Chapter Text
Epilogue
Paint Them Red
Shotgun
“Blood is the sacrifice , and Light a tool for attunement…”—Ir Akäi
Lore:
Every rose has its thorn, each thistle like the blade of a sword—sharp, unyielding, and true. There is both death and beauty in its intrinsic design. By this logic, one could surmise that 'beauty is pain’. Only the reddest and most vibrant of these extends the desirable quintessence required for the reckoning. For an architect to design and fabricate, one must know what it is that they intend to build upon. Underneath the petals of a rose is the stem of life, and inside it embodies the currency of existence.
The weak cannot remain, for by the way of sorrow, existence is pain—a place they cannot endure. I will take your heart, a valuable ransom, and with it I will satisfy ascendancy. The Light and your lifeblood are my footstools, mere steppingstones to the throne world of my making. Come little flower, festoon my cathedra. Be the wreath to my diadem.
Let your existence be final as the strong conquer the weak once more. The last thing you will know is the song of rupture. The last thing you will feel is the woe of pain as you are sung into silence. The last thing you will do is offer up your lifeforce which will become my crowning jewel. Bleed well.
(1 Week Later)
Since the passing of Fireteam Green Burrow’s unexpected journey, all members agreed to go on sabbatical in light of their individual epiphanies. Milly exchanged her scholarly tendencies for the warrior’s way, realizing that there was much more to life than seeking knowledge. The Warlock was lacking experience, passion, and the bold character she realized a Guardian of Light needed to have. The Twins did what they did best and fought their way through the Crucible ranks, winning favor with Lord Shaxx. Unfortunately, they started competing with each other after realizing they both could not have him.
Alice and Valentine however, remained together, closer than ever. Since the collapse of Ir Akäi’s court, the duo went searching daily for the pesky rabbits inhabiting the hidden places on Luna. With the last rabbit fed, making ten in total, they went to convene with Eris and Toland. There were still questions needing answers. Were there any signs of Ir Akäi or her court? Had Green Burrow completely wiped them out? What happened at the moment of the crystal’s collapse?
The biggest one of all surrounded the curious shotgun in her possession.
Alice held tightly to Valentine with her arms wrapped around his waist as they sped over lunar terrain. Archer’s Line was left behind forgotten as they traversed the winding road, dipping and rising at its behest. Resting her head against his back, her blonde hair ruffled wildly as the wind blew against it. Jade eyes stared wistfully into the starry sky above as her mind wrestled between loud thoughts and quiet peace. She sighed and gave the Hunter in her arms a gentle squeeze.
“What are you thinking?” he yelled over the noise of their travel. “You’ve been quiet for a while now.”
“Oh, you know, all the things that happened to us in the last week,” she replied loudly.
“What have you decided about the shotgun?” As he asked his question, Valentine leaned the sparrow into the next curve.
“I—uh—I don’t think I should keep it,” Alice yelled.
“What?!” The Hunter evened out the sparrow once the road straightened, then quickly peered over his shoulder. His starlight eyes focused on her for a moment before returning his attention to the road. “After all that hard work you put into it, making one of the most powerful weapons in existence, and you’re not going to keep it?” He whistled. “That…that sucks.”
She laughed lightly, “Tell me about it! It’s like losing one of my babies. As a Gunsmith it really is a huge blow to my self-esteem.”
“It’s nothing on you, my Dragonfly,” he assured.
Alice squeezed him again, before leaning back. “I know, but it still…sucks.” She sighed, “After that visit from our local Lone Ranger, I can’t figure out which was stranger. Us unexpectedly taking on a Deathsinger or having a one-on-one conversation with Shin Malphur.” The Titan shivered. “He gave me the creeps.”
Valentine chuckled. “Out of all the things to make you ‘freak out’, it’s that guy?!”
“Well, if anything he said was true, then I don’t want the Dredgens of Yor knocking on my door. And besides, ever since I modded the ‘Paint Them Red’, I can’t help but think that gem was no ordinary gem.” Alice quieted, unsure if she should speak aloud what she had become worried about in the past week.
