I walked beside the Didact out of the room, and this time we walked alone together instead of his Promethean Knights beside us. I no longer felt like a prisoner. "What is it you wish to know?" He asked without looking at me. I looked at him, wondering if he had the urge to kill me for snooping, but I did not ask.

Instead, I said, "You wanted to create shield worlds possibly immune to the Flood. Personally, I think that would have been better than creating Halo. During your absence, my kind and the Covenant battled......"

"I know that story human; I watched it while trapped in the depths of Requiem. But perhaps you are right, my idea would have been better. What can you expect from a fool like the Master Builder? You speak as if he is one to blame," He interrupted.

I nodded. "Yes, if it weren't for him there would be no war. My point is that your idea could have saved more lives than the many casualties during that war," I told him. This time as we walked, the Didact turned to look at me for the first time.

"Were it not for his actions other things like the war would be prevented, but they chose wrong, and I was put into exile," He said. That we can agree on for the Master Builder's actions, he triggered too many wars. I thought.

We walked down the hall to the higher levels of the Cryptum. "Mantle's Approach is set to merge with my Cryptum now and we shall leave Requiem. That event is where you come in," The Didact said. I was waiting for him to say that and began to wonder how I was going to help him.

"Where are we going? I mean, on here right now?"

"To the bridge of the Cryptum where I once rested. That is where we shall merge with Mantle's Approach. You will find the transformation of this area to be nothing like the technology you humans have."

I'll bet it is. I thought and then there was a question roaming my mind, it was about his marital status. I didn't know if now was a good time to ask, for I didn't know if he still had feelings for the Librarian after her death and after she imprisoned him. It wasn't that I was looking to hook up with him. In fact, I wasn't so sure if my heart felt that way about him. But I decided it was best to ask and get it over with to find out the truth. We walked for a few minutes towards the bridge inside the Cryptum in silence until I finally decided to say that.

"Didact.....umm....about the Librarian?" I asked, and then he stopped walking and turned to look at me blocking my path.

"She is dead that is all I know, she left me on this planet and some say she is dead," 

"Yes, but did you ever love her? I find it hard to imagine you would marry her, because you both view humans differently and your ranks differ in Forerunner society,"

The Didact looked at me with honesty and sighed. "I do not wish to talk about her," He said, and I thought he would say that.

"Hey, you can talk to me about anything. Truth is back home I couldn't talk to anyone, and now I've got someone to talk to. Sort of...due to the fact that he's a powerful Promethean who hates my kind and who might or might not let me live. No offense." I said, but the Didact did not look offended.

"Fine. I needed more power over our people, and I thought marrying her would give me that. Normally Forerunners marry within their ranks. But since she had protected humanity for centuries I could use the intel she had on them. That proved your kind had vulnerabilities in the war. The Librarian never expected it until she learned my plan to annihilate humans. She imprisoned me, and then turned my guardians, my world against me. Only Forerunners of lower ranks marry for love, human. It is a thing your kind will not understand." Then he began to walk away.

I quickly caught up with him. "Oh, I understand more than you know, not just because I just researched your entire past. But humans have similar traditions," I said, and then he looked at me again as we walked up to the next level of the Cryptum.

"Tell me," The Didact answered,

"Humans depending on their culture have marriages too, sometimes it's arranged, or people just marry someone for the sake of attention or power like you did. But my culture in humanity, I am allowed to marry for love, and that's what I want," I told him.

"Aya, you consider it a wise decision. Your desire to be happy impresses me. And yet.....still you act as if life here is better than where you once were. I know your story," The Didact said.

"You know my story?" I asked,

"I had watched you before the Covenant Remnant attacked the human vessel. You had no freedom; you desire to learn more about me. And now you are with me, it feels like freedom to you does it not?"

"Didact; I could not have anything back on Infinity. No thoughts, no dreams, nothing at all. I could not even wander about. I wasn't myself. But here with you I feel like myself almost even more now than before,"

"Despite my feelings towards humans you do not elude me. I sense your heart is not afraid. You do not believe I would kill you as easily as I have done to others. Why is that?" He asked, and as soon as I heard that, I knew now was the time to tell him I thought there was good in him. But we came to a large door which led to the bridge of the Cryptum, and my words were left inside for a moment.

