Kael stood in front of the Guardian kiosk.
It didn't look like much—just a vertical console with golden inlays, shaped like a narrow obelisk with an interface panel. But the air around it buzzed. Not electrically. Energetically.
This was the place where a Guardian became recognized.
Where their name wasn't just a title whispered in the field.
But something etched into the records of the Tower itself.
---
> [System Prompt – Register Guardian Identity?]
Optional: Alias Use
Status: Light Signature Confirmed
Classification: Anomalous Resurrection – Non-Ghost Assisted
Warning: Entry will generate permanent Vanguard record. Proceed with care.
Ghost appeared beside him, flickering like a pulse of conscience.
"Still time to fake your name and disappear," he said casually. "Want to go with something like... Blaze McFirehands?"
Kael stared at him.
"…Fine. What about 'Burnie Lightburn'? 'Flare-onimus'?"
Kael raised one eyebrow.
Ghost sighed. "You're really going to do this straight."
"I didn't come back from the dead to meme my birth certificate."
"You literally did, though."
---
Kael reached out, placed his hand on the console.
A ripple of golden Light spread out from his palm. The screen blinked to life, lines of code scrolling rapidly before resolving into a blank entry line.
> Please Enter Registered Guardian Name:
He paused.
Then typed it.
Kael Solas.
---
The screen pulsed.
Then accepted it.
---
> [Guardian Registration Confirmed – Solas, Kael]
Designation: Hunter-Class, Subtype Undefined
Vanguard Affiliation: Unassigned
Resurrection Classification: Unassisted – Phoenix Protocol Recovery
Traits Detected: Solar Dominance, Anomalous Light Shaping
Rank Assignment: [Pending Vanguard Review]
Codex Entry Created: "He rose from ash. Not by call. Not by command. But by conviction."
---
Kael stepped back as the glow faded.
Ghost hovered beside him, quiet for once.
"That felt... big," Kael said.
"It was," Ghost replied. "They know your name now."
---
Starflame Whisper hummed in his mind.
> "You have named yourself. Now the world must answer."
---
Just then, a notification pinged softly in his HUD.
> [New Quest Available – "Towers and Echoes"]
Description: Meet with a Vanguard representative to review classification and Light variance.
Objectives:
– Attend Vanguard Evaluation
– Submit recent Light resonance logs
– Optional: Speak with Legacy Recordkeeper (Cryptarch)**
Kael exhaled.
"One step closer to the deep end."
---
---
The evaluation room wasn't what Kael expected.
No high-tech interrogation bay. No glowing arena of judgment. Just a clean, oval-shaped chamber on the upper level of the Tower, flanked by banners and softly glowing light lines across the floor. It was quiet. Serene.
And deeply unsettling.
Kael stood near the center as his data streamed upward from Ghost into a holo-pane.
> [Initiating Vanguard Evaluation Protocol]
Light Signature: Verified
Resurrection: Confirmed – Non-Ghost Dependent
Classification: Solas, Kael – Anomaly Tier-Alpha
Guardian Rank: [Unassigned] – Pending System Classification
---
A panel on the wall slid open.
An Awoken figure in Vanguard blue entered—tall, thin, with sharp silver eyes. No name. No rank badge.
Just presence.
"I'm your evaluator," they said calmly. "Call me Cipher."
Kael inclined his head. "You're with the Vanguard?"
"I'm for the Vanguard," Cipher replied. "Titles are for those who seek permanence. You haven't earned permanence. Yet."
---
Cipher's gaze flicked toward the data pane.
"You've ignited Light without Ghost revival. That alone would place you under deep scrutiny. But the pattern of your activity—Trial-linked, Hive disruption, resurrection via Phoenix Protocol—it's... compelling."
Kael crossed his arms. "You're not here to compliment me."
"No," Cipher said. "I'm here to determine if you're dangerous. Or inevitable."
---
Ghost hovered slightly higher. "And people say I'm dramatic."
---
Cipher turned toward a display console embedded in the room's far wall.
