"Guardian down", my Ghost said. The wall of Void Light over my head disintegrated immediately as I mournfully watched my Titan friend have his life essence ripped from his body. Was this the end for all of us? After everything we had accomplished together, it made my heart ache to think of defeat. *** It was the hardest mission we had attempted to conquer. "Night has fallen on this area, Guardians, and the Darkness is thicker than ever," the Speaker told us as we sat around him to be briefed. "There will be no room for error here. If each one of you fails, your Ghost must call your ship down and remove you from that dangerous place." It sounded difficult, but the challenge was too tempting to pass up. After consulting more friends in the Tower and making a short stop at the Vaults, we blasted off to orbit. The Director sent us to the last known location of an abomination named Omnigul - a witch spawned from the very breath of hell. One by one, we dropped onto the familiar surface of the Cosmodrome. The three of us had done many missions together, but this one felt different. It was more serious, and even my Hunter pal refrained from his usual jokes and chatter. Being a Warlock, I tried to avoid unnecessary speech as much as possible. I appreciated the unusual concentration of my fireteam. Intensity felt good; the world came into sharp focus around me as I tightly gripped my scout rifle. We made short work of most of the enemies we faced. Hundreds of Fallen and Hive were slain by our hands. We were unstoppable. ...or so we thought. Nothing could have prepared us for the absolute devastation of Omnigul. From the moment we saw her, it was clear that her powers reached far beyond the Wizards any of us had faced. Her cloak was woven from the tears of the conquered, her scream echoed with the voices of a thousand damned, and her eyes glowed with an unfathomable hatred. We held our own at first, laying into her with all we had and decimating her allies as soon as she called them into battle. It was hectic and sloppy, but we were getting the job done. Victory seemed possible, and it wasn't far from our reach. Then things started to go wrong. Our Hunter saw the familiar purple glint of heavy ammunition on the ground, and ran for it. My Titan teammate and I viewed the danger before he did, but it was already too late. *ska-BOOSH* A cursed thrall sacrificed itself to take the life of my friend. Acting instinctively, our noble Titan spread his mighty arms and summoned a protective bubble of energy around the two of us that remained. "We can't risk defeat," he stated. The bubble was comforting and gave me hope. I felt my weapons soaking up the energy of the Void and I knew the end was near for Omnigul. "Time to finish this once and for all," the Titan said as he reached for the prized Gjallarhorn mounted on his back. "Take the shot," I replied. The world moved in slow motion as he stepped out of the shield and every enemy in the room turned to face him. Never had I witnessed so much bravery in the face of pain and danger. I saw his trigger finger tightening as the weapon attempted to get a lock on the dastardly creature. In that moment his body was hit by countless bolts of energy. He fell to the ground like a loose sack, writhing in anguish. *** "Guardian Down." I was now the last one standing in our group. This was it. Victory or defeat- the outcome would be determined by me and me alone. It was time for some improvisatory tactics. As the bubble dissolved, I jumped and attempted to glide to a safer vantage point. However, I was now the focus of every Hive that could see me. I knew the chances were slim, and my expectations were confirmed as burning energy scarred my back and ripped into my body. I held on as long as I could, but fell short of my destination and crumpled on the ground. My vision went black. I could feel the darkness of death eating at the edges of my shattered frame. A clarity came over my mind in the face of this defeat. Warlocks are taught that there is always a solution, and it can often be found inside of you. Turning my thoughts to my consciousness, I searched desperately for anything, [b]anything[/b] that could help. There it was. A spark in my chest. Smoldering and refusing to give up its meager Light. All of my training, all of my studying, and all of my experience had led me up to this moment. Reaching upwards with my thoughts, I cried out to the celestial stars: [i]"Noble watchers of the Universe, I am in dire need. Amplify my power with yours and assist me in conquering Darkness!"[/i] My spark flickered... Nothing happened. Then it suddenly exploded into blinding rays of yellow light. My veins filled with liquid gold, and I felt the wounds of my broken body fuse together. I floated from the ground to my feet, and wings of pure flame erupted from my back. In that second, everything and everyone in the world made sense to me. I sensed the true vastness of space. I felt the fission in the stars happening in my own heart. I heard the thoughts of my dying friends. Words cannot describe the omnipotence I experienced. [i]"[b]This[/b] is what it means to be a Warlock,"[/i] I thought. [i]"This is untouchable power."[/i] Conquering Omnigul seemed like a trivial ordeal now. Using all my willpower, I humbled myself and focused on our target. Condensing solar energy in my hand, I created a projectile of flame and flung it at Omnigul. Over and over I pelted her with my flaming fury. She was powerful, but no match for the strength of the stars. With one last dying scream, she and her minions disintegrated before my eyes. And, just as quickly as my fiery rage began, it ended. The presence of the stars left me and I fell to a knee, panting and steaming. It was a night of triumph for all of us. We returned to the Tower together, and were met by cheers and commendations from our fellow guardians and the Speaker. That day went down in history (at least for the three of us). To all fellow warlocks who hear or read this story: I have a final word to give to you. Study it, learn it, memorize it- for it will help you in similar situations. From the book [u]Transcendence[/u] by Wulfar the Winged (first ancient Sunsinger): [i]"When all seems dark and hope is lost Light seeping from your skin, Call upon the stars above And feed The Fire Within"[/i]