders as more Vex Minotaurs and Hydras appeared through ruptures in space. Goblins and Hobgoblins crawled out of the summoning lattices in stacks.

House of Winter and Ishtar's Vex legions continued their clash, neither side willing to give even an inch.

Void flickered and slipped back into the middle of the chaos, "These f*ckers are way too riled up." He stood at the centre of the courtyard as the Vex and Fallen traded thousands of shots a second.

"Let's see, Minotaurs, Goblins, Hobgoblins. Even got the Harpies, they're fully stacked." Void sucked in a breath, and his eyes flicked towards the Fallen forces, "Hmm. Four, no, there's five Captains. Forty vandals and three servitors? They're going all out."

As he contemplated, bullets, lasers, and arc missiles shot towards him.

Void jerked to the right and took a half step back, "Oi! You dogs! I am strategising here, give me a second."

The next instant, two Fallen Captains locked their arc cannons onto him and fired.

"Son of a-" Void's eyes widened, he darted forwards and slid between a pair of Harpies, kicked off a pillar as the Captain's arc cannons ripped through where he'd been, taking down two Harpies with the shots.

Void twirled towards the ground and slid back into a stance. "If that's how you want to play it, fine by me." A jolt arc through his eyes, he unsheathed his blade. Blue jolts coursed around his body; his light pushed his senses to the limit.

A memory flashed in his mind.

Dust was everywhere, and the next instant, a lone gunman shot out from the centre. Shin Malphur flicked his wrist and drew his gun, fire coiling at its barrel. Right at that instant, Sai Mota cut through the cloud with sheer speed. A blue spectre that fearlessly blitzed the threat in front of her.

'Ruthless and relentless.' Void smiled to himself, and a vast amount of energy poured out from him, running rampant around the courtyard.

The sudden influx of light had triggered both the Vex and the Fallen, but neither side had attention to spare for a third problem. That was the point.

He shifted forward with an unsheathed blade. The world narrowed in front of him. Void's feet pressed into the floor, and he squeezed everything he had into the first step.

-Clink-

He hit the House of Winter first.

Void jolted, his trajectory colliding with a Fallen Captain. With a deft slice, he cleaved off the arm that held the arc cannon. Void raised his blade and instantly reposted the Captain's strike. He stabbed and dug his blade into the Captain's throat.

A blink of an eye later, Ether plumed.

The sight of the Ether spreading through the air was enough to trigger the Fallen to fire wildly. Void flickered backwards, hiding behind the marching Vex legions.

He turned right then, pivoting towards the goblins. Void beheaded several with one strike, chucking their heads towards the Harpies to disrupt their beams.

The air pulsed as the Harpies stuttered, unable to aim. Their focus immediately shifted to their own backlines; they spotted Void.

But Void was already flowing—hit, step, vanish, return. Blinking from one strike to the next, never standing for more than a fraction of a second. Void struck in short bursts of lightning, like an imperceivable spectre.

The moment the Vex locked on, it was already too late, and he would already be gone.

A Minotaur lumbered in, warping towards his location with a herculean slam.

Void rolled under the charge, palmed the ground, scuttling up its back with precision. He raised his sword and drove it into the Minotaur's core. It spasmed, sputtering out in sparks and stalling.

Void slid back, coiling inwards, his gaze flicked towards the Fallen scavenger party ahead, and his eyes gleamed. He sprang forth at breakneck speeds and struck the minotaur with a crushing kick, sending it hurling towards the Fallen.

As the Minotaur came crashing down, its core sparked once more.

Boom!

The Vex Minotaur erupted in a riveting explosion that wiped out tens of Fallen.

But Void didn't stop there.

He sprinted straight, charging towards the Vex. A Harpy dive-bombed, crushing towards him, but he zipped past it with finesse and batted it with the back of his hand, chucking it down. A Hobgoblin raised its shield, making itself invulnerable. Void raced towards it and leapt over, leaving blue lightning coursing in his wake wherever he stepped.

Void ran through the battlefield. Faster than he ever had, squeezing every ounce of light through his system. He ran, and ran until he could run no further. Until he'd spent the last of his light and slowed to a stop.

He panted for breaths as the lightning still jittered in his system, but as Void looked around, he found himself standing in ruin. Vex legions and Fallen squads were left torn around him. As if swept by a storm, unable to even react to what had hit them.

Void wheezed, recovering his light.

