Network undetected. Consciousness undetected.

"Refresh"

EXO perspective........ Error. Not found

POINT OF VIEW protocol has now been disabled.

"Reboot"

Loading.......... Loading........

Code rebooted, please search a target.

"Cayde-6"

Error. Subject does not meet requirements to match file "POINT OF VIEW".

Press 1 to go back to search screen.

Press 2 to view status.

"2"

Loading......... loading.........

Information on Cayde-6 imported.

Translating information.......

Information translated

Subject status- offline

Previous body status, loaded-

Several chemicals released, indicating emotions known commonly as 'fear' and 'regret'.

Target = conscious

Commencing comparison between mental and physical attributes........ Loading........ Loading.....

Comparison deciphered=

198 differences = 197 stable, 1 unstable.

"Unstable"

Loading.......... Loading.........

Unstable chemical located.

= Oxytocin.

Subject attempted to disband chemical.

Analysing memory---

Loading.............. Loading.......

Subject 'Cayde-6' made a decision.

Subject 'Cayde-6' Immediately attempted to ditch the chemical.

Subject was attempting to make his decision easier.

Deciphering intention-------

= Cayde-6 regretted choice, attempt to release Oxytocin was rejected by body.

"Find Oxytocin link."

Locating.......... Loading .......... Loading .........

Link found to other EXO.

New linked subject = 'Arken'

"Find"

Tracking Subject: Name- Arken

Loading... Loading....

Subject found.

Cayde POV-

Sand... rocks... dirt... wreckage...

The cycle never seemed to end. But I knew exactly where I was going, so now it was just a matter of time. My metal heart pounded anxiously in my chest, refusing to think that Arken was gone. But he was surely dying down there, without his weapons, or ghost... the only thing that he had was his powers, but using them to such an extent without the light couldn't have been healthy for him.

More sand, more rocks, more dirt, more wreckage ...

I wasn't allowed to be on the track right now, if anyone saw me I would be in a heap of trouble with Zavala, more then I usually am anyway. I could have sent security to look for him, so that I wasn't breaking any of the race's rules. But that wouldn't work of course.

The staff didn't know this race like I did, every crack and crevice of all the rusted buildings a throwing-stones distance apart, only United by a twisting track carved into the ruined soil.

Besides, every guardian knows you should never send a Warlock or Titan to do a Hunter's job.

Especially a job that requires hunting down an EXO with powers that could reshape the traveller itself.

Or any job at that.

"51 cards..." I heard myself grumble before I could hold myself back from saying it.

"1 more and that would be the deck." I kept going. Not really caring about hat was coming out of my mouth at this point.

"1 more bloody card..." I grumbled yet again, doing my best to ignore the kicked up dust flying freely into my blue optics.

But it wasn't worth it to lose Arken.

Hell I would miss 1000 sparrow races if it meant being with him again.

But still the blame would be on me, that eternal guilt that would manifest inside of me for the following few years. Knowing that I had sacrificed someone I loved for my own sake. Sure the hunters needed me, but I had now doubt Arken would have made a fine vanguard.

But the cards have already dealt and I've made my choices. Now I just need to hope that I'll find what I'm looking for.

Sand, rocks, dirt, fallen.

Wait what?! I skidded my sparrow to a stop and peered out into the sand. Sure enough, walking out of one of the dangerous caves of the track, was a fallen dreg with a slight limp. His leather-armoured body very visible against the hot red sands which were blowing a hot breeze against a torn cape, strung loosely to his back.

I dismounted my sparrow and stepped off onto the sand, clipping my gun from my belt and holding it facing down next to my waste in case it tried anything. I began to walk to meat it half way, constantly needing to step over broken chunks of the sparrows eliminated in the race. There was no sound other then my impatient breaths as I neared the dreg, not taking my eyes off of it's movements, looking for a gun, a weapon, anything.

It looked exhausted, with it's multiple eyes exhaustively blinking out the specs of red sand blowing up into them, and it's movements a series of unsteady staggers in the general direction of where the wind was blowing.

When I neared close enough I raised my gun and took aim at it's head. My robotic finger resting delicately on the trigger.

