Operation Ahamkara: Difference between revisions

Previous:	Hunt for Riven's Clutch
Next:	Upheaval on Nessus
Operation Ahamkara
Conflict:	War against the Witness
Fronts:	The Pale Heart, The Traveler
Outcome:	Operation Ahamkara is initiated as Zavala, Ikora, and the Guardian venture towards the Pale Heart The Guardian is separated from Zavala and Ikora At the Lost City, the Guardian reunites with Cayde and later finds Crow before finding Zavala and Ikora; ; ; Zavala is tempted by the Darkness and leaves alone to commune with the Witness The Veiled Statues reveal how to "unmake" the Witness; Targe sacrifices himself to save Zavala's life; ; The Guardian wounds the Witness by destroying dissenting statues with a sword granted to them by the Traveler before retreating after being wounded by the Witness Retreating to the monolith, the Witness roots itself into the Traveler and begins preparations to enact the Final Shape; ; The rest of the Coalition arrive within the Pale Heart; The Witness is uprooted from the Traveler and driven back from its monolith by a Guardian fireteam The united forces of the Coalition alongside the Lucent Brood launch one final attack against the Witness and its forces; A fireteam of 12 Guardians confront the wounded Witness, unmaking it with the Traveler's Light; ; The Ghost briefly dies due to channeling the Traveler's Light into its body to destroy the Witness, however he is brought back by Cayde-6 who uses his Light to resurrect him Cayde dies his final death, returning to the Light of the Traveler; ; An Aurora of Light and Darkness seeps out of the Traveler after the Witness's defeat Multiple Echoes depart out of the Traveler as a result of the memories from the Witness; ; Parallel Operations: Kargen, the Technocrat clone killed and Freeborn Otzot attempt to steal Vex data about the OXA Machine and the Veil thwarted; Xivu Arath's attempt to explore the space-time fractures on Mars thwarted Xivu Arath manages to regroup and move massive amounts of forces from her brood using the Ley Lines; ; Sepiks Prime copy killed and Eramis, Kell of Darkness's attempt to trade weapons in exchange for the Prime Servitor with House of Dusk thwarted; Navôta, Eir Spawn, either a disguised wizard or her resurrection, killed and Savathun's plans involving the Hive on Earth thwarted; Data about the Psions ancient past involving Nezarec, Final God of Pain and the Witness recovered on the Lunar Pyramid;
Belligerents
Commanders
Strength
Casualties

Revision as of 07:52, July 28, 2024

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"A final shape is coming."

— The Witness

Operation Ahamkara was a massive conflict that took place shortly after Crow's entry into Pale Heart of the Traveler. With the way now open, Zavala, Ikora Rey, and the Guardian are all separated but ultimately succeed in entering the Pale Heart. Arriving at the Lost City, the Guardian reunites with Cayde-6 before finding Crow, Ikora, and Zavala. As Zavala begin to be tempted by Darkness, he would seek out the Witness who would offer the Vanguard Commander a chance to join them. Ultimately Zavala's Ghost, Targe heroically sacrifices himself to save his Guardian's life at the cost of his own. However his sacrifice would not be in vain as Zavala discovered that the Witness could be "unmade" thanks to the knowledge given by its dissenting voices.

Arriving at its monolith, the Guardian destroys multiple of the dissenting statues before retreating with the aid of Mara Sov, wounding the Witness in the process. With their Coalition allies now within the Pale Heart, the Vanguard begin preparations for an assault against the Witness to uproot its hold over the Traveler. Climbing to the top of its monolith, a Guardian fireteam uproot the Witness from the Traveler and force it to retreat from the monolith. The forces of the Coalition with the assistance of the Lucent Brood would then launch one final assault against the Witness and its forces. A fireteam of 12 Guardians would confront the wounded Witness and unmake it using the Traveler's Light, avenging the countless civilizations devastated by its conflict with the Traveler. The Guardian's Ghost dies as a result of channeling the Light of the Traveler, however Cayde-6 altruistically uses his Light to resurrect the Ghost, resulting in the former Hunter Vanguard returning to the Light of the Traveler.

Prelude

When the Vanguard discovered one of Riven's uncorrupted eggs and uncovered the existence of the fifteenth wish on Savathûn's wings, they would contact Mara Sov who would begin to assemble her Techeuns to awaken Riven's spirit so she could grant them the wish. In retaliation, the Witness would respond by sending the Sol Divisive to invade the Dreaming City to halt their efforts. Entering into the Keep of Voices on the orders of the Awoken Queen, the Guardian fights their way through the invading Vex forces to retrieve one of Riven's teeth. Granting the tooth to the Techeuns, the Guardian then enters into the Wishing Wall and enters the code for the wish while the Techeuns successfully reawaken Riven. However upon reawakening, Riven astonishingly refuses to grant them the wish. Confronting Riven within the Spirit's Anchor, Mara demands to know why the Ahamkara refuses to grant the wish. Riven would state that she has no reason to grant the wish because she and the rest of her kind are dead. The Ahamkara would then speak of how the Awoken Queen had ordered her forces to destroy her eggs, however would reveal that she hid some of her eggs within her lair and if Mara secured them, she would grant them the wish. Although she understood the risks of allowing the Ahamkara to terrorize the people of Sol once more, Mara agrees to Riven's bargain.

Infiltrating Riven's Lair to retrieve the eggs, the Guardian discovers that Riven's eggs were missing, with the Techeuns uncovering that they were scattered across the Ascendant Plane. Using the Ley Lines, the Coalition over the coarse of weeks would pull the eggs back into Riven's Lair, retrieving them from the forces of the Sol Divisive, Taken, and Scorn. However they would face an unexpected challenge when the Sol Divisive succeeded in transporting the egg into the Black Garden. Arriving into the Black Garden, the Guardian retrieves the egg after slaying the Vex Mind responsible for stealing the egg within an Ahamkara lair. It is uncovered shortly after that this lair belonged to Riven's mate, Taranis, who made his own wish to scatter the uncorrupted eggs to protect them, resulting in his demise in the process.

