I stormed to the plaza where guardians were running around collecting packages and weapons and armor, [i]"These idiots do not have a clue about what has happened! About the massacre that just happened!"[/i] I thought to myself. I passed Mom and Dad, coming up the stairs from the Hall of Guardians. They tried to say something to me but I ignored them entirely. The Hall was empty, for most part. Cayde was forced to finish his paperwork by Zavala but he was playing solitaire instead, "Cayde... Where is the--" Before I could finish, he pointed to a door behind him. "Yeah, you're not the first, Bud. These Taken have been pain in everyones' a** lately," He laid down another card as I entered the training arena. "Begin training exercise. Level one: Dregs," Announced the system. It was nothing too difficult, I just got headshot after headshot after headshot until they were all dead. It wasn't until the first round was over that I realized, I took several blows to the back. "Begin training exercise. Level two: Dregs and Vandals," The holograms appeared once more. I reloaded Ace and double jumped around the vandals. I shot one while in midair, but when I landed, two dregs behind me sliced my back for sure! "Ow! S***!" I sprawled to the ground and fell to one knee and hand. I raised Ace and shot one, killing the other from the explosion. I looked up to see the other Fallen I was neglecting-- More beyond counting surrounded me. My heart was still racing. I exploded in a fury of combo attacks, killing several on my blade, but nonetheless, my legs and stomach were riddled with holes. "Level two, complete," The holograms were gone. I fell to my knees as I wrapped my arms around my stomach and hunched over. My eyes burned as if I were to cry from everything, but my anger outweighed my sorrow. "You think you have defeated me?!" I was lifted off of my knees by Phantom. I struggled to loosen his hold on my throat but he just tightened his grip, "I permitted your existence so you could kill the King for me. I could see your humbleness, and knew you would decline the throne... Leaving it available for the taking!" I broke free of his grip, "You will not ascend the throne, Phantom!" I yelled as I summoned a golden gun and blew a hole in his chest all in the blink of an eye. Phantom continued to laugh, that haunting laugh, "Your Light has no affect on me... And that, Alan Moores, was your own doing!" "I should have killed you when I had the chance!" "Indeed, but you are too ignorant to see the consequences of your errors!" "I am not.. ignorant!!" I shouted as my body erupted into brighter flames. Taken spheres grew inside the walls of the room, spawning knights and captains that restrained my arms. I tried to break free, "What?! You can't kill me alone?!!" "You are no use to me dead," Phantom placed his cold, void-filled hand on my chest... "Your new King awaits you Alan..." "Alan!... Alan!..." "Alan! Wake up, Alan!" I felt pressure on my chest, then, pow! I lurched in pain as I woke up. Now, now tears rolled from my sore eyes. I sulked as I laid in a ball. "Alan? Are you with us?!" I looked up to see two titans kneeling beside me. One wore an odd shade of blue while the other wore white with red details. I tried to raise up but I felt numb all over. I still couldn't make out any faces, "Alan, stay with us..." The titan in blue softly slapped my face repeatedly. "Leave me alone! I have suffered enough!!" I barked, still not sure who came to finish me off, "Just leave me, I'm more trouble alive!!" The titans reeled back slightly. One placed his hand on my shoulder, which made me curl up in a tighter ball, "Alan, it's us: Blake and James... Are you ok?" I looked up again... I was still in the arena. No Taken. No Phantom. But Wolf Pack was here, "What happened?!" I asked as I panicked and crawled to the nearest corner. "I was about to ask you the same thing," Said the warlock standing tall. "Wha?" I looked up to him, then scanned the room several times, "I was... I was... in here... fighting in here when... Taken attack!... Phantom was here!" I raised up my shirt to show them the hundreds of bullet wounds that I... did not sustain, "Wha?!" I stared at my stomach that should have been riddled with holes, "I know that... I was fighting them! No one heard them?!... It was Phantom!... He tried to... He tried to Take me!..." I rubbed my body to make sure I was all here. "Alan!! Calm down, you're not making sense!" Blake grabbed my shoulders and shook me out of it, "What do you remember?" "I was... in the infirmary with Kourtney... They sent me out while... they ran tests... then, I was.. fighting Phantom! Where is he?!" "Alan! I'm asking the questions here!" Blake shook me again, "You're in the training room, Alan. Do you not remember coming in here?" "No..." My panic attack turned to deep breaths. "Now, we're getting somewhere... Why were you in the infirmary?" Blake asked as he sat down beside me. "Kourtney, she was hurt... The Taken, they destroyed the League of Blades... they killed them!" My muscles tensed up as I recalled the event, "That son of a b**** killed them!!" "Hey, calm down... It's ok, er--" "Ok?!! Ok?!!" I snapped my head towards the titan. "It was a bad choice for words, I didn't mean it!..." Blake sent small doses of void into me to numb me some more. "Hundreds upon hundreds of hunters were killed, Blake!! Not just the hunters! Their ghosts too! No second chances for them!! You weren't there! You weren't one of three survivors!!" Fire built up more and more in me. "No, I suppose not, but did you ever look at the casualties of Twilight Gap? Thousands of Guardians-- titans, warlocks, and hunters alike-- dead. It's one thing to be a soldier and watch your friends die, but when you're a medic... And it's your duty to save lives..." Blake swallowed and looked down. My anger towards him built up like the Taken, "Look, Alan, I am not asking you to ignore this... I'm asking you to move past, like any soldier must..." "..I'm no soldier! I don't have that kind of strength!" I shoved Blake out of the way and tried to escape the arena. "Is that your excuse?!" Dakota asked. I stopped at the doorway and cocked my head to him, "Sometimes being a good soldier means fighting for the bigger picture... And yes, sacrifices must be made, Alan..." "...You're the last person I'd take anger management tips from..." I stormed out of the arena, back to my apartment and locked the door.