The searing sun's rays struck at my back, heating the battered and almost broken armor I wore.

Was the armor mine? I did not know.

I forced myself upwards, my muscles aching and screaming at me as if they wished to stay in the red-sand-covered soil beneath me.

What looked like a lower mouth mask fell from my face as I did so and the tattered remnants of a cloak that may have once laid proudly upon my back were clutched tightly in my hands.

I'd done it by instinct, like a baby holding tightly onto his blanket as he sleeps.

Looking at... Me, myself, I did not know what to think.

Who was I? I am human, correct?

How is it that I knew the concept of being human, much less the concept of consciousness or species if I had nary a memory to my name?

As the realization hit me, I scoffed to myself in a dry attempt at humor...

Nay, I did not even have a name...

"Hey, you." My musings were interrupted by the sound of a slightly robotic voice. I looked around myself, only to not see any exos nearby.

...What was an exo again?

"I'm over here Risen, above."

I looked upwards only to flinch at the sun's rays hitting part of my exposed face.

I could hear a sigh of disappointment within the slight... techy(?) and female undertone. I did not know how to define it really and still don't.

"Here."

A small black drone moved to stand in front of me. Its shape was a confusing one, even harder to describe it.

"Hello, I'm a Ghost... Your Ghost. You've been dead for a long while now... but I brought you back because I thought you were worthy of guiding humanity to a better place..."

I made to speak, my throat rumbled in a familiar yet incredibly alien feeling, it almost felt like my vocal cords protested their use.

"Ghost?... Dead?... Guiding?"

Its weirdly expressible features twitched in understanding.

"Right... Sorry, I didn't mean to overwhelm you. I just got pretty excited to have finally found my guardian y'know? Anyway... Let's get out of here, it's not safe."

The eager little girl seemed to be anxious at the prospect of leaving here...

"And 'Here' is where?"

"We're on Mars right now... Since the collapse, it has been overrun by Hive.
You don't want to meet them right now... or ever, really. You see, they can sense the traveler's light... and like to chase it... and snuff it out... And I'm kind of almost entirely made out of the Traveller's light...... So..."

That was bad, I suppose. The Hive sounded like a formidable enemy, one I could not meet with an outstretched hand and a diplomatic smile.

But I don't even remember ever doing that with any enemy. I don't remember anything at all.

A harrowing, blood-curdling screech was carried by the howling winds of the desert. The little one turned to where the sound came from, her frame, and the triangles which were in a low orbit around her, all shrunk and shook in fear of what might follow.

She turned to me, I looked at her single orb, and before she spoke a word I already knew her next words.

"RUN!"

I turned away from her and started my first sprint ever. Fairly close by, I saw what looked like a high-tech facility, the symbol of it being a star on top with a discolored line going downwards and forming a C, with the pattern mirrored. Next to it, written in bold but faded lettering were the words:

"BrayTech Futurescape"

"There! - my little buddy piped up - I'm catching the active signal of an Arcadia-class jumpship by that place. If we get to that ship, we can get out of here!"

I did not answer with words but with action. The prospect of an achievable escape was enough motivation to make me burst forth with renewed vigor and even more haste than before. I climbed the ramp, beset at both sides by crashed and decrepit monorails that once may have transported the employees to and fro this place.

Halfway to the top a line of faintly human, but horribly disfigured abominations jumped down from the top of the ramp to my left. They rushed toward me, from their stride to the spikes on their elbows, or the unsettling grin and lack of eyes, I could easily tell they were not friendly.

"Strike them!" Said the voice of my Ghost.
"Channel the light within and use it to strike them down!"

Within? How could I bring out the light within....? My feelings and my thoughts are both the only things within that I believe could help me channel the light.

But how could I focus it? What was the light, how could it be channeled much less turned into a deadly form?

There are, and were, too many uncertainties. But adversity is the mother of evolution, and it was through that and the whirlwinds that my thoughts were that I had felt it.

A tiny buzz. A little jolt. The tiny tingly feeling spread from the back of my head to the tip of my fingers. I made a fist, reared back, and struck one of my abominable attackers across the jaw.

He was gone in an instant. Currents of the highest voltage coursed through him and immediately burnt any remnants of its body, and then they spread. Immediately it jumped to another, then another, another, and finally killed the last one.

Just like that, I had taken the life of another sentient being multiple times over in just a few seconds.