As the Coalition continues to retrieve the rest of Riven's Clutch, the Ahamkara eventually reveals to them that the fifteenth wish only allows for one individual to pursue the Witness into the Pale Heart. Despite this setback, Crow comes up with the solution that he should be the one to enter the Pale Heart and that he and Mara could use their connection to open the way for everyone to enter. Eventually the Guardian receives the final egg from Scorn under the command of Fikrul, the Fanatic before entering the code for the fifteenth wish. With their bargain complete, Riven grants them the wish, allowing Crow to enter the portal into the Pale Heart. Ultimately Riven's essence becomes spent as she fades away just like Taranis before her, with Mara promising to look after her clutch.

Attempting to prevent Crow's entry into the Pale Heart, the Sol Divisive would recreate the Black Heart with the guidance of the Witness, taking the place of the Veil in the entanglement. To bring an end to their intervention, the Guardian enters into the Black Garden, destroying its Heart once more by defeating its new vessels known as the Temporal Progeny. With the interference halted, Crow enters into the Pale Heart before being vested in a dual by the now resurrected Cayde-6. However upon noticing Crow's Ghost, Cayde lowers his weapon and helps Crow to his feet as they glance in the distance to see pulses of Light emerging from the Witness's Monolith.

History

Crossing the Threshold

"You live without purpose. Anguish. Bliss. A meaningless cycle... of action and reaction. Let us bring an end... to your futile exertions. A final shape is coming. Chaos untangled... made knowable... with immaculate intent. Let us know you... and be reborn into perfection."

— The Witness speaking to humanity as it finalizes earth

As the people of the Last City were continuing their everyday activities, they would be interrupted by the unnoticeable voice of the Witness. It would pronounce that they lived a purposeless existence of both anguish and bliss before finalizing the entirety of Earth into a frozen stillness. With the finalization complete, the Witness would declaring that a final shape is imminent, which would see the malicious chaos of the Light made knowable. However the Traveler would successfully undo the finalization, resulting in the Witness continuing to torture it for its resistance. Back at the H.E.L.M., Mara Sov as she looked at her hand in horror would reveal to Zavala and Ikora Rey that the Witness is close to enacting the Final Shape. Understand this was their only chance, Zavala declares that they are now initiating Operation Ahamkara to enter the portal into the Pale Heart. Mara would warn them that the Traveler could not prevent it for much longer and that the portal was unstable. Remaining determined despite the danger, Zavala would enter the portal alongside Ikora and the Guardian. While Zavala and Ikora successfully entered the portal into the Pale Heart, the Guardian would be unable to avoid the hurdles in their way, crashing into the Threshold between the outside world and Pale Heart.

With their ship destroyed, the Guardian is forced to traverse the Threshold on foot, while Mara uses her power to keep the portal open long enough for them to enter. Defeating Taken sent by the Witness, the Guardian discovers a fount of Darkness and interacts with the resonance shell in the middle, manifesting a pathway of possibilities. Using the icon of Light dropped by a Taken Centurion, the Guardian interacts with the shell once more to make the pathway physical, thus allowing them to traverse closer towards the portal. As they navigate across the platforms, the Guardian encounters the Witness's new army known as the Dread, specifically Weavers, reshaped Psions wielding the power of Strand. Along the way, they also encounters Taken bound with shielding of both Light and Darkness energy, forcing the Guardian to retreat. Despite Mara's strength beginning to diminish, the Guardian successfully crosses the Threshold, entering the portal into the Pale Heart.

Shortly after entering the portal, the Guardian receives a vision form the Traveler itself. In this vision, a falcon of Light flies above Earth as the Light from its wings creates the Ghosts, an astronaut on Mara touching the rain from a storm, before switching to a drop of water falling of a white leaf. It then transitions to a sun being destroyed before showing the falcon being consumed by the Witness's corruption as the Traveler is subsumed in shadow. As the Witness's corruption begins to spread, it then changes to show Astronauts wielding Arc, Solar, Void, Stasis, Strand, and finally an unknown power. The vision then ends with the Traveler sounding out an outburst of Light.

Waking up from their vision, the Guardian finds themselves on a platform within an empty place. Spotting a spike of paracausal energy located on a dead tree in the distance, the Guardian travels towards the spike thanks to further platforms being created by drops of Light falling from the sky. Finally they arrive at the tree as the spike of energy dissipates, allowing them to travel further across the branches, the Guardian enters into a cave entrance located within the tree. Eventually the Guardian crosses the Threshold, exiting the cave to find themselves within the Pale Heart of the Traveler itself. Unlike the place of nothingness they emerged from after entering the portal, this place was found to be brimming with nature and beauty. As Ghost fails to reach out to Zavala and Ikora, the Guardian journeys further into the Pale Heart, eventually finding themselves in the Lost City, a place similar to the Last City itself.

Along the way they slay hordes of enemy forces, including Grims, believed by Ghost to be a reshaped species conquered by the Witness. Using Icons of Darkness they received from killing Harvesters of Light, the Guardian lowers the barrier into a building to discover Light and Dark energy colliding together to form a Wellspring. Using this wellspring, the Guardian briefly Transcends, allowing them to pierce the Bound Taken's shields. Using these wellsprings to their advantage, the Guardian pierces the Harvesters Bound shields to receive the Dark Icons and kill a Taken Ogre to lower the barrier into a building resembling the old Vanguard command center before the Red War, where another wellspring of Light and Dark energy reside. As Ghost begins to wonder if it was possible to wield this power, the Guardian steps forward to the Wellspring and interacts with it. Upon interacting with it, their body overflows with paracausal energy as they unlock Prismatic, a fusion of Light and Darkness energy that allows them to wield both powers in harmony and Transcend. Travelling towards the Vanguard transponder signal with the hopes of finding Crow, the Guardian finds themselves at the Tower's balcony and defeats forces of the Witenss led by a Subjugator, specifically a Harbinger. Shortly after the Harbinger's defeat, a pulse of Light is emitted as the Traveler is tortured by the Witness, harming Ghost in the process.

As they strangely hear a song playing closely by, the Guardian follows its sound to find Cayde-6 playing "The Man They Called Cayde" with his back turned behind them. Originally believing they were Crow, Cayde quickly recognizes they were not the former Awoken Prince and throws his instrument as he turns around and draws his weapon. However upon recognizing the Guardian, Cayde lowers his weapon and invites them to speak with him as he acknowledges they have questions. Cayde would explain that after his death he and his Ghost, Sundance were reintegrated into the Light of the Traveler where they existed in a place of peaceful nothingness. However something would pull him out of this place and transport him to the Pale Heart where he would spot Crow shortly after. Getting back to business, Cayde tells them that Crow went on a patrol after he discovered an anomaly of Darkness. Shortly after Cayde departs, Ghost reveals to the Guardian that his scans confirmed that this was truly the former Hunter Vanguard, but that he was astonishingly made of Light just like the Ghosts and the Traveler.

