As it turned out, Kysa, now his clone, had never expected their battle. In a way, perhaps fate had intended for them to be together.

She'd had no desire to hunt Halo at first, even after her encounter with Fade of Bridle. But when Seraphim came around often and casually spoke of Halo, she saw the opportunity and took it.

Actually, Kysa had wanted Seraphim to travel to StoneHaven and drag Halo to her immediately.

Seraphim refused multiple times and even resisted violently, but when Kysa nearly killed one of her teammates, something in her changed as though she'd suddenly learned to fear death. Even then, she insisted on waiting until Halo had fulfilled his Purpose.

"Tell me… what do you think convinced her to act differently? Was it to protect herself or to protect her comrades?"

After a day of rest, Kysa gave her corpse a proper burial, knowing her disappearance would raise questions. Halo had recovered enough to travel, so they journeyed to Noah's estate near Silent Hill.

On foot, of course. And yes, he was still shirtless.

"I don't know. What I do know is that she bargained with me for a piece of my sword, Star Seeker. The greed, the obsession in her eyes… that's when I saw her true self."

Kysa said and turned to Halo, who walked before him.

"She fully expected me to kill you, yet she brought you anyway. Her allies may have pushed her, but her own desire was the real driving force."

Halo sighed.

Thinking about it, he knew very little about Seraphim that mattered. With deception as her Flaw, she was caught between being a pretender and a trickster. Neither suited her well.

Even so, Halo had made a similar mistake with Iris, one that ended in her death. He wouldn't jump to conclusions again.

Seraphim still had Sunday, one of his clones, and through Sunday, she'd know Halo was alive. He'd wait and see how things unfolded before deciding if she was friend or foe.

***

After a few hours of travel, they found a wagon and climbed aboard. Curiously, Kysa refused to turn into a shadow, and Saint adopted the same stubbornness.

But their shadow forms hardly drew attention. The other passengers seemed more concerned about the shirtless man traveling with women.

The atmosphere was thick for Halo. Even from just two passengers, the constant stares, along with Kysa's endless laughter and teasing, made it suffocating.

'Jeez, is she sure she was depressed?'

She'd lived more than a century, and as a giant her lifespan could reach three hundred years. The Eternal Giant's depression should have made her forget how to smile entirely.

Still, Saint explained Halo's lack of a shirt to the passengers, who quickly accepted it. Her mask made social interaction easy.

But Kysa was different, few knew what she looked like. Those two would've abandoned the wagon immediately if they'd realized who she was.

"Kysa… you said people would notice you were gone, which is why you buried your own body. So… what happens if they discover you're really dead?"

Saint asked. Halo sat with his elbow propped on his thigh, lost in thought. Not long ago, a journey like this would have made him very scared. That was when he'd met Light, the man he later named his clone after. Now, the memory didn't bother him at all.

"Yes, it'd be bad. Ruthless as I was, my strength held the balance. But once they discover I'm gone, wars will erupt. The world always scrambles to crown a new strongest Knight."

She shrugged her shoulders.

Halo turned to them with a confused expression.

"Why not show your presence now? You're still you, aren't you?"

Kysa motioned negatively.

"I don't want to. It was this same fear that kept me trapped in Voiceless, but things are different now. I can make friends… I can actually speak to people without drowning inside my own head. I want to experience life too. Dead or not, you know what I mean. And Fade knew this, too. He was part of the decision, so I'm certain he's already picked my successor."

Halo frowned.

Boss, the man he'd worked for, was surrounded by a few mysteries, though those all came from Leto alone. But Fade, his master, possessed an eerie mystique that even legends couldn't properly convey. And yet, Halo knew nothing about him.

"Who is Fade, truly? To the world, he's spoken of as either a savior or a disaster waiting to happen. Yet the side he showed me was something entirely different."

Kysa gave his words a beat.

"I can't say I know who he really is… only what he could be. But Fade clearly had a fondness for you, even as he hid his identity. Whatever reason he has, I'm certain he'll reveal it to you when the time is right."

Halo sighed, disappointed.

He didn't actually want to know, but now his curiosity was aroused. It didn't matter anyway, he still owed the bastard a favor, and they were bound to cross paths again.

***

After two days on the road, Kysa had told Halo and Saint almost all her stories and memories, though mostly to Saint since Halo spent so much time sleeping.

The two clones didn't feel tired; they were incapable of sleep.

They finally arrived somewhere near Silent Hill.

The familiar comfort settled over him. This was where everything began. He'd come to Silent Hill fearing Dark Saint, to the Galactic Castle fearing Kysa, and now, less than six months later, they were his allies. His clones. It was almost funny.

On their way to Noah's estate, he couldn't say whether he wanted Noah alive or dead. But more than anything, he hoped the man had finally escaped his suffering.

After several hours, just before the deepest part of the night, they came to the galactic walls with several buildings looming behind them.

Before the colossal gate was a man in full armor, his sword driven into the ground, hands resting on the hilt.

Before they drew close, the man spun to face them, his armor clanking with each movement.

"Who's there?"

Halo said nothing.

Once in the opening, the man let down his guard.

"Is that you, Halo?"

Shadow of Death wanted to smile, but his nature wouldn't allow it.

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