Saint-14

The greatest Titan who ever lived.

The legend who fought unwaveringly at the Battle of Six Fronts and killed a Kell with a headbutt so mighty, it crushed his skull.

Every man, woman, and child living under the Traveller knows his name.

The Titan of Scarlet Dawn was no exception.

When she was resurrected for the first time, she was confused. Scared. Frantic.

Because she remembers her past.

Because she saw the Collapse with her very own eyes.

She could still remember hearing the terrible screams as people were dying.

She could still remember the smell of blood as bodies littered the ground.

She could still remember her last moment as she failed to save the people she loved.

The horror she had witnessed haunted her, and her sorrow consumed her heart.

She was lost. No purpose in the second life she was granted.

When she dreams, she could still see those who plea for help, desperately trying to save them, but always an arm’s length away.

As her ghost did what all ghosts did, taking her to The Last City, she has been broken inside. What more is left in this world for her? Everything that she ever knew, ever loved, was destroyed. Why is she still alive?

On the night she thought she would return to her eternal slumber, Fallen had trained their eyes on her.

She did her best to protect herself instinctively, but her Light is still feeble, as does her will to live.

She watched the spear thrusting towards her heart, and thought to herself,

“Maybe dying won’t be so bad after all.”

Alas, she was denied of death’s embrace as another Titan shoulder-charged the Dreg away and proceeded to annihilate the entire Fallen party.

The Titan reached out his hand for her and guided her to a safe location to rest for the night.

They sat in front of a sputtering campfire.

“Why didn’t you fight back?”

“....I didn’t want to.”

“You longed for death?”

“.....”

“I do not know what you have been through, but I am here to listen if you wish to talk.”

“.....” “I’ve lost...everything that I know. Everything that I’ve loved. There is nothing left for me in this wretched world.”

“Perhaps you should give the world another look. The City under the Traveller is thriving, but it needs Guardians like you to help it.”

“I can’t do anything. I can’t save, I can’t protect anyone. There is nothing I can do.”

“I know how you feel.”

“Do you?! Do you know what I felt when I see the people I am supposed to protect died right in my arms?! To feel so powerless?!”

“....When I was younger, I had lost everyone I was meant to protect. I had given up hope, fighting on my last breath to stay alive. Did you know the Fallen eat people alive? I have seen them eat children as they scream and called for help.”

“....”

“I thought they were going to eat me too. And my ghost. But a Guardian saved me. Her Light was brilliant, like a shining star in the night sky. She showed me a vision of humanity’s potential, of hope. I did not understand at first. I was drowned in my sorrow, unable to believe I could do any more good. But she believed in me. She told me I would become an inspiration for those who fought for the City.”

“And you got better? Just like that?”

“No,” he chuckled, “But I could not let her down. Not after what she has done for me. I swore I would make it my duty to follow her example. I’m still trying. I do not know if I’ll ever reach the heights that she had, but I will give it my all to shine as brightly as she did.”

“.....”

“I will not force you to fight, Guardian. I understand your pain. I only ask of you to not throw away your second chance. Promise me that you will cherish what the Light has given you. You are stronger than you think.”

She thoughtlessly nodded before they head to sleep. Before the sun rose, she left as the Titan was still in slumber, for fear that he would bring her directly to the Last City. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to go there yet.

For the next few weeks, she wandered on Earth. She saw many hostiles in her journey but made a point to avoid all conflicts. As time passed, she unknowingly made her way to the Cosmodrome.

There, she encountered a few humans getting attacked by Fallen. She wanted to ignore what she saw. She wanted to close her eyes, pretend that there is nothing she could do to save them.

As a Dreg leaped into the air, about to catch a child, it was sent flying by the Titan’s punch. She couldn’t stand by and watch anyone die again. Not anymore.

So she stood her ground and fought. She was still scared of the monsters as they surround her. But she knew the pain she endures will be worth it.

As she lifts her fists up, electricity surge through her body, and she slammed it down to the ground. Her Fists of Havoc instantly vaporized the small group of Fallen into ash.

The group thanked her immensely, and they spent the night together. They told her a great deal of things after her Ghost informed them that she was only recently risen. She learned more about the Traveller, The Last City, and Guardians.

At the end of their explanation, the human child spoke of the legendary Titan, seeing that their rescuer is also one herself.

It was the first time she heard of the name, Saint-14. They spoke about his greatest achievements. His battle at Six Fronts. His crusade against the Fallen. And of course, his infamous headbutt.

