Destiny (Anime Style)

Chapter 16: Hive Nest

Ravi, Leah and their respective ghosts were aboard Ravi's ship heading towards none other place than the Moon itself. As they all finally left the Earth's atmosphere and reached space, they couldn't help but gasp of amazement. After all, neither of them had ever left their home planet.

"WOAH!" Ravi yelled with excitement. "This is totally awesome! Space is awesome!"

"I gotta admit... It really is amazing" Leah added with a smile.

"You see? I bet you wish you had disobeyed the Vanguard's rules earlier"

"Maybe... but that doesn't mean I'm not angry at you anymore"

Just then, a very important question crossed Ravi's mind. "Anyway..."

...

...

...

"...How do we reach the Moon?"

They both stayed silent since neither of them had the slightest idea of which direction to even take. "You... You can't be serious?!" Leah yelled in a childish annoyed tone. "You are the one who planned on going to the Moon! You should know how to get there!"

"Of course I don't know! How do you expect me to know that!" Ravi replied in the same manner.

Then they both growled a bit upset at each other until their own ghosts finally offered an appropriate solution.

"I know how to get to the Moon" Cybel bluntly stated.

"Me too" Wire added.

Both Ravi and Leah stared at them with surprise and said "Really?"

"Yeah! We just need to introduce the coordinates we received into the ship's computer"

"That's right" Cybel claimed. "The ship's auto-pilot mode should take us there after doing that"

"Mmmh... Very well. In that case, let's do it!" the blue-haired boy added with a smile, only to do as the ghost told him some moments later.

Right after that, the ship turned around towards one specific direction, only to then start shaking with great force, startling both Ravi and Leah on the way.

"Wh-what's going on?" Leah asked, a bit scared.

"You might wanna take a seat" Cybel then stated.

"Eh? Why?"

"Just do it before it's too late!"

Both Ravi and Leah took a seat immediately and fastened their seatbelts. And exactly 1 second after they did that... the ship jumped into hyperspace, which basically means it travelled at a speed so high that it would reach the Moon faster than on just any normal trip.

When the ship finally stopped, both of them were completely out of words. "Th-th-that was..." Leah stuttered.

"Incredible!" Ravi yelled, finishing Leah's sentence. "I didn't even know my ship could do that! But, how is it possible?!"

"It's due to the hyperdrive module" Wire explained. "Each ship has a special device that lets them reach speeds as high as the light's"

Cybel joined the conversation. "That way, a trip that would take days or months can be done in seconds, minutes or hours at much"

Ravi immediately understood what they meant.... After all, the Moon itself was now right in front of them. "Amazing! So, that's the Moon?!" the bluenette asked with excitement.

"Yup, that's it" Wire replied, after which they all finally decided to venture themselves into the surface.

...

...

...

After heading into and landing near a Guardian outpost at the mysterious lunar region known as... The Ocean of Storms... they all got out onto the fascinating lunar landscape at last.

"How exciting!" Ravi claimed while grabbing a bit of dust from the ground. "To think that not so long ago I was still trapped in the middle of nowhere... and now I'm on the freaking Moon!"

Leah was still a bit worried, but she couldn't help but to smile softly after watching Ravi and his bright mood. In the end, they decided to explore a bit while heading towards where the coordinates lead.

There was no risk of running out of air since, thanks to the Traveller and its terraforming abilities, the Moon and almost every single planet, satellite and planetoid that lied in the Solar System now had their very own atmosphere and a gravity almost equal to the one of planet Earth.

"So, what's this place's story?" Ravi asked out of nowhere.

"What do you mean?" Leah replied while raising an eyebrow.

"Well... I know that the Earth is where the last remains of humanity live, and also that it was invaded by the Fallen and the Hive. But what about this place?"

"Well..." Cybel began talking. "The Moon is actually a lot worse than the Earth"

Both guardians were startled by this. "In what way?" Leah finally asked.

And so, Cybel and Wire explained both trainees the fascinating but very tragic story of how the Earth's Moon turned into... a Hive nest.

...

Basically, the Moon used to be a very important research station for humanity... as well as a very abundant and rich mining center. However, all of that changed with the Collapse. The Fallen and the Hive arrived and began gaining terrain. More the Hive than the Fallen.

In very few years, humans on the Moon were almost wiped out completely due to those monsters. The remaining survivors had to flee away and return to the Earth. The Moon... was completely lost. It became some kind of sacrifice. Humanity thought that by giving up the Earth's only satellite, they would prevent the Hive from spreading any further...

...

...

...

They couldn't be more wrong.

...

...

...

Those insect-looking aliens build an entire citadel beneath the Moon's surface. Thousands and thousands of tunnels spread across the vast land, but in the end they all connect to one main terrifying area: The Hellmouth... An extremely giant pit that supposedly leads to the deepest sectors of the Hive's infernal citadel.

...

"That... certainly doesn't sound good" Ravi muttered right after hearing the story.

"Are you saying that we'll have to fight the Hive again?" Leah asked this time with a bit of concern in her voice.

