the darkness falls around me at night
I blink. He has a son? For some reason, that surprises me more than it should. Maybe it’s the battlefield setting, or the way everyone speaks about Deimos like he’s carved from old stone—timeless, unreachable. But of course he’s a father. Of course he’s human. My lips part, but I don’t ask. Instead, I hold on to the quiet gift of his words.
“I’m still figuring out how to be… more than just their daughter. Feels like I’ve always been walking in someone else’s wake.” I don’t mean it bitterly—it’s just the truth. But hearing him say it, hearing someone like Deimos speak of forging your own path, that settles something deep in my chest. Like the ground’s a little more solid under me.
And then…
Monster Hunter’s Guild?
My head lifts fast, eyes snapping wide. “My mom told me about it, back when it was in the Hallowed Grounds. But now it’s…” I trail off, blinking at him like I’m seeing the full picture for the first time. Right. “Yours!” My voice pitches lower, more sheepish. “Obviously I knew that.”
I shift my weight. “I don’t even live in Halo. I’m still figuring out how not to die in a fight, clearly.” My laugh is dry and breathless, gesturing to the mess I am. “Wouldn’t I just be in the way?”
But the idea of it—being part of something—it stirs something bright and wild in me. The way fire stirs in a hearth after a long night.
When he says he’d be willing to set aside time to teach me, I brighten immediately, practically standing straighter. “Really?” The grin that spreads across my face is probably ridiculous, but I don’t bother trying to tame it. “I’ve been trying to get better with daggers—they’re the only thing I’ve ever used, really. But I’ve always liked the feel of a shortsword. Just don’t own one.”
My voice softens, just a little as I follow him to the next set of corpses to be burned. “I didn’t inherit any magic, even though both my parents were Abandoned. It’s just me. Just Theea.” I try to say it with a shrug, with my usual dry charm—but there’s something raw under the words. A quiet longing I haven’t quite put down yet. Still, I lift my chin, resolve threading back through my voice. “But I figure if I train hard enough, maybe that’ll be enough.”
“I’m still figuring out how to be… more than just their daughter. Feels like I’ve always been walking in someone else’s wake.” I don’t mean it bitterly—it’s just the truth. But hearing him say it, hearing someone like Deimos speak of forging your own path, that settles something deep in my chest. Like the ground’s a little more solid under me.
And then…
Monster Hunter’s Guild?
My head lifts fast, eyes snapping wide. “My mom told me about it, back when it was in the Hallowed Grounds. But now it’s…” I trail off, blinking at him like I’m seeing the full picture for the first time. Right. “Yours!” My voice pitches lower, more sheepish. “Obviously I knew that.”
I shift my weight. “I don’t even live in Halo. I’m still figuring out how not to die in a fight, clearly.” My laugh is dry and breathless, gesturing to the mess I am. “Wouldn’t I just be in the way?”
But the idea of it—being part of something—it stirs something bright and wild in me. The way fire stirs in a hearth after a long night.
When he says he’d be willing to set aside time to teach me, I brighten immediately, practically standing straighter. “Really?” The grin that spreads across my face is probably ridiculous, but I don’t bother trying to tame it. “I’ve been trying to get better with daggers—they’re the only thing I’ve ever used, really. But I’ve always liked the feel of a shortsword. Just don’t own one.”
My voice softens, just a little as I follow him to the next set of corpses to be burned. “I didn’t inherit any magic, even though both my parents were Abandoned. It’s just me. Just Theea.” I try to say it with a shrug, with my usual dry charm—but there’s something raw under the words. A quiet longing I haven’t quite put down yet. Still, I lift my chin, resolve threading back through my voice. “But I figure if I train hard enough, maybe that’ll be enough.”
Theea
and covers me in silence so bright
