A woman gasps sharply, jolting upright like someone pulled from deep water.
She is young, around the early twenties, with short silver hair powdered in dust, gray-blue eyes wide with disorientation. She tries to stand too fast and falters, catching herself on trembling hands.
"W–what… What is this…? Where am I?" she whispers. Above her, Spark floats with a bright, eager hum.
"Marvelous! Locomotor function restored within projected parameters. Respiration is stable. Cognitive reboot… still initializing, but that is to be expected."
The woman flinches at the unfamiliar voice, her gaze darting up. She squints at the small glowing construct hovering inches from her face. "Are you… some kind of drone?"
Spark rotates in a pleased spiral. "Oh, I am far more sophisticated than that, I assure you. Your world has changed significantly since your unfortunate expiration. Allow me to clarify."
She opens her mouth, but Spark continues enthusiastically.
"I am your Ghost—designation Guilty Spark. I have resurrected you using the Traveler's Light. Congratulations! You are now a Guardian."
The woman stares at the floating light, processing.
"I died."
"Yes! Quite definitively, I might add. A remarkable set of injuries. You were, how do humans phrase it? Very, very dead.'"
Her expression tightens. "And you… brought me back."
"Naturally. That is my intended purpose. Yours, incidentally, is to defend humanity, harness the Light, and engage in potentially hazardous activities that I will dutifully observe and record."
She looks at her hands, clenching and unclenching her fists, still getting used to the feeling of movement. "Do I get a name?"
Spark pauses mid-hover, then brightens.
"Oh! Certainly. Your previous identity is… mostly unrecoverable. Records show degradation at 92.7%. You may choose a new designation."
She thinks for a long moment, scanning the lifeless snow covered plain around her and the large iron wall ahead.
"…Call me Weiss."
Guilty Spark vibrates with approval.
"A delightful choice! Short, efficient, and thematically appropriate. Now then, Weiss—shall we continue?"
"Continue what?" Weiss asked her companion. The Ghost turns slowly toward the horizon, where faint shapes: ruined towers, distant smoke, and the faint glint of movement, break the monotony of the wasteland.
"Your resurrection has undoubtedly attracted attention. Hostile attention, at that. I propose we depart before they arrive." Spark states matter-of-factly.
Weiss frowns. "Hostile? Who?"
Sparks iris snaps into a sharp, scanning beam. "Fallen. A patrol approximately four minutes away. Perhaps less, considering their affinity for scavenging newly active Light signatures."
Weiss blinks and says incredulously. "You revived me in the middle of an enemy patrol zone?!"
Guilty Spark emits a cheerful chime, as if completely unbothered by the situation.
"Statistically, most zones are enemy patrol zones. Now quickly! You will require armaments."
A half-buried weapon glows with summoned Light as the Ghost materializes it into her hands—a battered but functional auto rifle.
Weiss grips it naturally, muscle memory seemingly hardwired into her being courses through her. She exhales, steadying herself.
"All right… let's move."
Spark hovers beside her, its tone almost proud.
"Excellent! Our adventure begins. Do try not to perish again—I would hate to repeat the calibration process."
And together, Guardian and Ghost run toward the ruins, toward danger, destiny, and all the strange wonders waiting in a new age.
———————
Saladin here! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm sure you all know who Weiss' ghost is! That's one thing I'm changing. Our ghost in destiny is great however he isn't really chatty, Ghost is more serious and I personally enjoy non-serious conversations, silly arguments and someone not afraid to speak their mind.
That's why I made my own personal ghost, but I didn't know exactly how I wanted them to be like. So I wondered, why not make 343 guilty Spark into a ghost. I quite liked Spark in the halo games (of course excluding when he kill Johnson…) his personality isn't totally serious and isn't afraid to speak his mind at all. So fun adventures will surely await! Anyways hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll try my best to publish two more chapters later this week, I hope you all stay safe see ya next time!