[b][u]Old Friend[/u][/b] Umbra sat there, alone in the back of a ship. He was thinking about his battle in the tower. He felt the slash mark in his armor. Something whispered to him. Umbra: Hello old friend. Been awhile since we last spoke. The shadows stirred, the whisper growing louder. Umbra: Yes, It has been quite eventful, hasn’t it. The whisper was now a solid voice. The shadows formed themselves into a figure with no definite shape. Umbra: No, I haven’t forgotten your name, Darkness. The Dark: This is why I blessed you. Though, I’ve noticed that scratch in your armor. You took that crystal from me. I told you how to wield it. Why do you let that cut remain when you could heal it? Umbra: The shadows fought against me. It confuses me. I kept the scratch until I can figure out why it is confusing. The Dark: Others can steal my shadows and use them for their own selfish games. It is not unusual. Umbra: But her cause was not selfish. The Dark: I believe I am familiar with the one you speak of. The one who entered the pit. Umbra: She used it to defend another. The Dark: That was your plan too. Umbra: My judgment was clouded by grief then. Now I see clearly. The Dark: You still used them as such. You defended those who were weak. Umbra: Now I understand. They should be able to defend themselves, or they grow weak in their time of ease. The weak cannot be permitted to shape the final shape. The Dark: You remind me so very much of my most recent bearer. Umbra: Another light in the dark? The Dark: The krill that became a god king. Umbra: Oryx. The Dark: Names are irrelevant. The events and actions behind a name is what determines what a thing is. A short silence fell on the shadows and Umbra. Umbra: It was my fault they perished. I let the whole settlement down because I was weak. The Dark: Weakness is what drove you to me. Umbra: Weakness is something I’d never thought I’d experience again. The Dark: You don’t have to. You took the ability to make yourself strong. Use it. Umbra: But this weakness reminds me so much of the past. Even though I had strength, I still couldn’t protect them all. The Dark: They sat atop your shoulders without a worry in the world. So very clueless to the fact that something wishes for them to fall. Umbra: It’s their ignorance that got them killed. The Dark: It was ignorance that killed the last of the first “defenders of the light.” Umbra: It was at the edge of my blade that they fell. The Dark: They would have never crossed blades with you if they had been wise. Umbra: Perhaps. Another short silence fell on the room. Umbra: What am I to do now? United they are strong. Now, they are more united than ever. The Dark: There will be those who are foolish and seek glory, or are simply ignorant of the threat stalking them. That is a natural trait of the light. Umbra: I have also been asking myself, what happens the day I face the traveler. I barely withstood it’s voice. The Dark: You will become mine, and with you, I will properly dispose of my cosmic opponent. Umbra: Would the light not defend itself? The Dark: The light relies on gifts of strength and power from a power much higher than itself. I made my own power and secrets, and from them, I became strong. Umbra: But is the traveler not the top of chain. Does it draw from a higher being? The Dark: I suppose you are right in that prospect. You may not be able to fight the traveler alone. If you fulfill your plan, then you will have a chance. Umbra: I still fail to see how killing the other guardians will help me in that endeavour. The Dark: Have you ever looked into the krill king’s law of the sword? Umbra: The sword logic? The Dark: He was partially correct in his understanding of something that spans the very fabric of this reality. Killing make you more powerful. Killing something more powerful gives you more power, killing something less powerful give you less power. Umbra: So I gain power from killing the stronger guardians? The Dark: Yes. There is but one other I know of that wields power equal to mine and the light’s, but they are unaware of their potential, their power. Umbra: What is their name? The Dark: Their name is unknown to me. All I know is that you will face them in the end, and your battle will shake the very foundation of this reality. Umbra: You make me out to be a form of god. The Dark: You are much like that guardian. The conversation paused again. Umbra looked at the cut and touched it one last time before allowing the crystal to heal itself. Umbra: Where shall I bring the veil of darkness next? The Dark: They flee to their home, afraid of you. Burn their cities beyond their home. Give them no place to scurry away. Umbra: They will swarm me when they find where I am. The Dark: Then strike quick. Shadows are never seen when they attack. Umbra: I know where to go next. The Dark: Be weary, my shadow. The one born of light and dark awaits you. She is very powerful. Umbra: Then I will become even more powerful. The Dark shape chuckled before disappearing back into shadows. Umbra went to the head of the ship. [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/218896492]Next part: The Last Harbinger[/url] [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/218160269]Last part: Silence[/url] [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/217968013]To the collection:[/url]