While out for his morning run, Madrid the Hunter stumbled upon a problem.

It was a cool, cloudy day over the Last City. The moon-like Traveler and its fractured, floating pieces were partially obscured. Perfect weather for Madrid's run along the top of the city wall.

Madrid was a hunter who disliked being cooped up in the City, with its endless noise, lights, and crowds of people. Between patrols and missions, he spent his time in physical training. Five-mile runs along the top of the wall suited him perfectly.

He gazed at the mountains as he ran, or out at the countryside outside the City. It refreshed him, calmed his mind, and attuned him to the Light more deeply. As an Awoken, he had a deep attraction to both Light and Darkness, but he felt healthier when he skewed toward the Light side of things.

He ran along the wall's broad top, wearing running shoes, camo pants, and a tank top. His blue skin had taken on a violet tan from being in the sun so much. He wore a backpack with a five-gallon jug of water in it. Aside from providing him with hydration, it simulated the weight of his combat gear.

Every so often, his ghost, Rose, would remark from her phased state, "Heart rate holding steady at one hundred forty-five beats per minute."

"Thanks, Rose," he'd reply inside his head. She was an extremely shy ghost and only emerged from phase when she was positive they were alone. That was fine with Madrid. Safer for both of them.

He was two-thirds of the way back to the new Tower when Rose said, "I recommend you begin your cool down now."

She was an excellent fitness trainer. Madrid slowed to a walk, breathing deeply, relishing the burn in his calves. The top of the wall was deserted, except for a few guards at their posts in the watchtowers every quarter mile. But they knew him by sight and left him alone. One Guardian staying in shape was nothing new.

Nearer the Tower was a watchtower that had been destroyed in the Red Legion's attack. All that was left was part of the wall and the old flooring, the roof and windows sheared off. Madrid leaped lightly up into this broken tower, set a foot against a girder, and stretched his legs.

As he stood there, voices carried up from below. A Guardian and a ghost. Madrid didn't mean to eavesdrop - a disgusting habit acquired by rude, gossipy people - but their conversation sent ice through his veins.

"Should I go to Zavala?" the Guardian was saying. He was a young man - probably a warlock, judging by the robe. "I don't know what to do, Ghost. Maybe I should ignore it."

"It sounds awfully serious to me," Ghost replied. "Someone in the Tower wants to stab us to death? Only hunters use knives like that."

"But why?" the Guardian replied, his voice strained. "Why would someone threaten us? I don't have any enemies - I mean, I've tried to be friendly to everyone. I just don't know what to do."

"Show the note to Zavala," Ghost said. "He'll get Cayde on it. Cayde knows every Hunter in the Vanguard."

The Guardian didn't reply for a long moment. "Ghost, I'm still terrified of Zavala."

"He won't knife us in the heart," Ghost pointed out.

Madrid peered down at the two. The Guardian sat with his feet dangling over the edge of the wall, facing the wilderness, as if the City was too unbearable at the moment. His ghost floated beside him, wearing a basic gray shell.

Madrid thought to Rose, "Who is this kid?"

"His ghost's ID tag says Guardian Jayesh," she replied. "I'm fairly certain he's the one who claimed to speak with the Traveler during the Red Legion's invasion."

Madrid's mind snapped these facts into place. He'd read both Jayesh's original report and the media's smear articles. At first, he'd been convinced that Jayesh was telling the truth, but after dozens of news articles arguing otherwise, Madrid had decided to hold no opinion at all. Neither side could offer concrete proof, so the entire argument was a waste of time.

But if someone was making death threats - someone inside the tower, who might also be a Hunter - that was serious. Guardians should never threaten Guardians. There were too few of them remaining after the Legion's wholesale slaughter, and the awakened Traveler had sent no more ghosts into the world.

Besides, Jayesh interested Madrid. The kid might be a consummate liar ... or he might be telling the truth.

"I'm going to speak to him," he thought to his ghost. "Analyze him for truthfulness."

"It's not easy," Rose replied, "but I'll try."

Madrid jumped off the broken watchtower and landed back in the wall. Then he circled the tower's base toward Jayesh.

