Halo woke to an unfamiliar buzzing noise in the streets of StoneHaven. People dragged luggage into wagons, and those too poor for transport strapped their belongings to their backs, walking as though fleeing a fire.

As a fugitive, this land's most wanted man, Halo could only watch through his window. Which, annoyingly, felt a lot like being left out of a party he never wanted to attend.

Everyone on this land was leaving.

It struck him as strange, though. The land had been completely fine a day before, with people still arriving to occupy houses and inns. The only threat was the Chaos Eaters roaming at night, and even those were too much like cowards to attack.

Hard to fear monsters that preferred intimidation over commitment.

So why?

The soft smiles that had played on the locals' lips, the free and gracious way they'd walked, whatever was happening now had clearly destroyed all they'd enjoyed.

Halo peered through his windows, watching them for nearly an hour until he couldn't hear even the faintest footstep.

He knew the Prince was behind this somehow, but what was her angle?

To confirm the locals had indeed left the land, he finally stepped outside. There, everything became clear.

Even the slightest shift in the landscape was familiar to him; the wind and buzzing insects were as loud as barking dogs.

His confusion thickened as he began ruffling his hair.

Then a voice to his left startled him. He assumed his stance and summoned his daggers, but immediately let his guard down. It was Leto.

The bastard had disappeared for nearly a week and now returned with a smile and casual demeanor, as if they were best friends.

"No tears? How disappointing. I expected you to break faster. Maybe you're stronger than I thought."

Leto said casually, hands tucked in his pockets as he strolled past Halo and turned toward the house. Like he hadn't just reappeared from thin air.

After a quick glance to make sure he wasn't being followed, Halo joined him inside.

"There's no need to worry… they already know we're here."

Leto said and rested in his seat. Which was either confidence or stupidity. Possibly both.

Halo gave him a lazy look for a moment, then dismissed his concerns. He didn't know why he'd bothered worrying about him anyway.

"What happened?"

Halo took a seat.

"Apparently, the Prince woke up today feeling like a god. And, for some reason, she decided to dismiss everyone on her land."

Halo furrowed his brow.

"And they all listened?"

Leto shrugged.

"They trust her, so that's no surprise. They'll return at some point, and she's made them certain promises as well."

Halo sighed.

To have everyone relocate was absurd. Besides, how sure were they that they were the only ones who hadn't left?

"Wait… you're telling me some of them aren't hot-headed?"

Leto shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, but we'll have to figure it out on our own… and maybe get a sense of what the Prince is up to."

Which usually meant walking into danger and pretending it was part of the plan.

Halo's eyes narrowed. His suspicion was clear. The bastard had abandoned him for nearly a week, and now he was saying he'd returned with nothing?

"Whoa, come down. What's with that stare?"

Leto said with an awkward smile and raised his hands.

"Honestly, I handled a few personal things. It doesn't concern our Purpose, but I tried to learn something about the Chaos Eaters on my own."

Halo's expression remained deadpan.

"What did you find?"

"Didn't you hear me? I tried, but it didn't work. Whatever they're planning isn't something they're trying to hide, so I can't make sense of it."

Halo shifted in his seat. Leto was a lost cause. Even Halo would've at least talked to a few people to figure something out, but Leto? He vanished for days and came back with nothing but an excuse. Impressive, really.

Nevertheless, they needed to discover what the Prince and Hex were planning. They still didn't know what the Prince's true Purpose was. To protect the land? Make them happy? Or maybe none.

For all they knew, it involved the locals directly, and having them evacuated meant she could destroy the entire land without restraint.

This wasn't something they could watch happen, though. Yet what exactly would become of Halo and his comrades if the land and its people were destroyed remained a mystery.

The Purpose was simple: eliminate StoneHaven's threat. Nothing in it required them to protect the land or its people directly, and nothing suggested they could destroy it either. But knowing how brutal the gods could be, this wasn't a gamble worth taking. The gods never clarified rules. They preferred surprise.

"What's your take? We'll hold off today and survey the streets first thing tomorrow. That way, we can see if anyone remains and maybe figure out what the Prince is up to."

Halo nodded in a heartbeat.

Actually, he'd been thinking the same thing. They were getting low on food supplies anyway, and they could take what the locals had left behind. It was perfect. They wouldn't need to waste Sin Fragments either.

But something else hung over…

What if that was exactly what the Prince and Hex were counting on? They could ambush them, maybe kill them. There would be no crowds to panic, no witnesses to their methods.

'What am I even thinking about?!'

He sighed.

The people had always known about the guards and their involvement with the Chaos Eaters but turned a blind eye. They knew death was inevitable, but here, they chose how to die, and in their eyes, that was noble.

Besides, the Prince could easily locate them if they wanted. Ambushing them in the streets didn't seem logical for someone of that caliber. If she wanted them dead, they'd already be dead.

He rose lazily to his feet and stretched his body, the cracks from his rigid back echoing in the silence.

It was still morning. He needed something to eat to settle his rumbling stomach, then he'd train for what might be the worst.

"Just so we're clear, this isn't a date. You're cute, I guess, but definitely not my type. Not even close."

Halo gave him a lazy look and sighed.

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