A gentle wind rustled through the vibrant city of Metropolis, people of all walks of life too in the beautiful sunlight. There were no worries, in part because of the advanced security in place of the city, but also in part to the magnificent sphere of white looming in the sky. For someone that wasn't even born on Earth, the young Awoken man couldn't help but feel some semblance of homeliness to the celestial body.
It was, of course, Humanity's origin point. The man himself, however, was born far beyond her reaches, in the asteroid belt separating Earth from the rest of the planetoids in the Solar System. Lovingly, he and the other Awoken referred to it as 'the Reef'. Humanity had long settled that place, but the effects of living in deep space had a strange effect on them, molding them into a sub-species of Humanity, with a variety of skin and eye colors.
The young man was of a Russian-blue coloration, with vibrant, piercing orange eyes. Today was a special day for him, however, as he finally got to meet his heroes. The ceremony would be large, for certain. Glancing down at the badge pinned to his ceremonial robes, the young man beamed with pride. As an ambassador for the Reef, he was certain to meet the three new Vanguard heroes, and graciously work with them in the future.
A shuttle slowed to a crawl in front of him, the young man stepping on board the craft. A multitude of people already sat on board the machine, no doubt on their way to the ceremony. With a gentle nod to the bus driver, as well as a small deposit of silver into the bin, the young Awoken man stepped towards the nearest emptied seat.
"That insignia on your chest, you from the Reef?" one older gentleman sitting in the same row as him asked.
The young Awoken man once again found himself glancing down at the insignia. Three crystals pointed downwards, leaving an almost 'M' like shape beneath them, the free space was taken up by a pair of golden triangles, pointing up towards the crystals. A golden gear like shape encircled the insignia.
"Yes sir, I'm from the Reef."
The old man, jovial in his age and sage wisdom, laughed heartily at the young Awoken man's spunk. "It is a time to be alive. That is for certain. This ceremony is sure to be quite the event, wouldn't you agree?"
"I came many light-years just to witness it." he smiled to the old man. "The least they can offer is something entertaining."
"Oh ho!" the old man bellowed. "Yes, I would imagine that such a visit should deserve it's own reward. Perhaps the memories you gather here can fill such a gap, should the ceremony not hold true?"
"Papa, who is this man?" a young boy, no older than four, tugged on the old man's shirt. The Awoken man had not seen the child until this moment, and smiled at the young boy's curiosity.
"He's an Awoken, child." the old man turned to face the boy. "He's come from space to witness the ceremony."
"My name is Xan Caul." the Awoken man smiled to the boy. "I am an ambassador to the Reef."
"An ambassador?" the old man chuckled to himself. "You have no escort, youngster."
"In this Golden Age of man, I have little to fear." Xan turned to face the front of the bus. "It's thanks to the Vanguard that this lack of fear is possible."
"Yes, indeed." the old man nodded, before turning to his grandchild. "It is said that the three Vanguard that came before, and those that we'll see today are direct descendants of the astronauts that first discovered the Traveler several decades ago."
"Wow, really?!" the young boy exclaimed with amazement, bringing Xan's attention back towards him. "That means they must be really strong, right?"
"Some of the strongest." Xan snickered in the boy's excitement.
The shuttle came to a slow crawl before stopping. Xan and the rest of the patrons stood, but as it came time for Xan to leave the shuttle, he instead allowed the old man and his grandson exit the bus first. Following behind them in a timely manner, Xan glanced up at the ornate tower in front of them. It had been a re-purposed skyscraper from what was once known as the 'Modern' era.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Caul." the old man clasped his hand onto Xan's shoulder. "Thank you for humoring an old man and his musings. I am Shaun, and this young lad beside me is my grandson, Ethan."
"The pleasure is mine, my elder." Xan bowed as he had been accustomed to in the Reef. "I regret to inform you that this is where we part ways, but I do hope you'll enjoy the ceremony."
"We will be certain to." Shaun grinned, hoisting his grandson onto his shoulders. "Perhaps you will send our regards to the Vanguard?"
"You bet." Xan bowed one more time as a farewell, before gently working his way through the crowd.