Jayesh had heard him coming. He was on his feet in a defensive stance, fire burning in one hand.

"He's a hunter," Jayesh's ghost said, and disappeared in a haze of particles.

Madrid halted, reading the kid at a glance. Dilated pupils, quick breathing, his brown skin gone a sickly yellow. Jayesh was terrified.

Madrid held up both empty hands. "I'm unarmed, don't worry. I happened to overhear your conversation just now. A hunter is threatening you?"

Jayesh didn't move. "Yes. And for all I know, it's you."

Madrid folded his arms. "You're Jayesh, right?"

The warlock nodded.

"I'm Madrid. Been a Guardian a hundred and eighty-three years in March. You know what I don't do? Murder Guardians."

"Somebody wants to," Jayesh replied. "Had a note on my door this morning. They want to pin me and my ghost to the wall with the same knife. Real friendly."

Madrid gazed at him thoughtfully. "That's interesting. This is the first time this has happened?"

Jayesh's gaze raked him. "If you're really not going to hurt me, summon your ghost."

A wise move, Madrid thought. A manifested ghost meant the Guardian was vulnerable. Jayesh wanted proof that Madrid wasn't going to attack him.

"Rose?" Madrid said.

Her fear shivered through him. "Oh no, please, don't make me go out there."

"Rose," Madrid said again, holding out one hand. "You understand what he's asking."

"But he's going to look at me!"

"Of course he'll look at you. You're beautiful. Come on, now."

Jayesh blinked at him, hearing only one side of this conversation.

Madrid's ghost slowly phased into sight above his palm. She wore a red and white custom shell that had been crafted to look like a rose's spiral petals. She turned sideways to Jayesh, not quite hiding, and fixed her eye on Madrid's face.

"There, now," Madrid said, gently stroking Rose's shell. "You'll be fine. Stay here while we talk."

She whimpered.

Jayesh slowly relaxed, letting the fire in his fingers go out. "Your ghost is afraid of people?"

"Shy," Madrid said. "So, death threats. This is the first one?"

"The first one on paper," Jayesh muttered. "I've had lots in emails. I delete them without opening them, now. Or Ghost does it for me."

His ghost phased into being, too. He floated beside Jayesh, watchful and quiet.

Madrid considered this. "Because of your claims about the Traveler?"

Jayesh nodded.

"Do you have the note that was left on your door?"

Jayesh reached into the pocket of his robe and produced a folded scrap of paper.

Madrid held up both hands. "I don't need to see it. I'll escort you to see the Vanguard commander. As a Hunter, myself, this concerns me closely. Cayde-6 may be interested, too."

Jayesh stood there, folding and unfolding the paper. "Why are you helping me? The whole City thinks I'm a liar."

Madrid studied the young Guardian, his smooth face, the beginnings of muscle in his arms and shoulders. A very young Guardian, then. He also noticed when Jayesh's gaze shifted to the distant Traveler, wandering across the vast floating fragments to the Light that burned within the sphere's heart.

"If you had been inside it when it awoke," Madrid said, "you would be dead."

"He sheltered us," Jayesh said faintly. "And it still almost wiped out Ghost and me." He suddenly glared at Madrid. "But if you think I'm lying, what's the point of even talking about it? I gave my honest report to the Vanguard. That's all."

Madrid stood in silence, thoughtful. Rose had watched Jayesh without seeming to watch him. Now she whispered to Madrid, "No lying tells. No self-grooming or facial tics. He's telling the truth as he knows it."

Jayesh didn't hear this, but Ghost did. He shot straight up to Madrid and Rose. "It is the truth! I was there, and I didn't want to be!"

Rose may have been shy of humans, but fellow ghosts were another matter. She zipped between Ghost and Madrid. "Are you threatening my Guardian?"

"Are you calling my Guardian a liar?" Ghost retorted.

"No," Rose said, lowering her voice. "I've been analyzing him. He appears to be telling the truth."

Ghost's temper deflated. "Oh." He backed away a few feet, his segments drawn together in an embarrassed expression. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"Ghost," Jayesh said in the weary tone a parent might use on a wayward toddler. "Just ... leave them alone."