And I felt exhilarated.

The toxic euphoria did not subside, the sense of power and superiority almost suffocated my rational self's thoughts.

"Keep moving Risen! The whole brood knows we're here now, no doubt about it!"

"Right!" I answered quickly and put myself back into a sprint, quickly climbing the ramp and making it to the actual 'Futurescape' area.

I was confused as to where I should go, but my buddy guided me just as quickly as I asked myself that question.

"To the right! There should be a small landing bay right there!"

A white diamond with blue edges suddenly appeared in my vision and I followed after it without questioning where it came from.

The sand-covered floor made it more difficult for me to sprint and the heat of the sun endlessly bearing down on my face did not help in the slightest but I still kept going. I had to make it out of here and understand what the hell was going on around the system.

That determination kept me going until I finally managed to round the corner, immediately slinking back into it after a figure flew out and screeched loudly at something.

It looked even worse than the ones that came before it. The head was almost like a disfigured crest, on it were three glowing eyes accompanied by a large maw, from which it screeched once more, its arms were long and spindly, and the nails seemed more poised to be an eagle's claws than anything else.

Together with all that, the body of the creature was covered by a long and tattered brown cloak that left nothing else exposed.

Moving through the air quicker than anything I've ever seen (not much) it lifted its hands and started conjuring fireballs from it, lobbying them at an unseen assailant who thankfully wasn't me.

But just as fast as it moved it was shot down. A loud gunshot rang out, the first broke the orange projection around it, and the second hit it right in the eyes immediately making it seethe and fade away in a murky green flame.

I was worried. Were the ones who just shot and killed that abomination friendly? No... It wouldn't make sense.
Even if they were human or exo I could not trust them.

I peeked out from the corner, everything seemed clear and I could see what I assumed to be the Arcadia jumpship in the landing bay.

Not waiting for the advice of my companion, I moved back and quietly walked up the stairs, finding the shooter to be on the second floor, calmly surveying the area.

The being was distinctly inhuman. It wore a helmet that had a Y-shaped visor, from which purple lights glowed out, near the sides of the forehead the helmet had the beginnings of horns, which would circle to the back of its head and make a Halo a little behind it.

Judging by its build, it was more nimble and agile than slow and bulky. That would give me a chance to win against it in hand-to-hand combat, I simply had to be quick, hit strong, and not let it shoot me.

I stalked forward and my hands moved in synchrony. One held it by the semi-halo and the other held it by the chin, in but a second its helmeted features now faced me.

But that didn't stop it from hitting me with the butt-end of its gun and shooting me in the gut.

The shot hurt. A searing sensation enveloped my stomach, and I could feel an even worse, burning one, where I assumed the wound to be.

By instinct, I punched it again. Just like that it faded, into nothing but electrons.

My hand clutched my stomach and pressured it due to an unknown, but still familiar, instinct.

"You're maintaining pressure. That's good... - said the ever-so energetic voice of my companion - but, there's no need...
- the bullet exited my stomach and fell to the ground, the alien design of it clearly showing its otherworldly nature. - The Light provides healing to you. I provide healing to you, it's part of my job after all. Can't lose my guardian this quickly."

"Gotcha. - my eyes turned to the weapon on the floor - does the light also give me a one-size-fits-all bullet supply?"

I could sense the happiness her one eye radiated, it almost made me smile as well.

"Yes! In fact, you won't have to worry about ammo for the vast majority of weapons! A few of them I cannot make nigh-endless ammo for, due to their power, the light consumption would be too great to be effective. Before you ask, you can acquire those types of ammo by bathin-, I mean, by killing your enemies!"

A slight tinge of surprise made its way onto my face. No matter, it was inconsequential as of now.

"Alright - I kneeled to pick up its weapon, the design was weird but I could feel my way through it - let's get to that ship an-"

A projectile that felt much like the first one hit my left shoulder from behind, I turned and fired back at them. Once, twice, three times I fired in the span of a second.

A shot missed, another hit it in the leg, and the last hit its throat.

At the same time, it fired twice. The first hit my throat, the second hit my forehead.

And suddenly, I was dead.

Death is a difficult experience to describe. It feels lukewarm, calm and still. But I could feel that not all was well.

The thin blanket of slight warmth was beset at all sides by a cold, all-encompassing feeling.

I could feel its call.

