Chapter Text
My flight back to the Tower is filled with guilt. It’s my fault Eido was in harm’s way. My fault that Eramis got away again. None of this would have happened if I had kept my mouth shut.
“Ruby,” Stell sighs beside me. She’s been trying to get me to talk since we left Eido, Misaarks and the rest of the team, but I wouldn’t say a word. “You can’t blame yourself for this. Eido would have gone after that relic with or without you saying what you did.” I roll my eyes as I set up for landing. “You’re going to have to talk sooner or later. Crow is gonna wanna know what happened. So if Zavala and Ikora."
“I know.”
“She speaks.” I glare at Stell for the jab before heading back to the apartment. I know I’m expected to debrief the team, Misraaks, and Eido. But right now, I don’t have the energy for that. I’m wrapped in Crow’s arms when I set foot in the door. I should have expected that Stell would give him a heads-up, and I’m thankful for her. I drop the walls I’m holding and cry into Crow’s chest. I don’t know why I’m crying. Everyone lived, but the tears flow, and I can’t stop them. Crow leads me to our room and helps me out of my armour and into the shower. I didn’t realize how dirty I got on this mission until I saw the dirty flow down the drain. With his help, I’m able to get my hair and body cleaned before he helps me into a clean pair of pjs and then into bed. All the while, he never says anything, but him being here is what I need. He disappears for twenty minutes and returns with a plate of food and some water.
Silently, I eat as he stays beside me and then takes the tray away once I’m done. While he’s cleaning, I watch the city below, wishing my life could be as simple as theirs. Crow returns after a bit and changes into his pj’s before crawling into bed with me. I curl up to his chest and smile.
“Thank you,” I mumble against his chest.
“You’re welcome.” I sleep rather soundly that night thanks to Crow’s amazing work calming me down. With that, I’m able to wake up well-rested and with a clearer mind. Some of the guilt I had faded when I realized what Stell said held some truth. Eido would have gone after that relic no matter what I said. Even Crow agrees once I explain everything to him. I was right in telling Eido what I did. And I was right for going after her.
“Also, Eramis escaping. It might be a good thing in the end. Misraaks didn’t kill her, which might have saved his relationship with his daughter.” Crow adds as we eat breakfast.
“I know. But at that moment, it all happened, I felt responsible. I was supposed to be running these missions, and I let my personal vendetta with Spider cloud my judgement.” Crow shakes his head.
“You should have never been put in that position. Everyone in the Vanguard knows what Spider did to-.” He pauses, the memory still fresh. “Anyway. You did what you thought necessary, and no one will fault you for that.”
“Thanks, Love.” He smiles and leans in for a quick kiss.
“I figure you’ll be busy for the next few days.” He adds.
“I will. Got some loose ends that need tying off. That end reports that I’m behind on.”
“Just say the word.”
“I know. You’ll be there to help. I’ll likely need it. But I need to get this debrief done first.”
“I’ll clean up here and get the twins to Saint’s. After that, I’ll meet you at the office.”
“Thanks, Crow. You are a lifesaver.”
“Anything for the woman I love.” I smile into another kiss before heading upstairs to change. I opt for some simple clothes. My armour needs some repairs, and I will have to stop by Banshee later for it. My first stop after getting dressed is to see the Drifter. He had sent me multiple messages requesting a meeting with me, which made me wonder what the issue was.
Walking through the Tower, I see decorations for the Festival of the Lost, making me realize that it’s only a week away, and I’m unprepared. Costumes are on my list of things to do now. The moment I walk into the Annex, I hear the Drifter’s voice as he talks to some New Lights about Gambit. I lean on a nearby wall and wait for them to leave. Drifter smiles once we are along and flips his last coin into his pocket.
