Forum:Saphix

"The Darkness showed me the Light, but I showed myself Salvation"

- Saphix

Saphix is a former Risen and the first to manipulate Vex forces. He is also one of many Guardians that is able to harness the powers of the Darkness. He is currently leading the Malevolence and is a lead character in Possibility.

Resurrection
"Imagine sleeping an infinite slumber, when you’re suddenly bursting with energy. The quick radiance of that adrenaline slowly turns into a fight for your own life."

- Saphix recalling his resurrection

During a Ghost’s journey to resurrect a Guardian, it stumbled upon a corpse impaled by a pole. The corpse split apart from panic, giving him his first death and causing a sense of shame in the ghost.

During their venture in the Cosmodrome, the recently resurrected Risen began to ask questions to the Ghost, some of which involved the giant orb in the sky. The Ghost replied by calling it the Traveler, and was one of many elements of his resurrection. Through this the risen was able to have a vague explanation of the Traveler, and so sought to find it.

One of his questions was about the opposite of the Traveler. The ghost claimed that it was a complicated subject, but was able to give him a brief talk about the Darkness. The ghost remained quiet for the remainder of the time, but left the risen to his thoughts, and so started imagining more complex functions for the Darkness.

The Traveler and Ideals
When the lonesome Guardian and his Ghost arrived under the Traveller, they were able to see a small settlement that took place there. He was invited by the Speaker, and asked if he was able to converse with it. The Speaker rod him that the Traveler was inactive, slowly regaining its original strength. The risen was confused on why he was chosen to be brought back. The Speaker said he did not know, but he assured him that the Traveler put its trust in the ghosts.

Later, the Guardian was packing his supplies for a mission. The idea of harnessing the Darkness gnawed his mind, turning it into obsession. He wanted to seek something that could attain the energy of the Darkness. His ghost refused to let him, but he couldn’t stop the obsession, and pleaded with his ghost to help him. Through this they left on the condition that he would not use the Darkness in any way that was considered evil. With this take of leave, he called himself Saphix, as a memento of his burdens.

The Darkness and Salvation
"You wanted to find us without any hesitation, and for that we shall gift you with our power."

- The Darkness as it converses with Saphix

As Saphix moved on to find the Darkness, he realized that the Darkness wouldn’t be on Earth, and asked his Ghost to show him where a Jumpship was. His Ghost was able to locate one on a small abandoned village where a corpse resided in. Surrounding it were numerous piles of Vex technology and pieces. Using these Vex parts to fix the ship with the ghost’s guidance, they left the corpse to its infinite slumber and went to the stars above.

During their trip, Saphix received a vision through his ghost. It spoke of distant skies and a dark wasteland, with millions of red eyed warriors and himself in front. He dismissed the vision, but it gave him the final piece to the puzzle, a way to find the Darkness. This would eventually lead him to Europa, a small desolate moon where traces of the Darkness were located. Once he made contact with the frozen ground, he scoured the moon to find something that would help him. Unfortunately there was no sign of any physical manifestation of the Darkness. However when he was about to leave, a Crux of Darkness manifested in front of him, granting him a gift from the Darkness. Once Saphix was able to get his hands on a Splinter of Darkness, he left feeling satisfied with the existence of the Darkness.

Capture and Disappearance
"This was the day I was reborn. The day I became someone else."

- Saphix recalling his “accident”

After receiving the Splinter of Darkness, Saphix sought to reach it’s fullest potential. His ghost objected, saying that it was against their condition, but was quickly rebuked with the fact that it trusted him in the first place. During this period of time his powers didn’t unveil themselves until much sooner.

Although he was satisfied with his discovery of the Darkness, he started seeking the origins of the Vex material in his ship. Through this he tracked down numerous clues in his investigation, all of which led to Mercury, a fiery hell filled with the Vex.

When Saphix first landed on the planet, he unknowingly initiated himself as a living beacon, one which a large majority of the Vex would find and locate. Without any actual weapons or knowledge of his Light, he quickly fell to the storm of Vex approaching. Eventually he was taken for experimentation, as well as his Splinter being taken.