Hunt for Crow

Due to the fact that Crow had not returned from his scouting mission, the Guardian travels to the Landing to search for him. Upon arriving, they encounter forces Shadow Legion and Dread, including Attendants, reshaped Psions with the power of Stasis. After defeating a Tormentor, the Guardian follows the bird they had seen from their vision to discover a cave entrance blocked by a barrier. They then receive a transmission from Glint, who reveals that Crow had entered into the cave and that he was unable to follow him. Searching for a way to lower the barrier, the Guardian discovers three different conduits maintaining the barrier. Defeating Taken Psions to receive Psionic Insight, the Guardian rotates the hand on the conduits to the radiating Light. With the conduits deactivated, Ghost asks Cayde what he thinks is the nature of that bird that led them to Glint. Generally, they would all come to the conclusion that the bird was the Traveler, attempting to aid them.

Returning to the cave entrance, the Guardian vanquishes the Pillar of Denial to lower the barrier to the Refraction. Upon entering, the Guardian defeats further forces of the Witness, including a Subjugator, particularly an Omen, bearing the power of Stasis. Entering further into the cave, the Guardian follows the bird into a gateway made of glass to arrive into a cave tunnel. As Ghost remarked that this tunnel felt like a Blight, he would be possessed by the Witness, while the Guardian woukd be severely harmed and collapse onto the ground. The Witness would attempt to destroy the Guardian's Ghost to free them from their "enslavement" to the Light. Despite the Witness's power, Ghost breaks free from its control and shuts it out completely, cracking his self in the process. However the Witness would still continue to speak to them. As their strength returned, the Guardian would travel into different caverns as the Witness explained it had offered Crow an eternity with his sister, and the Awoken throne with the promise to erase his Dark past by utilizing dioramas created by the Light and Dark. Eventually the Guardian finds Crow within a room containing a Veiled Statue. They are then interrupted by Glint, with Crow apologizing and promising to not leave him behind again before departing.

Arriving back at camp, Crow would speak to Cayde of what he had encountered. After Crow and Cayde's conversation, the Guardian speaks with Ghost who reveals that the cave they found acros within was not merely Darkness, but corruption reshaped by the Witness. Ghost would also reveal that they had spotted a location identical to the Cradle on Io, where they would almost certainly find Ikora. As the Guardian tunes into the radio, they would receive a weak signal from Mara Sov, who was unable to hear them. Nonetheless, Mara warns that the Dread were an army created by the Witness utilizing stolen Light. Due to the Witness intervening with their attempt to cross the portal, Mara would reveal that the Coalition was creating a method to allow their entry into the Pale Heart.

Searching for Ikora

With Crow successfully rescued, the Guardian begins their scout mission to search for Ikora's ship, which had crashed at a location resembling the Cradle on Io. Entering the Refraction once again, the Guardian encounters Hive forces of Xivu Arath's Horde guarding barriers maintained by founts of Light and Dark. Slaying Hive Knights, the Guardian retrieve Dark Motes and uses them to empower the fount of Darkness to dispel the barrier. Upon entering the next room and destroying the branches of Darkness, Ghost scans the perimeter to discover Ikora's location. Shortly after this discovery, the Guardian is ambushed by further forces of the Witness, including Husks, melee units of the Dread that unleash Geists upon being killed. Using the Aegis which manifests to their aid, the Guardian kills the Knights to receive Light motes and utilizes them to empower the fount of Light. Upon exiting the cave through a gate they had opened using a Crystallized key, the Guardian utilizes the Light and Darkness founts, as well as another key to depart from the Refraction.

As Ghost comes to realize their utilization of Light and Dark was what brought down the barrier, Crow would compare the Awoken and Guardians similar connections they shared to these paracausal forces. After finally arriving at Ikora's ship, they would uncover a message she had left behind revealing she was attempting to commune with the Traveler and ordered them to find her in the Cradle. Travelling towards the Cradle, the Guardian engages with Hive and Dread forces led by the ferocious Ogre, the Pillar of Silence. Piercing its shield with the Aegis, the Guardian forces the Ogre to retreat into the Refraction. Pursuing and slaying the Ogre within the cave, the Guardian follows a path of Light to arrive to the Cradle.

After defeating forces of the Dread, they find Ikora mediating in an attempt to commune with the Traveler. Awakening from her meditation, Ikora thanks the Guardian and reveals that she could hear the Traveler screaming. Ikora would then reveal her hypothesis that the Pale Heart is a manifestation of their memories made physical by the power of the Light. Furthermore, Ikora recognizes that the Witness's true desire for the Final Shape is to reshape reality into a perfect stillness by weaponizing the Light. However Ikora realizes that if the Light is powerful enough to destroy the universe, it is powerful enough to destroy the Witness. With the debriefing finished, Ikora and the Guardian meet up with Cayde-6 at the new camp. Originally Ikora was angered at Cayde for his irresponsibility during his time was Hunter Vanguard while her and Zavala shared the burden of the responsibilities. Recognizing his mistakes, Cayde apologizes to Ikora and promises he will make it up to her before they embrace. With their mission completed, Ghost orders the Guardian to prepare for their journey to locate Zavala.

Seeking Zavala

Arriving to the Blooming, the Guardian defeats forces of the House of Salvation guarding a Veiled Statue blocked by a barrier. Ghost ponders if they truly believe in the Witness's cause, Ikora comes to the conclusion that they are carrying out the Witness's orders as it promised them an end to suffering. Recognizing that the barrier was maintained by Pyramid technology, the Guardian defeats a Resonant Warder to reveal Glyphs. Interacting with the correct Glyph, they successfully lower the barrier and send Ghost to scan the statue. Upon scanning it, they briefly hear the statue wailing before going silent. Ghost quickly recognizes that they encountered these statues in their past journeys, including on Moon, Europa, and the Black Garden.

