"I heard you the other day," I say, barging into Zavala's quarters. He's mid-shave. "Ana. You said you'd kill her."
He wipes his blade clean and washes his face.
"If I have to, yes," he says.
"What makes you think you'll have to?"
"I have known Ana a long time. Something isn't right."
"Weren't you just advocating that I listen to her?"
"I wanted to see if something was off with you as well."
"You're a bastard," I seethe.
"I'm making sure we're successful."
"You wouldn't even be here if it weren't for her. You'd be rotting away on that wreckage."
"Are you done?"
"She's my sister. My responsibility. You don't get to make that call."
I know whose shoulders bear this burden, and in this moment, he does too.
"Then if it comes to it, let's hope you have the strength to see it through. For all our sakes," he says.
The Leviathan is quiet. Not the atmosphere of a rallied army charging headfirst on to victory. This feels like a death march. It's not my place to rouse the crowd, so I stand next to Ana and watch as we approach the Moon, the Traveler locked in tow within the harness.
"Everyone knows their part. I would like to say that I will see you all again on the other side, but we know that isn't true. That's not why we are here. We are here to stop Eris Morn, at all costs," Zavala says.
He and Mara exchange a glance and a nod. He walks past us without another word, past the Cabal and Fallen. Guess he doesn't like goodbyes, either.
"We have arrived. Ready yourselves," the Queen orders. "Make no mistake: Eris will die this day."
We rush into the drop ships, leaving Rasputin to pilot the Leviathan. I join Ana and Mara on our journey to the surface.
"Ana… for all those years, I did what I had to do. But I am sorry it was at the expense of us," I say.
"Save it for after. We're gonna win."
The drop ship hits the ground with a thud, sending tremors through me. The door opens, and we're greeted with a frontal assault of Thrall. We come out firing. It's chaotic, but through the turmoil, I spot the Scarlett Keep. I see Eris Morn, drawing power from beneath the surface, and I see an army of Dark Guardians stampeding toward us.
I look up to the Leviathan and the Traveler, aglow in a phosphorescent haze. He's doing it. Zavala is overcharging himself with Light, siphoning from the Traveler using Ghaul's plans and tech. Good luck, Commander, and thank you.
Ana and Mara fight through the Hive mercilessly as the Dark Guardians approach. I find Ana and signal toward Eris. In lockstep, we carry out our assault. Ana opens fire on a Hunter while I cover her, blasting a flanking Ogre with Stasis. Ana drops a grenade under its massive feet, and a second later, it's dust. Eris spots us, and I swear she's smiling. From behind the Keep, a full brigade of the Awoken armada rises, perverted with Hive thorns and insignia.
Now's the time, Warmind.
As the Awoken defectors fire onto the battlefield, they're blasted out of the sky by satellite arrays in a dazzling display. I can feel Eris's frustration at this. Then I see her, shrouded in Darkness, performing a summoning ritual.
A singular beam of blinding Light tears through the black sky with the velocity of a shooting star, headed straight for the Scarlett Keep.
Give 'em hell, Commander.
He collides with the structure so precisely that he only creates a small fissure. After a moment, an explosion, bright and disastrous, completely levels the Keep to rubble. We hear a deafening scream throughout the field that could only be Savathûn. Mara races to us. "The Witch is weakened. We strike now!"
Eris is regaining her footing as we close in. "All of my detractors in one place. Thank you for bringing them to me, Ana," she says and smiles.
I turn to Ana, confused. She pulls out a knife and readies it toward Mara. I make a move to stop her, but I can't. I'm frozen in place… by Ana. She stabs Mara Sov in front of us. "You're welcome, my Queen." Stasis and blood drip from her hands.
"We are all Dark, eventually," Eris says with glee.