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{{Quote|The Light lives in all places, in all things. You can block it, even try to [[Traveler Cage|trap]] it, but the Light will find its way.|[[The Speaker]]}}
{{Quote|The Light lives in all places, in all things. You can block it, even try to [[Traveler Cage|trap]] it, but the Light will find its way.|[[The Speaker]]}}
The '''Light''', also known as the '''Sky''',<ref>'''Bungie (2014-9-9)''', ''[[Destiny]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books of Sorrow#VIII: Leviathan|VIII: Leviathan]]''</ref> is a [[Paracausality|paracausal]] force<ref>'''Bungie (2014-6-12)''', ''Destiny: Alpha, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Guardian#Class: Hunter|Hunter]]''</ref> that is associated with the [[The Traveler|Traveler]]. It is the direct and opposing counterpart of the [[Darkness]].
The '''Light''', also known as the '''Sky''',<ref>'''Bungie (2014-9-9)''', ''[[Destiny]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Books of Sorrow#VIII: Leviathan|VIII: Leviathan]]''</ref> is a [[Paracausality|paracausal]] force<ref>'''Bungie (2014-6-12)''', ''Destiny: Alpha, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Guardian#Class: Hunter|Hunter]]''</ref> that is associated with the [[Traveler]]. It is the direct and opposing counterpart of the [[Darkness]].


==Overview==
==Overview==
Like the [[Darkness]], the Light is a paracausal force that has existed since before the beginning of time. It is fundamentally driven to increase the complexity and diversity of entities within the universe, in particular encouraging the growth of new forms of life. The [[The Traveler|Traveler]] serves an abundant source of Light, although it is not the sole source of Light in the universe.<ref>[http://destiny.bungie.org/forum/index.php?id=13568 '''Destiny.bungie.org''': ''Transcript of the official English version of the cards'']</ref> The [[Speaker]] described the Light as being present in all places and all things. According to [[Dredgen Yor]], Light is present in living beings as a "spark of life".<ref>'''Bungie (2014-9-9)''', ''Destiny, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Inventory#Ghost Fragment: Thorn 2|Ghost Fragment: Thorn 2]]''</ref>
Like the [[Darkness]], the Light is a paracausal force that has existed since before the beginning of time. It is fundamentally driven to increase the complexity and diversity of entities within the universe, in particular encouraging the growth of new forms of life.


[[Ulan-Tan]], a renowned Warlock, viewed the Traveler and its Light as a necessary symmetry to the Darkness to maintain a cosmic balance, and hypothesized that all Light was connected across space and time.<ref name="TD">'''Bungie (2015-5-13)''', ''Destiny, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies#The Darkness|The Darkness]]''</ref> This latter hypothesis was later confirmed by [[Guardian|Guardians]] upon discovering members of the [[Hive]] siphoning Light from the Traveler using a piece that had broken off of the Traveler during the Collapse.<ref>'''Bungie (2014-9-9)''', ''Destiny, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Activities#Chamber of Night|Chamber of Night]]''</ref> [[Orb of Power|Orbs of Light]] could also be generated by various uses of Light, which give power to a Guardian's [[Super]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwK9qbLFlGQ '''YouTube''' - ''TTL Plays! Destiny Alpha: The Devil's Lair'']</ref>  Light as used by the Guardians comes in three different varieties; these are the [[Elemental damage]] modifiers, and are used in both a Guardian's chosen [[Subclass]] and in certain [[Weapon]]s.
The [[Traveler]] is an abundant source of Light, although it is not the sole source of Light in the universe.<ref>[http://destiny.bungie.org/forum/index.php?id=13568 '''Destiny.bungie.org''': ''Transcript of the official English version of the cards'']</ref> The [[Speaker]] described the Light as being present in all places and all things. According to [[Dredgen Yor]], Light is present in living beings as a "spark of life".<ref>'''Bungie (2014-9-9)''', ''Destiny, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Inventory#Ghost Fragment: Thorn 2|Ghost Fragment: Thorn 2]]''</ref>
 
[[Ulan-Tan]], a renowned Warlock, viewed the Traveler and its Light as a necessary symmetry to the Darkness to maintain a cosmic balance, and hypothesized that all Light was connected across space and time.<ref name="TD">'''Bungie (2015-5-13)''', ''Destiny, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies#The Darkness|The Darkness]]''</ref> This latter hypothesis was later confirmed by [[Guardian|Guardians]] upon discovering members of the [[Hive]] siphoning Light from the Traveler using a piece that had broken off of the Traveler during the Collapse.<ref>'''Bungie (2014-9-9)''', ''Destiny, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Activities#Chamber of Night|Chamber of Night]]''</ref>


