A large caliber bullet passed through Taniks' skull. The Fallen one uttered a beastly scream and fainted in a scarlet explosion. At the other end of the room, Willow stood up, the barrel of her sniper rifle still steaming.

"And that's another bogeyman biting the dust!"

"Nice shot," Jayden praised her.

"I'm getting used to it. Couldn't the Pyramid renew her Nightmares a little?"

"Don't wish too quickly." Zara wiped the ether from her arm. "It's tiring enough to have to eliminate Ghaul every five mornings."

"If you say so. What next? I hear there's trouble on Mercury. Something about an obelisk."

"Osiris has resurfaced from the Infinite Forest." Jayden stared at Zara, watching for her reaction. "Ikora may know more."

"Go back to the Tower, both of you." The Warlock leaned for a moment towards her Ghost, who whispered a few words to her. "I'm going to look around, I won't be long."

"Very well. See you later."

Her fireteam transmatted, leaving her alone in the stranded Ketch. Zara slung her bow over her shoulder and sighed. The Hunt had been rough.

"What did you want to show me, Koryl?"

"I picked up a fallen transmission while you were fighting. Apparently, they..."

The molten projectile of a Shock Rifle burst at her feet. The Warlock turned around and saw a Vandal standing at the entrance to the vast room. From his position, he would have been unable to hit Koryl, but Zara was motionless and exposed. Had they become such bad shooters?

The Guardian drew her bow but held back her arrow. The Vandal did not move. His rifle was still pointed at her. He seemed to be waiting for something.

Suddenly, the side doors opened, and a group of Dregs accompanied by Collectors appeared. Immediately, one of them unbuckled a restraint flowed with Arc energy from his belt. Zara recognized the technology from the Praxic Order. The Dreg threw it at Koryl, who was caught in the crackling tendrils and fell to the metal floor, paralyzed.

"Koryl!"

Zara wanted to throw herself upon her Ghost to protect him. A crystalline sparkle could be heard in her back, and a Captain emerged from her camouflage. The pommel of the Shock Blade violently struck her temple, and the Warlock fell into unconsciousness.

When she reopened her eyes, her head was hurting her. Her naked cheek was pressed against a cold floor. She realized that she was lying on her side. She came to her senses and realized that she was in the throne room of a Ketch. The vibrations and the lack of atmosphere outside made her realize that it was moving through space. Enclosed in a base on the ceiling, a Pilot Servitor watched the trajectory with its mechanical eye. Sitting on the throne, a Captain in the colors of the House of Dusk was staring at her. She was surrounded by a dozen Fallen, weapons in hand.

They had not bothered to tie her up, they probably knew that chains were harmless for a Guardian. However, they had stripped her of her armor and weapons. She still had her Light, but a presence was missing at her side...

Koryl! The events came back to her memory. The ambush, the Praxic restraints, the blow she had received. She inspected the surroundings: no trace of the Ghost.

She stood up and challenged the Captain with her gaze. Immediately, half a dozen Arc spears rose. But the Fallen came up from his throne and barked an order, and the Wretch retreated.

The Captain stepped forward and tapped two fingers against his cuirass. "Zirisk."

A ritual greeting. The Guardian, cautiously, repeated the gesture. "Zara. Velask, Zirisk."

"Velask, Zara. Wirliks, Nankeme."

"That remains to be proven. Where is my Ghost?"

Zirisk turned his head towards a Vandal carrying a chest. He opened it and grabbed Koryl, rendered unconscious by the restraints. The two free hands of the Fallen undo the bonds, and the little Ghost woke up. Seeing the Vandal's bright eyes, he flew away with a terrified cry.

"Zara!" He saw his Guardian and huddled by her neck. She covered him gently with her hand, without taking her eyes off the Captain.

"What do you want?"

"Talk." The Fallen took off every syllable, and still chopped off half of the letters. But it was still understandable.

"You could have done it on the Moon and avoided this staging."

"Too risky. Guardians..." He searched for his words. "Danger."

"I see. Well, talk."

"The Pyramid. "The evocation of the sinister monolith from the mouth of the Fallen made her shudder. She clenched her jaw. "The Eliksnis, tormented by ghosts."

Zara frowned. It was true that only the Hive had found a way to protect itself from the influence of the Pyramid. So, the Fallen were also victims of the apparitions?

"What kind of ghosts?"

"The Hive. Vex." The claws of the scavengers tightened on their weapons. "Guardians. Eliksnis."

Zirisk blinked. Zara read apprehension in his eyes, and in those of his crew. Was she part of the Nightmares sent by the Darkness to torment them?

"Humanity and Fallen have been at war for centuries. This leaves scars..." These were not words of comfort, but a simple observation.

"Yes. The Pyramid knows." The Captain fell silent, hesitant. "The Guardians are fighting them. The Nightmares disappear. Like Taniks."

"Where are you getting at?"

"Why?" The word, spat out by the tall Fallen, carried so many meanings. "The Great Machine has abandoned us. How can we beat the Darkness without the Light?"

Zara read a clear sense of despair on Zirisk's face. She looked furtively around her. The Ketch was poorly maintained. Several warning lights were flashing around the cockpit. The Servitor was stammering weakly, letting a little ether escape with each jolt. Yet the Fallen usually took great care of their Servitors and their ships, the last symbols of their Golden Age and their only chance of survival.

Perhaps those who surrounded her were all that was left of the crew, reduced to drifting in a Ketch slowly turning into a wreckage, unable to get out of Luna's orbit?

She remembered the distress of Eris, constantly tormented by the memories of her fireteam. Could these Fallen only find sleep?

The Guardian thought of a way to shelter them from the Pyramid. The Reef was in ruins. The City was synonymous with immediate death. How far would the Nightmares follow them?

"I can't help you," she confessed. "I can't defeat the Nightmares for you."

Zirisk stared at her, without saying a word. Behind her, the Fallen became agitated. Without knowing why, the Warlock felt guilty. But what could she do? She herself did not know how to get rid of the Nightmares, despite all her research. The Guardians were only delaying their advance, containing them on the Moon.

"The Awoken are victims of a curse," she said. "A time loop. No matter what they do, no matter what the Guardians do, the outcome is always the same. Yet I continue to search for a solution." She took Zirisk's inferior hands in her own. "Keep fighting. Don't give in to fear. That's how the City has held on, all these years. You don't need Light to keep hope."

"Sha," repeated the Captain slowly.

He gestured to his crew and returned to sit on his throne in silence. A Dreg escorted her to the hangar, where a poor Skiff, barely fit to fly, and his ship were waiting. He let her board. Her equipment was inside.

With a heavy heart, she left the Ketch, and it was with a sincere determination that the Guardian went to the Vanguard. The Darkness had returned. The Eliksnis had once fallen, and so had mankind. The two sides could no longer afford to confront each other: there were those beyond the Wall calling for help, and it was the Guardians' duty to respond.