Eris Morn 4.1 I happened to be exploring around this temple, when I felt a familiar yet weakened presence. I follow the scent - the scent of the worm. As I follow, it grows stronger. Finally, I look inside a small cave under the temple's foundation see a lonely, confused Thrall huddled within. It was unaware of my stare. As it shivered, its bones can be heard hitting and vibrating against one another; free from its skin. Though I felt pity, I dared not go near it. Yet, I stayed in the cave. Time passes as I anxiously wait for the Thrall to notice me. Suddenly, it stops shivering. Its head slowly turns upward, until all three of it's eery green, glowing eyes made contact with mine. It immediately gets up on its feet and shrieks. Its shrieks bring back a memory that I wish would be long forgotten. Six of us went down into the pit to face Crota. We were brave, but not ready. We fell like insects; one by one they died, until I was the last of my fireteam. When I lost my vision, I took the eyes of a Thrall and gained much more than vision: clarity. I eventually found my way out of the abyss, and I was found by the Vanguard. However, what they took is no longer me, for I died within that wretched pit. The Thrall charged at me, screaming and snapping, until it slowly came to a stop. Now, it is face to face with me, it stops shrieking, and its shoulder's ease. My fright began to vanish when I realized - it took a knee. It was kneeling towards me with its head looking down towards my feat. I decided not to kill the Thrall and leave it where I found it. I felt some connection that I haven't felt since I was trapped within the Ascendant Realm. I climb back up to the temple, and the scent weakens as I travel further away. I reach the Iron Temple and look down. I can hardly see the cave along with three green dots staring back at me.

Clashing Light (Continued) 4.1 Hope seems lost; Seraph-7 and Daemon-13 are pinned down behind a rock. The four purple, ghostly entities adorned with ghostly Iron Lord armor, approach them while firing multiple barrages of gunfire. The helpless Guardians don't know how long to rock was going to hold, but it was obvious that it wasn't going to hold for very long. Seraph-7: What are we going to do?! They'll kill us if we stay, but if we try to leave - well... we die! Daemon-13: Seraph, I want you to run as far as you can - Seraph-7: No I'm not leaving you! Daemon-13: Let me finish! Run as far as you can until you are able to call for help. Seraph-7: And what are you gonna do?! Daemon-13: Lay some hate. Daemon-13 readies his sidearm and looks for the nearest entity. With one swift motion, he spins out from behind the rock and headshots one of the ghostly entities with his last few bullets. Void light rises from the gunshot wound, and the entity dissipates into nothingness. One of the three remaining entities makes its rifle dissipate into air, then the other two as well, only leaving one entity. With lightning in Daemon-13's fist, he charges at the entity while yelling a battle cry. His fist thrusts forward, ready to tear through the ghostly, Guardian-like entity. Suddenly, it fades away, like sand being blown by strong winds. Daemon-13 realizes after a few seconds that he missed. He follows the direction of the brief, purple streak that was left in the air. It now floats above him as a purple orb is formed in its hands and grows rapidly in size. His eyes widen as it throws its nova bomb. Seraph-7 runs into the building within the Archon's Keep. She attempts to use her coms, but only hears static. She frantically presses buttons until she hears heavy foot steps. She follows the sound until she realizes that it's outside. Seraph-7 looks outside, and sees nothing. As soon as she was sure that no one was there, she breathed a sigh of relief. She continued to press buttons while turning around to find the purple Taken Guardian staring back at her with not one, but two eyes. She yelped and threw down her com. She waited for it to move, but it stared at her, observing her. The frightened Seraph-7 backs up slowly as the thing stares at her and standing still. After a minute of eye to eye contact, it stretches out an arm towards her, with its palm facing up. Unknown: Do not shoot, but listen. Seraph-7: After you tried to kill us back there? I'll take my chances. Unknown: You do not understand the gift he means to share with us all. Seraph-7: Enlighten me. She pulls out a sidearm and aims it at the glowing Guardian dressed as that of a Warlock, and holds a knife in her other arm. Unknown: For millennia, the Darkness has reigned across the cosmos. The Traveler only gave us a sample of what we need to bring Light to the Darkness. But alas, it wasn't enough. Yet, the Traveler remained unresponsive. So the strongest of us had to take action: Inanis, the Lightbringer. He knew what he had to do in order to push back the dark. It was this that made us question the motives of the Traveler, of our purpose. Now I know that we serve a greater purpose. And soon you shall see as much clarity as I do. All you must do is take my hand. Seraph-7: I like what you're selling here. She slowly puts her weapons on the floor and watches the Guardian closely Seraph-7: There's just one, tiny little problem. She reaches in her cloak behind her back. Seraph-7: You messed with my friend. With one swift motion, she throws a smoke grenade which incapacitates the Warlock, allowing for her to rush at it and slash it multiple times with her arc blades. As Seraph-7 cuts the glowing Warlock and pushes it back into a wall, her arc blades run out of energy, her power depleted for the time being. Seraph-7 runs out into the Plaguelands in search of Daemon-13. The glowing, purple Warlock thrusts its chest forward as it gasps. Then, it bends over as two angelic wings of white and purple flames emerge from its back. The cuts on its body regenerate almost instantly. It stands up, looks towards the entrance, and squints its eyes out of anger.

Eris Morn 4.0 The Taken's numbers have now began to dwindle. I feel them all dying; the whispers grow silent day by day, and I feel another force rising to power. Guardians that were long thought dead, left without Ghosts, now rise. They are not themselves, however. They hide from the Darkness, and tread carefully in the Light. Somewhere in between. The familiar voice still continues to haunt me. Its tantalizing offers allow me to feel the streams of dark tears running down my face. I still endure, and will continue. But, I do not know how long I will last. I never thought I would fear the Light as much as I do now. It must be stopped. I fear that the Light AND the Darkness hang in the balance, for the Universe needs both to survive.