The Traveler created the [[Ghost]]s to seek out and revive fallen warriors as [[Lightbearer]]s with the intent of protecting Humanity.<ref>'''Bungie (2014/6/12)''', ''[[Destiny]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Guardian/Ghost|Ghosts]]''</ref> Each Ghost intuitively seeks out the remains of a deceased human, which it then resurrects and permanently bonds with.<ref>'''Bungie (2014-6-12)''', ''Destiny: Alpha, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Guardian#Ghosts|Ghosts]]''</ref> [[Guardian|Guardians]] are human Lightbearers that have sworn an oath to defend the Last City, and can wield the Light both as an offensive and defensive force.<ref>'''Bungie (2014-6-12)''', ''Destiny: Alpha, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Guardian#Guardians|Guardians]]''</ref>
The Traveler created the [[Ghost]]s to seek out and revive fallen warriors as [[Lightbearer]]s with the intent of protecting Humanity.<ref>'''Bungie (2014/6/12)''', ''[[Destiny]], [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Guardian/Ghost|Ghosts]]''</ref> Each Ghost intuitively seeks out the remains of a deceased human, which it then resurrects and permanently bonds with.<ref>'''Bungie (2014-6-12)''', ''Destiny: Alpha, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Guardian#Ghosts|Ghosts]]''</ref> [[Guardian|Guardians]] are human Lightbearers that have sworn an oath to defend the Last City, and can wield the Light both as an offensive and defensive force.<ref>'''Bungie (2014-6-12)''', ''Destiny: Alpha, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Guardian#Guardians|Guardians]]''</ref>


It is possible for Light to be corrupted, as the shard of the Traveler within the [[European Dead Zone]] is corrupting an area of the surrounding forest. In addition, the Light [[Dominus Ghaul]] wielded was corrupted due to him taking Light from the Traveler, which was an act tied to the [[Darkness]]. The Hive both revile and feed upon the Light, at times even sacrificing Light to their deities.<ref>'''Bungie (2014-6-12)''', ''Destiny: Alpha, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies#The Hive|The Hive]]''</ref>
[[Orb of Power|Orbs of Light]] could also be generated by various uses of Light, which give power to a Guardian's [[Super]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwK9qbLFlGQ '''YouTube''' - ''TTL Plays! Destiny Alpha: The Devil's Lair'']</ref>  Light as used by the Guardians comes in three different varieties; these are the [[elemental damage]] modifiers, and are used in both a Guardian's chosen [[subclass]] and in certain [[weapon]]s.
 
It is possible for Light to be corrupted, as the shard of the Traveler within the [[European Dead Zone]] is corrupting an area of the surrounding forest. In addition, the Light [[Dominus Ghaul]] wielded was corrupted due to him taking Light from the Traveler, which was an act tied to the [[Darkness]].
 
The Hive both revile and feed upon the Light, at times even sacrificing Light to their deities.<ref>'''Bungie (2014-6-12)''', ''Destiny: Alpha PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies#The Hive|The Hive]]''</ref>
 
===The Gardener===
{{Quote|The Gardener is hard to bother; she is constantly amidst her weeds, kneeling in the tangent dust, gloves covered in a mix of distant soils and metallic saps. She is listening to the music of the insects amidst the flowers, the unguent as it begins to drip from the ferns, the slight scratch of the [[Worm]] beneath, and not to you, and certainly not to your cries for help.|[[Mk. 44 Stand Asides]] Lore Tab}}
 
Several Lore entries describe an entity referred to as the "Gardener," which appears to be a personification of the Light; this name is also used by various entities (most notably Rasputin and the Witness) to refer to the Traveler, although the context of the relevant lore entries suggests that this is most likely a case of parallel terminology.
 
In ''Unveiling'', which is narrated by a being referred to as "the Winnower" (which appears to be the Darkness itself), the Gardener is described to be one of two primordial entities who predate the universe, the other being the Winnower. The Winnower is presented as embodying the reduction of complexity, whereas the Gardener embodies the growth and preservation of complexity. In the allegorical story recounted in the Lore Book, these two entities struggled with one another in the state which preceded the multiverse, and upon inadvertently creating the multiverse as a by-product of this struggle, each became a paracausal force which would serve to further their respective goals within its many universes. This story not only appears to provide an origin for the Light and Darkness as they are presently known, but also implies that the Light is itself sentient and has its own motivations, namely to increase complexity and diversity within the universe.
 