“And so the Guardian finally makes an appearance.” I suppress an eye roll at that statement. Of course, he would make a jab like that. The Drifter sees that and smiles before continuing. “So... lemme get this straight: Mithrax has Eramis at the end of his sword, and then... nothing? I mean, nothing? Huh. I thought that guy still had some mean in him. Guess I was wrong. I was right about you, though! Gotta hand it to you, kid: You did a hell of a job out there. Drove Eramis off, stopped whatever plan the Witness had, and brought home all the pieces of Nezarec. Not bad at all. Mithrax and Eido have the relics now. Don’t know what those things can actually do, but if anyone can figure it out, it’d be them. Hope it’s something good. Yup, nothin’ for you to do now but lay back in that big ol’ pile of pirate treasure you got. You deserve it. And don’t worry about giving me my cut, Captain. It just felt nice to be a good guy again. Heh. Trust.”
“That’s it?” The Drifter raises an eyebrow at me.
“What else more do you want?”
“You sent me ten messages over the last twelve hours. And that was all you wanted to say?”
“Yup,” I grumble under my breath and leave. Sometimes, I want to put a gun to that man’s head. The Drifter was right on some of his grand speeches. Even if Eramis got away, we did manage to stop whatever she and the Witness had planned with the pieces of Nezarec. It’s a small victory, but we need a win. With Drifter dealt with, my next stop was the Eliskni Quarter. I want to see how Eido and Misraaks are doing after almost yesterday’s disaster. I don’t find Misraaks, but I did come across Eido as she’s in her workshop talking to someone. I’m about to knock when I realize who she’s talking to or is trying to. Eramis.
“Again, I greet you in the Light. Not as my enemy, but as my saviour. You protected me from the Lucent Hive. Without your intervention, I would have died at their hands. I thank you. I was terrified. Not only of the Hive but of you. When you arrived, I thought it was to follow through on your threat. Then you turned and raised your blade against my assailants. But that same blade would have taken the life of my father if you’d had the advantage. I am not afraid of what you are. But I am afraid of what you do. The Whirlwind led to you. It led to my father. But it led to me as well. We can see a future for the Eliksni beyond the pain of the Whirlwind, but you think you can’t be a part of it. I do not believe that. My father spared you because he saw that you could turn from a path he had once followed. I see this also. I know the futility of this, but I will say it regardless: there is a place for you here. We need not be enemies. Come home, Eramis.”
Eido is still trying to free Eramis from whatever is holding her. I feel like barging in and telling her that there’s no hope for Eramis, but I don’t think my words will do any good. I take a moment to let Eido finish her recording before I finally knock. I hear something crash onto the ground before the door opens.
“Ruby,” I look around Eido and see some pieces of shank on the ground.
“I’m sorry if I scared you.”
“NO.” Eido then realized her tone and took a moment to compose herself. “No. I was just going over some new data. Come in.” She moves aside and allows me into her lab. I see the newest relic sitting on her table and a bunch of scrolls next to it. “What can I help you with, Ruby?”
“I wanted to make sure you were doing fine after yesterday-”
“I am fine. A bit shaken up and embarrassed, but I did not get injured.”
“And mentally, how do you fare? I know seeing your father-”
“I am fine.”
“Eido. I don’t mean to cause you any distress. If I am, I’ll leave.” I start to make my way to the door when I feel one of her hands on my shoulder.
“I was rude. I apologize. You are correct that seeing my father behave like he did yesterday caused me some stress. I understand now who my father is, and I will have to learn to live with it. I am also beginning to think that he understands I am not the hatchling he once saved.”
“I am glad to hear that.”
“I also want to apologize to you, Ruby. I may have taken your advice to an extreme, and I know it caused you pain.”
“There is no need to apologize, Eido. I am glad that you are alive and well.” She nods and turns back to look at the newest relic.
“Now that we’ve collected all the relics, Misraakskel and I believe that we could harness their power. To what end... we’re still uncertain.” I’m shocked at the revelation Eido just dropped.
“Harness their power?” She nods before continuing.
“While I believe in our abilities, I am concerned about the potential side effects such a process could have. An ancient dirge I discovered describes something called “the Curse of Nezarec,” which is rumoured to drain the life of the user. Of course, I don’t give credence to such superstitions. Dark Age Humans were comically ignorant. Still, I would rather not take the risk. My father… disagrees. I suspect he wishes to redeem himself for his past wrongs, and in that, I cannot dissuade him.”