We entered on the top level. "Come," The Didact said, quickly forgetting our conversation, and I stood beside him. He raised both his arms in the air and then clasped them together. An opening appeared in the Cryptum, and I could see we were flying towards a massive vessel that was taller than any ship I had ever seen.

As we got closer, I could see a small red opening on it big enough for the entire Cryptum to fit inside, and then the Cryptum stopped moving with a loud clicking sound entering the vessel. Suddenly the entire area began to move. The metal began to expand in all directions as if everything was changing shape. The ground began to shake, and I nearly lost my balance. Without even thinking I grabbed onto the Didact, just onto his side, he barely took notice. The room now began to alter and became larger. I looked out the window, and could see the metal ceiling of Requiem opening. Requiem was one of the Didact's shield worlds after all. I let go of the Didact and watched as the top layer opened like an aperture.

"And so we are now on Mantle's Approach. I have fused my Cryptum with the ship, human. Is that what you expected?" The Didact informed, looking at me. I shook my head and then he lowered his arms. We watched as Requiem's top layer opened wider, and Mantle's Approach began to ascend into space.

I turned to him. "Didact. You had a question for me?" The Didact turned to face me and for the first time, looking into his deep eyes made me turn pink.

"Yes, why do you not elude me?"

How was I going to answer that question? I never evaded him at all, even before I learned of his past. I was curious about the Forerunners the moment we set foot on Requiem, especially the Didact after word got out that the Master Chief was tricked into releasing him. But most important of all, the terminal had given me proof that the Didact still had good in him. Growing up, I had learned that no one is pure evil. They have good in them, sealed away. If you truly wanted to help someone and not kill them: You would have to find a way to break that seal of evil and make them good again. Whatever it took; love or persuasion....anything basically.

"Why do I not evade you Didact?" I started to say, the Didact was listening, and he nodded keeping silent. "It's not just because you have like; an interesting history and your kind is very interesting too. You're not like most I've met. All my life, people have surrounded me who limit my access to everything in the world. Growing up for me was hell, and since you claim to know my story, I don't have to tell you. But you, it seems we have something in common: We both desire to get away from the rules and what everyone else wants us to do. I'll bet even the Librarian wanted you to do the same when you were at war with us, and then the Flood. You came up with your idea of shield-worlds, to protect yourself while you worked on gaining an immunity to the Flood and destroy them. Meanwhile, the rest of your kind insists you build superweapons such as Halo, which will starve the Flood when lit. Back on Infinity I did boring crap, helping out in the labs. Never got to do what I wanted, which was research the Forerunners and even go out looking for them. But most important of all, I wanted to find out about you after Master Chief released you; he's the human who let you out. I couldn't do all that on Infinity: You took me away from that; you kidnapped me basically. Now I'm doing what I've always wanted. I'd rather be with you than be back there." I told him calmly, not turning away from him, and still waiting for a chance to tell him.

"Aya, all very true human. Seeing that, you make me want to keep you alive more than ever. But you speak as if there is more to it," The Didact presumed,

"Yes there's more to it. I know you hate humans, and you want us to pay but inside, especially after what I learned today. It's not too late for you to redeem yourself. The Librarian hoped that when you woke you would do so. You never did, but it's not too late Didact. I believe there is good in you. A lot of Forerunners, especially that one called Bornstellar probably viewed you as a hero more than a villain. I believe it too, and I hope you discover it someday. I know you never loved the Librarian, but I'm sure she said the same thing to you once before she imprisoned you. I may not be able to stop you or change you, in fact, I don't think I want to, but I believe you're meant to be what you once were: A protector." I said, finishing and looking at him with utter confidence.

The Didact's face was stern, and he looked into my emerald eyes. "You are a brave one to speak those words, but know this: I will not be what I once was, not ever. We will not speak of this again, is that understood? If you bring it up again, I will kill you." He warned, and I gulped but tried not to be afraid.

"I understand," I said, and then the Didact turned to the exit.

"However, I will admit human, you are brave to admit the truth from your heart. That is something that makes you far more special than others. Come now, we must go to the map room to locate my weapon."

I blushed upon hearing that. No one had ever told me that before. Ever. It made my heart race. I guess there was something that made him like me for who I was after all. Then I followed him off the bridge of the vessel.