She was in awe with the stories. To think a Guardian of such caliber could exist. She wondered if she’ll ever have the chance to meet him.

For the next few days, she accompanied them to the nearest safe zone, where they could be taken back to The Last City, as their ship was damaged by the Fallen.

She protected them against enemies that would seek to harm them. She ate with them, walked with them, and slept with them. Bit by bit, the hope inside her rebuilds. She came to understand the optimism of the Guardian who saved her. Even though the planet has been ravaged by the Darkness, Light still shines in the remnants of humanity.

When they finally reached the Last City, she was stunned. After weeks of wandering the wastelands, she never thought it was even possible for such a city to be constructed.

She met up with Zavala and the Speaker, who fill her in on everything she needs to know. As her Ghost had informed her that Guardians aren’t supposed to remember their past lives, she kept it as a secret.

The Tower held a little ceremony to welcome her, and she officially became a Guardian.

She hoped that she could find the Guardian who saved her in the Tower, but as she did not know their name or their face, so she didn’t know where to start.

In the weeks that followed, she received her orders and fought back the enemies of humanity with her new brothers and sisters in arms. Unlike most of them, she took her time to know the people they save. She would go into the city and talk to the citizens. She would ask them about their day, play with their children, and listen to their stories.

She wants to remember the people she swears to protect so that she would never lose sight of her path again.

One day, when she was speaking to an old woman, she mentioned that the Titan resembles much of the legend who saved her mother. She spoke of another side of Saint-14, which was not brought up by her peers before.

She learned about Saint’s accolades and how he would memorize all the names of those he saved. She listened to the old woman’s story about how humble he was, even in front of a mortal; how kind he was, reaching out to save everyone as best he could; and how unwavering he was, even at the face of defeat.

He was the most powerful Titan that ever lived, but he was a Guardian who did his damndest to hold onto his humanity.

Sadly, no matter what story she heard about him, it always ends the same. He departed from the City one day and was never to be heard again.

Many have tried to search for any clue, no matter how insignificant, that would lead to him. None has succeeded.

Of course, the Titan hoped that one day she could find the legend herself, but she knew better than to pursue possible trails pointlessly when there are people to be saved. It would be what Saint would want.

As a Guardian, as a Titan, she did her best to live up to the name Saint has set for her brothers and sisters in arms. Maybe she will never be as powerful as her predecessor, but she will do her best to follow his example. To become an unmovable wall that protects, so no one will ever experience her pain.

A few years passed. After an assignment with an Awoken Hunter, she was invited to join the Hunter’s fireteam as a permanent member. She liked the Hunter’s guts and trusts the Hunter to watch her back, so she agreed.

Sometime later, the Hunter introduced an Exo Warlock into the team. The Warlock was shy and timid, but competent in her abilities to protect her team. Because of how she acted, the Titan would often joke about the Warlock being her little sister that she would protect. Eventually, she did see her as such.

They fought side-by-side as an unstoppable team, gaining fame as the name Scarlet Dawn was known throughout the City. It was the best years of her life, and things were peaceful.

The horror of the Collapse rushed back into her mind the day the Red Legion descended. It was as if the end of the world once more. Screams ringing in her mind again and again.

She did her best to fight back the Cabal. She pushed every part of her body to its limit to protect civilians from the attack while her leader was high up in the sky.

When her Light faded away, and as she watched the Hunter fell towards the ground, she felt as she was back to the day she first died.

Hopeless.

Helpless.

Powerless.

Struggling to save what’s left in front of her, but always out of her reach.

As more Cabal soldiers flooded the streets, she rushed towards the Hunter. To her relief, she was still alive, so does the Warlock who searched for their leader as well.

The Titan wanted to run back in, to save whoever was left behind in the city, but her fireteam stopped her. They must retreat and survive to fight another day. The Titan wanted to argue against the Hunter’s order, but no words came from her mouth.

So they fled. They watched the City crumble down as they do. She had failed to be the Titan Saint and her savior would have wanted her to be.

A few weeks passed and Hawthorne found them. They rested before heading towards the shard of the Traveller.

When their Light flows back into their body, only one thing filled the Titan’s mind. She would be the one to raise her first and punch a hole in the head of Dominus Ghaul.

Unfortunately, her wish was not granted as the Traveller personally delivered his punishment. She was still satisfied regardless and was awed by the Traveller’s re-awakening.

In the aftermath of the war, she tried to search for her friends who lived in the city. The old woman. The children she played with. The people she shared laughter with.