She was once again being invaded by fear just from the fact of hearing about the Hive. But then... she felt something else covering her... Something very warm and cozy that immediately made her feel better. It was Ravi's arm. The bluenette was surrounding her with it and bringing her closer to him. "It will be fine" he claimed with a big smile. "If the Hive do appear, then we'll fight them TOGETHER... Just like before"

At that moment, Leah's fear slowly began disappearing, only to be replaced by a tiny soft grin some moments later. "Yeah... you're right"

After that, both trainees kept on walking until they finally got to reach the top of a hill. And then... they saw it. The place in which the Hive were more crowded than in any other zone: the Hellmouth.

Such horrifying landscape was exactly as Cybel and Wire had described some time earlier... Just a very big crater with apparently no bottom.

"This is insane!" Ravi claimed while in shock.

"Let's... Let's keep m-moving" Leah stuttered, nervously. "The faster we finish with this, the earlier we'll be back at home"

As they all kept on exploring the moon's wide surface, they found a very stretch glen located at one side of the Hellmouth... An scary passageway that leaded straight towards the coordinates the group were trying to reach. And after following it all the way to the end, they got surprised at the sight of some kind of weird-looking entrance... An entrance to the underground tunnels.

"This is it" Wire bluntly said.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ravi asked a bit puzzled.

"This is where the coordinates lead"

"Wait... So you mean the one who sent them wants us to explore the Hive tunnels?"

"We are NOT doing that!" Leah claimed while crossing her arms and frowning. "We already reached where the coordinates lead"

"Yeah, but..."

"Think about it. I'm quite sure the unknown messenger doesn't want us to explore the tunnels. That would be ridiculous!"

"Well... You are right on that. But then what was the point of coming here?"

"Who knows? Maybe that stranger just wants us know there is an entrance here"

"Mmmh... I'm still not convinced" the blue-haired warlock muttered while scratching the back of his head.

"Let's just leave before it's too late" Cybel added at that moment.

Ravi was still not so sure about leaving yet, but then he ended up accepting. However, just before the whole group could walk away back towards their ship... the ground beneath them cracked.

"WHAT THE... RAVIIII!" Leah desperately yelled.

"LEAAAAH!" Ravi yelled in the same manner

And so, both the huntress and the warlock inevitably startled in shock while falling down some kind of natural slide. What is more, Cybel and Wire had to follow them since they were their ghosts and couldn't stay away from their respective guardians.

After some time, they finally reached the bottom. "AUGH!" they both groaned from pain.

"Leah... Are you ok?" Ravi asked while standing back up.

"Yeah but, where are...?" Leah couldn't finish talking, for she and Ravi found themselves shocked at the place they were now. It was... some kind of temple-looking room. But strangely enough, it wasn't dark despite being underground. It was actually really illuminated... by a disturbing green glow. "Where... Where the hell are we?"

"I have no idea... Wire?"

"These are the Hive tunnels" the ghost slowly said.

"Really? They don't seem like tunnels though"

"That's because the Hive are a like sect, remember?" Cybel intervened. "Some parts of their tunnels are also filled with these weird constructions. And apparently they are used for rites or rituals to worship death and their gods"

Leah found herself weirded out and a bit scared by this. "Y-you mean the Hive have their own gods?" She asked, nervously.

"Yeah, but let's forget about that for now. We must find a way to get out"

"Or..." Ravi interrupted with a childish grin. "...we could explore a bit"

Right after hearing such ridiculous idea coming out of the innocent young warlock's mouth; Leah, Wire and Cybel stared at him without saying a single thing.

"Ah? What?"

"WE. ARE. LEAVING!" they all 3 claimed at the same time as the blue-haired boy couldn't help but to find himself intimidated by this.

"O-ok... hehehe..." Ravi finally muttered while sweat-dropping. "But still... We need to explore, otherwise we won't find the exit"

Leah took a long sigh. "Well, you are right about that" she then replied, calmly.

And so, they decided to explore and search for an exit. While exploring, Ravi had to use his fire as a light source because unlike the room from before, the actual tunnels weren't illuminated at all. Meanwhile, Leah really couldn't help but to notice just how disgusting everything around looked. Most parts of the walls were covered with this weird mucus-looking substance, and one could easily hear the sound of something grotesque crawling somewhere around.

"I... I can't stand this place" Leah muttered while slightly shaking in disgust. "Please... let's hurry up and find the exit"

"Oh, come on... You are exaggerating" Ravi bluntly replied.

"No, I am not" the young girl muttered while pouting angrily. "You don't understand because you've lived 16 years in that dirty bunker"

"Haaa? What's that supposed to mean?"

And there they were again. Those 2 always argued for the most stupid things. Though for Wire, Cybel, and practically everyone who knew the guardian duo... that was the best way in which they showed just how much they cared for each other.

"Come on... Don't fight, you two" Cybel intervened in a mischievous tone. "Unless you wanna seem more like actual couple that is"

Leah turned red after hearing this. "We... we are not a couple!" She yelled while blushing.

