#and as alwayssss if u enjoyed reading would u consider reblogging! and commenting in the tags :D i read them ALL and i love them so much

[antariies]

How to Come Back From the Dead

(Or, the Commander's introspection of The Departing, but make it a wikiHow article; angst, hurt/comfort; 1.9k words, CW: blood)

Authored by The Pact Commander Last Updated: 1333 AE ⬜️ References ☑️ Tested

There are many ways to partially come back from the dead, either by becoming a ghost, Risen, or Awakened, but true resurrection is a lot harder to achieve. For those of us unable to become liches (or eat and absorb the magic of one) there is an easier, faster way.

Part 1: Don’t Just Die, Be Killed

Become a thorn in a god's side. Any god will do, but for best results, pick a particularly violent and vengeful god, like Balthazar. Interfere with his plans to raise an army and devour the world because that’s what you've done to every power-hungry magic being who tried before him. Zhaitan. Mordremoth. He is no different from an Elder Dragon.

Once you have successfully gotten in his way at every turn, Balthazar will ambush you when you are alone and trap you so you can't escape.

You will be outmatched, but you will reassure yourself that you only need to hold out until reinforcements arrive.

As the fight drags on and there is still no sign of help, you will begin to lose hope, just a little.

As you stumble from exhaustion just long enough for Balthazar to land a deep gash in your side, you will begin to lose blood, a lot.

Aurene will show up just as you are about to pass out, surprising you.

"Ah, the scion," Balthazar will grin, "come here to defend her champion."

The surprise will give way to horror when you realize that he was using you as bait this whole time.

Watch helplessly as he restrains her. That's your daughter. Her eyes will be blown wide in terror and she will thrash against the chains so hard that the crystals on her back chip when they scrape against the metal. That's your daughter.

"Aurene!" you will scream, throat burning from all the smoke.

That will be the last thing you say.

The sun is setting on you. You'll be able to see it in the reflection of Balthazar's sword when he lifts it high above your body.

"How sad for you to die so far from home," he will say, voice dripping with mock sympathy and so, so much hate.

Be impaled.

Bleed out faster than you can choke on your own blood.

Die alone.

Part 2: Getting Your Second Chance

Wake up in the Domain of the Lost. Ideally, your death was traumatic enough that you forgot everything and ended up here. Time works differently in this realm, so you can take as long as you need to get your bearings. When you're ready, go talk to the hooded figure with the bone mask. He is the Judge, and he will help you regain your lost memories.

Along the way, you will meet someone in a cage.

He will introduce himself as King Palawa Joko, the last Primeval King, the Undying, the Scourge of Vabbi, etc., etc. and he will curse Balthazar for imprisoning him here. This will mean nothing to you right now.

When you meet the Judge, he will tell you to fight for your name first, to find out who you were and how you lived. Then you must learn your purpose, to find out how and why you died. You didn't know you could fight, but as you rummage around in the heaps of other dead people's belongings, you will find weapons that slide into your hands as easy as breathing.

And it's important that you find them fast, because your face will be worn like a glamour by more than one spirit. When words fail to persuade them, you will raise your weapons (easy as breathing) and try a different method of persuasion.

You'll remember your name—your real name—first, but what everyone calls you is—

Commander. [1]

You are the Pact Commander.

A white raven will appear to you then, bright against the bleakness to lead you through the barren trees, and you will watch moments of your own life play out in front of you. You will likely need to take a few minutes at each of them to process it all, because for every big memory you're shown, a hundred smaller ones flood your mind to bridge the gaps in-between.

When the last memory fades away, you will be wearing your armor again. You will remember everything now.

Everything.

You will sink to your knees without a sound, hugging yourself so tightly because you're afraid any second now your body will remember that it's not supposed to be so whole.

Take your time. Breathe. It won't go away, but it'll fade. It'll get easier.

Eventually, when you feel like you won't immediately fall apart if you move, you will get up slowly and make your way back to the Judge. You can't stay here. You have unfinished business.

"Balthazar killed you," the Judge will say, not unkindly. He will tilt his head in a birdlike motion, "but you would face him again?"

Seeing the look on your face, the Judge will tell you of a fearsome beast, the Eater of Souls. He will warn you that if you fail to defeat it, it will consume your soul and you will cease to exist entirely. So you will have to kill a power-hungry magic being or die trying. Pretty standard, all things considered. When you tell the Judge that it’s a risk you’ll have to take, he will fall silent for a long moment.

“The afterlife is many things,” he will say patiently, face unreadable behind the mask. “A chance to finally rest is one of them.”

Hesitate, and just for a second, let yourself consider it. Laying down your weapons. No more fighting, no more pain, no more losing people. Finally resting.