“What’s up?” Valentine asked, realizing she was holding back. Again, he turned to look at her before returning his attention to the road. As they came close to Eris’ lunar command post, the Hunter slowed the sparrow. With the slight drag, it caused Alice’s hair to sweep forward over her eyes.
“I don’t know…,” Alice paused, “I think that gem was cut from that blood crystal we saw in Ir Akäi’s court. Sometimes late at night, I think I’ve heard it whispering.”
Valentine brought the sparrow to a stop, shifted his weight, and dismounted. Turning to Alice, he gave her his hand and helped her off the bike. “Whatever it is, we both know those rabbits don’t do things without some—roundabout—purpose. Who knows? Maybe Eris and Toland might.” Alice watched as the Bladedancer’s hand let go of her’s, opting to encase her in a sort of loose hug.
“Everything is going to be alright,” he said, his voice light and reassuring. Alice nodded with a small smile. Leaning forward, the Exo put his mouth plate to her forehead. “Let’s go consult Tolorn, shall we?” Valentine started cackling at his own joke, his hand slapping his chest with a thunk.
Alice’s brow shot up as she fought a smile. “Are you serious? Is this your petty way of getting back at them? They’re not even together and I don’t think they can stand each other for that matter.”
“Well, they are quite a forlorn people. Are they not?” Valentine shrugged with feigned innocence.
Alice chuckled, “Okay, Cupid. That’s not a qualifier for a real relationship.”
“Why not? Then they could be miserable together,” he cheeked.
The Titan shook her head, “I think you need your head examined.”
The two went to holding hands and trudged up the hill to meet their all-things-Hive experts. Just as they crested the slope, they found Eris’ back turned to the ghostly silhouette of a bygone man. His form billowed like nebulous clouds as he stepped closer. Though Alice and Valentine could not hear them, the situation before them seemed a little tense. Exchanging skeptical looks, the Hunter and Titan stayed quietly in place not sure of what to do.
Alice watched as Eris looked over her shoulder, focusing her attention on the unsung man. Though her expression appeared blank, Eris’ shoulders told a different story. They were rigidly set, an awkward stillness freezing her in place. The left hand at her side clenched and unclenched several times before dancing against the skirt of her garment-covered thigh. The jade glow of the former Huntress’ cloth-covered eyes quickly extinguished as they no doubt closed shut. Toland’s hands appeared to grab her shoulders as he leaned forward. To the outside perspective, it would look like a man whispering a secret to a confidant, but Alice was no fool. It was a passing moment between two old flames.
She looked away as her cheeks heated with embarrassment. Looking to Valentine, the Exo appeared as incredulous as she felt.
“Ahem!” The duo almost jumped out of their skin—chassis in Valentine’s case—as the sound of Toland’s bored voice startled them. The Lightbearers found the ghostly man with arms crossed as he drummed his fingers on the arms of his forever tattered robes. Alice bit her lower lip and proceeded forward, tugging Valentine along. “Greetings, Alice,” Toland nodded ever so slightly. “Valentine.”
“Greetings, Oh Wonderous one,” Eris spoke as she walked through Toland’s apparition. Though her behavior was curt, Eris seemed to push the fact aside as the unsung man reappeared with a frown on his lips. The ghostly Warlock walked to her side, with silence on his lips and honesty on his face. “All is well?" Eris inquired, "We have not spoken since that day.”
“Eris,” Alice greeted, “all is well...though I come bearing questions.”
“You need but ask,” Eris nodded while clasping her hands before herself. “You have journeyed far to seek me. Perhaps, you will find what it is you desire.”
“Is there any news from the Scarlet Keep?” Alice began.
“None,” Toland answered quickly. “It has remained exceptionally dull ever since and there are very few things of entertaining value on this forsaken rock. Eris is one of them.”
Alice almost laughed as she noticed the side of Eris’ mouth work into an annoyed scowl. Toland was as romantic as a vindictive Shrieker and poetic as a Cabal recording history. The Titan rolled her eyes, fighting a growing smirk all the while.
“Anywho,” Valentine cut in, “we’re still not sure what happened during the collapse. You’re the experts, do either of you have an idea?”