===Relation to Complexity, Diversity, Physicality, and Forgetting===
As described previously, ''Unveiling'' describes the Light as being associated with the "growth and preservation of complexity". In contrast, the Darkness is portrayed as being associated with simplification and the reduction of diversity. The philosophy of the Light is also referenced in the Marasenna as "the way of the bomb," meaning that it encourages a complex world with many interrelated parts that rely on each other to achieve greater goals. In contrast, the philosophy of the Darkness is described as "[[The Sword Logic|the way of the sword]]", which seeks to reduce everything in the universe to a final, simplified, self-same state.
 
As hypothesized by Osiris, the Light also seems to be connected to the physical universe, whereas the Darkness appears to be more strongly related to thought, emotion and consciousness more broadly. This dichotomy can be seen in the nature of the elemental manifestations of Light and Darkness: Arc, Solar and Void all grant control over physical forces (electricity, heat and gravity, respectively), whereas Strand allows one to manipulate the psychic "threads" connecting all conscious beings, and Stasis may be seen as embodying the abstract concepts of will and control. This emphasis on physicality versus consciousness may also explain why resurrection via the Light wipes away memories, as well as why the Darkness seems more acutely concerned by the pain and suffering of conscious beings than the Light: both memory and pain are within the realm of conscious experience, and therefore outside of the Light's domain of interest. Powers originating from the Light are stated to embody a theme of "Creation", contrasting powers from the Darkness that have a theme of "Consciousness".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCI8Fz2uu3o&t=5200s&ab_channel=Destiny2 Destiny 2 Showcase 2022]</ref>
 
The seeming relationship between the Light and forgetting is further speculated on in-universe by [[Sen-Aret]], who came to the belief that the Light can actually allow beings to remember, but instead chooses not to do so, in order to relieve them from painful memories; he compares the situation to an "iterated [[wikipedia:Prisoner's Dilemma|Prisoner's Dilemma]]". In Sen-Aret's theorising, the Light represents cooperation, and allows one to forget past pain in order to make peace with our enemies and escape the cycle of violence - to do not what is rational, but what is right - and enable the possibility of grace. Meanwhile, the Darkness allows one to remember what hurt them in the past, so that they may avoid or overcome it in the future.
 
[[Ikora Rey]] builds on and counters this interpretation, saying that the Light does not offer an afterlife like the [[Ascendant Realm|Throne Worlds]], but instead promotes the idea that paradise, a peaceful life surrounded by chosen friends, is something that must be built in this life. The Darkness promises an eternal existence of mere survival, whereas the Light allows the choice of a finite life of compassion and working toward the common good.<ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/records/the-hidden-dossier The Hidden Dossier]</ref>


==History==
==History==
===Origins===
===Origins===
{{Quote|Once upon a time,* a gardener and a winnower lived** together in a garden.***<br>* It was once before a time, because time had not yet begun.<br>** We did not live. We existed as principles of ontological dynamics that emerged from mathematical structures, as bodiless and inevitable as the primes.<br>*** It was the field of possibility that prefigured existence.|[[Lore:Unveiling#Gardener and Winnower|Unveiling: Gardener and Winnower]]}}
{{Quote|Once upon a time,* a gardener and a winnower lived** together in a garden.***<br>* It was once before a time, because time had not yet begun.<br>** We did not live. We existed as principles of ontological dynamics that emerged from mathematical structures, as bodiless and inevitable as the primes.<br>*** It was the field of possibility that prefigured existence.|[[Lore:Unveiling#Gardener and Winnower|Unveiling: Gardener and Winnower]]}}
According to the Lore Book "Unveiling," both the Light and the Darkness have existed since before the start of time, and thus before the universe came into existence. Being unbound by the laws of causality, neither the Light or Darkness can be said to have a beginning. Rather, they are emergent properties of even more fundamental "mathematical structures" that in turn underlay reality itself. <ref name = 'Unveiling'>'''Bungie (10/01/2019)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]'': ''[[Shadowkeep]]'', [[Lore:Unveiling|Unveiling]]</ref>