A vertical list of Guardian Ranks glowed into view:
---
Guardian Rank Structure – Vanguard Order
1. Initiate – Recently awakened, Light access confirmed. Limited privileges.
2. Warder – Minor field operation experience. Eligible for standard missions.
3. Pathfinder – Cleared for planetary excursions, low-risk strikes.
4. Knight – Capable of leading squads. Access to elite training.
5. Flamekeeper – Proven Light resonance stability. Access to exotic tier relics.
6. Ascendant – Vanguard-advised status. Tactical leadership potential.
7. Echoborn – Rare rank. Granted to those with multi-type Light or anomalous abilities.
8. Banner-Sworn – Guardians appointed to represent the City's interest beyond its walls.
9. Dawnwright – Legendary status. Record of major victories.
10. Architect – Reality-influencing Guardians. Feared. Respected. Watched.
---
Cipher continued: "Progression isn't tied to time. It's tied to resonance. Action. Impact."
Kael studied the list.
"You're telling me these aren't military ranks."
"They're Light echoes. Mirrors of what you've shaped in the world."
Kael tapped the final rank name: Architect.
"That sounds ominous."
Cipher didn't blink. "It is."
---
The holo shimmered again.
> [Preliminary Classification: Guardian Rank – Echoborn (Provisional)]
Criteria: Unassisted Resurrection | Multi-Type Light Affinity | Hive Anomaly Response
Access: Advanced Relic Networks | Experimental Vanguard Systems | Light Variance Channels
---
Kael let out a slow breath.
"You're ranking me this high?"
Cipher stepped back. "You ranked yourself the moment you returned to life by your own fire."
They turned toward the exit.
"You'll receive an official notice. Until then—watch who watches you."
---
> [Quest Objective Complete – Vanguard Evaluation Passed]
New Access Unlocked: Light Codex | Relic Labs | Title Registry
New Passive Unlocked: Lightbound Insight – Gain periodic awareness of hidden Light distortions in nearby space
---
Kael turned toward the window beyond the room.
He could see the Traveler above… and the City below.
He felt like a ghost with a name.
---
---
The Tower's inner chambers were quieter than Kael expected.
Past the Vanguard levels and Hall of Guardians, the polished stone pathways curved down toward the Cryptarch's archives—a solemn wing of terminals, bookcases, and whispering voices. Dim light filtered through suspended screens etched with decoding runes.
Kael walked alone.
---
Ghost flickered softly. "I've read about this place. Some say it holds every Light-born record not even the Vanguard fully understands."
"They still run it?"
Ghost pulsed. "More or less. Most Guardians only come here when a vendor points them to it on accident."
---
A soft voice greeted him from the shadows near a data-stack.
"Welcome, Guardian."
An elderly man—robes layered in pale blue and ivory, thin-framed glasses reflecting console light—turned to face him.
Master Rahool.
Cryptarch of the Tower.
---
Kael blinked. In another life, this man had been a meme—beloved, hated, infamous for turning legendary engrams into green boots.
Now?
He radiated quiet gravity.
---
"I sensed your arrival," Rahool said. "The Tower's data channels hummed the moment you touched the Guardian kiosk. A rare phenomenon."
Kael nodded. "Seems I'm triggering a lot of those lately."
"You burned your name into the system. Not many do that before their first dozen missions."
Rahool motioned toward a glowing pedestal.
"May I?"
Kael nodded and placed his hand on it. The panel scanned him, then shimmered with white Light.
> [Cryptarch Scan Complete – ID: Solas, Kael]
Noted Traits:
– Phoenix-Reforged Light Signature
– Anomalous Relic Echoes
– Fragmented Pre-War Language Patterns
Suggested Archive Entry: "Architect-Class Emergent"
Archive Updated.
---
Rahool blinked slowly.
"You're not just new, Guardian. You're out of sync."
Kael said nothing.
Rahool smiled faintly. "Good. The Tower grows stagnant without those who remind us that not all Light comes from the same star."
---
Before Kael could respond, his HUD pinged.
Not a system ping.
A message trace.
Faint. Encrypted. Old.
> [Incoming Trace – Source: Unknown]
Signature Match: 83.7%
Class: Deep Archive Channel
Code Tag: [EM-7]
Message Content: "The Hive speak in screams now. You hear them, don't you? Follow their echoes. I will be listening."
Kael froze.
Ghost hovered silently.
"…It's her."
---
> [Quest Thread Unlocked – "Shadows Between Stars"]
Objective: Investigate Hive activity near Luna's pre-collapse observatory
Contact Trigger: [Eris Morn] – Status: Confirmed Alive | Location: Unknown
Note: High-risk. Minimal oversight. Proceed with caution.
---
Kael stepped away from the pedestal.
He didn't speak.
Didn't need to.
The Tower knew his name now.
And soon, the darkness would too.
---
To Be Continued – Chapter 17 – The Mask of the Reforged
---