"What did you do to him?" I asked without emotion. Suppressed emotion begging to be released from my chest as the gun wavered in my grip, my chest tightening at the thought of what the fallen had done to him.

He opened his mouth to say something in fallen tongue until he finally lost his balance completely and fell face down onto the sand before my feet. I took a step back, surprised, before I dropped my gun and knelt down, flipping his body over to prevent him from suffocating.

"Ar-..." He began to say before he coughed on a breeze of sand into his mouth, burning at his tongue.

'It's trying to talk to me...' I thought in surprise and frantically pulled him up by the arms across my lap, using my back to shield his torso from the wind. Letting the sand burn the pants of my legs as I sat down to do so.

His mouth opened weakly and he tried again.

"Ar...ken" He whispered, looking me in the eye.

"W-What?" I muttered, tears blurring my eyes despite the lack of sand in them. He said Arken... he said his name...

"Arken." He said more confidently with what would register as a smile for a dreg.

My jaw began to quiver, my chest too tight, my eyes too dry. Yet I kept the emotions locked in long enough to see the fallen point a shaky finger to the second cave from the left. The exact one he had came out of.

Arken had sent him out here to get help, he had managed to befriend a fallen who was trying to kill him.

That's my boyfriend, I told myself with both pride and grieving.

The tears were running freely down my eyes now as I hugged onto the dreg.

"Thank you." Was all I managed to say.

Of course he didn't respond. When I lifted my head back up his eyes were closed and his mouth was dangling open, unconscious. I grabbed him by the arms once again and dragged him across the sand and into the shade of an upturned sparrow that had exploded in the race. I put him down, leaning his head against the side of it so he was upright, tilting his body to fill the shade.

"Good." I told myself, "He'll be safe in the meantime."

Now time for Arken.

I sprinted back to my Sparrow, the steps held down by the sand but determination carried my strides on, until I finally reached the vehicle.

Without hesitation I flicked the ignition and rocketed full speed into the cave, narrowly missing the Dreg as I went. I used my ghost as a flashlight and it lit the way for me, helping me navigate through the twisting turns of the endless caverns. It was a wonder how Arken had pulled it off blind-folded, but that EXO never ceased to impress me. Even now, after all that's happened.

"Cayde?" My ghost urged me, sounding a bit quite in comparison to the roar of the sparrow, but still aurdible.

"Yes?" I answered simply, most of my concentration set on not hitting anything at full speed.

"He's here."

After a final turn I approached a large cavern with small embers of pure blue light coming out strange shaped rocks. But I looked closer they weren't rocks, they were dead fallen, all of which being vandals.

Arken sure as hell had put up a fight.

Until something caught my eye that seized my attention entirely. I smashed into a natural stone pillar and was thrown of my sparrow, landing badly on my leg a few feet next to the object of interest.

I lifted my head up off of the stone floor, and my heart felt as if it had stopped beating entirely.

I saw the body of an EXO, with oil like fluid dripping out from his stomach. No cocky movements,

no beautiful optics staring back at me playfully,

no familiar light I felt in my heart whenever near him.

Nothing at all, just a lifeless pile of familiar metal the traveller had forgotten, left alone in the pits of a cave.

I was too shocked to cry, to stunned to take my eyes off of him.

"Ghost." I heard an echo of what might have been my voice say. "Help him. Do something, anything." It felt as if my mouth was moving and words were coming out, yet I couldn't hear nor feel them.

My ghost materialised in front of me and hovered around the wreckage of what once was Arken. Until it came to a stop and faced me.

"Vanguard." He began, pain in it's clear voice.

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. Theres no light left for me to revive. He's... hes gone Cayde."

I didn't react in any way, I just half heard it through all of the shock that I was in. I had lost Guardians before, but not like this.

Not my my own hands.

I kneeled by his side and slid my arms under Arken's bloodstained torso, lifting him out of the puddle and up into my arms. I carried him to my sparrow, my legs wobbly from trauma, my head cracked open with sorrow.

1 More card was all that I had needed... but I now realised that it wasn't a fine sheet of plastic-coated paper.

It was the once charming EXO I had opened my heart to.