Eris’ hidden trio of eyes bounced to the Exo, her lips tightening with her signature frown in thoughtfulness. “I know not of the events. Tell me,” she began, “what happened before this…collapse?”
“The moment Ir Akäi died the blood crystal fell away…like a sort of encasement…and in its place was pure Light. It felt like the Tra—”
“Yes, I felt it too,” Eris answered quickly. As she quieted, her gloved hand came palm up as a fiery green orb materialized just inches above. In the middle of the sphere’s blazing form, a piece of small bone rotated in place. Eris began rubbing the edges as if out of unconscious habit. “Perhaps the dark magic Ir Akäi wove had not yet come to completion. If you indeed saw that Light…then there is a chance it was redistributed back from whence it came.”
“Are theories not relative until tested?” Toland’s dry voice chipped in. “This is merely conjecture.”
“Nothing is conjecture when the Hive play a role. They test the boundaries, etching away the impurities until they extract the final shape.” Eris slowly turned away from Toland, regarding the Titan and Hunter. “Alice and her Fireteam has unveiled a secret within a hidden place. Yet another mystery we must unravel in time. Yielding to patience is our best stratagem yet.”
“Speaking of mysteries,” Valentine said bumping Alice with his elbow. “We just found the last of the rabbits. They gave us a small gift…a silvery dish. I don’t know, looks like a bowl. Not sure what it’s for, but it smells like mint.”
“I tried talking with the Rabbit,” Alice said quickly, “but unlike the others, it didn’t talk to me. It was quick to leave.”
Eris sighed and walked past the Lightbearers, kicking up dust as she descended the hill. “Come along, we have some rodents to converse with. Make haste!” Without another word, Alice and Valentine walked after Eris as Toland whisked away to her side. The group traveled down a ramp adjacent to a nearby landing pad, turning immediately right. Eris held out an arm toward an open door, letting Alice to be the first to walk through.
The Titan noticed several things as she entered the doorway, like the old electronics and the “First Light Lunar Installation” painting on a support wall.
“I found this place just before our first conversation regarding the rabbit," Eris began. "I thought I heard laughter. When I came to investigate, I found a rabbit mural on the wall in the back room." With a small sigh she added, “I did not realize there were statues just like it.”
As Alice passed by the mural, the glow of amethyst eyes caught her attention as she rounded the corner. Racing ahead with sudden excitement, the Lightbearer ran between two partially opened double doors yelling, “It’s you!” In front of her, sitting on small waist-high shelves, all ten rabbits were faced toward the door. Their eyes glittered with hunger and a round of cackling chorused between them.
“Alice!” they said in unison, their ten voices overlapping.
“Is this where you go after I feed you?” she asked, her voice raising with excitement.
“Well…this is creepy.” Valentine commented.
Alice looked over her shoulder and found the Hunter walking in trailed by Eris and Toland’s orb. The three seemed standoffish, surveying the room with hesitant interest. Turning back around, the Titan stared at the painting on the wall, lost in the peculiar artwork.
“Why are you here?” they questioned.
“I’ve come here,” Alice began as she extracted her shotgun from her back, “to ask you about this.”
“Do you not like it? Is it not worthy of being wielded by your hands?” they asked together.
“No, no. That’s not it,” she defended.
“Then, what is it?” one asked.
“Oh my, she doesn’t like it,” another sighed with feigned defeat.
“Another gift perhaps?” suggested a third.
“More rice cakes?” a fourth squeaked with excitement.
“Whoa! Hold on guys,” she insisted. “I really love this shotgun, but I don’t know if I can keep on using it. Tell me, is this gem part of the blood crystal Ir Akäi created?”
The rabbits cackled in unison as their only reply, and it was as cryptic as their entire modus operandi.
Eris stepped forward and took the shotgun from Alice’s hands, surveying the weapon with clinical scrutiny. “This is…quite extravagant. I have never seen anything of its caliber.” The former Huntress hovered a hand over the gem and quickly pulled it away, fingers dancing. “This is Hive-magic. Fashioned with Light harvested from Guardians.” Handing the shotgun back to Alice, Eris backed away. “It is very powerful, use it wisely.”