All she could find was their corpses.

All she could do was weep in front of them, cursing herself for not being able to save them.

When she stood in front of their graves, her unfocused gaze aimed at the starless night. She wondered how would Saint, if he was still alive out there, acted? What would her savior think of all of this?

She thought about the promise from a long time ago. She did her best to cherish her second life, to make the most out of it. She doesn’t know if she did enough.

After the City has been rebuilt, and many of the Cabal eliminated, a message arrived in front of Ikora.

Osiris is on Mercury.

The Scarlet Dawn was tasked to begin their investigation. They met up with Brother Vance, resurrected Sagira, found the map of the Infinite Forest, and eventually, defeated Panoptes with the help of the legendary Warlock.

They saved the day once more and Osiris returned to the Forest before the Titan could ask him about Saint-14. Perhaps another time, she thought.

It was days after they saved Mercury when the fireteam’s Ghosts noticed a signal coming from the Infinite Forest. A faint, old Vanguard code. They tracked the code as they fought their way into the Forest.

As they made their way deeper into the Vex construct, their Ghosts revealed something they did not expect.

It was Saint-14’s signal.

The Titan couldn’t care less about the mumbo-jumbo their Ghosts were talking about. All she cared about was finding Saint.

The fireteam tear through the Vex Goblins like they were made of paper. Then, a rift of pure Light flowed out from the Vex timestream as the three continued their slaughter of Vex from the past, present, and future. It made the Titan incredibly excited to be so close to the great Saint-14.

Unfortunately, the trail went cold after the battle. The fireteam headed back to Brother Vance, which the Warlock found to be off-putting due to his obsession. The Titan, on the other hand, found solace in the fact that there is someone else that’s as passionate about the legend as herself.

The trio did their best to stifle their laughter when Vance hold himself back from claiming Osiris failed.

After a day or two of their Ghosts’ collective hard work, they stepped into the Forest once more to resume their search.

Even when they stepped into the simulated future, the Titan never doubted Saint-14’s ability to survive in a place of endless conflict.

As Vex corpses dropped to their feet one-by-one, they get closer and closer to their goal. They even bantered with each other about what they would say to the great Guardian.

However, as the wall to the Saint-14 dropped, so did their heartbeat for a moment.

Saint-14’s corpse lying on top of thousands upon thousands of Vex.

It was his tomb.

It was only then when the Titan realized, her savior from many years ago, was Saint-14 himself.

There was a loud ringing in her ears.

She fell to her knees as she stared at the lifeless Exo body.

All the things she thought to say when she finally met Saint-14, when she finally met her savior again.

All of them, meaningless.

There was a moment of grieving silence. Even Osiris felt great pain, knowing that he could have saved his brother, but never noticed his presence.

Her fireteam members wanted to console her, however, she stood up and gave Saint-14 a firm salute as a drop of tear flow down her cheek.

“Thank you.”

They returned to the Lighthouse, carrying Saint-14’s personal effects. From the broken ashes, they remade Saint-14’s personal weapon in the Infinite Forge.

The Perfect Paradox.

Attached to it, the final letter written by the legendary Titan himself.

To her.

It was too much for the Titan to take in all at once. The Warlock immediately went into a mumble about time travel with the Vex, but the Titan couldn’t understand a word of it. And she didn’t need to.

It doesn’t matter how the letter was meant for her or that Saint-14 has passed. All that mattered to her is that she will never, ever let her savior down and that she will honor his memory by wielding the shotgun and eliminating whatever dares to hurt those she protects. That is her promise.

Things were peaceful for a while before Ana Bray was surprisingly still alive and has declared another world-ending threat is coming. At this point, the Titan was a little tired by the same antics of whatever hates the Traveller.

They threw a bunch of spears at a big worm and it dies. That’s all that matters to the Titan.

Sometime after, she stumbled upon an artifact that would become The Last Word. But, that’s a story for another day.

When news of Cayde’s death reached her, she cursed herself for not being with her leader in the prison. However, she has learned not to attribute every failure to her inactions because she can’t save everyone, no matter how much she wanted.

She became increasingly worried about her fireteam leader as she became obsessed with killing Uldren Sov no matter the cost. Her little sister appeared to be walking on the same route, which she quickly put a stop to it when she decided to have a heartfelt conversation with the Warlock.