A giant projector had been telegraphing the open lobby on the top of the Tower. The ceremony was expected to be so large that the majority of the populace was to remain here on the ground floor, and use the projection on the side of the Tower to allow them to see and hear everything that was done during the ceremony.
As he neared the front of the crowd, a Titan in somewhat ornate armor stood in his way. Stepping forward, their hand reached out to stop him.
"Halt." the woman's voice was slightly muffled by her helmet. "What business do you have walking up to the Tower?"
"Many pardons for the intrusion, m'lady." Xan bowed, before producing the emblem on his robes. "I am Xan Caul, ambassador for the Reef. I was here to humbly meet with the Vanguard and meet with the newest three."
"I see." the Titan took a moment to glance over the emblem, without removing it from his cloak. "Very good, move along."
"If I may be so bold, to whom am I speaking with?" Xan asked, as the Titan paused.
"My name is Amethyst Stratus." she turned to face him. "You will be meeting my father, and introduced to my brother, the next Titan Vanguard."
"Well met, Ms. Stratus, thank you." Xan bowed once again, opening the door and stepping into the lobby on the ground floor.
Security spread as far as the eye could see, but it was very obvious as to why. There were some in the world that may perhaps like to see chaos reign, and for that reason alone, the Vanguard could never be too careful.
Xan stepped towards the nearest elevator, waiting diligently for it's arrival. Humming the songs of his people to himself, Xan sighed in relief as the doors to the elevator opened. The Elevator had one patron inside, another Titan. Xan gave a swift bow, before stepping inside. The Titan, being closest to the buttons, pressed the top-most button.
"Beautiful day today, isn't it?" the Titan asked, his voice filled with pride, as was per usual for most Titans.
"It is." Xan smiled. "I have never been to Earth before. It is as much an honor to walk upon history, as well as making it. Would you not agree?"
"Yeah." the Titan nodded to himself. "You must be from the Reef, am I correct?"
"Was it my complexion?" Xan asked to himself.
"No." the Titan laughed heartily. "It's that emblem. I know it well, as I've seen it all over the place."
Xan's cheeks reddened in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck. "In fairness, the excitement of today's ceremony has me very flustered."
"Heh." the Titan chuckled to himself. "Tell me about it. It's why I'm still riding this damn elevator."
"Oh? Are you attending?"
"Attending?" the Titan chuckled. "I'm Drake. Drake Stratus. My father is the current Titan Vanguard, and I am the one dutifully sworn to take his place."
Xan couldn't help but feel a weight of pride and excitement welling up within him. He was nervous enough to meet with the Vanguard before, but now he was sharing a tight elevator with one of the heirs to the title.
"Well met, Mr. Stratus. I am Xan Caul."
"Well met, but please, call me Drake." Drake snickered. "Mr. Stratus is my father."
There was silence between them for a moment, as the elevator continued it's long climb up to the top of the Tower. Xan shuffled nervously, unsure of what to even say in a moment like this. The Vanguard were always his heroes, and now that he was an ambassador for his people, he would be working closely with them to suit the Reef's needs.
"My sister informed me you would be coming, by the way." Drake broke the silence, crossing his arms. "Ambassador for the Reef, that's a helluva title."
"Not as gracious as Commander of the Vanguard." Xan smirked, as Drake nodded stiffly. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"
"No no." Drake shook his head. "You aren't at fault, the whole reason I've been stalling is because... I just don't feel ready to take the mantle yet. My father and his old fire team have a mission they need to attend to, however, so the responsibility must fall on me."
There was more silence between them again following Drake's attempt at breaking the ice. Not one to leave things at an awkward point of view, Xan turned his full attention to Drake. His legs began to quiver nervously, and his shoulders tensed, but he had to ask one of the biggest questions he had since he was as young as that Ethan kid.
"The Light. What's it like?" Xan asked, much to Drake's surprise.
"You mean to tell me that Light hasn't touched you?" Drake his head, flabbergasted. "Why don't you have an escort?"
"I mostly had to pretend I was." Xan shrugged. "In truth, I'm the only member of my family who hasn't been gifted with the Light."
"Is that a fact?" Drake mused, crossing his arms. "Well, I guess you could consider the feeling like a fountain that's constantly overflowing. The more you harness, the larger the fountain gets, and therefore the larger the overflow."
