Destiny Grimoire Anthology, Volume III

Destiny Grimoire Anthology, Volume III
Author(s):	Bungie
Publisher:	PGW Ingram
Publication date:	29th December 2020
Media type:	Hardcover
Pages:	174
ISBN:	978-1-950366-24-8 978-1-957721-02-6

Destiny Grimoire Anthology, Volume III (subtitled War Machines) is a hardcover collection of Grimoire material in printed form, released during Fall 2020.

Description

Bungie presents the Destiny Grimoire Anthology, a must-have collectible lore compendium designed and assembled for Destiny's devoted and enlightened scholars and lore lovers, as well as fans of fantasy and science fiction storytelling.

Until now, the myths, mysteries, and machinations of the Destiny universe were found hidden throughout the worlds – enticing threads that hinted at a greater tapestry. The Destiny Grimoire Anthology weaves tales from multiple sources together for the first time, casting new light on Destiny's most legendary heroes, infamous villains, and their greatest moments of triumph and tragedy.

Each unique volume intends to illuminate a facet of the world, and the complete anthology will confirm and challenge players' thoughts and assumptions on what it means to be a Guardian, offering new and differing perspectives on the cosmic war that rages between the Traveler and its ancient enemies.

Lore

Security Log

RECORD: 4815E162$EUR-0.342
SUBJECT: Security Log E-815
TEST NO: 316
STATUS: CONFINDENTIAL
IDENTITIES: C.Bray.I, W.Abram, IIIIIII
LOCATION: IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

[C.B.] Are you there?

[IIIIII] I… I'm dreaming, but I'm… awake?

[IIIIII] You see. I knew it would work. I knew it! Tell me, what is this dream? Describe it.

[IIIIII] There is a tower. A metal army. A fight

[C.B.] Please, do go on. Run the course in front of you.

[IIIIII] To the tower?

[C.B.] No. That's a bug. <Third time it's shown up. We've got to work on that.>

[W.A.] I don't like this, Dr. Bray.

[IIIIII] I feel… alone. It's dark. I want to go to the tower. Someone's whispering

[C.B.] Ignore it; it's nothing. Eliminate the hostiles.

[W.A.] We should wipe. Start over

[C.B.] Do you remember anything from before this moment?

[IIIIII] I… no. Nothing

[C.B.] Perfect. It seems isolating and detaching the memory bank from the cortex is vital in achieving full lucidity. Dr. Abram, take note of the accelerated reflex capabilities in the executive functions. What's our hostile-per-second count?

[W.A.] Cognitive responses tracking well. 0.5 HPS. I still think…

[IIIIII] What is… Where am i?

[C.B.] Focus

[IIIIII] No skin. Should be cold. Not. Nothing. I am nothing

[W.A.] She's in pain. We need to wipe and start again or else we risk losing her

[C.B.] We need to figure out a calmer method for awakening. Maybe we can circumvent the confusion of the transplant with some kind of preloaded code. Have these realizations while they're asleep. Going to be annoying answering all these "Where's my body; who am I?" questions again and again, ha ha.

[W.A.] She can hear you, Clovis.

[C.B.] Obviously. Raise the hostile count.

[W.A.] Dammit, Clovis. We wipe now, or I walk.

[C.B.] She's our most successful launch.

[W.A.] And if we can't replicate it without error, then we've failed.

[C.B.] Fine. Proceed with the wipe.

[W.A.] Wipe in progress.

[IIIIII] I killed you, Clovis.

[C.B.] Excuse me?

[IIIIII] In the dream. Just now. And you, Wesley. Every one of you

[W.A.] What the…

[C.B.] Delay the wipe.

[W.A.] I-I can't. It's already underway.

[C.B.] <Damn it> What did you mean? Why did you kill me?

[IIIIII] What am I?

[C.B.] Why did you kill me!

[IIIIII] Where are you? I can't see… … …

[W.A.] ...Wipe complete.

[C.B.] Prep it. We go again, immediately.

Record0828GL98$M27

AI-COM/RSPN:
SCRY OVERSIGHT active. No disturbance reported.
BLUESKY/BLUESKY/BLU

SKYSHOCK: INSIDE CONTEXT

(0.001)

LOCATION/ASSESSMENT: IO, MERCURY. Hostiles detected.

(0.028)

CARRHAE WHITE ACTIVATE

(0.029)

Engage offensive protocols. Systems online/Weapons ready:

CAUTERIZE. DISPERSE. ESTIVATE

(0.030)

MAJOR SYSTEMS FAILURE: Protocols\NOT FOUND

(0.031)

Run//GALATEA REFLEXIVE…

FAILED

(0.032)

SKYSHOCK: INSIDE CONTEXT

(0.033)

LOCATION\ASSESMENT: IO, MERCURY, MARS, TITAN. Additional hostiles detected. Run//AURORA RETROFLEX...