When the Titan and Warlock finally cleared out the room full of Taken, they rushed into the adjacent chamber and saw the Hunter pointing her Thorn at the Awoken prince. She trusted her leader, and so she remained quiet. She doesn’t fully know how she felt about the Hunter’s decision as she understood how important Cayde was to her leader, but she was satisfied with the outcome.

And so, another threat to peace was silence.

The Titan cocked her gun and said “Moon’s haunted” when they discovered the nightmares on the Moon. The Warlock could only roll her eyes as the Hunter chuckled.

The day they slew the Undying Mind with another fireteam, the Titan had a dream during the night. She saw a snake biting its own tail forming the infinite sign. When she woke up, she knew something was coming.

Osiris summoned them a few days after their victory against the Vex. As he stood before the Sundial, he started explaining the new threat they are currently facing. The Titan was bored of the old man’s rambling until he mentioned that the device was made to bring Saint-14 back.

Despite Osiris’s claim that it is impossible for them to find the correct Saint-14, the Titan insisted on giving another try. So, the fireteam went around different planets destroying Vex transformers.

When they stepped into the Corridors of Time, the trio was completely stunned. It was nothing like they have seen before. It was incredibly eerie as they walked down the sterile and white hallways.

They followed their Ghost’s instruction and fought waves of Vex. Eventually, they went out of the corridor and arrived at Mercury. At the time period of the Dark Age.

Then, a voice was heard.

The Titan couldn’t believe it. None of them could believe it.

She immediately rushed through the path lies ahead and slaughtered every Fallen with her full force. There was one and only one thing in her mind.

Her heart broke when she heard how...despaired the young Saint-14 sounded. He sounded just like she was so long ago. Hopeless. Helpless. Powerless.

But she’s here now with her fireteam. And she will be damned if the Fallen do so much as to touch him.

They were fury incarnate, raining down their Light on the Fallen like a ravenous firestorm. The worn-out Exo watched how they unleash their Light when he was barely maintaining his Ward of Dawn.

When the Titan saw the Servitor was about to fire a big attack, she charged towards it with a power so mighty that she shield-bashed the Servitor into the Fallen Walker and caused the two to explode and fall down into the endless descend.

The Hunter charged up one, single Golden Gun shot and evaporated the Fallen Captain’s head. The Warlock, on the other hand, turned all the other Fallen into ash with her Dawnblade.

When the dust finally settled, Saint let down his Ward exhaustingly. It was then, when he spoke, that the Titan remembered the story he told her when they first met and the letter taken from his corpse. He was referring to this event.

She was the one who saved him, and he, in turn, unknowingly saved her.

There were so many emotions crossing her mind and heart as Saint spoke of his failure with sorrow.

“I understand your pain.”

She didn’t take off her helmet before she spoke to him. When she saw that her encouragement isn’t going through him, she presented the Perfect Paradox back to him, thus completing the cycle.

She even showed him the future through her Ghost to ignite the hope inside him once more.

But the Exo has seen too much death and destruction. It was too much for him, just like it did for her.

She didn’t push him, just like he didn’t push her once upon a time. She has faith in what he will decide his own future.

When they were pulled out from the past, the Titan bombarded Osiris with questions, mostly about when they could travel to the second time period referenced in the Perfect Paradox. They had to wait for another week before the Sundial could prepare them for another jump.

And so the Titan waited impatiently.

After they had found Saint’s ghost, it was finally time to dive into the Sundial once more.

It went similarly like the last time, but their destination was not what they had expected.

They had found the exact moment when Saint-14 was about to be killed.

This time, the Titan will not fail. She cannot fail.

The Martyr Mind proved to be quite a challenge as it constantly hid behind an impenetrable wall.

Despite its efforts, it was no match for the fireteam who did the impossible.

The Titan enjoyed bantering with her hero as she punched the Vex to death. It was everything that she hoped for and more.

Just before she could land the final blow on the Mind, it caged her and affixed her in the air. The Hunter and Warlock just spent their Light, and they were too far to reach her.

Right as she thought the Martyr Mind was about to destroy her, Saint-14 showed her exactly why he was the legend many looked up to.

He crushed the Vex with one meteoric shield-bash, almost identical to the move she made last week, though for Saint was centuries ago.

The Titan wanted so badly to bring Saint home immediately, but she honored his choice and followed her fireteam back to the present. She did squeal a little with delight as the Exo gave a playful salute before facing a horde of Vex.

