Deepwoken: Penumbra

Family: Nothing built...

As James and David sat in their cells, pondering about how to escape they started chatting.
"You ever wonder what... The purpose of it all is?" David asked.
"Depends on who you ask. For Cyrus, it's to try and be with his family." James replied.
David looked at his fellow soldier. "What's your 'goal' with all of this, 'Captain'?"
James thought for a moment. "To be with my family, too. But mine is a little different. Not blood related. It's the 11th Legion. They're the only ones who stuck by my side no matter what. What about you?"
David looked out of his cell window. "I don't know. I don't have a family... I guess I just try to be happy."

Meanwhile, on the Songseeker Isles, Falco appeared in Cyrus' tent.
Cyrus looked at him. "Assassin, you're back..."
Falco rolled his eyes. "Just call me Falco. It doesn't matter anymore."
Cyrus could sense something was wrong with him, but didn't push it. "Falco... Ready to help out again?"
"Why do you think I'm here?" Falco replied bluntly.
"Well... Next order of business would be to free James and David." Cyrus continued. "And... Find out where a woman is. An Authority soldier. Her name's Jane Talo. Don't hurt her, just... Tell me where she is."
Falco narrowed his eyes, finding the request strange. "Why's she important?"
Cyrus thought for a moment. "She.... Helped me. That means I still have unfinished business with her."
Falco glared at Cyrus for a moment before replying. "Fine... I'll be back once I know something."
Cyrus thought about Jane. About everything that happened between them.

Decades prior, the Legion was at war with another nation. Cyrus was leading a squad into battle when they were ambushed by the enemy.
Cyrus spun around immediately punching one of their attackers.
"Sir!-" one of his soldiers called out.
Cyrus took out his pistol. "Go! I'll be fine! Just get to the frontlines!"
His soldiers nodded, leaving him.
Cyrus wasn't lying. He really thought he would be fine. But he wasn't. He was overpowered in a four on one and killed on the spot.

The Legion soldier woke up in a cold an unfamiliar place. Mountains surrounded him, with every step feeling stranger and stranger, to the point where even breathing seemed unnatural.
He was beginning to lose it all. His family was gone already, he knew that. And that wasn't his problem. He had gotten over their deaths.
His decaying sanity was caused by what he didn't know. What would happen to him if he went back and told everyone he failed? Where even is he? Can he even go back? And more importantly, what happened to his squadmates? Are they okay? Will they die too?
Cyrus slowly but steadily started feeling worse and worse, shivering occasionally with no hope in sight.

And if he thought it couldn't get any worse, as he turned a corner, an alpha megalodaunt's face greeted him. Cyrus froze up, never having dealt with anything like this before.
As the megalodaunt raised a claw, he didn't try to fight back. Maybe he deserved to die, after leaving his teammates.
But before it could strike down at him, a sword struck the megalodaunt's claw, stopping it, before the soldier who saved him jumped up, slicing the beast's throat.

Cyrus just looked on, barely understanding what was happening.
The soldier turned around. "Are you okay? I see you're with the Legion..."
Cyrus looked at the woman standing before him. "Y-yeah..."
The woman smiled. "My name's Jane. I'm with the Authority. We're allies."
Cyrus replied after a moment of hesitation. "My name's Cyrus..."
Jane looked around. "So this is the Depths, huh?... I wish we could get out... See our friends again..."
Cyrus scanned the distance, only spotting it now - a giant tower, covered in a ray of sunshine. "I think I know... Our way out..."
"Huh?" Jane looked at him.
"Off in the distance. The City of The Drowned, right?... That's... Where we can get out." Cyrus said, pointing at the tower.
With Cyrus to guide her, Jane saw it - the tower of hope, glimmering in sunshine far in the distance.
"We can do this together, Cyrus!" Jane replied, happier now that she knew what she had to do.
Cyrus smiled. "Yeah... Let's go!"

After hours and hours on end, fighting for their lives, they finally escaped the Depths.
Out now, on the surface, they stuck together, growing close, having formed an incredible bond in the underwater hell. Soon enough, they developed crushes on each other and before they knew it, Jane was pregnant.
But nothing built lasts forever.
They were torn apart when the Authority betrayed the Legions, just days after finding out about the pregnancy.
Cyrus was faced with a difficult choice. He could betray everything that kept him alive up until that fatal war, and stay with Jane, or he could leave the love of his life, staying loyal to everything else in his life.
Cyrus chose the latter, and thus, they were broken apart. Both were heartbroken, but they still loved each other. They arranged secret meet-ups, unable to truly live without each other.
But nothing built lasts forever.

After Jane delivered the boy we know as Seth today, the Legion came for him. Jane protested, and this time, Cyrus stuck by her. But it was too little, too late. The Legion wasn't having any of it. In their eyes, this boy was Legion blood that was taken from them. And so, they took him, ending Cyrus and Jane's relationship.