Ghost returned to his post beside Jayesh's shoulder, his eye downcast.

Madrid observed this encounter in silence. "How interesting," he said. "I've never heard of a ghost who was capable of lying. If he says you were there, your story gains credibility."

"You never said why you want to help me," Jayesh said, looking slightly more hopeful.

Madrid shrugged. "Even if you lied, nobody deserves death threats. And if you told the truth, why, you're even less deserving. Let me shower and we'll go to the commanders."

Jayesh followed him back into the Tower at a safe distance, keeping his ghost close and talking in an undertone.

Rose phased as soon as Madrid let her. As they walked, he thought, "What do you think of this situation?"

"His ghost is damaged," she replied very quietly. "Not physically. His heart. He carries incredible pain for his Guardian. It ... I've never seen it before. I don't know how it can be fixed."

"Well," Madrid thought, "we can start by alerting the commanders that someone in the Tower is threatening to murder one of their Guardians."

While Madrid cleaned up, Jayesh went to find Ikora Rey.

As the Warlock Vanguard, he reported to her for mission assignments and inspections. Since the loss of their old Tower, Ikora had staked out a balcony as her new office. Tables with computers and warlock-related equipment were set in a half-circle. Ikora paced around this circle, tracking reports from warlocks in the field, issuing orders, and managing the spy network nobody was supposed to know about.

She smiled as Jayesh approached. "Hello, Guardian. What brings you here? Your next tour of duty isn't until next week."

Jayesh pulled out the scrap of paper. "I found this stuck in my door this morning."

Ikora took the paper and unfolded it. Her face hardened into a frown, then a scowl. She handed it back to him. "I wondered if the harassment you've been suffering would reach this level. Apparently, there are malcontents even among the Vanguard."

"What do I do?" Jayesh muttered through his teeth.

Ikora held up one hand and summoned a purple ball of void magic. It hurt his eyes just looking at it.

"You are a Guardian," she replied in a low voice. "If anyone attacks you, no matter who they are, defend yourself. You carry not only the power of the Light, but the Traveler's blessing."

"But ..." Jayesh looked at his ghost. "What if they capture Ghost, first?"

"Fight harder," Ikora said grimly. "Your ghost is your partner, and you have an obligation to protect him, as he has an obligation to heal you." She gave Ghost a hard look. "You track enemies in the field. You must be wary and watch for enemies among the Vanguard as well."

"Ikora," Ghost said, "I can't read minds. Do I flag all previous friendlies as enemies?"

Ikora closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "For the time being, yes. Speak to Zavala and Cayde about this. I'm afraid there may be more happening here than meets the eye."

Jayesh bowed, although he didn't feel any better. "Thank you, commander."

He strode back through the halls of the new headquarters, trying to look busy and not frightened. Ghost phased out of sight, but Jayesh felt trickles of his paranoia. Any one of the crowds around them might have left the note. A human - a Guardian - Awoken - Exo - anyone.

"Jay," Ghost said, "I hate to bring this up, but ..."

"Spit it out," Jayesh said, braced for more bad news.

"Your dinner with Kari Winters is tonight at seven o'clock."

An entirely new set of worries crashed into Jayesh's consciousness. Kari was an experienced warlock who operated at a much higher level than he did. He and Kari had been on the same fireteam the previous week. They had saved each other's lives when the mission went sour. She had gifted him a large amount of glimmer with the stipulation that he use some of it to take her out to dinner.

Kari might have ideas about the note's writer. She had been a Guardian longer than he had been alive, before or after his resurrection.

Jayesh's roaming feet carried him back to the dormitory, where Madrid was just emerging from his room. Madrid now wore the light fire suit that went under combat armor, knee-high boots, and a Hunter's cloak with a hood, currently pushed back. His indigo hair was freshly combed, and his yellow eyes glowed in the dim hallway. He also carried a pistol at his hip with the immense barrel of a hand cannon, and a long knife in a sheath.

Jayesh froze, heart pounding against his ribs. Why had he ever trusted a Hunter? Madrid could murder him in a second. One flick of that knife, and-

Madrid raised a hand in greeting. "Hope you didn't wait long. Let's find Zavala before he breaks for lunch."

