I sit here, now, merely a shell of what I once was. I have been fighting the Darkness for an everlasting eternity and with no progress, I grow weary of it all. I, with the help of Nik, have established The Order of the Guardians, to aid us in waging our battles with these dark forces, but I fear, that it is not enough. Nik and I were able to push back my Father’s forces on Mars, but we were only delaying the inevitable. We remained on the deserted planet a short while after the war was fought, then we headed back to Nik’s home planet of Earth. We unleashed powerful technological advancements, unlike the world has ever seen. All of humanity revealed in our sciences, we taught them all what it meant to live in a world without rancor, without living in fear of uncertainty, it was us who brought the planet into a new era. All of the continents united, they became one, all joining together to share the collective knowledge of the universe for the betterment of human life. New discoveries about the galaxy were being made at a breakneck pace, with the dawn of each new day, brought a brand new hope that was shared amongst all, as we entered into the Golden Age. Unfortunately, I know what unspeakable terrors await us in the black abyss. The horrors that seek us out to destroy everything that we hold dear, everything we created, to consume it all and take it for themselves...I know all too well what nightmarish abominations lurk out in the darkest hollow’s of outer-space. I know, that I must do something to stop it, but I am powerless against it. I can feel it, the Light that lives within me, slowly starting to flicker, almost as if it’s unsure of itself. I fear the flickering grows more and more unabating, as if the Darkness that I risked everything to escape from, has somehow managed to find a way back inside me, threatening to deplete my Light and pull me back into the dark. I must continue to fight. It felt as though all the marvelous things we have done for Earth were discovered and shared, and it was all taken away just as quickly. In the blink of an eye, we went from being bathed in a brilliant Light, to falling helplessly into the Dark Age, that neither Nik nor I could stop it. When my Father returned, it wasn’t a fight, it was a massacre. The invasion began and we did all that we could to fight back the black masses, but it wasn’t enough. The war trudged on, countless millions died, needlessly, uselessly slaughtered by my family, all I could do was watch my people suffer. With the Earth awash in flames, entire countries were demolished to rubble, not a single structure or person left standing. The Tomb ships wiped out nearly seventy percent of the world’s population, like an uncontrollable wildfire. The Dark forces ran rampantly over everything with no mercy, they killed anything that stood in their way. Our metal sphere took considerable damage, it rendered us incapacitated and just left us to sit here as the treachery unfolded. As rapidly as the invasion had begun, it was over, there was nothing left. Whatever survivors remained, had gone to ground and would not emerge. The safety and security that we offered with the Golden Age was completely ripped from them, with no warning. It was Nik who came forth from the smoldering ashes of the ancient country of Russia, where we had made our home. It was he who started to rebuild society. With the help of his Cube and his technology, he created Guardians through revived corpses of fallen heros.. Protectors of the world, swords, and shields that would stand against the Darkness, soldier’s who would help and defend those who were unable to protect themselves. It was then, that the Tower was conceived. The outpost where these brave Guardians could gather and unify their strengths and powers to stand against all those who seek to demolish the good people of Earth. Nik led them, he helped to pave the path in which they must walk in order to restore faith to all those suffering in the wastes of the cities they once called home. I, however, am weak, unable to help, unable to do anything. Nik became a speaker for the Guardian’s of the Tower, a shining voice in the face of darkness. He has been trying to communicate with me, trying to resurrect my power, to help me push through my plight, but it isn’t working. The turmoil in which the Earth faced was all my fault. Their collapse, their fall from power, the death, the destruction, it was all my fault. I stood idly by while it was all taken away from them in one fell, horrible swoop. I swore to protect them, it was my vow to guide them and to show them the way into a future of unprecedented possibilities...But I failed. It was me that my Father was after. I was the one they wanted, Earth was nothing but collateral damage in an attempt to get to me. I should have stood up against the Darkness, I should have faced my Father and his army of evil, but I didn’t. I let him destroy everything. What good am I, if I cannot protect my people? I am nothing but a hindrance to their existence, a blemish on an otherwise perfect planet, that, while they had their problems, were surviving just fine without me. Then I showed up and killed them. I am nothing. There is nothing that I can do to save them. I cannot restore their faith in me. Nik, does what he can for them, a speaker to all of those willing to listen, trying to tell them of my strife, trying to get them to help me, but what can they do? These heroic Guardians who are born and die in the Darkness, it is not fair to them that they must suffer for my transgressions. All I am is a fallen traveler from space, ever tumbling further and further into the Darkness as I feel it lure me back in. Must I resign myself to this? Will I have no salvation? Am I to sit here in my battered ball of metal and steel, watching human life linger on the brink of extinction? A voice reverberates throughout the dome, a lonely, sad cry, calling me, begging me to answer. “Xax...Oh, weary Traveler, can you not hear my cries? My plea’s? This planet is in dire need of our help, of YOUR help, you must speak to me for I am all alone in the dark and seek the guidance and wisdom that is your Light; I need you to show me the way…just as I once showed you.” I do not answer, what am I to say? How am I suppose to show him the way, when I am lost myself? This uncertainty that plagues me, there must be a reason as to why I feel drained of my Light, but I would not even know where to begin to look for the answer. I need the help of my Guardians. They must fight my battles for me, for I am unable, they must claw and scratch and bleed for me. The answers they seek for themselves may also be the same answers I seek for my own self. [i]This concludes my story of The Traveler lore. I hope you all have enjoyed it. Please be on the lookout for my next story: [b]Trials of a Guardian[/b], coming soon! Thank you all once again for your support! Any comments or feedback is appreciated, once again, the poll is available to take as well as hitting that like button and letting me know! You can access ALL chapters of [b]The Ascension[/b] here:[/i] https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/99858091/0/0