And as the seconds passed, the Vex and the Fallen seemed to cautiously replenish their numbers. This time, their eyes were peeled for the strange presence that threatened them

Seeing their hesitation, Void smiled.

'Like a storm.' He muttered to himself.

He rolled his shoulders, and slowly the light returned to him. Void raised his hand, and a jolt ran between his fingers. He was slowly starting to realise the essence of an arc hunter.

Void grit his teeth and riled up his light. 'If this is the way to learn, so be it.'

'I will become the storm'

His eyes flicked towards the battle that continued, and lightning enveloped his figure. Void channelled his light with fervour and shot forward.

-

Shiro-4 watched through his scope with bated breaths. His eyes widened in awe, and he flicked the rifle around like a crazed fanatic, following the blue blur that darted around the battlefield.

Each step, each strike, Shiro-4 saw it all.

He watched as Void poured more and more out of himself, fighting tooth and nail with each passing second. Just as Void's figure thundered across the courtyard and slid to a stop, Shiro's grip around his rifle tightened.

'Is this the calibre of a Hero?' The thought crossed his mind. He couldn't look away for even a second, afraid that he'd miss the next move. Shiro-4 was mesmerised by Void's relentless style.

Unbeknownst to the scout, another presence keenly watched Void's mad frenzy against the Vex and the Fallen.

Her eyes narrowed. Elsie stood at the outskirts of the Ishtar Sink, observing the chaotic return of the Vex from the sidelines. She'd been determined to step in if things went south. But just as she thought she'd have to.

He appeared.

Elsie heaved a sigh; no matter where she went, he was always there. Almost as if he knew what would happen. For a shiver ran down her spine, but then she shook her head.

'That's impossible'

There was only one way to slip back into the timestream. She looked down at her rifle and at the strange clock at her wrist. A moment later, her eyes drifted back towards the academy, silently watching Void push back the Vex.

=

 

[Writers-Ablood]

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[Ishtar Academy, Venus — Inner Grounds]

Void kept moving.

He tore through the battlefield, akin to a thunderbolt, looking for a place to land, jolts flickering underfoot. He circled the Vex at breakneck speeds, conjuring a ball of lightning that coiled around his hand.

A Fallen Captain felt a shiver down its spine. He lunged at the blue comet with a shock blade. But Void's speed was simply imperceivable. He brazenly slid under the blade, its edge kissing the hem of his cloak. Void's eyes flicked back, and he quickly lined up his next step.

Sweeping in with his foot, Void angled his body behind the Fallen captain. He pulled back his fist, and lightning roared. Void's lips curved into a smirk.

He leapt, and light erupted.

Void punched.

A blue star flashed, its light engulfing every inch of the courtyard for a fraction of a second. Void's fist jittered, sparks crawled between his knuckles, and smoke rose from his armour.

As the dust settled, a gaping maw was all that was left.

Akin to a ferocious tiger that had taken a clean bite out of the world.

Vex Minotaurs, Fallen Captains, Harpies, Hobgoblins, anything within the line had been drilled through and hollowed out.

The air went metallic as the charge dispersed. The jungle's damp air had turned conductive. Lightning scattered around Void, scorching the air itself. Finally, a wet plume of steam bubbled and rolled out across the courtyard.

For a heartbeat, the jungles of Venus held its moist breath.

Void dropped to the ground and heaved a breath. "That....Took more than I expected," He rolled his shoulder and curled his fingers.

The battlefield was gripped by a silence. Only the faintest cries of the Fallen and the dying shrieks of the Vex could be heard.

Void walked forward, glaring at both sides, gauging for reactions. But the damage he'd inflicted was severe. Neither the Vex nor the Fallen could afford to attack him, let alone each other.

Obsidian urgently spoke up, " I'm getting rapid scans by the City's orbital sensors! Looks like the Fallen are slowly withdrawing."

"Damn right they are, if I got rocked like that I'd leave too." Void chuckled, watching the House of Winter squads scurrying to carry their injured as they scampered out to the exit.

"About that." Obsidian cleared his throat, "I don't think they're running from you."

Void paused and raised a brow, "Huh? Well, who the hell else are they running from?" He turned back, but just then.

The ground shook.

A ripple ran through the space around the academy's courtyard. A wide data matrix appeared, forming into a three-dimensional lattice that crumpled the very fabric of time.

Something shrieked. The wails sent tremors across the courtyard, as if announcing its arrival.