Continuing their journey, the Guardian defeats House Salvation and Dread forces and lowers the entrance into the Seclusion by nullifying a Glyph. As the Guardian entered inside, Cayde would ask Ikora if Zavala had anything to say at his funeral to which the Warlock Vanguard would reveal he wouldn't come out of his office. Cayde would respond by stating he understands Zavala's reaction as grief is an emotion that can seclude you. However they would then be interrupted by the Witness who would state that he stayed within his office not out of grief, but shame. Defeating further agents of the Witness within the cave, the Guardian would nullify two more Glyphs and defeat an Imprint of Nezarec to continue deeper into the cave.

Entering into another gateway made of glass, the Guardian is once again spoken to by the Witness, who shows them dioramas of Zavala's doubts, those he has lost, and when he prepared to shoot his Ghost, Targe due to being overwhelmed by grief over the death of Hakim. When the Witness declared they could generously resurrect Hakim for Zavala, Targe would interrupt by declaring that Zavala had refused their offer while also warning Ghost to leave for their safety. Despite Targe's warning, the Guardian pushes forward and exits out of the cave to discover a memory of Zavala's old home where he lived with Safiyah and Hakim. Finding the Vanguard Commander at his son's grave, Zavala would order them to assist him in defending his home as the House of Salvation launched their assault. Upon destroying the Brig known as the Pillar of Stillness, they force the remaining enemy forces to retreat.

With the Fallen's assault thwarted, Zavala would thank the Guardian for their assistance before asking them to give him a moment as he prepares to save goodbye. Entering into his old home, Zavala speaks with a diorama of Safiyah that he once thought he would give up anything to bring her back. However when the Witness offered him an eternity with her and Hakim, he ultimately refused as he realized that his friends still needed him. Zavala then promises Safiyah that he would see her once again and places his hand on the dioramas palm. However he receives a vision, showing the diorama quickly transforms between his wife and a Veiled Statue while hearing a voice that appears to be pleading for help. Overwhelmed by fear, Zavala removes his hand from the dioramas palm as the vision ends. Ikora then pats him on his shoulder to bring her friend back to reality. She reminds him that the Witness only shows them what it thinks they desire, causing him to respond by asking her of what the Traveler has ever shown him. Having no answer to his question, Ikora reminds Zavala that they should prepare to leave before exiting the cottage. Standing up and walking to the front door, Zavala takes one last look at Safiyah while Targe states that he understands his grief as he also dearly loved them. Opening the door, Zavala and Targe leave their old family home one last time as the diorama of Safiyah within the cottage is consumed in shadow.

As Cayde and Crow sat together at their newly set up camp, they would be joined by Zavala and Ikora who had returned from the cottage. Walking towards Cayde, Zavala embraces his old companion before they sit down at the campfire alongside the Guardian, Crow, and Ikora. While Crow recites the story of Amanda and begins to choke on his words, Ikora puts her hand on his shoulder and divulges that losing Amanda was akin to losing Cayde again. She then declares that she is finished burying her friends, while Cayde states to her that life is not about holding on forever and that you eventually have to let go. After briefly remaining silent, Zavala, Ikora, and Crow get up and walk away. Later the Guardian speaks to Ghost, who would tell them that Targe divulged that the Witness forced Zavala to relive his trauma and demonstrated to him what it would be like if they returned. The Guardian then listens to the radio to hear Cayde tell Crow the story of how he met Amanda and confined Zavala to give her a job at the Tower. The former Hunter Vanguard would also tell him that Amanda had lived a good life and went out being a hero.

Ascending the Mountain

Persisting with their journey to the Monolith, the Guardian enters into a cave close to Zavala's home, infested with Taken. Meanwhile Crow and Cayde discuss their concern over Zavala recent change in behaviour. Later, Ghost discusses Cayde's return and hypothesizes that the Traveler brought him back to make their fireteam whole once more. Cayde would state that although he was happy to see them, he would have preferred that the Traveler would have warned him before returning him to life. Crow then tells Cayde that he has something to tell him and orders him to meet up with him ahead. As the Guardian enters into the Divide, they defeat further Taken forces and use Volatile Darkness to destroy the Blight blocking the entrance.

The Guardian then enters outside of the cave to arrive at a frozen mountain, following a trail of Light to traverse further up. Meanwhile another Pulse of Light is sent out as the Witness continues to torture the Traveler, severely harming Ghost in the process. Finally the Guardian meets up with Crow and Cayde at the edge of a mountain. Crow reveals to Cayde that he was the one responsible for his return due to a wish he made with the Ahamkara, Riven. Feeling guilty for not telling him earlier, Crow apologizes to Cayde who assures him that he did the right thing by keeping this secret between them. On the orders of Cayde, the Guardian navigates further up the mountain, fighting through forces of the Sol Divisive and the Dread in the process. They destroy Resonant Warders to reveal the Glyphs, nullifying them in the process to dispel the Vex illusion blocking the way forward.

Arriving to the top, the Guardian destroys another Taken Blight to delve deep into the mountain and enter into a room to confront the Unwaking Mind. After destroying the Taken Vex Mind and forcing the enemy forces to retreat, Glint detects a massive spike of Light energy, which was previously obscured by the Taken Vex Mind. Following the signal, the Guardian exits the mountain to arrive at the Impasse, specifically the place where they were resurrected. Upon finding the well of Light, the Guardian harnesses its power to gain new abilities, bestowed upon them by the Traveler itself. Although they would be ambushed by hordes of Taken, their efforts would prove to be insignificant as the Guardian would vanquish them with this newly found power. Acknowledging Ikora's previous attempts at meditating, Cayde would begin to form a plan to commune with the Traveler. At the new Campsight, Crow reveals to Zavala and Ikora of the new power that the Guardian received from the Traveler. However, Zavala would remain skeptical, believing that the Traveler could give them weapons, but they stood no chance without a plan on how to use them. Ikora would then speak up, reminding Zavala that the Traveler was assisting them and gave them Cayde. Zavala would state that was not enough before revealing a Veiled Statue reached out to him at his homestead and questioned if it was a prisoner of the Witness. As Zavala and Ikora would begin to debate whether it was a trap, Crow would reveal Cayde's plan to communicate with the Traveler. Although Zavala remains skeptical and believes it will fail, he allows them to go through with the plan. After speaking with Ghost, the Guardian listens to Ikora and a Cayde discuss Zavala's loss of faith in the Traveler.

The Message

"What comes from the Light… returns to the Light."