Alice nodded, “That settles it then. I cannot keep it.”
The room quieted as the Titan popped the gem out of its slot.
“Since the ‘Paint Them Red’ came into my hands I have been questioned endlessly and visited by spooks. The last thing I need is this thing falling into the wrong hands.” As Alice said this, she held the shotgun out before her. “Take this. Hide it. Don’t let anyone find it.” The weapon disappeared in the blink of an eye and the Titan turned toward Eris and Toland. “Could one of you take this? We can’t destroy this. If there ever comes a day when the ‘Paint Them Red’ is needed, then we must keep it safe.”
Eris reached out and took the gem, holding it between herself and Toland. With a nod, she tucked it away in the folds of her robes.
“I think we’re done here,” Alice nodded.
“Alice!” the Jade rabbits called in unison. Regarding the mysterious statues, the Titan gave them her undivided attention. “If you ever need it again, then you only need to ask…with an offering...of course. But don’t be late for our very important date.” The lunar hares cackled shortly before disappearing from their burrowed shrine. The foursome were left to their own devices and soon thereafter exited. Alice and Valentine lead the way, walking up the steep ramps leading to the landing pad.
Eris and Toland stood a small distance away from the Guardians, their countenance quiet but thoughtful.
“What shall you do now?” Eris inquired.
Alice and Valentine exchanged looks and shrugged.
“I don’t know,” the Titan answered, “take some down time until Green Burrow’s sabbatical finishes.”
“Perhaps, find a new adventure together,” Valentine said while looking to Alice.
“Wherever that may be, don’t include me,” Toland sighed before walking down the ramp. “However, if you have any secrets to share, then you know where to find me.” As the unsung man walked away, his boots never making a sound, he coalesced into a sphere and disappeared altogether.
“Very well,” Eris nodded. “Until we meet again, I shall endeavor to keep our…secret…safe.”
Alice watched as Eris walked away, her pace hurried with purpose as she took to her post once more. A gentle tug at the Titan’s gauntlet caused the Lightbearer to look to the Exo beside her. With a nod toward his ship, he turned and hopped onto the gangplank. Alice followed suit, watching as Valentine’s cloak swayed behind him.
As they entered the cockpit, the Hunter took his seat at the wheel, and strapped in. Before the Titan repeated the same action, she leaned down and kissed Valentine on the cheek. “I don’t know what adventure comes next, but I’m glad I’ll get to face it with you.”
The Exo turned his head and looked her over with a grin on his face. “So long as I’m with you, I don’t care where we go.” And with that, Valentine leaned toward her and put his forehead to Alice’s. They stayed this way for a moment before she broke away and took her seat. “Where we headed?”
Alice thought for a moment, “You know…I heard the Dreaming City is a nice place.”
Valentine nodded, “Away we go!”
It was only minutes after Eris watched Alice and Valentine take off, leaving Luna behind in twin jet streams, that the crunch of gravel to her left alerted her to a visitor’s presence. Looking away from the starry sky bejeweled with trillions of twinkling diamonds, Eris found a woman walking up the steep incline of the ramp. Her face was obscured in the shadow of her hood, but the glow of a single blue eye pierced through the secrecy.
“I had wondered when you would arrive,” Eris said with a slight nod.
“I was in the neighborhood and figured I would stop by. You know I love our chats,” the woman stated sarcastically. Pulling back the grey cowl, Eris caught the silken sheen of magenta hair. “Her Majesty wanted a report on the burst of Light that emanated from Luna one week ago.” As she said this, she flipped a knife into the air by its blade. A trio of green eyes watched as the woman snatched the weapon out of the air by the handle before stowing it in the sheath attached to her belt.
“As do I Petra,” Eris stated with tight lips. “I shall tell you what the Queen needs to know.” The former Huntress extracted a cool-to-the-touch gem from the folds of her robe. Placing a hand before herself, palm-up, a crimson rock began to float mere inches above her grasp. “I require a ransom for this secret.”
“Name your price,” Petra nodded in agreement.
"A secret,” Eris said placing the gem in the hand of the Queen’s Wrath, “for a secret.”