"It's not all fun and games though. There is such an affliction as Light-exhaustion. If you use all of your Light at once, you could see yourself bed-ridden for easily months at a time. Then there is Light-abundance, where the Light within you has been neglected and coming to the point where it's corrupting."
"Corrupting?" Xan asked, Drake nodding his head.
"You literally become a bomb of Light. At least if you have Light-abundance, you can produce a lot of your abilities in a row without having to worry about Light-exhaustion."
"Traveler, that sounds so awesome." Xan clenched his fists in his hype. "I'm sorry, that wasn't a very professional outburst."
Drake snickered to himself, before placing a hand on Xan's shoulder. The doors opened, as the Vanguard trio approached, as well as another Warlock and Huntress. Drake's relaxed demeanor stopped almost immediately, and Xan himself could sense the tension that was present.
"There you are, Drake." Kabr Stratus, who needed no introduction, spoke harshly. "Where have you been?"
"My apologies, father." Drake bowed his head respectfully. "Amethyst informed me that there was an Awoken ambassador waiting on the ground floor to join us."
Kabr's piercing eyes glanced over Xan for a moment, causing the Awoken man's breath to catch in his throat painfully. Each moment of Kabr's stare left the pain of a million hot needles poking into the back of his neck. The Titan's very presence demanded the utmost respect and authority. Xan had little to fear out in the Reef, but here, he felt his most vulnerable, as one of the strongest Light-wielding people stared him down.
"You are not Xun Caul. Address yourself." Kabr growled.
"Xun Caul is my father, Kabr Stratus of the Vanguard." Xan bowed shakily. "I am Xan Caul, son of the old ambassador. Much like you, my father saw potential in me as his eldest son to take on the family business."
"Leave it to Xun to abandon his post before us." Kabr chuckled, as Xan found himself nervously glancing up at the Titan. "I see he taught you to bow like himself. It's a wonder he didn't break his damn back with all that bowing."
"If it displeases-"
"No." Kabr placed a hand on his shoulder, grinning with one side of his mouth. "You must excuse me, young ambassador. With this exchange of power, the Vanguard can't afford to let our guard down. I was merely testing you. Xun is a good friend of mine, he informed me you were coming. Now come, the ceremony must begin."
It was, of course, Humanity's origin point. The man himself, however, was born far beyond her reaches, in the asteroid belt separating Earth from the rest of the planetoids in the Solar System. Lovingly, he and the other Awoken referred to it as 'the Reef'. Humanity had long settled that place, but the effects of living in deep space had a strange effect on them, molding them into a sub-species of Humanity, with a variety of skin and eye colors.
The young man was of a Russian-blue coloration, with vibrant, piercing orange eyes. Today was a special day for him, however, as he finally got to meet his heroes. The ceremony would be large, for certain. Glancing down at the badge pinned to his ceremonial robes, the young man beamed with pride. As an ambassador for the Reef, he was certain to meet the three new Vanguard heroes, and graciously work with them in the future.
A shuttle slowed to a crawl in front of him, the young man stepping on board the craft. A multitude of people already sat on board the machine, no doubt on their way to the ceremony. With a gentle nod to the bus driver, as well as a small deposit of silver into the bin, the young Awoken man stepped towards the nearest emptied seat.
"That insignia on your chest, you from the Reef?" one older gentleman sitting in the same row as him asked.
The young Awoken man once again found himself glancing down at the insignia. Three crystals pointed downwards, leaving an almost 'M' like shape beneath them, the free space was taken up by a pair of golden triangles, pointing up towards the crystals. A golden gear like shape encircled the insignia.
"Yes sir, I'm from the Reef."
The old man, jovial in his age and sage wisdom, laughed heartily at the young Awoken man's spunk. "It is a time to be alive. That is for certain. This ceremony is sure to be quite the event, wouldn't you agree?"
"I came many light-years just to witness it." he smiled to the old man. "The least they can offer is something entertaining."
"Oh ho!" the old man bellowed. "Yes, I would imagine that such a visit should deserve it's own reward. Perhaps the memories you gather here can fill such a gap, should the ceremony not hold true?"