— Sundance

Beginning their plan to commune with the Traveler by utilizing the fissures of Light, Cayde and Crow would split up to do backtracking, while the Guardian would search for a fissure that Glint sensed. Entering into the Broken Deep, the Guardian fights through Taken and Dread forces. Upon slaying Rhalis, Subjugator of the Light, they successfully locate the fissure only to discover it was strangled and held back by the Witness. Nonetheless, Glint would then uncover the location of another fissure within the Landing.

Returning to the Landing, the Guardian enters into the Forgotten Deep to astonishingly discover it was infested with Hive from the Lucent Brood. Destroying the Void crystals in the sector, the Guardian eventually arrives at the main room and defeats Ei Räkosh, Banisher of Memory to unfortunately discover that this fissure was also held back by the Witness. However not all hope was lost as Glint had one more telemetric for them to check at the Blooming

Delving into the Blooming Deep in search for this final fissure, the Guardian engages with the Taken Tate,print to converge or the fissure. However the Guardian would not be alone as they would be aided by an unusual ally in the form of the Hive Lightbearer, Luzaku, who had broken off from her brood. With the assistance of Luzaku, the Guardian defeats the forces of the Witness, led by Azshrūnah Ur-Nokru, the Sacrificed to find a fissure, uncorrupted by the Witness. Bewildered by the assistance of a Hive, Ghost asks Luzaku how she entered the Pale Heart, to which she reveals she had crossed the Threshold after infiltrating the Black Fleet on the orders of Savathûn. Although Ghost would remain skeptical of Luzaku's trustworthiness, she would assure them that she would not interfere with their attempts to commune with the Traveler.

Transmatting to the location, Cayde steps within the fissure of Light and after briefly ridiculing Crow, successfully receives a vision from the Traveler itself. Within this vision Cayde hears the voice of a female Ghost who demonstrates the Guardian tenets of devotion, bravery, sacrifice by displaying of Crow and Glint's bond, Ikora defending civilians from a Vex a Vex Hydra, and Zavala mourning Cayde at his casket. Finally Cayde is greeted by the individual speaking in the vision, his Ghost, Sundance. Upon questioning Sundance whether it was truly her, she would merely tell him that she was what he wanted her to be. Cayde would expresses his confusion to his Ghost, Sundance assures him she is aware before revealing that what comes from the Light returns to the Light after death. When Cayde tells Sundance his desire is to stay within the Light with her, she tells him that was a possibility if that was the fate he would choose to make. Turning around, Sundance assures Cayde she will always be with him before revealing that the Guardians, Ghosts, and the Traveler are all connected. However the Witness intercepts the vision as Cayde now finds himself and Sundance within the Prison of Elders once more. As Sundance repeats the Guardian tenets of devotion, bravery, and sacrifice, Cayde attempts to remind her of the final tenet of death, however she is destroyed by Pirrha, the Rifleman, ending the vision.

Upon awakening, Cayde transmats away shortly after and reveals to them what he had experienced. When Ghost asks Luzaku what she will do, the Hive Lightbearer divulges she will defend the Blooming Deep in defiance to the Sword Logic. Remaining skeptical, Crow asks Luzaku about why her brood had attacked them. Luzaku would respond that ultimately they were all their own individual and she could not control the choices they make. With their mission complete, Crow orders the Guardian to return to camp. Once the Guardian returned to camp, they spoke with Ghost about Cayde's vision and about how both Guardians and Ghosts are connected. They also listen to a conversation between Zavala and Targe on the radio about his grief, with Targe promising to stay at his side until the end.

A Buried Memory

"Give yourself to Darkness… Only there will you find the answers you seek."

— Veiled Statue

During their scouting missions, Cayde and Crow had discovered multiple potential paths guarded by a Tormentor that lead closer to the Monolith. To make the path to the Monolith clear, Zavala sends a Guardian fireteam to eliminate the Tormentor. Arriving to the Abscess, the fireteam pushes forward into a cave while slaying members of the Lucent Brood. Upon entering into a cavern filled with sludge, the Guardian discover an Ahamkara skull and imbues it with Taken Essence retrieved from another skull to drain the sludge and continue further. Although Ikora would warn them to be careful using the Ahamkara skull's power, Zavala would encourage them to use the bones if they once again prove useful, astounding Ikora in the process. Concerned for the fireteams safety, Ikora would question Zavala on why he had ordered the fireteam to take the most dangerous route, causing the Vanguard Commander to angrily respond by reminding her that she once demanded he be willing to take more dangerous risks.

As the Guardians enter into another cave cavern, they defeat three Knights to dispel Hive seals blocking the way forward while Ikora would strive to make Zavala realize that his disillusionment with the Traveler was blinding his judgement. Responding bitterly, Zavala would proclaim that the decisions he had made were not a result of his loss of faith in the Traveler, but to deal a blow to the Witness. Eventually the fireteam reaches a Pyramid structure with Ahamkara guts on the walls where they confront Kataxiia, Tormentor of the Ahamkara. Imbuing the Ahamkara skulls with Taken energy once more, the fireteam drain the sludge blocking the entrance and force Kataxxia to retreat. While the Guardians exit the entrance and enter into another Pyramidal structure, Cayde would also express his concern for Zavala and his actions.

Entering into a portal, the fireteam arrive at a Precursor town manifested by the Witness's memories and defeat swarms of ambushing Taken. Communing with a Veiled Statue within, it declares to the Guardians that they must give themselves to Darkness to uncover the answers they seek. While Zavala was ecstatic over this revelation, Ikora remained cautious and would once again attempt to make him see the rashness of his actions, but to no avail. Finally, the fireteam confront Kataxxia once more within a large cave cavern and dispel its immunity by empowering Ahamkara skulls before finally vanquishing the Tormentor for good. While Zavala would desire to follow the guidance given to them by the Veiled Statue, Ikora wanted to follow the path the Traveler had laid for them, resulting in further tensions between Zavala and the rest of the fireteam. As the fireteam set up camp, the Guardian speaks with Ghost shortly after witnessing an argument between Zavala and Crow. Ghost would reveal that Zavala had abandoned the camp to find a way to destroy the Witness by giving himself to Darkness. To locate the commander, the Guardian and Ghost would work alongside Targe to save Zavala before it was too late.

Whispers of Dissent

"What was made can be unmade."