“Are you saying Misaarks wants to use the power?”
“I do.” That makes me worry.
“Do you know for what purpose?”
“I do not.”
“I know I won’t be able to dissuade him, so please keep me informed of any new developments.”
“I will.”
“Good. Now, I need to get these reports done. If you need me, you know where to find me.” She nods, then turns back to her work as I leave. I searched the Eliskni Quarter a bit longer for Misaarks, but there was still no trace of him. This has me worried about what Eido had just told me. But I have to trust that Misraaks knows what he’s doing.
From the Eliskni Quarter, I head back to my office to get all the paperwork done. Now that all the pieces are ours, I can officially end this mission. Crow greets me with some much-needed coffee, and we get to work.
Crow and I are so busy that the festival of the lost comes and goes, and we don’t even blink an eye at it. Glint was over the Moon as he always was and had a partner this year in Eido who shared his enthusiasm. For Crow, it was a breath of fresh air not to sit and listen to him go on and on about the headless ones.
Almost a month passed since Eramis escaped, and the last relic fell into our hands. That’s when Zavala appeared at my office one day. I don’t even realize he’s there until he clears his throat, causing me to jump and spill my ink.
“Apologise.” He says when he sees what he’s done.
“No need. To what do I owe the pleasure, Zavala.”
“I’ve just received your last mission report regarding the relics.” I nod, allowing him to continue. “I see you did not participate much in the missions.”
Ah, so it was time for the reprimand. “I did not.”
“I take it Spider was the reason.”
“He was.”
“I just wanted to say I understand why you took yourself out of the mission, and I thank you for still running point for them.” It takes a moment to register what he just said. He understood. That was a first.
“Hmm. Thanks.”
“The next time, I just ask you to inform me first and not at the end of an assignment.”
“I will.”
“Excellent. Now, you’ll receive a message from Misraaks shortly. He wants to organize a community event to help rebuild the Eliksni Quarter as well as other parts of the city affected by the Vex attack. I would like it if you and Crow help since you are better connected with the Eliskni. This may involve Spider at some point.”
“I’ll talk to Crow about it, but I’d be glad to help.”
“Thank you.” As Zavala left, I got a message from Misraaks that he warned me off.
“I greet you in the Light, Ruby. You’ve no doubt heard that I would like to ask the Guardians for aid in rebuilding the Eliksni Quarter.”
“I have. Zavala spoke of it.”
“You’ve all collected lots of treasure no doubt when recovering the relics. I would ask if any Guardian would like to donate it.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea, Misraaks. I can get a collection chest set up in the Tower Courtyard, and from there, we can take what is collected and use it for the Quarter.”
“Thank you, Ruby. Spider will be taking point on this as I have something else that requires my attention.”
“What else are you not saying, Misraaks?”
“I am studying the relics. Seeing what power they hide and what power we can use.”
“Misraaks, that’s dangerous. You should not be doing that alone.”
“You sound like the Saint. He advised me the same, and as such I will tell you what I told him. They are connected by threads that I alone could perceive, and they whispered to me.”
“Misraaks.”
“I will be careful, but with these, I think I might be able to accomplish a task that many of you have been striving for.”
“What?”
“I will only speak of it if it works. Thank you, Ruby, for aiding in the rebuilding. I will contact you when I have news.” And before I can ask anything more, Misraaks cut the feed. Eido warned me of this. Misraaks and the relics. Seems there is nothing I can do but wait and see at this point.
When I returned home that evening, I relay what Misraaks said, and Crow seems on board.
“You sure you can handle Spider?”
“Yes. This is for the better of the Eliskni. Spider be damned.” I smile at his response before crawling on top of him.
“Oh, and to what do I owe this?” I continue smiling, and I lean closer to whisper into his ear.
“For being you.” He chuckles before pulling me in for a kiss.
The next week is as busy as can be. The Guardians donate everything they can to the Eliskni to help with the rebuilding. I’m a bit surprised at how much we got on the first day alone. I know most Guardians have accepted living with House Light, just as they’ve accepted Crow. But I didn’t think we would collect the glimmer we needed by the third day. I have to put a transmat link into the chest because it’s filling up so quickly that I can’t keep up with the collection.