"Papa, who is this man?" a young boy, no older than four, tugged on the old man's shirt. The Awoken man had not seen the child until this moment, and smiled at the young boy's curiosity.
"He's an Awoken, child." the old man turned to face the boy. "He's come from space to witness the ceremony."
"My name is Xan Caul." the Awoken man smiled to the boy. "I am an ambassador to the Reef."
"An ambassador?" the old man chuckled to himself. "You have no escort, youngster."
"In this Golden Age of man, I have little to fear." Xan turned to face the front of the bus. "It's thanks to the Vanguard that this lack of fear is possible."
"Yes, indeed." the old man nodded, before turning to his grandchild. "It is said that the three Vanguard that came before, and those that we'll see today are direct descendants of the astronauts that first discovered the Traveler several decades ago."
"Wow, really?!" the young boy exclaimed with amazement, bringing Xan's attention back towards him. "That means they must be really strong, right?"
"Some of the strongest." Xan snickered in the boy's excitement.
The shuttle came to a slow crawl before stopping. Xan and the rest of the patrons stood, but as it came time for Xan to leave the shuttle, he instead allowed the old man and his grandson exit the bus first. Following behind them in a timely manner, Xan glanced up at the ornate tower in front of them. It had been a re-purposed skyscraper from what was once known as the 'Modern' era.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Caul." the old man clasped his hand onto Xan's shoulder. "Thank you for humoring an old man and his musings. I am Shaun, and this young lad beside me is my grandson, Ethan."
"The pleasure is mine, my elder." Xan bowed as he had been accustomed to in the Reef. "I regret to inform you that this is where we part ways, but I do hope you'll enjoy the ceremony."
"We will be certain to." Shaun grinned, hoisting his grandson onto his shoulders. "Perhaps you will send our regards to the Vanguard?"
"You bet." Xan bowed one more time as a farewell, before gently working his way through the crowd.
A giant projector had been telegraphing the open lobby on the top of the Tower. The ceremony was expected to be so large that the majority of the populace was to remain here on the ground floor, and use the projection on the side of the Tower to allow them to see and hear everything that was done during the ceremony.
As he neared the front of the crowd, a Titan in somewhat ornate armor stood in his way. Stepping forward, their hand reached out to stop him.
"Halt." the woman's voice was slightly muffled by her helmet. "What business do you have walking up to the Tower?"
"Many pardons for the intrusion, m'lady." Xan bowed, before producing the emblem on his robes. "I am Xan Caul, ambassador for the Reef. I was here to humbly meet with the Vanguard and meet with the newest three."
"I see." the Titan took a moment to glance over the emblem, without removing it from his cloak. "Very good, move along."
"If I may be so bold, to whom am I speaking with?" Xan asked, as the Titan paused.
"My name is Amethyst Stratus." she turned to face him. "You will be meeting my father, and introduced to my brother, the next Titan Vanguard."
"Well met, Ms. Stratus, thank you." Xan bowed once again, opening the door and stepping into the lobby on the ground floor.
Security spread as far as the eye could see, but it was very obvious as to why. There were some in the world that may perhaps like to see chaos reign, and for that reason alone, the Vanguard could never be too careful.
Xan stepped towards the nearest elevator, waiting diligently for it's arrival. Humming the songs of his people to himself, Xan sighed in relief as the doors to the elevator opened. The Elevator had one patron inside, another Titan. Xan gave a swift bow, before stepping inside. The Titan, being closest to the buttons, pressed the top-most button.
"Beautiful day today, isn't it?" the Titan asked, his voice filled with pride, as was per usual for most Titans.
"It is." Xan smiled. "I have never been to Earth before. It is as much an honor to walk upon history, as well as making it. Would you not agree?"
"Yeah." the Titan nodded to himself. "You must be from the Reef, am I correct?"
"Was it my complexion?" Xan asked to himself.
"No." the Titan laughed heartily. "It's that emblem. I know it well, as I've seen it all over the place."
Xan's cheeks reddened in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck. "In fairness, the excitement of today's ceremony has me very flustered."
"Heh." the Titan chuckled to himself. "Tell me about it. It's why I'm still riding this damn elevator."
"Oh? Are you attending?"