— A Dissenter

Beginning their search for Zavala, Crow reveals that a storm is gathering the closer they get to the Witness's Monolith, with Targe stating that the storm is interfering with his ability to track the commander. Cayde then reveals that he will be joining the mission as he congratulates Crow for standing up to Zavala while also telling them that Ikora is not joining them on their journey. Exiting the cave and arriving to the Transgression, the Guardian kills Hive forces loyal to Xivu Arath and discovers another Veiled Statue, identical to the one that ordered Zavala to give himself to Darkness. To get the statues to speak, the Guardian summons forth Targe who scans the statue and orders it to tell them where Zavala is. The Veiled Statue responds by stating that Zavala seeks out their Witness and he will become apart of its collective consciousness if they do not reach him in time. Furthermore, the statue declares that while those not culled from the Witness's collective will guide Zavala, the ones who have been bound will guide them to him before it is too late. Following the trail created by the statue, the Guardian kills Wrathborn blocking the cave entrance and travels into the storm. Due to the statues warnings, Targe realizes that Zavala's hypothesis of the statues being prisoners of the Witness was correct. Entering into a Pyramidal structure, the Guardian defeats the Dread and Scorn forces guarding another Veiled Statue before communing with it. When Targe asks the statue why they chose to reach out to Zavala, the statue responds that although they are comprised of many individuals, their voices are weak. Furthermore the statue states that they must give themselves to Darkness if their voices are to be truly heard.

When Ghost questions whether they can truly trust the statues, he is interrupted by Ikora who decided to join the mission and would ask if they have spotted Zavala. Cayde tells Ikora that they have not located Zavala yet, while Targe remarks that Zavala's belief that the statues were trying to assist them was correct. Traversing further into the storm, the Guardian enters into another Pyramidal structure to uncover an additional statue. As Targe attempts at reaching out to Zavala fail, the Guardian communes with the next statue as Ghost comes to realize that the statues likely still share a connection with the Witness. Targe responds by stating that an entity composed of billions of people is guaranteed to have dissenters among its collective. A Dissenter speaks through the statue and discloses that the Witness viewed them as shameful, and thus they were cut out by the first knife until they could be deemed worthy, or be integrated into the final shape. Pushing further into the storm and arriving into another structure, they question another dissenter on how to defeat the Witness which states that giving themselves to Darkness is the only way to defeat it. Astonished at this regulation, Ghost questions why the Witness would imprison its own kind. Ikora would state that the Witness imprisoned them due to desiring to control what it can't change, making Targe realize that the Witness was afraid. Finally, the Guardian enters into a large temple, guarded by Scorn. After briefly communing with a dissenter consumed by hopelessness, they continue further into the temple to defeat three Wizards and a Tormentor to open the trapdoor into the lower temple. Eventually the Guardian after traversing across the lower temple, the Guardian is confronted by the Pillar of Devotion. Utilizing the Aegis, the Guardian pierces its shield and slays the Pillar before escaping the temple as it begins to collapse around them. Emerging from the temple, the Guardian finds Zavala outside as he stands before a pool of Darkness leading into a shrine.

As Zavala hears the pleads of a dissenter, he is slowly approached by Ikora, Cayde, Crow, and Targe who beg him not to enter. Despite the pleads of his friends, Zavala enters into the pool of Darkness as Ikora screams his name in fear. Awakening within an endless room, Zavala is greeted by the Witness who shows him a vision of the Precursor's civilization. The Witness states that they once sought the Traveler's guidance for purpose, however it only offered them more life devoid of meaning. Zavala is then flashed by a Light from a Precursor holding a piece of glass as a dissenter declares that they chose to run from the Traveler's answer. The Witness then states they sought out the Veil instead as the vision changes to show the Precursors in a circle with the Veil above them. When the Traveler abandons the Precursors, the vision changes once again to show the Precursors collapsing on the ground as they cull away their doubts and fears to create the Witness. Before all the Precursors collapse, a dissenter whispers behind Zavala that the Witness could be unmade by making their way to the ritual site where it was created.The Witness then manifests itself and offers Zavala an opportunity to join its collective, however they are interrupted by Targe who flies towards the Witness and states that he realizes that it is afraid. Angered by Targe's claims, the Witness grasps him and declares that it had culled away any fear it had. However Targe remains persistent in his beliefs, resulting in the Witness crushing him for his defiance, creating an outburst of Light that sends Zavala back. Zavala is then pulled out of the pool of Darkness by his allies, saving his life.

At their new camp, Zavala is comforted by his allies for the death of Targe, with the Commander remarking that he had thrown away his Light just for a riddle and a memory. However Ikora and Cayde realize that Targe's death was not in vain as the dissenters gave them the knowledge they needed to unmake the Witness at the memory of the ritual site where it was created. Zavala tells his companions that he can guide them to the ritual site‘S location with their assistance. Before travelling to the ritual site, the Guardian speaks with Ghost about Targe's sacrifice and how the Traveler still holds its faith in them.

Journey to the Ritual Site

"You are unworthy of salvation!"

— The Witness

Beginning their journey to the memory of the ritual site, the Guardian fights there way through Taken and Dread forces. They would also be taunted by the Witness, who proclaims their efforts against it yield them nothing. While the Guardian engages with Taken and Dread units, Zavala, Ikora, Cayde, and Crow are ambushed by swarms of Hive. Zavala orders the Guardian to continue their pursuit while also telling them that the Witness is aware that there are dissenting voices within its collective. As the Guardian slays an Imprint of Nezarec to lower the barrier, the Witness would attempt to convince them to renounce their efforts to assist the Traveler. Arriving at the Sacrarium, the Guardian traverses across the platforms to eventually arrive into a cave. Contemplating the dissenters guidance, Ikora comes to realize that they could use the power of the Light to destroy the Witness. With the doorway in the cave blocked by a barrier, the Guardian interacts with a resonance shell to gain the ability to pass through resonance barriers. They enter into a glass gateway to arrive into a cavern filled with dioramas of Ghost with red eyes as the Witness attempts to persuade them to destroy their Ghost. Reaching another cavern, the Guardian interacts with another resonance shell to delve into the room below and slay the two Darkblades within to reveal Glyphs upstairs. Returning upstairs, they activate the correct ones to bring forth Eshkin'tuk, Witness's Blessed, defeating the Taken Knight to dispel the Blight blocking the entrance. With the Guardian persisting in their efforts, the Witness declares that they merely desire endless challenge through the Sword Logic.