Saphix laid defenseless as he became the subject of several tests, including the test of a Risen’s capabilities with Light, but ended with a failure as Saphix did not know how to utilize it. One such event caused him to experience frequent visions of clear skies, red eyed warriors, and himself in the middle - the same vision his ghost had. Fortunately an unknown House appeared, taking out a large number of the collective and gave Saphix a chance to escape. However he grabbed an object that was important to both sides, and before he could react to the burning inside him, vanished.

Infinity, And No One
"You have all my qualities and features, but you’ve developed more faster than me."

- The future version of Saphix conversing with Saphix

After being forced outside the dimension, Saphix contemplated his decisions that lead to his entire existence being wasted in the void. He questioned whether his existence would be spent watching everything fade to nothing, before witnessing another vision of the future. This time he saw himself and a large anomaly engaging in combat, creating large frequencies that disrupted the flow of the dimensions, which slowly faded away back into the time continuum. Unbeknownst to him, he manifested said future self through an unknown power. With the limited time they had left they conversed with each other about their impending doom. However Saphix’s alternate future suggested a merge, taking his memories and mind to form one being. Against the clock, Saphix agreed and merged with him to find a solution. With this Saphix fixed the dimensional object in a matter of days and escaped, leaving the entity to manifest on its own and wreak havoc.

The Initial Conquest
"You were meant to be a chosen of the Light. A savior of humanity, but you wasted your gift for the Darkness, and now-"

- The Ghost of Saphix before being crushed

At the aftermath of the siege, Saphix was brought back into his own reality, and unfortunately back inside the Collective’s location. However Saphix learned that through the powers of the Darkness he could force individual Vex to bend to his will, essentially making them loyal slaves. Saphix eventually came out with a compromise by taking over the Vex Mind. Through this he took over Lavopli, Incredulous Siphon and was able to control the Vex underneath its rule. His ghost having been with Saphix through the entire ordeal, angrily expressed his disagreements and how he completely tarnished the Traveler’s gift. Saphix began crushing the shell and the ghost itself, who unleashed a torrent of pure Light and nearly eliminating the Darkness inside him were it not for his new capabilities. Quickly recovering, Saphix planned his next steps with careful precision and made sure everyone was deliberately playing into his hands...

With an entire collective under his feet, Saphix lead a full-front assault against the Vex on Mercury, taking out divisions of the radiolarian machines. Over time he would get the attention of the Nexus Cleavage, which he would discover. After leading a small battalion of Vex into the Infinite Forest, he would charge into an endless crusade where he would slaughter the Vex of the Nexus Cleavage, indoctrinating numerous into his own collective. Slowly he reached the Axis Mind Xomathocan, Eternal Vexation, and took over entirety of the Nexus Cleavage in a span of several months.

Eternal Corruption and Reveal
During this part of Saphix’s life, he would gain the attention of several powerful Vex lords, who deemed him a threat and forcibly attempted to remove his entire collective. Unfortunately the sheer number of the Vex he accumulated caused a major shift on Mercury, leading to a massacre with Saphix ending as the victor. With the acquired tech received from the downfall of the other Vex minds, Saphix released numerous Vex forces toward Venus and Earth, alerting multiple forces of Lightbearers, Fallen, Hive, and Cabal. This would be deemed as the “Conquest of the Endless,” and would eliminate smaller groups of the enemy. However the power of the Lightbearers was an underestimated variable, which lead to the obliteration of the Vex on Earth. Those that were on Venus were unfortunate, as they were quickly pushed to extinction until the near future. Through this the Vex currently on the planet created hulking towers of metal, creating impenetrable fortresses. Relaying the message to Saphix, he discovered that there was a complex of simulations that would be the Infinite Forest, however Saphix did not commence any conquest, instead sending in a number of Vex to relay any important information back to him.

Rise Of Eon
According to several notebooks lost on Earth, Saphix arrived on the terrestrial body long after his attack, attempting to find an answer for the unknown Fallen House that ambushed him later on. With a small group of Vex and enough information taken out of a runaway, he located the headquarters of the House on the European Dead Zone, where he encountered several amounts of Taken. Fascinated, Saphix ordered the capture of the few, finding something that warranted experimentation. However he was stopped by Eliksni warriors bearing scorch cannons who called themselves the “Cleansed”. Saphix watched as his escort was destroyed, but did not bother to escape as he was captured yet again.