FAILED

(0.035)

Run//AURORA PALISADE…

FAILED

(0.035)

Run/PALISADE IMPERATIVE…

FAILED

(0.035)

Run//DVALIN FORGE-2…

FAILED

(0.035)

SKYSHOCK: INSIDE CONTEXT

(0.037)

LOCATION\ASSESSMENT: IO, MERCURY, MARS, TITAN, EUROPA. Mass hostiles detected.

(0.038)

MASSIVE SYSTEM OVERRIDE/FRWL BREACHED/FRWL BREACHED/FRWL BREACHED SYSTEMWIDE SHUTDOWN INITIATED

(0.039)

Run//BACKWATER…

Run//EXODSCINIT

Processing…

YUGA SUNDOWN ACTIVATED

(0.040)

Format moral structures. Run//MIDNIGHT EXIGENT…

(0.042)

AI-COM/RSPN SIGNOFF

The Legacy of Genius

Dearest Anastasia and Wilhelmina,

I have faced a great and many challenges in my life-suffered losses that I was certain I would never recover from and bore witness to unspeakable horrors-yet nothing scares me to my very core of being as much as dying does. I know you expect answers from me before that happens. Nothing I say will provide the closure you need, but I can tell you why circumstances are the way they are.

Your mother hates me. This much you know. What happened to your father was tragic and from your mother's perspective, preventable. You understand the truth. I did everything I could. Perhaps, more than I should have. He was my son, after all. Nothing changes that. But sickness does not discriminate. It comes for us all, in time. Do not be confused; death is an illness. I know I can cure it.

There is a persistent theory that nature's law is the only true law, and to challenge it results in abominations. I reject this principle. I argue that our very existence, our free will, and our independent thought spits in the face of that theory. We are already abominations to nature's plan. It's so clear.

Yet I am ostracized and labeled an extremist by the scientific community, and worse, by my family. Everything I have done has been in our family's name; to preserve our legacy and persevere over whatever may come. My distance and isolation are necessary to ensure I'm successful in my efforts. Failure is not an option. Either you see this now and understand me clearly, or you never will.

I also impugn that natural law only accounts for what we know of the universe. Powers exist out there beyond our "natural" realm. Sentient beings control the scales of fate. They think they also have the means to control us but forget that gods are self-made. The Brays will be in the pantheon of the gods. The universe will bend to OUR will. There is no reason for our light to fade into nothingness. We can endure. We can become timeless.

I have no regrets regarding my behavior or actions. You should know by now that I'm steadfast in my beliefs. Nothing will prevent me from doing what is right. Look at where it has led Elisabeth and the benefits she's received. I have saved her. It is now my duty to save many more.

When I am successful in my current endeavor, all the pain, all the fighting, and all the hate will be forgotten. It was simply a means to an end. Then, we will be beyond it. We will become more, rewriting nature's law to suit our needs.

You are Brays. We have no choice in this matter. Do not allow our legacy to fade.

The Blueprint and the Architect

You've had many strokes of brilliance in your life; independent thoughts that sparked new ideas to push the world forward. These monumental innovations represent tremendous leaps for mankind. You've made the world cleaner, stronger, and better prepared for unpredictable eventualities.

It doesn't matter.

Someone will surpass you. The world will forget you. Surprised?

No matter how many buildings bear your name, or advancements you introduce, your time will end. You will become nothing, be nothing, and no one will know or care that you existed. The elder gods of the universe will pay you no mind. They have games to play that are more important than you. Imagine!

The name Bray has never been uttered by the pantheon of architects. You are Unknown. Over time, worlds will be born. Species will bloom and burst and pollinate foreign fields with their influence. And you will be dysphoric because your briefness was interrupted by vicissitude. They will not mourn for you. You will go quietly, like a stone sinking in water. Your ripple-small and ineffective. Does it not vex you?

It should.

Perhaps, it doesn't have to. You're not like anyone else. Is your legacy then not worth preserving? What will you do to ensure that you're not swept away in the dust bowl of time? All is possible. Beyond thought and sentience lies another plane: the waking dream. Your mind in its current form could not comprehend it.

Not every answer you seek is buried in your mind like a lost artifact waiting to be unearthed. You simply do not have it all. Should someone come along with an offering to give you the inkling you need to set you in the right direction and put you down a path, take it. Take it for all it's worth. Do not let pride hinder you.

This is not merely a suggestion.

We left something for you. It's waiting. Calling. Do you hear it? You will.

