A/N: Enjoy the Chapter!
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Light flickered, small particles seemed to dance wildly as they bounced around and then condensed violently into a form.
Void's boots hit lunar dust with a muffled crunch as his figure emerged beside a jagged ridge on the edge of the Ocean of Storms. Around him, a haze hung in the air, thin and shimmering with strange density.
"Damn" Void labored a breath, "The air itself feels off."
A jolt of unease passed flickered through him. Void looked down at his hands. The Light coursing in his veins seemed to weaken. Almost as if it was suppressed.
"Guess that hasn't changed." Void shook his head and took a few measured steps forward.
In front of him, was a barrier. An unseen barrier that stretched like a thick curtain draped over reality itself, akin to an strange umbral veil. His eyes flickered blue. As he looked at it again, he could see black smoke with viridian tendrils curling around the barriers surface, slow and deliberate.
The closer Void got, the colder it felt.
He stopped a few meters from the curtain's edge, narrowed his eyes, and slowly unsheathed his blade.
Zamyr stirred immediately. The weapon pulsed faintly in his hand, and a low hum vibrated through the hilt.
~Finally~ Zamyr's voice echoed like a whisper inside Void's skull.
Void nodded. "Let's see it then." He stepped forward and held the blade to the veil. Void gently dragged the blade across the edge of the barrier.
The curtain rippled. There was no sound, only the faint shimmer of resistance breaking apart, akin to a frayed cloth being torn to its seams. Black strands of energy writhed wildly as they latched onto the blade's surface, but an instant later, a pale light gleamed at the blade's edge, consuming them completely.
As Void continued to drag his blade, the barrier's energy was drawn into the blade like ink into water.
Zamyr chuckled, pleased. ~Ahh… the wretched magic. How familiar, how delicious.~
Void eyed the opening he'd made as he judged it to be big enough for himself. He pulled the blade back, sheathing it. "We shouldn't cut more. If the the Hive feel that the barrier is weakened, they might just find us out."
Zamyr's amusement faded. ~What a pity. Alas, let's go.~
Void turned, stepping into the curtain. A gelid chill jolted down his spine, his eyes widened. A sinister presence weighed on his soul, Void's muscles tensed, blood rushed his veins, his heart pounded, his chest heaved and then, his mind paused.
A wicked and eerie sense of being watched flooded his brain. Void looked up, his breath hitched. The air twisted, a green mist carrying a harrowing aura wrapped around him, and a dull chill lingered on his skin.
Void twitched, as a pale light emanated from him. A second later, the mist seemed to disappear. The presence watching him seemed confused. Its gaze seemed to soften, it couldn't recognize Void anymore and it glanced over him, thinking of him as nothing more than a fleeting shadow.
"What was that?" Void exhaled a soft breath as he felt the terrifying presence whisk away.
~Omnigul. The witch of souls. Consider us lucky, O brother mine~ Zamyr spoke in a low whisper, afraid the air itself would carry away his words.
Void dryly gulped, his jaw tightened as he trudged forward. "Omnigul? What was she doing?"
~It is odd. At first, she sought to find whoever had disrupted the barrier. But I masked your presence~
"Then?" Void balled his fist, that harrowing sensation he'd felt. It was horrifying. All he felt, was pure dread, trying to tear apart his very soul.
~But then, her magic, it wavered. I took that chance, to whisk away her senses. For now, she no longer knows of us. As for what served to distract her? I do not know~
Void nodded and moved towards a steep incline leading up a cracked ridge. Dust kicked behind every step. He climbed swiftly, boots digging into lunar gravel until he reached the ledge overlooking the Hellmouth.
He looked at the inverted fortress stretching deep into the Moon's core. It still loomed like a scar carved into the Moon's heart. A gust of wind brushed past his face as he felt an eerie whistle whisk past his ears.
Void stood in silence. His eyes glowed faintly blue. He focused.
Layers of the world peeled away from his vision, piercing through the stone and darkness. Deeper—deeper—until he saw the shifting congregation of wizards below.
There—at the deepest point of Hellmouth. Encircled by countless Hive acolytes, knights, wizards in silent formation—was Crota. Or rather, a wisp of him.
Unmoving. Asleep. Resting in the tomb that once served as a war throne.
Void's brow furrowed. Suddenly, things began to fall into place.
"Omnigul. You think she got distracted because she's busy trying to keep Crota safe?" Void muttered.
~Indeed. The prince of ruin slumbers. But his insidious will still keeps watch~
"Looks like that curtain wasn't to keep people out. It was to keep Crota asleep. To let him recover."
He clenched his jaw, taking a step back from the ledge. But then—something flickered. A faint glint in the distance, nestled inside a fracture in the cliffs.
Void's eyes strained as he looked closer.
What he saw, was an old and abandoned colony base. An outpost at the far ends of the Ocean of storms. One overrun by moon dust, meteors and wretched magic.
He cursed under his breath. The last time he'd come to Ocean of Storms was to fight a war, so he nearly forgot it existed.
