Darkness

The Darkness closes in on the Solar System

The Darkness is the powerful, ancient enemy of the Traveler, tracking it through the cosmos. Once, the Darkness ruled the universe, and the Hive believe that the Light must be consumed for it to reclaim its domination.

The only solid information on the Darkness comes from an ISR report from centuries ago. At that time, the Darkness arrived in the Solar System. The event of arrival lasted 0.3 seconds, and the event footprint scattered neutrinos and gravity waves. An AI observing the event was able to derive some information, but was unable to understand its mechanism or fully simulate the event; however, the Darkness was clearly a complex structure acting with clear purpose. It concluded that the event not only defied all known laws of physics to the point of acausality, it was also directed, acting with anger, and almost certain to reach the solar system in a short amount of time. An issued Skyshock alert was upgraded to OCP:EXTINCTION, and a number of defensive protocols were added.

The Darkness nonetheless swept through the Solar System, devastating human civilization in an event called the Collapse. Only due to the Traveler's intervention did humanity survive. Seven centuries later, the Darkness was set to return. The Fallen, Vex, Hive, and Cabal are linked to this force. Hive Wizards call upon the Darkness for their powers.

Theories

Because so few survived the Collapse, nobody knows exactly what the Darkness is. Some theories however are offered.

Pujari

Pujari claimed that the Darkness is both a physical and moral presence, evil made tangible. It was a storm of corruption emerging from the Golden Age.

Saint-14

Saint-14 argued that the Darkness was an invading armada of aliens. Some suggest that these aliens had been previously rejected by the Traveler for their sins.

Ulan-Tan

Ulan-Tan suggests that the Darkness is the necessary symmetry to the Traveler as part of a cosmic balance.

The Monists

The Monists believes the Darkness is a technologically superior force, to the point of post-singularity, and that the universe is just a simulation. Such an advanced intelligence could mimic acausality by bending the rules of the universe's programming.

Acataleptic Clause / Praxic Creed

Some believe that not only is the Darkness unknowable, but that people shouldn't bother trying to understand it and instead simply fight it.

Binary Star Cult

A heretical position from the Binary Star Cult states that the Traveler itself triggered the collapse, and used humanity as a sacrifice/proxy army in its war against the Darkness.

Toland, the Shattered

The mad ramblings found in Toland's journal are difficult to decipher, but his position on "EVERYTHING", including the Darkness, has to do with the origins of the universe and atoms' victory over "primordial broth", bringing order to the universe. A second conflict between "three Queens" will happen in the future; this is the way things must be, this is why the universe is the way it is. In short, he believes the war with the Darkness is an inevitable and fundamentally intrinsic part of the universe.

Dreams of Alpha Lupi

The Dreams of Alpha Lupi poem contains a verse about the Darkness. It describes the universe as a beast made up of atoms, bound by the principles of mass and motion. It then describes disgust over the living and "half-smart creatures" complaining about injustices that "don't exist" and consequences "that should be borne in silence."

Trivia

• The Darkness bears resemblance to the Armies of the Dark and its leader in Bungie's Myth series—a resurgent dark force that is the antithesis to the (forces of) Light.

• The idea of the Darkness arising from a primordial universe bears resemblance to the origins of the W'rkncacnter from Bungie's Marathon series.

• The Darkness being flagged as Acausal indicates that it has no cause-effect relationship, but may be acting on an effect-then-cause relationship, or that its being directed by future inputs.

List of appearances

• Destiny (First mentioned)