The next morning arrived with an unusual sense of comfort. The remaining locals went about their day as though nothing had happened, adventurers were free to visit, and customers came from every land.

Leto still hadn't returned, and if he was truly captured by the guards, Halo had yet to see any indication of his fate.

Perhaps living in a world of constant battles and death had dulled everyone's fear of dying. Otherwise, the people of StoneHaven were just insane.

However, Halo woke up to something unexpected. The house was warm again, but not from body heat but from fire instead.

There was a meal prepared for him, neatly plated and smelling delicious, but he knew the fate that awaited him the moment he tasted it.

Saint was here. Somehow, she'd figured out where he lived now.

"You know I can't taste anything, right?"

Dark Saint rested in the seat where Leto should've been sitting.

"Are you just going to let all my effort go to waste?"

She gave him a skeptical look.

Halo sighed and took his seat.

"How did you know how I lived?"

"You are my master, aren't you?"

Halo gave her a lazy look. The usual energetic side of her was absent today. She seemed lost, preoccupied with something entirely different.

"I heard the Black War is over. How did it go?"

Saint gave his words a beat.

"Don't tell me you think I'd lose."

"…"

"We won… but I killed some of my own people along the way. Purple Dune is mine now. There aren't many left after the war, but I'll make sure it stands again."

A soft smile tugged on Halo's lips.

Maybe this could finally make Saint happy. She deserved it.

"And what exactly do you plan to do with that land… force the people to worship you?"

Saint let out an annoyed sound.

"I've told you countless times… my empire is for us. I won't remain in Voiceless forever. I'll follow you wherever you go. But before that, I must claim a territory of my own."

Halo ran his hand through his hair. She was serious, intent on her words. An empire in this world? How'd that even work? It wasn't like he could say much about it anyway. He wasn't much of a leader and didn't care to be one.

He could have led their assassin organization in his past life. With his strength and influence, it would've been easy. But he'd never cared about that.

He'd rather listen to orders. Being a leader came with too many responsibilities his indifferent persona couldn't handle.

"Tell me… have you dealt with your nemesis, The Omen, yet?"

Saint shook her head in disapproval.

"He must've heard I'm still alive. I've been to countless places, and the bastard is still nowhere to be found."

Halo gave her a lazy look and stretched his rigid body.

"Ever thought he might be getting ready to seal you away for good? Wouldn't that be ironic?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"That's the difficult part. The more I think about it, the more I realize there are countless ways he could seal me and walk away untouched.

"But this time I'm killing him. He put me in this mess, and I'm done letting it slide. There's no way in hell I'm leaving him alive. None."

She rose to her feet, stretched her body, and tossed her silver hair behind her back, her white eyes piercing lazily through her black and golden mask.

"Where's Iris?"

She began walking around.

"She's been captured. Actually, she let herself be captured."

"Oh really, so she really intends to take Hex head-on? That's a bold one."

Her words startled Halo for a second.

"What did you say? You knew it was Hex? Why am I the only one she didn't tell?"

Saint paused.

"I told you what I know. Did you really forget? And when she explained her theories, I matched them with the scraps I knew about the Witches. But her plan… it's insane. Even I wouldn't go that far."

Her face lit up a little.

"She's a psycho, that girl."

Halo looked at Saint with confusion. He wanted to know what exactly Iris's plan was and why she chose to keep him in the dark. But the more he dwelt on it, the harder it stung his pride.

After calming himself down, he shrugged it off.

"Did you come here only to check on me?"

Dark Saint turned to Halo.

"No. But when I realized everyone was leaving, I started wondering how you were doing. Out of all of us, you're the one people fear the most… even more than me."

Fair, those people would definitely hate Halo to their graves.

"I came here because of the God of Death…"

Halo frowned. That was his Only Sin, the god who empowered him, Death. That bastard was the source of all his misery.

"Have you heard of the Reverend Steppe?"

Halo motioned negatively.

"I always thought that land belonged to the Ashen Ages, maybe even somewhere near the Seven Seas. But apparently there are two of them, and Reverend Steppe is right here in Voiceless."

Her words weren't all that apparent to Halo.

"What's that? Reverend Steppe?"

She nodded.

"It's counted among the wonders of this world, though 'wonder' doesn't quite fit. It's more like a sanctuary. The statues of the gods rise from the land on their own. Featureless. Unreadable. Yet when you stand among them, you immediately know which one is your Only Sin… as if it whispers to you."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I haven't seen it with my own eyes, only heard the stories. But if they're true, we can go there once you've completed your purpose. You may pray to the God of Death, and Death is bound to answer you."

A slight smile played on Halo's lips. That was a good one. Now he could find out if Death would truly come for its ability and what the myths about it actually meant.

"There's something else you should know. The land rejects anyone who still carries an unfinished Purpose. And if someone receives their Purpose while standing there, they're instantly expelled, unless that Purpose is tied to the land."

Halo's excitement began to fade. The most time he'd had before his Purpose was four days, and it could be even less next time.

"How far is the land?"

"I honestly don't know. But I have to figure it out before your Purpose ends… before it's too late."

He sighed. He simply had to focus on fulfilling his Purpose.

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