(Chapter 1) http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/85286991/0/0/1 A soothing coldness spreads through my body. The darkness under my skin, which, moments before, raged like the mightiest of waterfalls, begins to still. All of my rage, my blood thirst, calms into the tranquility of sunset over a meadow pond. But this is no sunset that casts its light over me, no, it is the destruction I have caused. The heart of the black garden destroyed, I watch as the remains fade into nothingness. This sense of relief is not alone, it comes with sadness. I feel as if destroying this heart, I become more distanced from who I once was. With each life I take, I move farther away from the life I once owned. Yet, right now, in this moment, I feel so… alive… no not alive… awake… my senses are heightened, I feel everything around me, as if my surroundings are an extension of myself. With the heart destroyed, the darkness within me seems to fill my surroundings, unopposed. I feel the rocks around me, scattered with the remains of machines. The vex, which had blocked my path, eliminated. I feel them all. Standing in the wake of my own carnage, I taste the air, it’s… sweet. The flowers surrounding this chamber still emitting their perfume. It seems wrong. In this place where death has now taken hold, life still persists. This must be the way of things, how they have always been. Life is so finite, but somehow, finds a way to always continue, and spread, like a virus. The darkness, my darkness, it feels so peaceful, so perfect. It is life that disrupts it, it is life that brings conflict. I now know my purpose, I can feel it now, I fight for peace, for death. Around me are the remains of those I have slaughtered. It is puzzling that I receive such satisfaction from destroying machines, my purpose is to eliminate those that live, those that contain light. Even I, the Mind Sculptor, dealer of death, servant of the darkness, descendant of the traveler, represent life more than these contraptions, do I not? At least I was alive, once. I kneel next to the remains of a Vex that fell before me, studying the workmanship, the perfection of every curve, lying in ruin. I feel a strange connection, like remembering a dream, not an image, merely a feeling. This Vex, no, all of the Vex, they remind me of… what? I do not know, it is a fleeting memory. Perhaps I encountered them when I was still alive? Perhaps they are what killed me? No, that isn’t right. The memory seems too fond. Whatever my relationship, it was not bad, it contains no fear, no anger, only a yearning. A yearning to recall, to bring clarity to the memory. I have a strange connection with the Vex, it is faint, clouded by my darkness, but it exists. Their mechanical bodies, so masterly crafted, impressive built, though none are unique. There are several models, yes, but on the whole, they are indistinguishable. Except, the core inside them, they flow like a marbled plasma. Each one distinct from the others, be it the hue, or the purity, each core seems different. I only know the core as a weak point, a perfect target for my sights. I never stopped to consider, what is it? I am sure it gives these machines power. Maybe some battery source, or fusion center. My hand moves closer, I feel warmth. The heat does not come from the core itself, it is comes from inside me, triggered by the core. My darkness stirs in the presence of the plasma, becomes irritated. Could it be, these cores are alive? That cannot be, they are machines, every action they perform is mathematical, precise, with purpose. Nothing living acts like this. Life is too flawed. Yet, why were they here, in the garden. Why do they worship? There is no logical reason for worship, unless it is life they are trying to achieve. They want to be alive. Could the black garden give that sort of power? Could it possibly grant life to a machine? No, that can’t be right. They already contain this life inside them, this soul. Are they individuals, or a collective. They have no individual will, no organic body, they operate as a single unit. Can they possibly be individuals, as well as a collective? Maybe life is something they once had, and gave up. This must be it, no organic body could survive the travel through time, like the Vex. No organics bodies could achieve a collective knowledge. It is the body that binds the soul to the limitations of time, to the limitations of the individual. These machines would allow the soul to surpass these limitations. Now they worship because they realize their folly. Imagine that sacrifice, to abandon your body to achieve greater power. How could they resist? To discover the secrets which would allow them to transcend time, and only be limited by a mortal body. The temptation must have been unbearable. Now all that is left of what they once were, is in this core, this blue slush. Such hubris. Then, to find them here, at the Black Garden, worshiping this symbol of life, like it is some deity. How could this mathematically achieve any goal? Worship is an action of the hopeless. They would not be here unless they knew it was the best solution to achieve their goal. No, they would KNOW that the worshiping here would be necessary to reach their goal. And still, they have achieved nothing. They lay before me, slain, decimated, the black garden destroyed. They knew this is how it would end. They sacrificed themselves to my gun, and for what? Unless they wanted me to see. They wanted me to find them here, worshiping, devoted. They had calculated my contemplation on the matter. Perhaps, my discoveries here, could change that fate of the Vex. Am I a means of achieving their ends? What did they want me to learn here? What did they know I would learn here? What could I possibly learn by killing them? I couldn’t be more different than the Vex. I, a body without a soul, and them, a soul without a body. This is why I crave their destruction. They represent everything I am not. There is nothing they could teach me that would make me change, I would never fight for them, never help them. They seek to destroy the traveler, the one thing that gives them power. Violet bolts shoot from my fingertips, as anger flashes through my body from the very thought of assisting the Vex, setting the Goblin carcass that lies at my feet into a void bloom. The metal, turning bright purple, expanding, transforming from solid to an amethyst plasma, succumbing to my power. This is true beauty. This is the beauty of destruction. Whatever the Vex wanted me to learn here. I refuse. I do not want to learn their secret. I must quiet my mind. I must put this matter to rest. They know! They Know! THEY KNOW! I cannot shake it. Whatever it is they want me to learn. They already know I will. This is the nature of the warlock, the desire to understand. They have already calculated the perfect scenario to ensure my discovery of their secret, and they know the knowledge will be so consequential that it could… change me. How could that be? What information could be so influential, that it could make me abandon who I am, who I have become. The connection I felt, the memory. Could it be that… no. It can’t be. Then again, it makes perfect sense. The arrival of the traveler, the scientific revolution, the golden age. Did we discover time travel? Is this the reason for our downfall? Did the traveler lead us to our own destruction, disguised as gifts? Tempted with the knowledge of the universe, the traveler knew we would destroy ourselves. Did we abandon our bodies to create a collective mind, one that could comprehend the knowledge the traveler offered? This is why the Vex call to me? Looking at the Guardians that traveled here with me, my fire team. They all seem introspective, yet troubled, they must feel that same connection as I do. It cannot be true. Though it makes perfect sense. My soul, the souls of all of the Guardians, still live. We are inside of the Vex. I will not let this knowledge stop me. I cannot. It is impossible for me to change things. Even if I could, I cannot fight this darkness inside of me, it is too strong. They may be who I once was, they may contain my soul, but that is me no longer. I am the darkness, I fight for the traveler. I will still destroy those that stand against me. This knowledge, it changes nothing. and yet… It changes everything. (Chapter 3) http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/86642512/0/0