Jayesh breathed again. His own fears had turned all Guardians into enemies.

He fell in behind Madrid again, but Madrid halted and waited for him to catch up. "Don't treat me like a superior," Madrid said. "We're both Guardians. Period."

Jayesh blinked at the imposing Awoken. "Thanks. It means a lot."

They matched strides across the courtyard of Vanguard headquarters and walked out on the jutting buttress where Zavala spent his time when not overseeing field missions. Sure enough, the Vanguard Commander was at the far end, talking to two Titans in full armor. Jayesh and Madrid halted and waited until the Titans departed for the hanger.

Zavala beckoned them forward. "What brings you here today?"

Madrid jerked his head at Jayesh. "My friend, here, found an interesting note in his door this morning."

Jayesh pulled out the note with unsteady fingers and passed it to Zavala.

Zavala gazed at Jayesh for a long second before unfolding the note. He read it without expression and handed it back.

Jayesh tucked the note back in his pocket and tried to meet Zavala's piercing gaze. Another Awoken, Zavala's eyes glowed laser-blue. Jayesh hadn't spoken to his former commander since dropping out of the Titan discipline. He was acutely aware of how he had let Zavala down.

The commander folded his hands behind his back. "This is about your time with the Traveler, isn't it?"

Jayesh gulped. "Yes sir. I don't know for sure. I've been getting threats like this over email for months, but this is the first one from inside the Vanguard."

Zavala turned his back and gazed at the Traveler. The sky had cleared, and the great moon-construct towered into the sky above the City. Jayesh gazed at the Traveler, too. Some of his tension calmed. All he had to do was remember the touch of the Light and the voice of the avatar the Traveler had created to speak with him. It made his current worries seem so small, when the Traveler concerned itself with the vast matters of a cosmic war against the Darkness.

Madrid ventured, "We were worried it might have come from a Hunter, because of the knife mentioned."

"Are you aware," Zavala said without turning, "that Titans often carry swords?"

This revelation struck Jayesh like ice water in the face.

Zavala faced them again. "Are you also familiar with the teachings of Osiris?"

Jayesh had never heard the name. He shook his head. Madrid, however, folded his arms and scowled.

"Osiris was the former Vanguard Commander," Zavala said with distaste. "He was obsessed with a quest for knowledge. Among his other heresies, he postulated that the Traveler is a worker of evil. Had it not come to us, Earth's great civilizations would still be standing."

Jayesh opened his mouth, stunned both at the question of how anyone could think this, while seeing the logic in it.

"He was banished from the City for causing unrest among the populace," Zavala went on. "But he still has a cult following living among us today. Even some Guardians have been swayed to his heresies." Zavala gestured to Jayesh. "Your report of communing with the Traveler, and of what it said to you, have angered them. They are responsible for the media attacks against you. They are likely also responsible for that note."

Jayesh stood in stunned silence. It was too much to take in. Again, he had run afoul of his sheer ignorance of this new world to which he had awakened. But now the vicious news articles made sense. If someone believed the Traveler was a threat, and someone else came along and told how how it had struggled to save humanity - loved humans, in fact - it would challenge their entire worldview. How much easier to silence that person than to question and perhaps change their own thinking.

"You have been in danger for months," Zavala said. "However, I believed you safe among the Vanguard or out on missions, so I said nothing. But now, you are safe nowhere."

Jayesh cleared his throat, trying to control his voice. "Ikora told me to defend myself ... with lethal force ... sir."

Zavala nodded. "While I despise turning Guardians against Guardians, in this case, it is your only recourse."

Standing there, the wind ruffling his hair, Jayesh felt small and alone, the Traveler miles and miles away.

"But I hear you single-handedly destroyed a Vex Gate Lord," Zavala said with a rare smile. "Ikora has trained you well."

That was as good as forgiveness, coming from the High Commander. Jayesh's face grew hot. "Thank you, Commander."

It wasn't until he and Madrid had departed in search of Cayde that it occurred to Jayesh that Zavala had never questioned his report about speaking to the Traveler. Zavala not only believed him, he had seen this trouble coming.

This was both reassuring and frightening.