Through Time and Light [Cayde-6 Fanfiction]

Chapter 14 Through the Infinite

The Infinite Forest continued to stretch before them, a maze of simulations and shifting possibilities. Despite the challenges they faced, the connection between Liv and Cayde had grown undeniable. Each battle, each strange encounter within the Forest, only deepened the bond that had blossomed between them.

But the mission wasn’t over yet.

After hours of trekking through the ever-changing landscape, Liv and Cayde finally found themselves at the heart of the Infinite Forest—a massive chamber filled with shimmering, ever-shifting light. Faelyn and the rest of the fireteam had been reunited with them along the way, and now they stood at the edge of the Vex’s stronghold.

“This is it,” Faelyn muttered, nocking an arrow as he scanned the area. “The core of their simulations. If we can disrupt it, we might just find the key to understanding how they manipulate time.”

Liv’s heart pounded in her chest, the weight of the moment pressing down on her. She glanced at Cayde, who stood at her side, his hand cannon ready but his expression uncharacteristically serious.

“You good?” he asked quietly, his voice low enough that only she could hear.

Liv nodded, though the unease still gnawed at her. “Yeah. Just... ready to end this.”

Cayde gave her a small, reassuring smile. “We’ve got this.”

Together, they entered the chamber.

Inside, the Vex core pulsed with energy, surrounded by a sea of simulated enemies. The air crackled with power as the Vex began to materialize around them, their angular forms shifting and multiplying with each passing second. Time itself felt unstable here, as though the Vex had complete control over the very fabric of reality.

The battle was fierce.

Liv fought with everything she had, her sword flashing in the strange, otherworldly light as she cut through wave after wave of Vex. Faelyn’s arrows flew true, each shot taking down an enemy with deadly precision. And Cayde, ever the sharpshooter, moved with a fluid grace, his hand cannon sending bolts of light into the heart of their foes.

But the Vex were relentless, their numbers seemingly endless. Every time one fell, another appeared in its place, the simulation shifting and warping around them as the core pulsed with growing intensity.

“We need to shut down that core!” Faelyn shouted over the din of battle. “It’s the only way to stop this!”

Liv gritted her teeth, glancing at Cayde. “We’ll cover you. Go!”

Without hesitation, Faelyn moved toward the core, his bow glowing with Light as he prepared to unleash a final, powerful strike. Liv and Cayde fought side by side, cutting down the Vex that surged toward them, their movements perfectly in sync.

But as the battle raged on, something strange began to happen.

The air around them shimmered, and suddenly, Liv felt a strange pull, like she was being drawn into another time, another place. She glanced at Cayde, her heart skipping a beat. He seemed to feel it too, his eyes widening as he looked at her.

“Liv!” Cayde shouted, his voice filled with urgency. “Something’s happening!”

Before Liv could respond, the world around them shifted, and suddenly they were no longer in the Infinite Forest. Instead, they were standing in a place Liv recognized all too well—the scene from the vision of Cayde’s death.

The prison, the Red Legion, and Uldren Sov.

Liv’s breath caught in her throat as she looked around. The air was thick with tension, the familiar dread settling into her bones as she realized what was happening. This was the moment—the moment Cayde was supposed to die.