Through Time and Light [Cayde-6 Fanfiction]

Chapter 27 A Shattered Mind

Liv stood frozen, her mind spinning in a torrent of confusion and doubt. Everything around her—Cayde’s concerned face, the Reef, the distant hum of their ship—felt unreal, like a fragile illusion on the verge of breaking. The Darkness had twisted her reality so completely that she couldn’t tell what was true anymore.

“Liv, hey…” Cayde’s voice was soft, but to her, it sounded distant. He took a step closer, his hand reaching out, but she instinctively pulled back, her body tensing as if ready to run.

Her pulse quickened, fear gnawing at her every thought. “Stay back.”

Cayde stopped in his tracks, his hand lowering as he studied her with a mixture of concern and confusion. “Liv, it’s me. You know me. I don’t know what that thing did to you, but you’ve got to snap out of it.”

Liv’s hands trembled, her weapon feeling heavier than ever before. “You don’t understand… I saw things. You—” Her voice cracked, and she turned her gaze away, her heart aching from the memories of the twisted vision where Cayde had hated her, wanted her gone, even dead.

“I saw you,” she continued, her breath shaky, “you said things—terrible things. You wanted me gone, Cayde. You… you tried to kill me.”

Cayde’s face softened, his expression a mix of confusion and hurt. “Liv, whatever that was, it wasn’t me. You know I’d never—”

“Don’t!” she interrupted, her voice louder than she intended. She didn’t mean to yell at him, but the words, the accusations from the vision, had shaken her to her core. “I don’t know what’s real anymore.”

The world around her still felt wrong, distorted at the edges. Even the familiar blue glow of Cayde’s eyes seemed unnatural. She looked down at her hands, questioning everything—the battle, the mission, even her connection to Cayde. Had any of it been real? Or was this just another trick of the Darkness?

“I need you to trust me,” Cayde said softly, taking another cautious step toward her. “Whatever it showed you, whatever you saw… it’s not real. It’s just trying to mess with your head.”

Liv’s chest tightened, her breaths coming faster. The visions hadn’t just been about Cayde. They had been about everyone—Faelyn, her trusted fireteam member, turning against her; Zavala and Ikora condemning her, telling her she was reckless, selfish. The weight of all their voices, their accusations, pressed down on her like a suffocating blanket.

“I don’t know who to trust,” she whispered, her voice breaking under the weight of her emotions.

Cayde’s face grew more serious, his tone gentler. “You can trust me, Liv. I swear on everything, you can trust me.”

Liv looked into his glowing eyes, searching for any hint of deception, any sign that this was another illusion. But all she saw was the Cayde she knew—the one who had fought beside her, laughed with her, comforted her in her darkest moments. But the Darkness had been so convincing, twisting his voice, turning his love into hate. She couldn’t trust what she was feeling. Not yet.

“I just… need time,” Liv murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Cayde nodded, though she could see the pain in his eyes. He wasn’t used to being doubted, least of all by her. “I get it. I’m not going anywhere, okay? I’m right here.”

Liv swallowed hard, trying to push down the overwhelming emotions clawing at her. Her mind was a storm of conflicting thoughts—fear, doubt, love, and guilt all swirling in a chaotic mess. She wanted to trust Cayde, to fall into his arms and let him comfort her, but the Darkness had sown too much doubt. She couldn’t tell what was real anymore, and that terrified her.

They made their way back to the ship, but the usual ease between them had vanished. Liv kept her distance, her mind still racing with the memories of the visions. She caught glances of Cayde from the corner of her eye, searching for any signs of the betrayal she had seen in the illusions. But Cayde was patient, giving her space, though she could sense his worry.

The ship’s engines hummed as they broke free of the Reef’s atmosphere, heading toward the Tower. The silence between them was heavy, and Liv could feel the tension like a weight on her chest. She tried to steady her breathing, to focus on the familiar routine of a mission, but the Darkness had burrowed deep into her thoughts, refusing to let go.

As they entered the Tower’s hangar, Liv felt a sudden rush of anxiety. She had seen Zavala and Ikora in her visions, too—turning against her, accusing her of recklessness. What if that vision had been real? What if they no longer trusted her? She couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

“Ready to report in?” Cayde asked, breaking the silence as they disembarked.

Liv hesitated, her heart pounding. “I… don’t know.”

Cayde’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before he nodded. “Alright. How about you take some time to clear your head? I’ll handle the debrief.”

Liv nodded gratefully, relieved to avoid seeing Zavala and Ikora for now. She needed time to process everything, to figure out what was real and what wasn’t. “Thanks.”

As Cayde walked off toward the Vanguard’s chamber, Liv stood alone in the Tower’s courtyard. The sun was setting, casting long shadows over the city below, but the beauty of it was lost on her. All she could think about was the Darkness, and how deeply it had infiltrated her mind.

Her ghost hovered beside her, silent for a long moment before speaking up. “Are you alright, Liv?”

Liv shook her head slowly. “I don’t know. I don’t know what’s real anymore.”

The Ghost's light dimmed slightly, as if empathizing with her confusion. “Whatever you saw… it wasn’t real. You have to remember that. The Darkness preys on fear and doubt.”

“I know,” Liv replied, her voice hollow. “But it felt so real. I don’t know how to move forward if I can’t even trust what I see or feel.”

Her Ghost hovered closer, its voice gentle. “You’ll figure it out, Liv. You always do.”

But Liv wasn’t so sure this time. She felt like she was walking a tightrope over an abyss, one misstep away from falling back into the Darkness. And the worst part was, she didn’t know if she could trust herself to stay balanced.

As Liv stood in the courtyard, lost in her thoughts, a shadow passed over her. She looked up, startled, to see a figure standing in the distance, watching her from the edge of the platform. The figure was cloaked in darkness, its form barely discernible, but there was something familiar about it. A chill ran down her spine.

Liv instinctively reached for her weapon, her heart racing. Was this another trick of the Darkness? Or was it something else?

Before she could react, the figure spoke, its voice low and haunting. “You think you’ve escaped me, Liv. But the truth is, you’ve only just begun to fall.”

Liv’s breath caught in her throat, her grip tightening on her weapon. She wasn’t sure if this was another vision or something far worse.

“Soon, you will see,” the figure continued, its voice echoing through her mind. “The line between reality and illusion has already blurred. And when the time comes, you will have to decide—who do you really trust?”

The figure’s form began to dissolve into the shadows, but the weight of its words lingered in the air, wrapping around Liv like a vice.

Liv stood there, alone, her mind spinning with fear and uncertainty. The Darkness had not finished with her. And the worst part was, she didn’t know if she could trust anyone—not even herself.