According to the Lore Book ''Unveiling'', both the Light and the Darkness predate the birth of the universe. Being unbound by the laws of causality, neither the Light or Darkness can be said to have a beginning; rather, they are emergent properties of even more fundamental "mathematical structures" that in turn underlay reality itself. <ref name = 'Unveiling'>'''Bungie (10/01/2019)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]'': ''[[Shadowkeep]]'', [[Lore:Unveiling|Unveiling]]</ref>
In the allegorical story recounted in the Lore Book, the Darkness and Light occupied themselves by engaging one another in a [[flower game|game]], analogous to a vastly more complex version of the "[[wikipedia:Game of Life|Game of Life]]" devised by Earth mathematician John Conway. This game would consistently arrive at an end-state dominated by a single, self-perpetuating pattern, which subsumed all others in the game. The Darkness found this to be a pleasing outcome, but the Light felt the pattern to be boring, and desired that the game endlessly produce novel patterns instead. In order to promote this novelty, the Light transformed itself into a new "rule" within the game; the Darkness did the same, to counteract the Light's efforts. These new rules were "set aside" from the other rules of the game, so that they could not be limited or influenced by them, but could manipulate the other rules to bring about their intended outcomes.


In the allegorical story recounted in ''Unveiling'', the Darkness and Light occupied themselves by engaging one another in a [[flower game|game]], analogous to a vastly more complex version of the "[[wikipedia:Game of Life|Game of Life]]" devised by Earth mathematician John Conway. This game would consistently arrive at an end-state dominated by a single, self-perpetuating pattern, which subsumed all others in the game. The Darkness found this to be a pleasing outcome, but the Light felt the pattern to be boring, and desired that the game endlessly produce novel patterns instead. In order to promote this novelty, the Light transformed itself into a new "rule" within the game; the Darkness did the same, to counteract the Light's efforts. These new rules were "set aside" from the other rules of the game, so that they could not be limited or influenced by them, but could manipulate the other rules to bring about their intended outcomes.
While the story above is laden with metaphor and open to interpretation, it appears to suggest that the universe is the "game" which the Light and Darkness played in the garden, that the rules of the game are the laws of physics as they are commonly understood, and that the "new rules" that the Light and Darkness became are the basis of [[paracausality]].
 
While the story above is laden with metaphor and open to interpretation, it appears to suggest that the universe is the "game" which the Light and Darkness played in the garden, that the rules of the game are the laws of physics as they are commonly understood, and that the "new rules" that the Light and Darkness became are the basis of [[paracausality]]. It also suggests that the Light is a sentient force, which aims to promote and preserve complexity and diversity.


===The Witness===
===The Witness===
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The Witness then left its homeworld behind in pursuit of the Traveler, seeking to unite it with the Veil by force and bring about the Final Shape. Although the Witness itself is a wielder of the Darkness, several devices of the [[Black Fleet]] emit or otherwise interact with the Light, such as the [[Radial Mast]] and [[Suppressor]]s. These artifacts presumably are a product of the eons-long experience of the Witness' people with the Light.
The Witness then left its homeworld behind in pursuit of the Traveler, seeking to unite it with the Veil by force and bring about the Final Shape. Although the Witness itself is a wielder of the Darkness, several devices of the [[Black Fleet]] emit or otherwise interact with the Light, such as the [[Radial Mast]] and [[Suppressor]]s. These artifacts presumably are a product of the eons-long experience of the Witness' people with the Light.
===The Eurhythmia===
At some point following the Traveler's departure from the Witness' homeworld, it visited a species known as the Eurhythmia and blessed them with its Light. The Eurhythmia were subsequently destroyed by the Witness, which flew into a rage upon discovering that the Traveler had chosen to stay with another species.


===Lubrae===
===Lubrae===
Billions of years ago, the Traveler visited the [[Lubraean]]s and uplifted their civilization using the Light.
Billions of years ago, the Traveler visited the [[Lubraean]]s and uplifted their civilization using the Light.