"Attending?" the Titan chuckled. "I'm Drake. Drake Stratus. My father is the current Titan Vanguard, and I am the one dutifully sworn to take his place."
Xan couldn't help but feel a weight of pride and excitement welling up within him. He was nervous enough to meet with the Vanguard before, but now he was sharing a tight elevator with one of the heirs to the title.
"Well met, Mr. Stratus. I am Xan Caul."
"Well met, but please, call me Drake." Drake snickered. "Mr. Stratus is my father."
There was silence between them for a moment, as the elevator continued it's long climb up to the top of the Tower. Xan shuffled nervously, unsure of what to even say in a moment like this. The Vanguard were always his heroes, and now that he was an ambassador for his people, he would be working closely with them to suit the Reef's needs.
"My sister informed me you would be coming, by the way." Drake broke the silence, crossing his arms. "Ambassador for the Reef, that's a helluva title."
"Not as gracious as Commander of the Vanguard." Xan smirked, as Drake nodded stiffly. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"
"No no." Drake shook his head. "You aren't at fault, the whole reason I've been stalling is because... I just don't feel ready to take the mantle yet. My father and his old fire team have a mission they need to attend to, however, so the responsibility must fall on me."
There was more silence between them again following Drake's attempt at breaking the ice. Not one to leave things at an awkward point of view, Xan turned his full attention to Drake. His legs began to quiver nervously, and his shoulders tensed, but he had to ask one of the biggest questions he had since he was as young as that Ethan kid.
"The Light. What's it like?" Xan asked, much to Drake's surprise.
"You mean to tell me that Light hasn't touched you?" Drake his head, flabbergasted. "Why don't you have an escort?"
"I mostly had to pretend I was." Xan shrugged. "In truth, I'm the only member of my family who hasn't been gifted with the Light."
"Is that a fact?" Drake mused, crossing his arms. "Well, I guess you could consider the feeling like a fountain that's constantly overflowing. The more you harness, the larger the fountain gets, and therefore the larger the overflow."
"It's not all fun and games though. There is such an affliction as Light-exhaustion. If you use all of your Light at once, you could see yourself bed-ridden for easily months at a time. Then there is Light-abundance, where the Light within you has been neglected and coming to the point where it's corrupting."
"Corrupting?" Xan asked, Drake nodding his head.
"You literally become a bomb of Light. At least if you have Light-abundance, you can produce a lot of your abilities in a row without having to worry about Light-exhaustion."
"Traveler, that sounds so awesome." Xan clenched his fists in his hype. "I'm sorry, that wasn't a very professional outburst."
Drake snickered to himself, before placing a hand on Xan's shoulder. The doors opened, as the Vanguard trio approached, as well as another Warlock and Huntress. Drake's relaxed demeanor stopped almost immediately, and Xan himself could sense the tension that was present.
"There you are, Drake." Kabr Stratus, who needed no introduction, spoke harshly. "Where have you been?"
"My apologies, father." Drake bowed his head respectfully. "Amethyst informed me that there was an Awoken ambassador waiting on the ground floor to join us."
Kabr's piercing eyes glanced over Xan for a moment, causing the Awoken man's breath to catch in his throat painfully. Each moment of Kabr's stare left the pain of a million hot needles poking into the back of his neck. The Titan's very presence demanded the utmost respect and authority. Xan had little to fear out in the Reef, but here, he felt his most vulnerable, as one of the strongest Light-wielding people stared him down.
"You are not Xun Caul. Address yourself." Kabr growled.
"Xun Caul is my father, Kabr Stratus of the Vanguard." Xan bowed shakily. "I am Xan Caul, son of the old ambassador. Much like you, my father saw potential in me as his eldest son to take on the family business."
"Leave it to Xun to abandon his post before us." Kabr chuckled, as Xan found himself nervously glancing up at the Titan. "I see he taught you to bow like himself. It's a wonder he didn't break his damn back with all that bowing."
"If it displeases-"
"No." Kabr placed a hand on his shoulder, grinning with one side of his mouth. "You must excuse me, young ambassador. With this exchange of power, the Vanguard can't afford to let our guard down. I was merely testing you. Xun is a good friend of mine, he informed me you were coming. Now come, the ceremony must begin."