The Hidden Truth (A Destiny Fanfiction)

Chapter 27: The Black Garden

"I don't think we'll get a second chance at this." I sighed. "We pull this off, we can save the Traveler. If not, we're risking the chance of the the Vex seizing our worlds through the same portal we're going in through."

"And what would be the conditions of our not being able to succeed on this mission?" Maya asked arrogantly. "We can't die. We can just keep coming back to life until we win, right?"

"On the contrary," Lazarus chimed in. "the enemies we will face in the Black Garden will be the most powerful we have faced so far. Not only can they kill you, but they can ultimately drain you of your light, thus making you unrevivable."

"Oh..." Maya looked down sadly, then cheerfully back up at Lazarus. "Any last words in case you die and never come back, then?"

"Yes." He replied seriously. "Your cloak is stupid."

"Dude, don't even start. My cloak is frabjous." She retorted.

"...Alright?" He nodded, looking a bit confused.

"Anyways," I interrupted, already getting annoyed. "Let's go finish this."

~~~

"The Gate Lord's eye is still charged. Let's head for the Gate." My Ghost ordered as we landed in the Meridian Bay.

We made our way to the Valley of Kings, evading every Cabal on the way there. In less than two minutes, we were standing in front of the enormous gates we had encountered several missions back.

"The Vex are going to do everything they can to keep us out of the Black Garden." Robo warned.

Sure enough, we found the Gate guarded by several Vex, including Minotaurs and a Hydra.

Lazarus was quick to launch a Nova Bomb, eliminating a significant amount of Goblins and Hobogoblins. I bashed my way through the Goblins and opened fire on the Minotaurs with my shotgun, taking them down easily. Ivory took the Hydra, switching between her Golden Gun and Sniper, and Maya went around wielding her Arc Blade.

Throughout our combined efforts, we were able to take out the Vex quickly. The gate suddenly started to flash and whir before finally opening.

"I hope this works!" Lazarus yelled before we were engulfed in a blinding light.

We waited a moment until the light finally faded away, revealing an entirely new location.

"We were teleported...?" Ivory asked as we heard the gate close behind us.

"If this is the Black Garden, it's not on any map of known space and time..." My Ghost awed.

"Well, I guess we just keep going." I sighed as I reloaded my shotgun.

We made our way through the area, which was filled with dozens of Vex, but they didn't seem to react to our presence.

"They're in some kind of stasis..." Lazarus observed as he wiped some moss off of one to get a better look at it.

I approached a different one and tapped it roughly with my finger. It's eye suddenly shone a bright red as I did, making me jump back in shock. All the other statues surrounding us came to life in unison, and sensed us immediately.

"Damn it, Ezekiel...!" Lazarus grunted as he whipped out his hand cannon and rapidly started shooting everything that got near him. Between him and Ivory, the Goblins were cleared out quickly. "We should be more careful." He growled quietly and continued through the area.