===Fundament and the Rise of the Hive===
===Rise of the Hive===
In the Hive's [[Books of Sorrow]], the Light is referred to as "The Sky," and is described as being associated with a philosophy that upholds collaboration and gentleness with the goal of creating a thriving, harmonious society and universe. Its counterpart, "[[Darkness|The Deep]]," is also described, being associated with a philosophy of competition and survival-of-the-fittest. Several disciples of the Light, including the Leviathan and the [[Traveler]], also feature in these texts.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Light known to the Guardians comes from the Books of Sorrow, a collection of ancient Hive texts chronicling the origin of the Hive and their history of interstellar conquest. In these accounts, the Light is referred to as "The Sky," and is described as being associated with a philosophy that upholds collaboration and gentleness with the goal of creating a thriving, harmonious society and universe. Its counterpart, "[[Darkness|The Deep]]," is also described, being associated with a philosophy of competition and survival-of-the-fittest. Several disciples of the Light, including the Leviathan and the [[Traveler]], also feature in these texts.


Before the rise of the Hive, the Traveler had visited several civilizations and bestowed the blessings of the Light. These civilizations included the [[Ammonite]] and the [[Harmony]], both of which were later exterminated by the Hive.  
Before the rise of the Hive, the Traveler had visited several civilizations and bestowed the blessings of the Light. These civilizations included the [[Ammonite]] and the [[Harmony]], both of which were later exterminated by the Hive.  
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===The Collapse===
===The Collapse===
When the [[Black Fleet]] pursued the Traveler to the Sol System, a cataclysmic battle ensued during which the Traveler used the Light to push back the Black Fleet, at the cost of rendering itself largely inert. Fragments of the Traveler were thrown far from the site of the battle, with one of the largest landing in Europe. The corrupted Light emanating from this shard interacted with the surrounding landscape, creating the [[European Dead Zone]].
When the [[Black Fleet]] pursued the Traveler to the Sol System, a cataclysmic battle ensued in which the Traveler used the Light to push back the Darkness, at the cost of rendering itself largely inert. Fragments of the Traveler were thrown far from the site of the battle, with one of the largest landing in Europe. The corrupted Light emanating from this shard interacted with the surrounding landscape, creating the [[European Dead Zone]].


While it battled the Black Fleet on Earth, the Traveler also extended a ray of Light to protect the distant colony ship ''[[Yang Liwei]]'' from the Black Fleet. This ray pushed back the Fleet's Darkness, but could not repel it entirely; the energy of the resulting struggle was so great that a kugelblitz formed, which swallowed the Yang Liwei and its crew.
While it battled the Darkness on Earth, the Traveler also extended a ray of Light to protect the distant colony ship ''[[Yang Liwei]]'' from the Black Fleet. This ray pushed back the Fleet's Darkness, but could not repel it entirely; the energy of the resulting struggle was so great that a kugelblitz formed, which swallowed the Yang Liwei and its crew.


===City Age===
After its sacrificial last stand, the Traveler created the Ghosts, small machines infused with Light, to seek out long-dead individuals and resurrect them as warriors with Light-based abilities. These warriors, first called Risen and later known as [[Guardian]]s, can manifest weapons and defenses made of [[Arc]], [[Solar]] or [[Void]] Light, and can return from death with the assistance of their Ghost.
After its sacrificial last stand, the Traveler created the Ghosts, small machines infused with Light, to seek out long-dead individuals and resurrect them as warriors with Light-based abilities. These warriors, first called Risen and later known as [[Guardian]]s, can manifest weapons and defenses made of [[Arc]], [[Solar]] or [[Void]] Light, and can return from death with the assistance of their Ghost.


===Dark Ages===
During the events of Destiny 2, the [[Cabal]] [[Red Legion]] invaded the [[Solar System]] and attacked the Last City. Forces under [[Dominus Ghaul]] successfully captured the Traveler, and placed a [[Traveler Cage|cage]] around it, thus cutting all Guardians and Ghosts off from the Light. At least one Guardian subsequently managed to reclaim their Light from a [[Shard of the Traveler|corrupted Shard of the Traveler]] in the [[European Dead Zone]]. Meanwhile, Ghaul attempted to repeatedly gain the Traveler's favor so as to grant his Red Legion the ability to wield the Light. However, the Traveler refused, and Ghaul resorted to outright stealing the Light by siphoning it from the Traveler via its cage. Light was only restored to all Guardians after the Traveler broke free of its cage and destroyed once and for all a power-hungry Ghaul.
During the Dark Ages, some Lightbearers chose to become Warlords, and used their Light to subjugate others and amass power and wealth for themselves.
 
===City Age===
Following their resurrection, the Guardian thwarted a Hive plot to siphon Light from the Traveler, using a fragment of the Traveler held in the Chamber of Night. They later went on to destroy the Black Heart, a Darkness-aligned entity that was preventing Light from returning to the dormant Traveler.
 
