and it never goes away

cover you when the sky comes crashing in

Hadama’s letter had reached him before he set foot towards the Citadel’s shrine, and to follow was consternation and uncertainty. While he knew they’d now secured portions of Halo for safety against the Family, perhaps now it wouldn’t much matter. It didn’t mean he’d cease and desist, much as he’d told Dorian, and until they were wholly sure the parasites were gone, maybe it was all for the best.

Still, as he lingered near the altar, he bowed his head, placing his offerings within the shelving and candles: carved sculptures of Safrin herself, painted in beautiful garb from multitudes of citizens, moon and star embedded rings, and then his own creations of majestic hair pins and bands.

Having already granted her the blood of Pierce from before, and the shiny stones layered amidst the Citadel’s barriers and boundaries, there was nothing left to do but take a long, steady breath, and persist. “Safrin, Halo has completed their tasks.”

--

Halo has completed their regional quest given in within their own light to protect the Citadel from the Family.

Halo has been given a quest! Tasks. There is no time limit. There are currently 11 active Halovians. This means 6 unique characters have to participate. Characters can participate more than once. Deimos must participate in at least 2 threads.

1. A thread of at least 3 Halovians gathering shiny stones from the Sea of Glass. - https://cotf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=11464 - Noah, Ravenna, Elizabeth –

2. A PQ placing those stones all around the borders of the Citadel. Must have 8 rounds. - https://cotf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=11545 - Deimos, Amhran, Iskra

3. A thread with at least 1 Halovian capturing a physical piece of a member of the Family. - https://cotf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=11439 - Deimos

DEIMOS

Safrin

The candles don’t flicker, they burn steady and silent as moonrise, casting tall shadows across the walls. Then, one by one, they begin to glow not with firelight, but starlight—soft and silver, pulsing like a heartbeat. The air cools. The hush deepens. And from that stillness, she steps into being.

Safrin appears not in a burst of brilliance, but in the slow unfolding of presence. Her hair spills like the night sky down her back, and her gown shifts with constellations still forming, like wishes taking shape. She says nothing at first—only smiles as her eyes sweep across the offerings with a quiet, knowing affection. "You’ve done well, Deimos."

The words are warm and low, wrapped in pride. She reaches out to touch the hairpins, lifting one delicately between two fingers, admiring the craftsmanship and care with a glint of satisfaction. "And not just you. Halo, too. Even when the world frays at its edges, your people pull their threads together. You should be proud."

She steps closer then, laying a hand gently over his heart. "Protection, as promised."

Outside the shrine, unseen by those within but felt all the same, the stars answer her call. From the breath of the moon and the stones beneath the Citadel, a dome begins to shimmer. Pale and beautiful, it folds around the city in an arc of starlit protection, faint as frost and just as sharp. It hums with promise. It holds.

Safrin’s smile lingers as she lowers her hand. "It will keep them safe from the Family. For as long as the stars still shine."

---

Halo has completed their RQ and received: Starlit Barrier | A faint starlit barrier that surrounds the Citadel. The Family cannot physically bypass the barrier.

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

cover you when the sky comes crashing in

Deimos waited; still and quiet as she emerged. The praise had been a hard-fought thing, but his smile chiseled back across his features, a long slow breath dragging through his chest at the commendations for both himself and Halo. Because they had been a strong, enduring community, no matter how burdensome the threats, nor colossal the danger. Their world endured.

And for now, at least, the Family wouldn’t be able to linger in those thresholds.

“I am. I always have been.” And he would tell them that more and more. “Thank you for giving us the chance. Halo is honored.” Her powers would shine through and through, starlit barriers and protection from those who longed to do them harm. Families could be tucked away, safe in their homes. Citizens could carry on about their days. And that was worth all the risks he, and so many others, had taken.

[FIN]

DEIMOS