A swarm of radiolaria tentacles punctured through space and tore open the lattice. The tentacles pulled, tugging along a gargantuan Vex Wyern. The bipedal Vex Wyern coiled the tentacles, like pseudo wings, at the peaks of its frame. Its eye glowed, embedded with a single crimson core.

It hunkered through the lattice.

The ground shook again.

"It's right behind me." Void facepalmed and groaned. "It is, isn't it? For f*cks sake, I can even feel its weird breath." He heaved another sigh and sneakily glanced over his shoulder. "A goddamn Wyvern." Void cursed under his breath.

The Wyvern unfurled its wings.

"Don't do it. Please, don't do it." Void tapped his foot on the ground and rubbed his forehead with clenched teeth.

As if sensing his fear, the Wyvern leapt and hung in the air. Its core trembled with energy as it angled its hull into the ground, and the tentacles coiled back, ready to slam.

"Son of a-"

Void didn't hesitate and bolted. The Wyvern's entire figure shook as it crashed down. The impact rippled across the academy, fissures cracked open the ground.

The tremors erupted outwards, and a crater of debris spread, biting at Void's heels. But he was already past the eruption's reach, akin to a blur that had raced to the impact's edge.

A shriek echoed again.

The Wyvern shook its hull and clawed out of its own crater, its crimson frantically scouring the surroundings.

"See, this is why I was never a big fan of you guys." Void flickered back in, his hand came up, fingers sparking. Arc gathered round his fist—clean, sharp, eager—bolts crawling from wrist to knuckles, braiding themselves tight.

"Not then, and certainly not now."

The Wyvern stomped and trudged out to face Void, its eye locking onto the target had already turned a bloody red. Seeing Void's charged fist, the Wyvern was already on the move.

It leapt again. Coiling the air around itself, like a catapult ready to be fired. The Wyvern coiled back its tentacles and compressed its energy to the limit.

Void deftly sauntered forward, looking up at the gargantuan Wyvern. He unsheathed his blade with his left hand and took a sharp stance.

The air snapped. A crushing shockwave reverberated.

The Wyvern had shot forward, and so had Void.

Strands of lightning and radiolaria clashed, Void swung his blade, but the Wyvern shifted, angling its hull to deflect its edge, ensuring the two would collide head-on.

"As expected," Void muttered.

His grip on the blade loosened, and it flung out of his hands. Void jerked and twisted in the air. The Wyvern came crashing down at him, facing its unstoppable momentum, Void had decided to use it against his enemy.

Void drove his fist forward, and it drilled through the glowing heart of the Wyvern.

Lightning didn't flash; rather, it bit.

Void shifted all his weight through the shoulder, drove his fist deeper into the core and at the last second, he let go and flickered.

The Wyvern shook erratically. Its core cracked open, and a terrifying burst of energy swept the courtyard. An azure ball of fire began to eat away at its centre till it destabilised. As the core fractured, the world turned bleak, and a pulse of white flashed, pushing away everything in its path.

An expanding eruption consumed the courtyard, collapsing into a bright, quivering pillar of energy that pierced the clouds above.

A figure blurred at the stem of the pillar. Void raised his hand to shield his eyes. He straightened, breathing hard. "Status?"

Obsidian popped into the air beside him, shell dimmed to a low amber. "Fallen have withdrawn beyond the outer boundary of the academy. And with that Wyvern gone, Vex numbers are plummeting. I guess they don't have more stationed here."

"Good." He rolled his neck and watched the pillar slowly fade away. "We're done."

"Are we?" Obsidian whispered back, eye gleaming with suspicion. He pinged Void's radar with an energy signature.

Void glanced at his radar, and his gaze immediately snagged on a prickle at the edge of his awareness—deliberate, neat. A set of eyes was watching him. But this sensation felt strange.

He let his eyes go thin. Blue curled at the iris, pupils pinning the thread. It ran like a hairline crack through reality to the edge of the ruins, past the jungles and above the ivory cliffs that wrapped around the edges of the Jungle. He followed it with a thought, and then saw a figure looking back at him.

She stood on a ridge overlooking the chasm opposite the academy.

The Stranger.

When Elsie confirmed Void had seen her, she gave back a simple nod and then vanished.

Void exhaled through his teeth. "You seeing this?"

"I detected her presence and matched it to the signature we got last time. She's been watching us for a while." Obsidian frowned. "But, there's still no way to track it. I know it doesn't make sense, but it's like she's not even there."

