Chapter 7

Asher,

My Gensym Scribe. This communication shall go undelivered, along with others that never found their destination.

I feel guilt. Pain. Anger. I am sorry I was not there for you at your final hours. What you must have felt, knowing you were facing the certain end… I hope the majesty of Io and the sacred land of the Cradle provided some comfort where I could not.

Your affliction was ravaging you—this is known. After all your suffering, perhaps you welcomed death. In a way, I envy you. To know tranquility. To discover what awaits us on the other side of this fight, beyond the torment. That does not excuse my absence, for which I struggle to forgive myself.

I will never forget how you cared for me after my escape from the Hellmouth. You provided me with hope after I had lost all, and compassion when I believed I deserved none. You made me feel myself again.

I have stolen strength from the Darkness, imagining it would lead to a changed world after all of this. There would be peace. A cure for you. A warm cup of jasmine tea between old friends.

It was an end that justified the means.

I make a solemn vow today to you, Asher: I will have our revenge. I am powerful beyond our enemy's anticipation. The abominable Hive will be exterminated, and Savathûn's illusions of sovereignty will be broken. The vile family line will end with the Witch Queen. I will not stop there. The Vex will have their day. I will scream your name, so it echoes for eternity as I banish them in time to rust and decay and be forgotten.

Our enemies sought to corrupt us from the inside. They believed us compromised and invaded, but our infections will be healed through my actions. They were unaware that we were siphoning knowledge. We are the infections now, and we will rot them out.

Too many of my friends have disappeared. Paranoia warns me more will follow. I must act quickly. Your legacy will not be forgotten, and your work will fuel the eventual Vex deletion. I will see a monument built in your honor. Rest assured, till our Light shines together again.