During the events of ''Destiny 2'', the [[Cabal]] [[Red Legion]] invaded the [[Solar System]] and attacked the Last City. Forces under [[Dominus Ghaul]] successfully captured the Traveler, and placed a [[Traveler Cage|cage]] around it, thus cutting all Guardians and Ghosts off from the Light. At least one Guardian subsequently managed to reclaim their Light from a [[Shard of the Traveler|corrupted Shard of the Traveler]] in the [[European Dead Zone]]. Meanwhile, Ghaul attempted to repeatedly gain the Traveler's favor so as to grant his Red Legion the ability to wield the Light. However, the Traveler refused, and Ghaul resorted to outright stealing the Light by siphoning it from the Traveler via its cage. Light was only restored to all Guardians after the Traveler broke free of its cage and destroyed once and for all a power-hungry Ghaul.
 
In [[Forsaken]], it was revealed that the Traveler had been "speaking" to the Guardians through visions of crowns, roses, silver trees, and torches turning into bonfires since its awakening. [[Ikora Rey]] tells the Guardians to follow these visions, which led them to [[Io]]. The remnant Light on Io then granted the Guardians new powers.
 
===The Lucent Hive===
Following her release from the crystalline prison created by Mara Sov, [[Savathûn, the Witch Queen]] was resurrected by [[Immaru]] and made into a Lightbearer. She went on to found the Lucent Brood, a new faction of Hive with Light-bearing members.
 
===Lightfall===
Following the Black Fleet's final assault on the Traveler and the Shadow Legion's invasion of Neomuna, the Witness used the Radial Mast, an artifact of the Black Fleet radiating with Light, to link the Traveler to the Veil and open a portal into the Traveler's Pale Heart.
 


===The Final Shape===
===Traveler's Awakening===
Upon entering the Traveler's Pale Heart, the Witness attempted to use the Traveler's Light in combination with it and the Veil's Darkness to reshape all of reality into a calcified, timeless state, free of choice or suffering - its vision of the Final Shape.
In [[Forsaken]], it is revealed that the Traveler had been "speaking" to the Guardians through visions of crowns, roses, silver trees, and torches turning into bonfires since its awakening. [[Ikora Rey]] tells the Guardians to follow these visions, which leads them to [[Io]]. The remnant Light on Io then granted the Guardians new powers.