With the funds in place, the first thing we did is clean up from the Vex invasion from a year ago. It feels right to put that part behind us. After that, we built a garden, fixed up some old apartment units for housing, created a town square and even started training some Eliskni recruits. Some of the donations were even put into improving the Ether Tank. I lost the battle on that one. It took a few weeks after getting all the funds, but the Eliskni Quarter is starting to feel more and more like the rest of the City.
How was I to know the best was yet to come? It’s late one afternoon; Crow and I are with the twins in the Eliksni Quarter. Ari and Rory have taken to playing with the Hatchlings, and who am I to argue when they are so cute together? I hear my name in the distance but think nothing of it. It’s my day off. I told Ikora and Zavala this, and they both agreed that Crow and I earned it after all the work we’ve put in. So imagine my surprise when I see Shadow running towards us.
“There you are.”
“Yes, here I am.”
“Sorry,” she mumbles when she hears the tone of my voice. I can tell whatever she has to say is about to end my peaceful day out. “I went to the apartment, and you weren’t there.”
“Yeah. It’s my day off.”
“I know. And you know I wouldn’t be here unless it was super important.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s Osiris.” My heart stopped. I haven’t heard much recently, except Saint brought him back home. I’m on my feet in an instant.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. Ikora only said to come find you and that it was urgent.” I look back at Crow, who had Rory in his arms.
“Go. I can get the twins home and feed them.”
“Thanks, Love.” I kiss him and the twins quickly before taking off at full speed toward Saint’s apartment. The worst came to mind as I ran. That Osiris had finally succumbed to his sickness. I don’t know how I could ever console Saint if that happened. When I get to Saint and Osiris’s apartment, Shadow and I part ways.
“Whenever is through that door, you can handle it.” She assures me before giving me a quick hug and leaving. I take a deep breath, my hand on the doorknob, when the door flies open, almost ripping my arm out of its socket.
“Ruby!” Amumet cheers before pulling me into a hug. I’m a bit uncomfortable with this. I still hold a grudge against her, after all. But then the thought came to me. If Amunet is this happy and it isn’t Saint who’s greeting me at the door. It means only one thing. I pull from the awkward hug and run into the apartment. Once in the living room, I stop dead when I see something I never thought I would again. Osiris awake. I stand there like an idiot at a loss for words and how to react. I dreamed of this day for so long. To see Osiris alive and well and for him to be reunited with Saint.
“Ruby,” Osiris exhales, which seems to have broken me from whatever holds me in place. I rush to him as he pulls me into a hug. His arms wrap loosely around me, reminding me that he’s still weak even if he is awake. “Thank you,” He whispers in my ear, and I pull out of the hug, confused.
“For what?”
“I heard your voice. In here.” He explains, tapping on his head. I try to understand, but I’m lost. That’s until Saint stepped in.
“I ask you to go into his mind.” The memory returns to me.
“Oh, that? You heard me?”
“I did. I was drowning with no way to pull myself out, and I was losing hope. But then a beacon of light came and shined my way. Reminding me of what I had waiting for when I woke up.”
“I did that?”
“You did. You gave me something to hold onto.” I can’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. This is the first time in recent memory that my Awoken past has done something good for me.
“I am just glad to see you awake, Osiris. We’ve all missed you so much.” I pause, looking up at Saint, whose face plates shift into the biggest smile. “Some more than others.” Osiris smiles at that, squeezing Saint’s hand.
“Ruby?” I turn and see Crow at the doorway with the twins in hand. I jump up from my seat and rush over to him.
“You said-”
“I know. But I saw Misraaks, and he let it slip. I had to see for myself.” We both look back over to Osiris, who, in turn, is watching us intently. “Saint!” Ari yells, breaking free of Crow’s hold and rushing to his favourite person. I try to stop my son, but he’s too fast and gets to Saint first. Saint waste no time before picking up the little awoken and tossing him playfully in the air. I take that as a good sign and take Crow’s hand to guide him toward Osiris.