"The place where it all began." Void raised his brows as he recalled the first ever human outpost on the Lunar surface.
"The Anchor of Light." Void uttered, "Obsidian, what's the status on that outpost?"
Obsidian flittered to his side, his eye pulsing with faint light, "Anchor of Light. Outpost went off grid centuries ago. But, considering its construction, it probably had enough power to keep running."
"Check for sensors, any data we can collect?" Void rubbed his chin.
"Hmm. The outpost was originally made for surveying the Lunar surface. Looks like it might have telemetry. If we can access those records-" Obsidian calculated.
"Then we'll probably be able to retrace Hive movements across the surface. It might just be worthwhile." Void's eyes gleamed, but then he frowned.
Void looked towards the outpost again, something stirred in the distance. He locked onto the swirling energies that danced across the outpost. But, that wasn't Hive.
With a jolt, he turned and bolted. Dust sprayed behind him as he sprinted across the Moon's surface.
"You saw that too?" Void asked, darting.
Obsidian's voice crackled. "Energy readings inconsistent with Hive signatures. Structure reactivated… recently."
"Who's there?"
"Unknown. No idea, we'll need a closer look."
Void nodded, flickering as he appeared atop the Anchor's outer scaffolding. Void hopped down and breached the facility perimeter.
As he walked towards the door, the sensor triggered, and the door softly hissed open.
"Guess the base really does have power." Void stepped inside.
The inner halls of the outpost were trashed. The floors were torn out, the outer metal plating had long since eroded, most of the structure was at the brink of collapse, but the core still remained.
Void walked ahead, his hands brushed against the golden age walls. They were scorched, some were clawed and some looked to be dismantled. The corridor also seemed aged, sections of it lit only by flickering emergency lights.
The halls were quiet.
Too quiet. And as he walked down, Void could see the shadows shift behind him.
'Somebody's definitely here.' He noted. But his instincts told him there wasn't much to fear. Not right now.
Obsidian drifted ahead scanning constantly. "Still registering bio-signs. Odd frequency… similar to Fallen. But…" he paused, "wrong."
Void's shoulders stiffened, "Fallen?"
He racked his brain, were there any Fallen foolish enough to try nesting on the Moon?. He could barely recall.
He swept through empty chambers, his steps echoing. Nothing but dust and rusted terminals.
Finally, he reached the central control room. Somehow it was still mostly intact.
He gestured. "Lets pull logs. Aim for the last two weeks or so. We'll have enough with that duration/"
Obsidian's eye flickered as he plugged into the terminal.
"Working. Last update: seven days ago. Triggered by infra-red motion arrays near Hellmouth. Logs indicate multiple small-scale presences."
"Any data on—"
But before he could finish, Obsidian cut him off. "Something's coming. Bio signals are approach us fast."
Void sighed. He unsheathed his blade.
"Figures."
The room hissed. Doors slid open. Then a skittering noise filled the room. claws clacking against metal. Broken breathing filled the chamber as a dozen Exile Eliksni slithered inside, crawling on limbs that twitched unnaturally.
Their armor was corrupted. Welded with scrap. Their eyes gleamed with erratic hunger. One, larger than the rest—a Captain—stepped forward. A jagged arc shotgun clenched in his twitching hands.
He locked eyes with Void.
Then growled.
Void stepped forward, loose and relaxed as he lowered his blade. Pale arcs of light sparked around his shoulders.
The Captain pumped his shotgun. His troops aimed, twitching in place.
Void raised a single hand and pointed his thumb backward—like he was gesturing behind him. The Captain's brow twitched, he paused, slowly looking back.
"Dumbass."
In a blink, he streaked through them. Lightning cracked as Void swung, cleaving apart the swarm. Void darted towards the surviving Fallen. Slicing them to pieces before they could even blink.
He reappeared in the center of the room, standing amid falling bodies. The Captain roared, and fired wildly, spinning in panic. But he hit nothing. As his vision settled all he saw were just shadows.
His breathing grew frantic as his eyes darted around the room.
Then—tap.
A light touch on his shoulder.
He turned again—and Void was leaning against the wall, arms crossed.
The Captain snarled, raising his weapon—
But Void simply pointed behind him.
But the Captain didn't flinch, and opened fire.
Then-
Zamyr's illusion exploded into reality behind him. A phantom blade tore through the Captain's thoughts, flooding his mind with horror. He staggered—then collapsed, unconscious, twitching.
Void flickered away, exhaled and shrugged, dusting a bit of ash off his cloak, "Really should've listened."
The room went still. The last flickers of Zamyr's power dissipated into the dark.
Obsidian floated down slowly. "Got all the logs. There's a lot to extract. But first, I did find something, interesting."
He projected a holo-map, showing a unique structure close to the Anchor of Light.
"This, weird place There's a lot of activity detected at its perimeter. I'd say that in the last few weeks, the Hive practically huddled around it. If we're trying to find out what they're up to, this has to be the place" Obsidian hummed.
Void raised a brow as he inspected it. A thought flashed in his mind as he recalled what this place was. 'Temple of Crota.'
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chap!