[url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/257797792/0/0]Link to Chapter 5 Part 2: Drowning[/url] [spoiler]All chapters can be found in the [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/253302742/0/0]OoT table of contents[/url][/spoiler] I was perched on the ledge that overlooked the main stage of the Templar’s Well, pushing down the fear that fought for control of my mind. As before, it had been easy to get this far, but I knew that as soon as I dropped to the gate guarded by the Templar escape would become a challenge few could survive. I had lost all connection to the outside world as soon as I had entered, but I didn’t feel as if anything had changed. I needed to go deeper. Holding Sierra’s hand cannon up in front of me, I ran my thumb over its curves and flaked off some of the dried blood. It still rang like a bell when fired. [i]“You couldn’t have changed any of this.”[/i] I bit back tears as I remembered some of her last words. Could I change anything now? Now that I knew the Vault could be used as a doorway through time and space, could I get the Sierra I knew back? Could I navigate through alternatives controlled by the Vex and turn back the clock? I had to hope. Preparing to battle an army, I jumped down and landed with my weapon leveled. Nothing stirred. Not seeing any Vex lurking to my left or right, I looked straight down the middle where the Templar had once barred the way. The gate was open. The Templar did not appear. “Rush, where are they?” I slid a little closer to some cover, swiveling my head constantly in search of enemies. “There’s nothing,” my Ghost reported, “No activity.” “This has got to be a trap,” I muttered. “Yep,” Rush agreed. “But the Vex won’t do anything until we walk into it,” I gritted my teeth with fearful anticipation, beginning to walk around towards the open door. “I hate when you’re right,” Rush sighed. I made it to the open spot where the Templar usually floated, watching my flanks and peeking through the passageway ahead. Nothing. I stepped through the door, then stopped a few meters in, looking behind me to the Templar’s Well. Nothing. “What in the Traveler’s name is going on?” I pondered. “Maybe they want us to come in?” Rush guessed. “That doesn’t make sense,” I disagreed, “What purpose could it possibly serve for them.” “Maybe they think you’re dead?” Rush tried another option. “We shot some of them on their front porch,” I reasoned. “Yeah…” Rush remembered, “Maybe the Templar is dead?” “I already told you that’s not possible,” I argued, “We merely repelled it when we came in.” “Maybe someone in this time found a way to kill it?” Rush suggested. “Maybe…” I nodded thoughtfully, but strongly doubted it. Another version of it from another alternative in time probably would’ve replaced the destroyed version. Not wanting to remain stationary, I continued down the path and through the winding tunnel until I came to the cliff overlooking the Gorgons’ Maze. Just looking down into the shroud that hid its paths and horrors made me shudder. “You’re sure we need to go back down there?” Rush asked, clearly as afraid as I was. “No,” I answered, then jumped off the ledge. I landed as softly as I could and immediately rushed over to a boulder to hide. After several moments of looking around and listening for the soft sounds of Gorgons, I determined that none were near and released my held breath. Tilting my head back to rest against the stone, I pondered what to do next. “Will,” Rush broke my train of thought, “Was that open before?” Following a waypoint that Rush put on my HUD, I looked to the large Vex door that was set into the wall of stone that made the cliff I had just fallen from. This door was not segmented like most Vex doors I had seen, and instead was split into two portions that met in the middle when closed. It was wide open, exposing the interior of a cylindrical room. Coming closer, I saw that nothing occupied it. Not wanting to go in, I began to turn away, but stopped when I saw a slit of white in the shadowy room. Readying Sierra’s hand cannon, I stepped inside and crept to the other side of the room, watching for any sign of Vex teleportation. Nothing came, allowing me to reach the object unbothered. Reaching down between a couple of rocks, I slid out a broken metal object and held it where I could see better. “Light…” Rush gasped. In my palm rested the remains of a Ghost, battered and aged to where its shell hardly looked white anymore. There was no life in its single eye. “Rush, what can you pull out of it?” I asked. My Ghost appeared next to me and shot a blue beam out of his eye, interacting with the other. Its blue eye flickered back on and it floated up a little before vanishing in a flash of white. This wasn’t the first time I had seen this done to a dead Ghost, but I still was not sure what happened to them. Whatever it was, it didn’t appear that any were actually revived. Rush thought it was something more like sending their Light back to the Traveler. “Uh, Will?” Rush seemed a little dazed, “Those Guardians you said came into the Vault before us. You said one of them was named Praedyth, right?” “Yes,” I confirmed. “This was his,” he told me. I tilted my head down for a moment to mourn the loss. But I couldn’t risk more than a moment. “What did you learn?” “There was just a little fragment,” Rush reported, “It…it was where they last saw Praedyth.” I beckoned in a motion to continue. “They didn’t see their Guardian die, but…he was trapped.” “Where?” I encouraged. “A room like this one,” Rush responded. Not hesitating even a moment, I snatched Rush out of the air and ran out the door. Stopping just outside, I did a sweep for Gorgons then turned to see that the door hadn’t closed. The Vex hadn’t been trying to trap us. “Let go!” Rush complained in as hushed a tone as he deemed necessary. “Sorry,” I released him, and he floated up to look towards the door again. “Right…should’ve thought of that closing on us,” Rush said apologetically. “Lead me to Praedyth,” I commanded. “William, he couldn’t still be-“ Rush began soothingly. “Wether or not he’s alive, he’s still the only lead we have,” I interrupted, “…And our best chance at figuring something out.” [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/257929219/0/0]Link to Chapter 6 Part 2: Doors[/url]