By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.
HALO
LEGACY OF THE MANTLE
PROLOGUE
Had the Didact felt his destiny lay elsewhere, he would have thrown himself from the terrace immediately without questioning himself. Sadly, that was not the case.
His hands shook with anxiety as he placed his hand on a computer terminal which activated the life to the top of the Citadel and right towards the gun pointed at the head of the universe.
The Didact's mouth was dry as everything began to slow down; grief had slammed into him like a brick wall.
He looked up; the ascent was soon to end. And in a few moments, the long bridge leading to the genocide machine would be in sight.
The Didact, the one who teaches, he thought...But what had he taught? He had taught his fellow man to kill, to use a weapon and show no mercy...This is not what he'd wanted.
The elevator reached the top, the high roof was covered over with a glass dome and at the very end where the activation console stood was where the Foundry was visible. A place that produced the resources and minerals substantial to create the environments on teraformed worlds.
As his black travelling cloak swept along the floor, images of the past burned his mind with agony.
His family, his friends and her...
Seven holograms began pulsing as they detected Forerunner presence, knowing that soon it would be time and it would all be over.
A first set of doors opened and his family were in front of him, completely invisible. His father whispered in his ear, words that could not be heard by the living.
What would happen next? The Didact asked himself. What if it goes wrong?
These questions were unanswerable; the task was almost done...The Great Journey, nearly complete.
A second pair of doors hissed and opened slowly, once the Didact exited the boxed room a panel opened up a light bridge. Such vast technology had been adapted by the Parasite with the help of Mendicant Bias, an Artificial Intelligence construct that had betrayed his Makers and had walked the path of Rampancy.
The Didact's friends appeared now, each one chained to an organic wall as their faces were torn apart and the Parasite changed them. Then the cry of pain and loss as he put them out of their misery...
A tear slid down the Didact's cheek and landed gracefully on the fine stone floor. A circular pedestal on a glass platform rose a few feet into the air as the Didact placed his hand on the final terminal.
They had been activated.
Looking in disgust and horror at what he'd done, he recoiled from the panel with the deepest feeling of remorse. He stared out of the great glass window as the battle raged in the skies; Offensive Bias controlled the Forerunner fleet and had managed to buy enough time for this very moment.
It was only a matter of time now, the seven holograms lit up brightly and a silver beam shot from the elevator terrace to the final Halo ring.
This was the Galaxy's final hour.
The Artificial Sun was rising over the horizon, light shone down on the Relay Chamber as the Didact buried his head in his hands. The red fog began to clear around the Foundry, revealing over a billion Sentinels flaring into the air attending the battle.
The Sun bled into his eyes with blinding brilliance, he knew it was telling him something...Like her message saying everything will be alright.
Suddenly the lion had awoken inside of the Didact as he kicked the floating pedestal, though this achieved nothing as his foot began to throb. He cursed under his breath and sat back down.
The machine in front of him was over-seeing a thousand jobs at once, streaming commands through space and matter where the Gravemind would be listening. The Gravemind was always listening. Through rock and metal and time.
He knew that even in the unwavering silence, trillions were being murdered as he sat on the less than comfortable floor. He took out a tiny golden Locket given to him by the Librarian, her final gift with her final message.
No longer in this hour would the Didact dwell on his sorrow, he would return to the past and think of the good times. The happy times, he would think of the Librarian as her face smiled to him in his head.
He smiled back but suddenly found that he was alone, things weren't always as dark as these days...There was a time where things were peaceful, calm and beautiful.
Considering everything taken for granted, the Didact's two hearts began to beat in his ears. A four-note tunes like drumming echoed through his head as he slumped next to the steps.
The Didact closed his eyes, trying to think of the Librarian made him weak as she insisted on staying on Eden. Desperate to finish her work by fighting tooth and nail to do all she could to keep the planet safe.
She claimed the Mantle has failed us, perhaps she is right...She was always right...
Neither fist nor sword could stab the heart of the enemy; no object was as movable as it once was. But that's why they had to keep on fighting.
There was a sudden jolt and each arm on the Ark fired a silvery beam into the depths of space, it was done. And the Didact was all but a memory as he pressed the Locket against his lips.
He held out his arms and a deafening screech came from above, it was all over.
Mendicant Bias, the Flood, the Great Journey...It's finished.
"It's finished." The Didact whispered.
Now is the end of all things living and all things dead, now is the time where peace will break out for mere seconds.
It was then; the Didact could fully remember everything, home, the Librarian...Life before the war, it was like a flowing lake of memories as the Didact held out his arms, closed his eyes and saw everything.