“I-I,” Crow stumbles on his words while refusing to make eye contact with the Warlock.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Crow.” Crow’s head snaps up when he hears Osiris speak, and the words he chooses to say surprise him. Crow takes a moment to let them sink in before smiling.
“Nice to finally meet you. Ruby and Saint spoke highly of you.”
“Have they now?” He asks, a dark chuckle in his voice.
“All good things, my love,” Saint assures him as he returns my son to me.
“And I take it these are your children.”
“Yes.”
“I heard their laughter so many times,” Osiris admits, making me take a double take.
“Their laughter?”
“When Saint would watch them. I imagine he would bring them into the room.” Osiris shakes his head as if it was a bad memory. “I’m sorry. I know it’s because of me that Savath-”
“Don’t you dare.” I hiss, stopping Osiris’ apology dead in its tracks. I didn’t know what exactly he wanted to apologize for, but I wouldn’t hear it. “You owe me nothing.”
“Ruby,”
“I’m serious, Osiris. You don’t need to apologize for any of that. Ever.”
“I told you she would say that.” Saint chuckles.
“But-”
“If you want to make it up to me. Allow me to scan your mind one last time. It will put me and everyone else at ease.” His face softens, and he nods. “Of course. I wanted to ask, but-” he stops, and I understood. He didn’t want to ask me since he still felt guilty.
“I can do it here or if you’re more comfortable in your room.”
“Here. I’ve had plenty of time to lie down.”
“Okay. Saint, you’ll need to let go of him. Two minds in one head are-” I stop what I’m saying when I realize I’m about to say something stupid. Saint removes his hand from Osiris, allowing me to take it.
“This might feel odd, and if you want me to stop at any point, just say so.” He nods, and I close my eyes before pulling at the energy around me. It feels like forever since I last did this, but at the same time, like yesterday. Right away, I can sense that Savathun’s magic has completely faded. Last time, I had to fight past Hive magic to access Osiris consciousness. This time, it was no effort at all. I sifted through it quickly to find traces of Savathun but came out empty-handed. Her memories are there, but her magic is gone. I did sense a trace of darkness, but it was gone before I could grab hold of it.
I gasp when I return to my own mind, taking a moment to regain composure. Saint rushes over with a glass of water, which I gladly lake as Crow sits beside me, waiting for me to speak.
“It’s clear of any Hive magic,” I assure everyone. “I did see Savathun’s memories in there. I’m afraid I couldn’t do anything to rid them for you.” Osiris shakes his head.
“I would not want that. There might be something to learn once I am stronger.” A warning alarm went off in my head, but I ignored it.
“I did sense a wave of darkness but couldn’t pinpoint the location.” Saint and Osiris look at each other, and I know there is something they aren’t telling me. “Osiris, how exactly did they manage to wake you?”
“Misraaks and the pieces of Nezerac.” My eyes narrow, and Saint jumps into damage control.
“Misraaks assured us that it was safe. He performed... a conversion. He claimed from them a mass of primal Darkness. He distilled it, transformed its terrifying energy... into a... more agreeable state.”
“He made me a tea from it.” My stomach flips, and I fight to vomit—a tea of darkness made from the remains of a disciple.
“Ikora is going to keep a close eye on me. Misraaks as well. Rest assured, I am well looked after.” I still don’t like the fact that I wasn’t informed of this.
“Okay. I can look into your mind again if anyone has doubts.”
“I will let Ikora know.” I nod, and then Rory begins to fuss. “We need to get these two home. It’s well past their dinner. I’ll come back to see you.”
“Feel free to bring the children.”
“I will. Rest Osiris. I know you just woke up, but there is no need to jump back into work just yet.”
“I will try.” I look up at Saint, and he rolls his eyes. It’s unlikely Osiris will sit around for long. We give one last wave before heading home. I feel a small amount of relief with Osiris back. We have one thing now that the Witness doesn’t expect. Osiris, our wealth of knowledge, is back at our side. But will it be enough to tip the scales in our favour? Only time will tell.