That familiar fire in your gut will flare up again. The brave one, that reminds you that you chose to fight because you are stronger and more capable than most, and you don’t want anyone else to suffer as you have. The hungry one, that will eat you alive with guilt if you pass on this second chance at life, a chance that others can only dream of. [2]

Think of your Order mentor, think of Eir, think of Trahearne, and remember that you can't save everyone.

Think of Aurene, think of all your friends still alive, and remember that you have to try.

“I... no,” you will shake your head. “No, not… not yet.”

The Judge will nod once in understanding. He is no stranger to people like you. “Go then. Conquer the Eater of Souls and live again." His eyes will blaze green through the mask and his shadowy cloak will billow around him like wings unfurling. "Remind Balthazar that none escape judgement."

After you find, fight, and kill the Eater of Souls to claim its magic, you will have to pass through the clearing you woke up in. You will run into Joko again (the last Primeval King, the Undying, the Scourge of Vabbi, etc.) and he will try a different angle this time, now that you're no longer an amnesiac ghost.

"Such pluck and self-delusion," he will purr when you reject his help for the second time, clearly amused. "Of course, you are forgetting one crucial detail: Balthazar has an army. Do you have an army, little one?" He will bare his teeth at you in a tar-filled grin. "We both know you don't stand a chance without my Awakened soldiers."

"...You're right," you will say slowly, the pieces of a wild plan starting to fall into place in your head. You will match his grin with a smug smile of your own. "I do need your army. But I don't need you."

You will ignore his attempts to interrogate you after that, and Joko will squawk indignantly as you walk away right in the middle of his tirade, not even bothering to stifle your laughter. His threats will get fainter as you go, until they're nothing more than echoes. [3]

Find the tree you woke up under. Sit down under its branches, lean back against the trunk, and close your eyes.

Part 3: Coming Back to Life

Open your eyes to a beautiful evening sky. Then realize very quickly that you can't breathe because there's still leftover blood caught in your throat. Turn your head to the side, retching and coughing and wheezing until you can suck in a few ragged breaths without dark spots dancing in your peripheral vision. The rest of your body will have already started to knit itself back together before you regained consciousness, but it's a slow and painful process, so try not to move too much.

While you do that, your allies will have jumped back with shouts of alarm and levelled their weapons at you. It might feel insulting, but remember that just moments ago you were little more than a mangled corpse at their feet.

Convince them that this is not a trick. It'll be easier than you expect. You have this uncanny way of surviving against all odds, the kind that makes it easier for people to believe in miracles. They were hoping for something like this.

"If anyone could come back from the dead," Taimi will laugh wetly, voice crackling through your communicator, "of course it would be the Commander!"

Let Kasmeer fuss over you. She will want to wipe your face, and as much as you protest because, "Kas, those are your nice handkerchiefs," she will shush you. With red-rimmed eyes and shaky hands, she will soak her handkerchiefs (the nice ones) in water from her canteen and gently scrub the dried blood away.

Watch as Canach and Rytlock shuffle around awkwardly. Emotions have never really been their strong suit, so instead they will pick up your weapons from where you dropped them and hand them back to you. They will cough into their fists and say, "I'm doubling my wager on you." and "Good to have you back." respectively, and then look away when you smile at them in turn.

You will be covered in burns of all three degrees, and although the dry desert air will only just begin to cool down now, you will shiver uncontrollably as something icy carves a hollow in your chest. [4]

Part 4 (Optional): Repaying the Favor

Confront Balthazar. When he sees you again at Kodash Bazaar, bruised and burned but still standing, his face will twist in shock and disbelief and hate and sheer, utter frustration, in that order. It will infuriate him to no end, the way not even death could stop you. You’re not infallible, but you are inevitable, and for the first time in millennia, he will feel scared. Not of you, but of dying. He differs from Elder Dragons in this way.

Fight Balthazar.

Win.

Community Q&A

Question: Commander?? What the fuck???

The Pact Commander (Author, Expert Answer)

yeah

Helpful 0️⃣ Not Helpful 🔟

References

Sometimes you forget that "Commander" isn't actually your name. No one's used your real name in so long.

Is it possible to feel fulfilled and trapped at the same time? You can still resent bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders even if you would never give it up, right?

This will probably not come back to bite you in the ass later.

You think you left a part of your soul back there.

#gw2 #guild wars 2 #gw2 fan submission #gw2 fanfiction #pact commander #nenah: hello what about me- #me: NO. ur not IN this episode #trying out a different style this time!! :D this was fun #i feel like if id written about the departing in my usual style it wouldve been too long to get thru everything #and also an angstfest. which i mean yeah its the departing but still #this fic was a BALANCING act! of sticking close to canon to be generic #and adding enough new detail so it wasnt just a regurgitation of the wiki #letting u all know tho i imagine my commanders departing a lot differently than canon #for starters joko is trapped in a carnival dunk tank instead of a bone cage #and as alwayssss if u enjoyed reading would u consider reblogging! and commenting in the tags :D i read them ALL and i love them so much #my writing