He was quickly sent to the Headquarters’ sacrificial chamber, where he interacted with a captured Dreg called Kelok, who made quick friendship with him. They witnessed a sacrifice occur where an armless Dreg had their entrails burnt and the body crushed to red mist. This was an apparent step for a ritual that would initiate a summoning for their great god: Eon. Eager to leave its eternal prison, it brought itself a physical form, with the structure similar to that of Panoptes, but it’s material was that of pure matter. The moment it saw Saphix, it descended into rage and attempted to kill him, alerting the Priests and Saphix himself. With chaos ensuing, Saphix formed a plan with Kelok to escape; they would use the other sacrifices to hide behind while the anomaly caused destruction for him. Successfully this worked, but also killed the majority of those inside and nearly decimated the temple.

After leaving the area Kelok and Saphix went their separate ways, giving each other a miniature beacon to alert the other once it was activated. Saphix, not fully aware that this current time period was also the time the Last City came to be, initiated a bombardment of Void energy onto the temple through the use of Vex Chimeras, fully unaware of the amount of suspicion this would cause.

Two Legends and One Line
With the sudden eruption of Void located at the temple, the Vanguard sent a begrudging RoadRider to investigate. While Saphix was not yet aware of this, he encountered the Lightbearer as he destroyed several Goblins. RoadRider was not aware that Saphix was the culprit and merely believed him to be another guardian sent to search. However this misinterpretation would be his mistake, as he was then struck by Stasis shards and a sword at his neck. Initiating a battle, both users of paracausal forces attacked, unleashing storms of ice and fire. Saphix had won however, through the use of his constant movement and positioning. RoadRider was left defeated, but was spared from his death as Saphix disappeared. Fireteam OvO would locate and retrieve him soon after, but the damage had already been done; there was a rogue Risen, and he would be a major threat.

Personality and Traits
Saphix is seen as a twisted and obsessive enigma, constantly formulating plans and goals in order to situate himself. He can cause extreme amounts of damage if left on his own, and can concentrate to levels deemed impossible. Some would speculate that Saphix is a power hungry maniac, but he claims himself to be more than that. He is very persuasive with his words, making people question themselves whenever Saphix begins to speak about them. He is a very intelligent foe, one that can turn the tide of battle rather quickly. His obsession would be the cause of his hunger for answers, willing to end up in terrible scenarios if it meant getting the answers needed. His twisted sense of cunning makes him impossible to reach through his empire of Vex.

Saphix enjoys the idea that nothing is equal, and can never truly be equal. This results in his takeover of beings he claims to be “lower” than him. His notorious blood streak reached a point where he became one of the most feared in the Solar System, but could possibly be because of his sense of belonging. Through this he attains his desired status as hidden from everyone else and allows him to maneuver his forces at any given time. He sees everything as an opportunity, and treats them as such.

One thing he believes himself as is heartless, as he makes sure he is never attached to anything, nor does he care about the feelings of others. Despite this, his obsession leads him to such unwarranted attachment, which leads to complicated problems that must be solved.

Strengths and Weaknesses
Unlike other Guardians, Saphix is able to use the powers of the Darkness to his own desire and has mastered it in an alarmingly fast rate. He specializes in using this power for unethical and brutal methods, going so far as to force them to remain conscious as he experimented on them. Those who faced him in battle have mentally experienced frequent pain, disorienting them and ending with a deadly kill. He can also be incredibly agile, climbing to the top of Felwinter Peak in a span of 90 seconds. Along with this he leads an entire army of Vex known as the Malevolence.

While Saphix lost his connection to the Light, he still has traces of it inside his body left by his Ghost’s remains, however it does not seem to function the way other Risen use their Light. Although with the exponentially increasing amount of Darkness lurking within him, it is unclear if Saphix is truly acting on his own will. This left a strange phenomenon to occur, where the Light and Dark seemingly combine.