"Someone we can barely track has decided to show themselves so openly," Void said. He stepped to the edge of the courtyard, past a discarded House of Winter banner.

Obsidian flittered beside him, "She's inviting us."

Void watched the traces of her strange energy form a path that led towards the outskirts of the jungle.

«How curious,» Zamyr murmured in Void's mind. «She, like us, is treading through the twisted timelines of fate. Except she's not like us. No, her power is far more subtle.»

Void didn't answer. He stepped into the green and flickered away.

—

[ Ishtar Sink ]

Shiro-4 finally coughed and dusted his cloak. "Vanguard, this is Shiro. Spiking activity resolved—Ghostsword cleaned the board. Vex are pulling back; House of Winter is out."

"Copy," Ikorra said, crisp and lighter by a degree. "Status on Void?"

Shiro-4 shook off the rest of the dirt and scoped back into the courtyard. "He disappeared after taking out the Elite combatants," he said. "No sign of him."

A tiny pause. "Understood. Leave trackers near the combat site." Ikorra replied. "I'll be expecting a full brief from you soon."

"Roger." Shiro-4 cut the call. He searched through his belt and took out three intricate discs. A portable tracker that the city had provided him. Shiro-4 set the trackers around the perimeter of the academy and then promptly transmatted back to his Jumpship to return to Earth.

—

[Ishtar Sink — Verdant Edge]

Elsie waited at the furthest edges of the jungle where the wilderness merged into the ivory hills that cupped the Academy's plateau. Beyond the cliffs was a chasm that seemed to cut a long black seam into Venus; no light could penetrate this abyss, the only thing that signalled it wasn't endless was a gentle and cold breeze that crawled up to the tip of the cliffs.

She felt him arrive before she heard him. A twist in space, or rather a twist in fate. Her eyes narrowed. Elsie's grip on her rifle tightened, and a faint shiver ran down her spine. One she quickly masked.

The tall grass rustled.

Void took a step forward with his head level and his hands empty, boots digging into the moist, gravelly cliff rock. He stopped a step back from her shoulder line and then glanced across, as if watching her gaze.

"Didn't think I'd see you after what happened last time," he said.

Elsie shot him a look over her shoulder, then turned her face back to the cut in the world. "I didn't think so either."

Cold gusts of wind whistled past the cliff face, fluttering the trees around the cliff's perimeter. A brittle silence gripped the two. Void pursed his lips, unsure of what to say. He walked closer to the edge and peered down at the abyss.

"So what changed?" He uttered and looked ahead, "Why show yourself now?"

"I'd ask you the same thing, but neither of us has the answer." Elsie wryly chuckled under her breath. She heaved a sigh, her eyes slowly flicked to Void, analysing him from top to bottom. "I saw you. Trapped in Hellmouth, drowning in the dark."

Void raised a brow as he heard her and slowly crossed his arms as he sucked in a breath. "In that case, I'd have appreciated some help."

"How did you execute a plan to get out so fast?" Elsie cut in.

"Me?" Void shook his head, "You're mistaken there. Heck, it wasn't me at all. A couple of my guys knew I didn't make it back. From there? The City got involved, and that's all there is to it. If anything, I got lucky."

Void laughed; he knew that the whole situation was risky. And frankly, the fact that he had made it out that fast was entirely thanks to everyone contributing.

"Luck."

Elsie mouthed, she tilted her head and shot Void a curious glance. Then she muttered it again, as if it didn't sit right with her. "You believe in that?"

"Doesn't everybody?" Void replied casually.

"No." Elsie turned back to the chasm, "I know someone like that. Or rather, knew. Did everything with a plan, down to the letter. Luck, chance, none of that stuff ever mattered. There was always a contingency, always a plan."

Void listened with intent, "He sounds quite meticulous. But the way you're saying it, I am guessing you weren't a big fan?"

"When a plan supersedes chance itself, that just means there's no room for error. No risk too fatal, no fight too grave."

Elsie paused as if a memory flickered before her eyes.

"No cost too great."

=

 

[Odd1todd89]

Amazing job with this chapter. Your work as always brightens my day and alleviates my boardum. Thank you for choosing to write.

 

[Writers-Ablood]

Amazing job with this chapter. Your work as always brightens my day and alleviates my boardum. Thank you for choosing to write.

Click to shrink...

As always, thanks for reading.