The Death of Hope: Shattered Past Book 6 (Destiny 2)

Epilogue

Near a small stage at the center of Hope, James-17 stood adjusting the tie on his suit. He had a whole script prepared and everything but he still had a hard time believing that he would be standing here today. Almost everyone from across the two Cities on Earth and the Spire on Nessus were going to hear him speak. He knew that he had to make these words last. To make them inspire generations that would eventually follow. His Mom, Sara, now in an Exo body walked up to him wearing her pants suit and adjusted her glasses around her blue eyes and looked at him. "You look handsome James," She said as she stared into his blue eyes from her own, standing next to her was Michael and Korena, in suits of their own.

"Thank you, you all look great. Thank you for being here,"

"Hey, think of this as me making up for all the stuff I wasn't able to be there for." Sara chuckled as Zavala gestured for James to come on stage. "Knock em dead kiddo," She said giving him a kiss on the cheek before walking to the other side of the stage to the front. James exhaled softly to himself as he walked up and sat down on the chairs that were just behind the podium. He looked and saw at least forty thousand people out in front. It was like he was being inaugurated as the new president there were that many people. Cayde, Ikora, Shaxx, Saladin, Sidriks, Hawthorne and Nemia were all sitting in chairs next to him. Zavala tapped on the microphone, he'd already spoken before but now he had to introduce James before he could speak. After clearing his throat, the Titan looked out to the group.

"If anything, I believe the man next to us, needs no introduction." He said. "Everyone, it is my great honor to reintroduce, James-17," He said stepping to the side as a cue for the Exo to stand up. With thunderous applause and roaring cheers James stood up with a smile and walked swiftly over to the podium. Zavala took his seat as James stood up at the front of the crowd and waited for everyone to fall silent.

"Eighteen years ago...I woke up, I came into a world that I barely understood. One where I didn't even know my own name. I knew not my place." He began. "I had a teacher, one who had told me that I was a guardian, a person meant to fight that battles, that nobody ever could. As I practiced and learned more skills, I grew stronger. I became one with myself." He said looking down at the podium. "As the years passed and I gained friends, whose love I share with the world even today. Two years ago, I died. I should have died. But, I was shown something. I saw that it was the greatest mistake I had ever made in my entire life. Upon my return here, I saw that still. The people I'd hurt numbered the people who I had touched. But, if I had learned anything from all of this, it was when I had lost my light, my faith, and my hope." He said staring out at all of the people attentively listening to him. "I learned that I didn't need Light to have hope. Hope, is what burns brightest when the darkness snuffs out the light. Hope, was what I named this City, I called it this because like the fires of hope that burn inside of us, it too can glow like the sun. And it was that fire, that was kindled by those I loved that I believed the dawn would still come. Here I stand today, a proud father of four, a champion of the people, and a friend to many. But it is you, you the people, who have touched me the most. For even though you could have died forever, chose to fight Ghaul in defiance of his lust for power. From those who lived in the sewers and the underground," He said looking at Nova, Molly, and Aaron who had gone misty-eyed. "To those out in the wilds," He said looking at Hawthorne. James then smiled and looked at the people in front of him. "You have my thanks, for standing by us to the end. It is with great honor and pride that I call you my people. Now..there is something that has been long overdue." He said holding out his hand and it glowed a bright purple, a blast emitted from it and sent smaller beams and explosions out into the walls that surrounded Hope. The walls that had been constructed and held for years, now it was time for them to come down.

One after another each chunk of the wall disappeared into particles of void light. "The Dark Times have come to an end!" He shouted happily. "May this Golden Age last forever! And may this dawn never fade!" He said as he sent a nova bomb up into the sky and it detonated into fireworks. The crowd around him began to cheer as they hounded the stage. Cameron, David, Nova, Molly, and the rest of his friends all picked him up and tossed him into the air like it was the end of a college football game.

"It's over...at long last...the nightmare is over," He said looking up at the clouds, he swore he could see the older Cayde's face up there smiling down at him. "You did good kid...you did good." He said to himself.

THE END