Exiting the cave to return outside and setting forth in another glass entrance, the Guardian enters another cavern where the Witness coaxes them to ascend to their potential as an admired hero of the Last City by showing them dioramas. Eventually the Guardian emerges from this cave and arrives at a large Pyramidal structure leading to the ritual site. The Guardian is then confronted by Dolgith, Blade of Reasoning, who bears an Immunity Shield and summons Taken forces to its aid. Destroying the Blights, the Guardian then enters into a portal to take them to a room where two Darkblades reside. Defeating the Darkblades, they enter another portal to return to the entrance and dispel the Glyphs to retrieve the Aegis and pierce Dolgith's shield. Despite its formidable strength, the Guardian succeeds in vanquishing the Taken Ogre. With Dolgith's defeat, the Witness speaks with the Guardian over the Sword Logic's belief that the strongest being in the universe will ascend to become the Final Shape through endless slaughter. The Witness states that the Hive's Sword Logic was a childish game of brutality, remarking that they were too fascinated by the first knife's violence to never realize what it desired for the Final Shape, comparing this to the Guardian's endless battles. As the Guardian travels to the ritual site, they are greeted by Mara who succeeded in entering the Pale Heart alongside their allies.

Traversing up the ritual site, the Guardian enters another glass gateway where the Witness orders them to take what they are owed. Eventually they reach a room where dioramas of the Vanguard leaders stand. The Witness offered a Guardian a chance to join them not as part of the Final Shape, but as one of its Disciples. Ghost would interrupt the Witness and tell the entity that Targe belief that it was afraid was correct as it feared what the Guardian was capable of. Enraged at this defiance, the Witness orders them go where they wished, where it would destroy them itself. Upon arriving at the ritual site, the Guardian is confronted by the Witness who manifests itself alongside its Dread forces led by two Subjugators. However after defeating one Subjugator at a time, the Traveler grants the Guardian a sword of Light. Heeding the words of the dissenters, the Guardian gives themselves to Darkness to penetrate into the Witness's consciousness. Within the collective consciousness they discover many of the beings calcified into statues by the Witness, with the dissenters ordering the Guardian to destroy them. Obeying their commands, the Guardian destroys three statues, gravelly wounding the Witness in the process. After the third statue's destruction, the Witness in a fit of rage cut the Guardian out of its collective and would send its Taken to destroy them. Despite being severely wounded, the Guardian escapes the Witness's grasp as they are transmatted onto the H.E.L.M. by Mara Sov.

Meanwhile at the ritual site, Zavala, Ikora, Cayde, and Crow eliminate all of the enemy forces standing in their way. The Witness would then manifest itself and express its disappointment with the Vanguard as three souls are seen disintegrating away. As the Witness spotted the H.E.L.M. in the distance, it would use its power to briefly hold the H.E.L.M. in place as it declared that the fireteam had chosen entropy. Being entirely subsumed in smoke, the Witness begins to transform into another form and chases the fireteam, furiously shouting that they reveled in chaos and were unworthy of salvation. Due to Zavala being injured by a piece of the wall hurled at him by the Witness, Ikora would be forced to run back to assist in escorting him to the exit. As one of the Witness's hands attempts to grab them, they are saved by Crow who forces the hand to retreat into the smoke by using his Golden Gun and an Iron Lord axe given to him by Saladin. With the H.E.L.M. breaking free from its frozen state, Mara would drive the H.E.L.M. towards the exit. Despite the Witness's many arms bursting out of reality to grab them, the fireteam are transmatted onto the H.E.L.M., narrowly escaping the Witness's wrath. Although the Witness won this battle, the Coalition ultimately proved that defeating it was possible as Mara had succeeded in bringing their allies in the form of her Awoken, the Imperial Cabal, House of Light, and the esteemed Guardian, Micah-10. Returning to the Tower at the Lost City, the Guardian would receive a radio message from Savathûn, who revealed that she had now entered the Pale Heart alongside the Lucent Brood to assist them in defeating the Witness.

Game of Queens

Despite the Lucent Brood's "temporary alliance" with the Coalition, Savathûn would continue her schemes by sending her forces to hone the Guardian's strength by assaulting the Lost City. Upon sensing the assault, Mara Sov would warn the Guardian of the Lucent Hive's attack while remarking that they were too large in numbers to be merely from Luzaku's brood. Spotting War Totems from the old Vanguard command center, the Guardian travels down to the city to confront the Hive invaders. By reflecting Arc, Solar, and Void projectiles, the Guardian to overload the Hive elemental ruins. While travelling towards the ritual site, they are mocked by Savathûn for their inability to understand her motives. After overloading another ritual site, Crow would criticize Savathûn for attempting to sabotage them. The Witch Queen would claim she was assisting them while remarking that she was preparing for the next game to take place after the Witness is defeated. Arriving to the Lost City's Outskirts, the Guardian confronts Savathûn at the final ritual site. The Guardian dispels Savathûn's shield by overloading ruins and briefly engages with her before she chooses to retreat. Ultimately the Witch Queen remarks that although their strength is impressive, they still do not possess the power to defeat the Witness. As Crow was concerned over the Lucent Hive's presence, Mara would assure her brother that she and the Guardian would uncover Savathûn intentions.

The Dare

"It's a new cloak. If you're going to be the next Hunter Vanguard, you'll need one."

— Cayde-6 to Crow

Within the Landing, the Witness's forces would conduct experiments utilizing Screebs and Dark Ether. Desiring to bring an end to this operation, Cayde and Crow would send the Guardian to investigate. At a cliff, they discover packs of Cabal War Beasts and Shanks radiating with Dark Ether. Scanning the area around the Landing, Crow recognizes that the Witness is using Screebs to spread its corruption within the Pale Heart. Eventually they set up camp close to a waterfall where they place their Dark Ether canister. After the Guardian slays swarms of Screebs outside camp, Crow detects a concentrated energy signal nearby. Due to spotting War Beasts clashing with Screebs, Cayde remarks that the tainted War Beasts appear to be going mad due to consuming the Dark Ether from the Screebs. Following the energy signal, the Guardian scans deceased Screebs and even Shadow Legion soldiers brutally before being pounded by a pack of War Beasts led by the Devourer of Tainted Light. Despite its resilience and assistance from Taken and Dread forces, the Guardian slays the Devourer before returning back to camp. Upon returning to camp, they encounter tainted Shanks and discover that the Dark Ether canister had been stolen by the Witness's forces. However, despite this setback, Crow remained confident that he could track the barrel's likely location, while Cayde asks Crow to speak with him at the camp. As the two Hunters arrive at the camp, Cayde discloses with Crow that part of him always knew that the Traveler had not brought him back due to his lack of importance. Crow assures Cayde of his importance by remarking of his significance to Zavala, Ikora, and the Hunters, however Cayde would remain adequate that his allies no longer need him. Crow would reveal to Cayde that he relates to this lack of purpose and advises him to do what he wants with his life.