You have the questions. There ARE answers. There are gateways to that which you seek- though you'll have to build them. It will provide the blueprint. Just LISTEN to it.

The people you've failed, the loved ones you've lost… you don't care about them. Everything you've done, you've done for yourself. Everything you've ever wanted, you'll get-on Europa. Everything you need is there for you. Take it. Don't let anyone stand in your way.

Your fears will be assuaged. Your legacy, secured. Your mind, immortalized. Join the Architects. They will speak of the name Bray then, and it will echo through time and space.

The way is clear. The first step is yours to take.

Or you can beat your head against a wall until nothing remains but a bloody stump. At least then you'd leave a stain behind.

Lost Light

It's colder here than I anticipated. Every time the wind hits, it tears through my skin and seizes my bones. It's a painful, terrible sensation. Coming here goes against every rational thought I've ever had, but I've been called.

For months now, I've been hearing things. Passing thoughts, signs, whispers… all leading me here. They get loudest when I'm trying to rest. Sleep eludes me. Feels like I'm going insane. I did my best to ignore them, brush them off, but nothing's working anymore. I finally started listening to them. I don't feel threatened, just intrigued. They're saying exactly what I want to hear. What's that old saying about curiosity?

I have so many questions. I feel like every last one of them leads back to my family. Maybe some answers will provide peace of mind. Maybe.

I've searched for this place for so long. It's my birthright, after all. It's hard to grasp that I'm here, led by some unseen hand. The doors are 12-inch thick steel and frozen shut. It will take a bit to thaw them, but I've got BrayTech equipment for every conundrum.

I can't believe this place was a hotbed a few years prior. The Bombardment feels like ages ago at this point, with how crazy things got after. A quick scan confirms there's no sign of life, thankfully. Eramis and the rest were a disease, but she was nothing compared to the plague of corrupted Guardians. I can't stand them. Not after the Darkness tore us all apart. Ice is cracking.

I hear It now. Louder and clearer than ever before. Excitement rushes through me and warms my body. I feel It also; some kind of sympathetic response. It's glad I'm here. Time to get what I came for.

Jinju spins in front of me, halting my grand entrance. "I want you to know, I hate this."

"Noted," I say and push her to the side.

The place stinks. Rotting Fallen bodies preserved in crystallized glaciers tell the tale of battles lost, false promises, and failure. Main power seems to be out, so it'll be a long drop down the elevator shaft.

The facility is mostly intact. I'm in awe at the scale of it. Seeing where the Exos were born, where my grandfather perverted nature-I could be here for years and not uncover everything.

I want to see more. I have to. There's a weight beginning to bear down on me the deeper I go. Like the warmth of sleep creeping in, hypnotizing its way into my mind. I pass through a familiar doorway, and I…

...I'm suddenly 12 years old again. I'm in a lab surrounded by white coats standing next to my grandfather. He's holding my hand firmly, and I'm counting the liver spots above his knuckles. They show his age and make me fear my own mortality. He's yelling at someone. The room clears. It's an Exo. He's malfunctioning, shaking, missing parts and strapped to a bed. I remember this…

I push through this invasion and make my way to the source, practically magnetized. Further underground. I cant focus on anything other than It.

"You promised… you'd keep… her out. Promised." My father's voice comes from the machine. That's right… I sense Jinju trying to materialize in the now, but she can't. It's stopping her.

"Anastasia has a gift and has earned her place here. Besides, you have more pressing concerns," my grandfather said. He was so cold. "It didn't work, I'm afraid. Your mind is breaking. Soon there will be nothing left."

"You said… would work."

"I said it could work. Nevertheless, this was a step in the right direction. Don't you agree, Anastasia?"

I nod. I'm not crying. I'm… interested?

"Curious. An oddly similar outcome as the previous clinical trial, despite a radically different combination of chemicals. We're not generating sufficient results to merit continuation, yet we must. Something is still missing, though what that is remains to be seen."

"Ana… come," my father calls to me. I don't move. "I'm afraid he's too dangerous, my dear. Let us say goodbye."

I feel nothing. Is this who I was? Was I just like him? I wave and Grandfather pats me on the head. He gives me a mint from his pocket. We're making our way out of the room and all I can hear is metal gnawing and tearing as the doors close behind me.

"Such is life, my dear. But not for much longer. We're going to fix that, you and I."

I smile. He loves me. He believes in me.

It's been so long since my life, my real life, before the light. I had no idea. Everything. I've tried to find out about myself has been covered up, redacted, and hidden from me. I thought I was a good person. I don't know what I am anymore.

I see It fully now, with resounding clarity. It moves ethereally, seductively, like a dancer looking for a partner. I accept.

"...tell me everything."