'What does it mean to be a couple?' Ravi thought with innocence.

After that... and after a very long walk through the horrible tunnels, they finally reached another of those temple-looking rooms, though this one was bigger and seemed to hold some kind of even greater importance. What is more, both Leah and Ravi gasped in surprise after seeing a very big and weirdly designed pillar at the very middle of the room.

"What the hell is this?" the bluenette asked, slowly.

Then, after taking a closer look, Wire finally answered his question. "Mmmh... This may sound strange, but I think this is some kind of... computer"

"A computer?" Both Leah and Ravi asked in surprise.

"Yeah, give me a sec. Maybe I can..."

"Maybe you can hack in!" Ravi replied, interrupting Wire.

"That's right!"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Leah claimed out of nowhere. "Are you sure it's a good idea? Why would you even wanna hack that?"

"It'll be okay, Leah" Ravi replied with a grin. "We won't lose anything, and besides, we might even be able to find a map for these tunnels!"

The huntress widened her eyes slightly. "W-well... That may be true, but..." She then took a long sigh. "Okay, do it... But do it fast"

"I'll do what I can" Wire finally added.

And so, while Wire was tasked with mission of hacking into the strange Hive computer, Ravi and Cybel were patiently waiting. Leah however, had a troubled expression and seemed a little anxious because of the current situation. Something that Ravi noticed.

"Hey, everything ok?" the blue-haired boy asked her.

"Ah? Y-yeah..." the girl replied with a troubled expression. "It's only that..."

"What?"

She then took a long sigh. "I think we are doing more than what we should have. We were supposed to follow the coordinates and that's it. But, now we are inside these... grotesque tunnels... while hacking into an unknown alien computer"

"You are thinking too hard about it" Ravi replied with a grin. "Who cares if we break the rules. As long as no one finds out, we'll be fine... right?"

"Well... Yeah, but..."

"Besides..." He interrupted. "...I'm having a lot of fun... hehehe..."

Leah widened his eyes after hearing this, and a soft smile took form in her face. "Jeez... you really are hopeless" She finally said with a voice so low that Ravi couldn't hear.

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing... hehehe..."

Some more minutes later, Wire finally announced what he was able to find inside the computer's archives.

"It's really amazing!" He claimed out loud. "This is... this is..."

"What is it, Wire?" Ravi asked his ghost.

"The World's Grave!"

Everyone stared silent and puzzled at the little droid. "The World's Grave?" Cybel finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes! That's how the Hive call it. There's an entire library in here!"

"What do you mean?" Leah asked while raising an eyebrow.

"There are tons and tons of archives full of data, knowledge and all kinds of info: The Hive's origin, their religion and beliefs, physiology, important events in their history, the list goes on and on!"

Everyone's eyes widened in shock. Not only did they manage to explore the Hive's dark tunnels and citadel, but they also were able to find one of their greatest sources of information and knowledge.

"Well, that certainly sounds great... but we need to go now" Leah then claimed while breaking the mood. "We'll have time to discuss about this later"

"Leah is right" Cybel added. "We are too exposed here. We can run into the Hive anytime now. We must find an exit"

They all nodded in agreement, but just before leaving the room, Ravi took out a small device from his pocket... and stuck it to a nearby wall. "What's that?" Leah asked Ravi after noticing such device.

"It's a tracker" He replied, calmly. "I'm leaving it here so that we know where this place is in case we need it in the future"

"I see... that's actually a good idea. But... where did you even get that tracker from?"

At that moment, Ravi turned and stared at Leah with a confident smirk. "I did it myself... hehe..."

Of course he did it himself. The bluennete already possessed more than the required knowledge to do it. Especially because he's been secretly learning other important concepts and techno-stuff from Leah's mother and her many inventions.

"Seems like those extra lessons with my mother sure are helping you" Leah told the boy with a smile, after which he simply chuckled a bit in return.

...

...

...

And so, the whole group finally left the room and continued searching for a way out after that. Soon, they reached yet another wide room, though this one was very different. It was like a round and big chapel with many pillars all scattered across. But the most important difference was... this one was filled with Hive thralls and knights, not as big and definitely not as powerful as the one they fought back at the array, but big and strong nonetheless.

Ravi and the others had to hide in order to not be seen. However, the Hive didn't even seem to be paying attention to them. They appeared to be... praying.

"What are they doing?" Ravi whispered with doubt.

"They seem to be in the middle of a ritual" Cybel replied.

"Or maybe they are just completely mad" Wire added.

Just then, Leah finally noticed what was it the Hive were paying attention to while 'praying'. "Look at that" the huntress muttered while pointing to the middle of the room where some kind of altar was lying, surrounded by those monsters and carrying above nothing else than a very big white crystal just floating in mid-air. "That must be what the Hive are praising but... what is it?"

"It can't be" Cybel said in surprise.

"Cybel... What is it?"

"That crystal...That's..."

"A shard of the Traveller" Wire finally stated, interrupting Cybel and leaving both Ravi and Leah totally shocked along the way.