Such a sweet allure. All it asked, all it said, was for me to take. To take as much as I wanted. Stating that if I just took it, I could have whatever I wanted.

But words were never exchanged.

I felt it, I felt the message it wanted to give to me. I felt the sweet sensation of achievement, the desire to have anything I wanted.

That... scared me... and always will.

When I awoke again, I saw the reddish sky, the sun still in the same place as before. And, of course, my Ghost.

She covered my vision. Her little pyramids that stood in orbit attached to the eye in the center again.

"You broken? - she asked, concern evident in her voice -"

"No, but I think I might wanna be... Where did the other one even come from?"

"Sorry, I wasn't paying enough attention to warn you." Her frame shrunk and the little pyramids in her orbit lowered themselves.

"It is fine, I'm not dead, now am I?"

"Well no, but...."

"Don't dwell on it."

The soreness in my body was evident, but it faded as quickly as it came. I stood, grunting and groaning all the way.

"Let's just get to that damn ship and get out of here."

The white diamond appeared on the left side of my vision. Much, much bigger than before.

"On your left." Said my Ghost.

I turned to where she told me to, and was met with the nose of the ship. Its design was mediocre, slim, and compact. I needed only for it to work and allow me to get out of here.

My ghost appeared from oblivion once more and moved to the ship. Scanning certain parts that I assumed were vital to getting the fuck out of here.

"All good! - she chirped happily - I'll transmat you inside right now, hold on!"

I was '"transmatted'" inside. The dusty, sleek cockpit filled my view. The aged cream-white color contrasted heavily with the onyx black of the outer hull.

"Just press the red button - I did as she asked - and summon the seatbELLLT! - As it turns out the big red button was to make us lift off and go to the atmosphere at high speeds. - "

The intense speed of our ship was enough to stretch the sides of my face from all the Gs. Thankfully it was quick enough that I didn't pass out before we left the atmosphere.

A dark, near-endless void of inky blackness with tiny lights dotted across, was all I could see. It was a magnificent sight. I'll never forget the view, you could truly see your insignificance in such a place.

Cosmic bodies scattered across my field of vision as the vessel turned, the white sun behind me, I could see almost all the planets.

I looked down at my hands, one held the same tattered remains of a cloak and the other held the alien's weapon.

I set down its weapon and finally gave the cloak a good look. It was a faded blood-red color, the same symbol from BrayTech Futurescape was there too. Although I could tell its colors were once a vibrant blue and a verdant green.

Flipping it, the inside of it was mostly the same. Except at the hem of it lay a message, right before the hood that would go over my head.

From ___ _nd El___ B__y, wi__ l___.

I felt a warmth upon seeing that message for the first time, and it was still there every time afterward.

"Do you remember anything from before?" My Ghost asked. The inquisitive look wasn't chastising, but it was prying.

"No... - I said, and sighed - I don't. But I can still feel some things I assume are related to my past, maybe I can get my memories back eventually."

" - Her shell approached me and lightly bumped into my shoulder - Well, I'll help you out throughout all of it! You're my Risen after all!". Risen, that strange name again.

"Risen? What does that mean?"

She had that happy look on her face again, like I'd just asked to know more about her religion. "Risen are those who have been risen from death by the Traveller's graceful gift of light. Your powers are something only the Risen have, and if you find others like you, you may even learn how to utilize different and more aggressive ones! - she reorganized her thoughts, no doubt confused from the excitement, and continued - As a Risen, your duty is to protect humanity! Us Ghosts go to great lengths to ensure we find the perfect guardians for humanity, although some make mistakes - she muttered -, your powers are incredible, and not even death can stop you! You're the perfect protector!"

"I see. So... where do we go from here then?"

"To the Traveller's resting place and humanity's cradle. Earth."

She aligned and adjusted the ship, the countdown for the jump drive engaging.

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

And we were off.

_____ //_____

Howdy doody. How y'all doing?

This fic has been in my archives for quite a long while now.

Anyway, I'm back to writing fanfics again. I'll go back to the Persona 5 Royal one, 'Just a Little Off Kilter', soon enough. I've just been in a transitional period in my life and now that I'm getting a PC I'll be able to play the game again and finish that one.

Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed this new idea I got. It won't be strictly lore-accurate, since the Dark Age lore is confusing and very extensive, but I'll do my best to try to follow through with it.

Have a good day, night or evening.