I'd never been a woman of many words. An admirable quality, many of the chauvinists would whisper. Much to their chagrin, I would not respond, knowing they were testing me. Testing me... Ha! A Guardian long elder to these whippersnappers, and they want to test me. I was 100, a little past my prime, but more experienced, by far, than the garrison standing next to me. When I was a child, they told stories of the evil creatures to frighten us underneath the covers. But to these... children... the darkness has been all too real.

Now, we are the proverbial bedsheets for what remains of this terrified town... the last bastion of hope against what were once intangible nightmares. There I stood with the others. The 5000 that remained upright, steadfast, ready to defend the city. After that wretched, world-shattering fight on the moon... I wanted to give up. My father, sliced deep to his core by a Hive Knight's dreadful sword, shared his dying words that kept me from handing it all in right there. "Guardian... Warlock... Daughter... let your light shine in the face of the darkness. You must fight on, no matter what the cost. You must snuff out the darkness. Eyes up, Guardian."

..."Guardian, can you hear me?" "What?... Apologies, commander." Commander Zilx, a Titan and friend, woke me from my reminiscence. "Are you ready?" The whole garrison stood with their rifles pointed over the hill. Against the pure, blue sky stood one figure... the silhouette of war incarnate.

Riksis.

Like a beach of dread, the red waves washed over him, the tide quickly washing towards us. Whether or not I was ready was of no consequence. "Hold", the Commander's voice rang out over the rising din. "Hold!" Every finger set steadily on their trigg.. * CRACK * Well, almost every finger. The Khvostov 7G-02, issued to us by what little government we have left in Russia, began to do its job with explosive instancy. One by one, the Dreg fell.

Zilx began to shout orders. "Snipers! Take aim on the Vandals!"

Hunters, behind us, placed their instruments of death on their chest, lining up the crosshairs with the hideous maws of the Fallen. The thunder that followed produced a storm of Vandal's lifeless bodies, each one looking like it did not believe it was supposed to slump to the ground.

"Grenades!"

Zilx knew it was time to bombard the front line, and hopefully give us some time to reload. My solar vortex slammed into the first of the charging Dreg, their screams of pain a symphony to my ears. The familiar clicking of the reload tempo began shortly after, my hands working with seasoned efficiency as I laughed at those next to me who weren't through.

But my laughter turned sour in my mouth the moment they started to fall. The enemies arc weapons left a stinging, brining sensation as they began to rip through my armor. There were just too many... but I had to keep fighting.

"Retreat! Back to the City Walls!!"

... No. Not yet, commander, it wasn't overwhelming enough. We needed to keep fighting.

"Goddammit did you hear me Guardian? RETREAT!!!"

The commander dropped his Defender shield just as a Vandal's rifle near took my head off. He screamed something incoherent, but I finally understood it was time to go. As we left the shield of void, I stepped backwards firing the rifle into the swarm, the Shanks emerging from their ranks with vigor... each foolishly falling to my weapon of light. But each one that fell just created two more. The Titan shouted at me to take the others into the city walls while he held them off, popping in and out of cover to take shots. We ran, faster than we thought we could, our legs and shoulders burning from running and firing... But we made it.

"Commander, get ins-"

I watched in horror as they surrounded him, still punching everything he could. "It'll take the Devil himself to stop me from fighting each and every one of you!" He shouted.

Then the Devil showed his face.

Riksis, the Devil Archon. I dropped my rifle. The roar that issued from his mouth caused me to fall to my knees and clench my ears against my head... when I looked up, he had the commander in his grasp. Snap

No... Not again. I felt the fire welling up from within... I burt forth in radiant light, slinging grenades and finding myself in the midst of them, creating blasts of light from my palms to push back the darkness. And they were pushed back, ever so slightly, so that I could see my companion lying lifeless in the grass, surrounded by the corpses of those he had massacred. I threw one last grenade before the flames surrounding me retreated back into my core, and I was face to face with the army of darkness. They were ready to destroy it all. The Devil raised his shotgun, laughing to himself and the army as he readied the trigger.

"Go ahead. Maybe not today, or tomorrow... But I will kill you, and place your head on a pike. You will die surrounded by your compatriots, and mine will be the last face you see. Go. To. Hell."

...

In the darkness, even the silence is deafening. I had to replay my moments of darkness over and over: my father's face as he took his last breath, the snap of the commander's neck. I swear, if I ever get another chance, I will rid this universe of the darkness, those who took away the ones who I cared for. They will all perish at my hand, and their worlds will burn until they are purified. My light will never go out.

But it's so dark. I fear it may, after all this, be extinguished. The embers of my light still burn faintly... scared, like small children... and alone. I pray to the traveler that I may rise from these ashes to fight again.

"Guardian... Guardian? Eyes up, Guardian."

Yes, Father. I know.

My spark reignites, and I open my eyes. The traveler has heard my prayers... because of this, the darkness will weep.

Eyes up, Guardians.