At the entrance of the Infinite Forest, the fireteam waited for Saint to emerge after they had unlocked its gate and get rid of the gatekeepers. The Hunter teased the Titan about how much of a fangirl she was; the Warlock was discussing with her Ghost intensely about the intricacies of time-travel; the Titan just paced back-and-forth while ignoring her leader’s remarks.

Finally, the Hero of the Six Fronts emerge from the gate and displayed his infamous headbutt for them to see. Needless to say, it was awesome.

The Warlock went back to Osiris to give their report while the Hunter and Titan escorted Saint back to the Tower.

The legend had finally returned home.

The Tower and the City were roaring with excitement and celebration. Feasts were held to welcome the great hero back, and against Zavala’s insistence that Saint should rest first, he went to attend them as many as he could. It’s been a long time since the people living under the Traveller was this happy.

They may not have been able to save Cayde, but this is why they still fight the good fight.

Saint took his time to rest after numerous parties and visited various people in the tower, both new and old with his savior.

They visited Amanda first. She gave Saint a big hug and promised to give him the best Sparrow that she will create.

Kadi 55-30 only gave her usual response when Saint tried to greet her.

He commented on how big Tess has grown and she offered a silver item for free as a gift.

Eva gave him an emblem she sews to congratulate his return to the Tower. He promised to bake cookies for her.

Zavala and Saint might not have exchanged many words, but the Scarlet Dawn Titan could see how much Zavala appreciated Saint’s praise.

The two mighty Titans headbutted each other and boomed with laughter as Shaxx and Saint reminiscent the good times.

Surprisingly enough, Banshee still remembered Saint. When he mentioned Saint should meet up with Cayde, he somberly replied that he will.

He didn’t say much to Rahool because there wasn’t much to say.

He was proud of Ikora for succeeding the position of the Warlock Vanguard. They chatted briefly about the state of the Tower and Osiris.

Hawthorne was a little intimidated by the Exo’s presence but opened up a little after he showed immense interest in her bird.

The Titan was pretty sure Ada-1 blushed a little when Saint remarked how beautiful her voice was.

Drifter gave the Titan an “I told you so” smile as they walked into his space. She was slightly concerned that the two would clash, but it seems like Saint kept his thoughts to himself.

They did not visit Benedict 99-40 because Saint sees Calus as nothing but a threat.

They walked the streets of the City during the night. Saint wanted to build memorials to honor those that are lost over the years, in which the Titan agreed. He also asked her to guide them to the graveyard tomorrow so he could honor the dead. She agreed again.

The next day arrived. Saint clenched his fists as he stood in front of the large graveyard for all those who died in the Red War.

Maybe he couldn’t have defeated Ghaul himself, but he could’ve saved them if he was here.

The Titan watched her hero kneel down in front of each and every tombstone and paid his respects. As he grieved before those who he failed to protect, she saw not the hero who achieve legendary feats, but the broken man on Mercury from a long time ago.

As they made their way through the graveyard, the Sun slowly sets from the sky. In its place, the pale moon illuminated the land with its light.

The final grave they visited was the Speaker’s.

Saint kneeled in front of his father’s grave, and a thousand words crossed his mind.

There was so much he wanted to tell. How he fought through the Vex, how he found not only Osiris, but his savior from so long ago.

He wished he could tell him one last time how much he loved him.

But there were only four words he could bring himself to utter.

“Father, I am sorry.”

Saint eventually stood up, and the two Titans stared at the graveyard in silence.

“When I visited his quarters, I swear I could still hear his voice.” The pain in his voice struck her as well.

“I still remember the day you saved me on Mercury. I wanted to give up, to walk away from my pain. But I could not forget the hope that you have shown me. I wanted to become someone like you. Powerful. Fearless. A Titan who protects no matter the cost.”

“I wanted to be like you, too. When you saved me, I didn’t know who you were. It turns out I looked up to two people who are one and the same. There were times when I felt despair, like I was back when I have lost everything. But I never forgot your words and what you stood for. I did everything I could to be as best of a Titan as you were.”

“I saved you, and you saved me. You became my hero, and I became yours. It goes round and round.”

The both had a hearty laugh.

“I promise I will never let you down, Guardian.”

“And I promise I will never give up, Saint.”

They gave each other a strong hug.

“Guardian, you should wear my helmet one day. We can confuse Zavala like that.”

The two bursts out laughing as they walked back to the City.

No matter what the future holds for them, they will be ready. No Fallen, Cabal, Vex, Taken, Scorn or Darkness will break them. After all, they have a promise to keep.