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Chapter 6: A Matter of Trust

Chapter 6

Book: The Dark Future.
Introduced in: Season of the Hunt.
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We've been traveling for a few days now, tracking Mara Sov based on her last correspondence with Zavala. The signal was further out than we'd anticipated.

"Got a minute?" Ana asks, knocking on the entrance to my quarters.

"Sure."

"I just want to say thank you. Coming with me, helping me convince Zavala."

I admit, it's been inspiring seeing Zavala renewed with purpose, even though he's chosen to keep the ratty beard.

"I couldn't have come this far without you," she finishes.

It has been nice being with her, despite the circumstances. It's odd having a sister again after all this time.

"Just doing my part," I reply.

Ana stares off. I can tell she wants something. So I wait.

"I need one more thing from you," she says.

There it is.

"I need you to show me how you use Stasis. Elsie, you're proof that it's not inherently evil. It can be controlled. You show me how, and people will see it's possible."

I was hoping we'd moved past this.

"I'm not a figurehead for some movement, Ana. Stasis isn't something you simply control. There's constant temptation. I struggle still, to this day. Using it takes time. Discipline. And even I still haven't mastered it. Not sure I ever will," I say.

"We will. And when we do, all the deniers will vanish. We'll get our world back. We deserve to get it back."

"We deserve what we got."

"Speak for yourself. Countless people died while you sat on the sidelines and watched everything fall apart."

"If you only knew, Ana. The Darkness…"

"Always an excuse. You want to do your part? Then step up and actually help me with this."

"I'm trying to. What is this really about, Ana?"

"You just don't get it."

She storms out, leaving a fuming wake behind. I catch a glimpse of Zavala in the corridor. He was listening.

"You're using Stasis?" Zavala asks condescendingly.

"I get to hear it from you now, too?"

"Okay, okay. When there was a Vanguard, I thought I had all the answers. Perhaps that was our undoing. I know now that commanding has as much to do with giving orders as it does listening to others' needs. Don't be like I was—angry and trying to control everything. Listen to your sister. Consider why she's asking this of you."

"I have."

"We're here! Approaching now!" Ana calls out, her voice echoing down the corridor.

"Hoped I'd never see this thing again as long as I lived," Zavala says as we come face-to-face with the Leviathan.