===Destruction of the Witness===
===Destruction of the Witness===
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In the Pale Heart of the Traveler, the Guardian used a sword made of Light to shatter the statues containing the imprisoned consciousnesses of the Dissenters within the Witness, wounding it and rendering it vulnerable to further attack.
In the Pale Heart of the Traveler, the Guardian used a sword made of Light to shatter the statues containing the imprisoned consciousnesses of the Dissenters within the Witness, wounding it and rendering it vulnerable to further attack.
==Nature of the Light==
===Relation to Complexity, Physicality, and Loss===
The Light is described as being associated with the "growth and preservation of complexity", whereas the Darkness is portrayed as being associated with simplification and the reduction of diversity. The philosophy of the Light is also referenced in the Marasenna as "the way of the bomb," meaning that it encourages a complex world with many interrelated parts that rely on each other to achieve greater goals. In contrast, the philosophy of the Darkness is described as "[[Sword Logic|the way of the sword]]", which seeks to reduce everything in the universe to a final, simplified, self-same state.
As hypothesized by Osiris, the Light also seems to be connected to the physical universe, whereas the Darkness appears to be more strongly related to thought, emotion and consciousness more broadly. This may explain why resurrection via the Light wipes away memories, as well as why the Darkness seems more acutely concerned by the pain and suffering of conscious beings than the Light: both memory and pain are within the realm of conscious experience, and therefore outside of the Light's domain of interest.
The seeming relationship between the Light and forgetting is further speculated on in-universe by [[Sen-Aret]], who came to the belief that the Light can actually allow beings to remember, but instead chooses not to do so, in order to relieve them from painful memories; he compares the situation to an "iterated [[wikipedia:Prisoner's Dilemma|Prisoner's Dilemma]]". In Sen-Aret's theorising, the Light represents cooperation, and allows one to forget past pain in order to make peace with our enemies and escape the cycle of violence - to do not what is rational, but what is right - and enable the possibility of grace. Meanwhile, the Darkness allows one to remember what hurt them in the past, so that they may avoid or overcome it in the future.
[[Ikora Rey]] builds on and counters this interpretation, saying that the Light does not offer an afterlife like the [[Ascendant Realm|Throne Worlds]] of the Hive, but instead promotes the idea that paradise, a peaceful life surrounded by chosen friends, is something that must be built in this life. The Darkness promises an eternal existence of mere survival, whereas the Light allows the choice of a finite life of compassion and working toward the common good.<ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/records/the-hidden-dossier The Hidden Dossier]</ref>
Powers originating from the Light are stated to embody a theme of "creation", whereas powers from the Darkness have a theme of "consciousness".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCI8Fz2uu3o&t=5200s&ab_channel=Destiny2 Destiny 2 Showcase 2022]</ref> This dichotomy can be seen in the nature of the elemental manifestations of Light and Darkness: Arc, Solar and Void all grant control over physical forces (electricity, heat and gravity, respectively), whereas Strand allows one to manipulate the psychic "threads" connecting all conscious beings, and Stasis may be seen as embodying the abstract concepts of will and control. Interestingly, whereas Arc, Solar and Void all manifest primarily as energy (electric bolts, flames, and gravitational fields, respectively) Stasis and Strand manifest as matter (crystals and strings, respectively). The aspect of Darkness known as [[Darkness#Resonance|Resonance]] also manifests physically, creating spiraling helices of black, angular segments.
===The Gardener===
{{Quote|The Gardener is hard to bother; she is constantly amidst her weeds, kneeling in the tangent dust, gloves covered in a mix of distant soils and metallic saps. She is listening to the music of the insects amidst the flowers, the unguent as it begins to drip from the ferns, the slight scratch of the [[Worm]] beneath, and not to you, and certainly not to your cries for help.|[[Mk. 44 Stand Asides]] Lore Tab}}
Several Lore entries describe an entity referred to as the "Gardener," which appears to be a personification of the Light; this name is also used by various entities (most notably Rasputin and the Witness) to refer to the Traveler, although the context of the relevant lore entries suggests that this is most likely a case of parallel terminology.
In ''Unveiling'', which is narrated by a being referred to as "the Winnower" (which appears to be the Darkness itself), the Gardener is described to be one of two primordial entities who predate the universe, the other being the Winnower. The Winnower is presented as embodying the reduction of complexity, whereas the Gardener embodies the growth and preservation of complexity. In the allegorical story recounted in the Lore Book, these two entities struggled with one another in the state which preceded the multiverse, and upon inadvertently creating the multiverse as a by-product of this struggle, each became a paracausal force which would serve to further their respective goals within its many universes. This story not only appears to provide an origin for the Light and Darkness as they are presently known, but also implies that the Light is itself sentient and has its own motivations, namely to increase complexity and diversity within the universe.


==Aspects and Manifestations==
==Aspects and Manifestations==
===Arc===
===Arc===
{{Main|Arc}}
[[Arc]] is an elemental manifestation of the Light which grants the wielder control over electricity.
Arc is an elemental manifestation of the Light which grants the wielder control over electricity.
===Solar===
===Solar===
{{Main|Solar}}
[[Solar]] is an elemental manifestation of the Light which allows the wielder to harness the power of fire and heat.
Solar is an elemental manifestation of the Light which allows the wielder to harness the power of fire and heat.
===Void===
===Void===
{{Main|Void}}
[[Void]] is an elemental manifestation of the Light which allows the wielder to manipulate spacetime to generate black holes and other space-warping phenomena.
Void is an elemental manifestation of the Light which allows the wielder to manipulate spacetime to generate black holes and other space-warping phenomena.
===Terraforming===
===Terraforming===
The Light can be used by the [[Traveler]] to terraform entire worlds, making them more habitable to life-forms and causing new flora and fauna to spontaneously appear on their surface.
The Light can be used by the [[Traveler]] to terraform entire worlds, making them more habitable to life-forms and causing new flora and fauna to spontaneously appear on their surface.
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*''[[Destiny: Fall of Osiris]]''
*''[[Destiny: Fall of Osiris]]''
*''[[Destiny: Warmind (comic)]]''
*''[[Destiny: Warmind (comic)]]''
*''[[Mysterious Logbook]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Hidden Dossier]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Hidden Dossier]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Bitter]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Bitter]]'' {{Mo}}

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