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Devoid of Her (Colors)

Summary:

Previously, Jul's world had been full of color. Until the day she died. From the moment he learned of her fate, certain colors took over his world while the rest were rejected.

Anything beautiful remaining in this galaxy would be snuffed out, because how dare it continue to exist in spite of her absence - how dare it all outlive her.

(Based on March 2026 Fandom-Free Bingo.)

Notes:

Based on March 2026 Fandom-Free Bingo:
- 'You Make Me Happy When Skies Are Grey'
- Soulmates Give the World Color
- Social Status Denoted By Clothing Color
- Black and Blue
- Hypoxia

However, some of these prompts have been alternately interpreted or vaguely alluded to, hence why I say "based on" without tagging the proper challenge.

Also, written as a belated Jul birthday thing; him having a March birthday is why I used these prompts.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

Previously, Jul's world had been full of color, even when his life could've been better. He chased after the prestigious colors adorned by higher ranks - both out of the Sangheili's sense of pride and glory, and a little bit to be the man worthy of his beloved Raia. Coming home with better and better status made up for the fact that he had to leave her side at all.

Until the day she died. Until humans had schemed against his species and caused her to die in the process.

He hadn't been there - that was part of the problem as to why it happened - but he knew enough about battle and ships to picture it so clearly in his head. The sickly colors that would've taken over her natural beauty as the fire, smoke, and debris did her in. She'd be black and blue all over from the ship coming down all over her. He wasn't sure which cause would've been better in that situation - getting crushed to death would be brutal, but far faster than slowly suffocating to death. Yet all roads led to her beauty being destroyed.

From the moment he learned of her fate, those colors took over his world. He spilled the purple and red blood of his enemies - not just humans, but the traitors amongst his own kind that helped this happen. He rejected the majestic colors shipmaster and fleetmaster ranks bestowed, donning a somber blue and gray that reflected the shell he was now.

All of them would die in the same gruesome fashions that could've befallen his wife in those unseen final moments. Anything beautiful remaining in this galaxy would be snuffed out, because how dare it continue to exist in spite of her absence - how dare it all outlive her.

Notes:

So I realized in the middle of writing that I had misremembered Raia's death a little... I thought Cleansing Truth had managed to reach space before it got shot down, making her die in the void of space, but I think it may've instead crashed. I got my copy of The Thursday War just to skim the scene and it sounds like the latter is true, although without a proper reread of the whole chapter (which I didn't wanna do for what was meant to be a short writing session), I couldn't 100% parse what happened beyond I misremembered it. Anyway, that kinda ruined my plans to incorporate "Hypoxia" more straightforwardly, so instead I alluded to it in regards to smoke inhalation and similar. I also genuinely don't know what Hypoxia would look like, and not really keen on looking it up and having something potentially horrifying sticking with me for the rest of my life, hence why there's a lot of "her beauty was destroyed" rather than specifics.

This is just one angle of what I think Jul's motivations were when forming his Covenant, even if he may not have been consciously aware of it.

Anyway, RIP Raia, even outside of keeping Jul from going murder-crazy, she would've been a great long-term addition to the Halo universe if her existential purpose wasn't to be Jul 'Mdama tragic backstory. Just getting a glimpse of it during the skimming reminded me of what we lost (ironic it lowkey aligns more with Thel's reforms tho, maybe outside of the human alliance thing they actually would've gotten along).

 

My Fic Carrd