Quotes

 * Ah, I see you have arrived to stop me. I’m afraid you’re far too late.
 * Damned Eliksni and their undying loyalty for their “gods”.
 * Their arrogance will lead to their inevitable downfall. The best part is, it won’t even my doing.
 * The vast lands of Mercury were too barren for my preferences.
 * Tell me, why do you persist on holding on to the power of a being that never speaks? It seems irrational, and somehow your persistence kept you alive.
 * How could you possibly feel what I have felt in that void?
 * Impertinent. I refuse to talk.
 * My plan is very simple. Don’t fail.
 * Are they still stuck in that Vex loop?
 * What could you give me that I can create tenfold better.
 * Immortality is a curse, especially with this pain in my back.
 * I will kill you.
 * Why would I love something if it will be a detriment later?
 * The problem with you Lightbearers is that you never seem to walk in without a second plan. Is it because you’re able to sprout another one while the mission is ongoing?
 * I could find something interesting from the Hive. Maybe they’ll be of use for my projects.
 * Why be in one place when you can take more?
 * Scorn... abominations I would say, but they’re use of the Darkness to resurrect themselves is astounding.
 * Cabal are meaningless to me. Nothing that they have can truly satisfy me. Not even their Light suppressing weapon... maybe a little.
 * Ah, the Cosmic Generator, one of my finest creations. None can rival its raw energy.
 * I was experimenting on a piece of one of those pyramids, and it translated to a symbol called the Ouroboros. Something involved with eternal loops and such. Could this have something to do with me perhaps?
 * Even the brightest of days can contain the biggest of twists.
 * I try not to get attached by anything, but it appears I cannot resist when it comes to information.

Arsenal
When he’s not using the Darkness, Saphix attains the use of a Temptation’s Hook in order to launch frequent and dangerous attacks. Saphix is fond of melee combat, sometimes seen examining various blades and weapons.

With the addition of his Vex modifications, Saphix is also able to use the Slap Rifle and the Torch Hammer, although he never uses them. With a limb of the Vex, Saphix’s strength doubled, enabling him to destroy an object with the mass of a truck.

Other Stasis hunters maintain the use of frozen kamas in order to unleash devastating attacks with precision. Saphix uses this to create large shards and sharp gauntlets of cold. Using this he can both launch these shards while overwhelming the enemy with fatal hits.

After attaining his future self’s mind, he seemingly uses a portable dimensional warp-gate that allows him to hop in and out of reality, however the extent of the duration is unknown. The longest recorded time was when he was accidentally transported to the middle of dimensions, lasting a total of days. With this he can converse with his doppelgänger to make light conversations or receive more knowledge. This can also stem to the point where Saphix can traverse to other dimensions, but how that would effect him is unknown. However this border between realities is often guarded by the Hounds of Eon, and will prevent Saphix from entering or exiting peacefully.

However his most powerful weapon would be the Cosmic Generator. This allowed Saphix to absorb any type of energy and build it up in order to retain maximum efficiency. With this he received triple the speed, durability, endurance, and strength of an average bodybuilder at max. Another effect the canister had was to expel all of the energy through his helmet, effectively creating three devastating beams that annihilated all living organisms in contact. This device was incredibly dangerous, so much that Saphix only used it when all odds were against him. He uses it on his back where it appears as a white cylinder. Formerly the helmet was once used for tactical night vision, but was rebuilt and modified with stronger material used to increase the destructive power and its durability.

Trivia

 * Saphix played the recorder once. It did not end well.
 * Although he isn’t particularly fond of human delicacies (nor eats at all), Saphix enjoys eating Jello due to its soft and simple texture.
 * The House of Eon mention Saphix as the “Bearer of the Darkness” and “The Enemy”.
 * Saphix is not known by many due to his absence, but he has interacted with Eris Morn once.
 * Saphix has encountered and fought Road Rider, which lead to a severe power gap in weapons and power and ultimately left Saphix as the winner.
 * Saphix is aware of the existence of alternate realities, and can venture into them, but has never tried.

List of Appearances

 * Destiny 2:
 * Curse of Osiris
 * Beyond Light
 * Season of the Infinite
 * Possibility