After briefly mediating, the Guardian awakens to assist Crow in destroying Taken Blights around the Landing before they return to the camp. Crow remarks of Cayde's importance to the Vanguard and why that was ultimately the reason they hunted down Uldren before ordering them to get rest. Eventually, they are awoken by Crow as Cayde had discovered that the Shanks were responsible for stealing their canister. Travelling towards their coordinates, the Guardian scans the bodies of dead Fallen killed by Shanks, confirming that Dark Ether is capable of corrupting wiring. From a cliff, the Guardian then destroys hordes of Shanks led by the Hoarder of Tainted Light. Although they had succeeded in retrieving a large amount of Dark Ether, the barrel was still missing. Using the Hoarder's data, Crow discovers the coordinates of the barrel's location. As the Guardian returns to camp for the campfire, Crow tells Cayde he understands his hatred for him, but that they should ultimately stick together. Astonishingly, Cayde reveals to Crow that he doesn't hate him or Uldren, as they had both lost everything by falling into the enemy's hands. Still consumed by guilt, Crow apologizes to Cayde for murdering him as the Awoken Prince, to which Cayde accepts his apology.

Tracking the Dark Ether signature, the Guardian, Cayde, and Crow discover that their barrel was located at the Transgression. Delving into a cave to find their barrel, the fireteam would confront the Abomination responsible for leading the operation, Lii'liks, Harvester of the Witness. Despite its strength and bringing forth engorged Screebs, the Guardian defeats Lii'liks, halting the Witness's attempts at further corrupting the Pale Heart. However as Cayde and Crow look down at its corpse, Lii'liks rises once more and releases tainted Screebs. Utilizing the environment to their advantage, Crow and Cayde crush Lii'liks to death with a by destroying the Screebs. With their mission complete, the Guardian returns where Cayde offers Crow the position as Hunter Vanguard. Although Crow is reluctant, he agrees with Cayde to think about taking the position before departing. As Crow transmats away, Cayde orders the Guardian to prepare for the final battle before calling them one of his favourites. Returning to the tower, the Guardian listens to a radio transmission between Zavala and Ikora discussing Cayde offering Crow his position within the Vanguard. Despite his previous distrust of the Darkness, Zavala astonishingly asks Ikora if she can teach him how to wield Stasis, to which she agrees.

Unmasking the Witch's Scheme

To learn the nature of Savathûn's plans, Mara Sov orders the Guardian to investigate her brood's activities. Over the comms, both Savathûn and Mara would mock each other for their past failures, including the "bomb logic while the Guardian engaged with Lucent Hive. Shortly after exiting a cave, Mara orders the Guardian to slay Taken and release their energy. Following the Awoken Queen's commands, she empowers the Guardian with Taken energy to allow them to traverse across previously unseen platforms and perceive how the Taken see. Entering into another cave, the Guardian repeats the previous process to discover hidden fissures of Light that only the Taken can see. With the assistance of Luzaku, the Guardian defeats the Witness's forces and liberates the fissures of Light.

Hunting the Hollow

"Korha! I am Misraasks, son of Inaaks! And I am your end!"

— Mithrax to Korha, the Hollow

Due to receiving a report from Crow about the House of Salvation converging on the Cradle, both the Guardian and Mithrax are sent to investigate. Meeting up with Mithrax within the cave in the Blooming, the Guardian sends their Ghost to hack into House Salvation's system while they fight off the enemy forces. After Ghost successfully hacks into their systems, Mithrax uncovers that the House of Salvation were attempting to harvest the paracausal energy from the Tree of Silver Wings. Emerging from the cave, the Guardian discovers that the bottom of the tree is inaccessible due to being blocked by a barrier. To lower the barrier, the Guardian defeats Taken Captains to receive notes of Light and Dark, and imbues the founts with the opposite paracausal force. With the barrier down, the Guardian returns to the bottom of the tree where they confront the Captain leading the operation, Korha, the Hollow. Recognizing this Captain, Mithrax would quickly order the Guardian to bring them to justice. Despite the assistance of his forces, the Guardian's strength proves too formidable, forcing Korha to retreat and leaving Mithrax enraged at his cowardice. When Ikora asks Mithrax who the Captain is, the Kell of Light responds by stating he was an individual from his past. Recognizing that Korha was a threat, Ikora and Mithrax would agree to hunt him down with the assistance of Mithrax's House Salvation contacts.

Tracking Korha's location to Riis-Reborn, both the Guardian and Mithrax would arrive at the Fallen city to confront him. Furthermore, thanks to the information from the Hidden Ikora would reveal that Korha was the right hand of Eramis until they retook Seraph Station. Desiring to end his old foe, Mithrax would proclaim that he would kill Korha like he should have done years ago. Although Ghost remained puzzled by Mithrax's relationship with this foe, he would still proclaim his support for the Light Kell. Traversing up Riis-Reborn, the Guardian uses Demolition Shanks to destroy the inaccessible entrances and defeats Weaver squadrons to travel further into the settlement. Baffled by his hatred for this Captain, Ghost finally questions Mithrax about what his hatred of Korha stemmed from. Mithrax reveals that Korha was a former member of the House of Winter responsible for killing his mother: Inaaks. Eventually, the Guardian and Mithrax reach the Technocrat's Iron where they confront Korha who brings forth his forces. During this fierce battle, Mithrax demands that Korha answers him, however he would only receive silence from the enforcer. Hacking into House Salvation's systems, Mithrax would reprogram a Brig and use it to crush Korha, delivering justice for the death of his mother. After the battle was complete, Ikora would state that Korha had been rendered into a hollowed vessel by the Witness. Mithrax would then speak of his concern for Eido's future, to which Ikora proclaims she will find her own path thanks to their guidance.

Relinquishing Grief

"We are so much more than the scars of our failures, Zavala."

— Caiatl to Zavala

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Aftermath