Sometime later…

The Shadow of Death, Dark Saint, and Eternal Giant journeyed to the Reverend Steppe, land of the gods, traveling mostly on foot.

Noah had been laid to rest, and now nothing bound Halo to the lands where it had all begun. He looked forward and hoped for the best.

The journey to the Reverend Steppe took nearly two weeks, and though Sinners crossed their path, whether by accident or intent, he barely lifted a finger.

Kysa decided to test her strength in her new form. Though the Sinners they encountered weren't strong enough to force out even a fraction of her power, she enjoyed herself. Her actions also gave Halo some insight into his own ability.

Kysa could summon her sword, Star Seeker, a gift from the god of Destruction.

Even as Halo's clone, the blade remained unchanged. It was about four feet long, formless, unlike traditional swords, with an ethereal quality that made it appear as though entire galaxies were trapped within.

This meant that even though they were nothing but shadows, their gods still acknowledged them somehow. Saint proposed many theories, but ultimately, none held up.

Their journey continued until they reached a land shrouded by a massive dark sphere. It towered into the sky, stretched endlessly like the sea, and was so opaque that not even sunlight could pierce it.

There were no Sinners within tens of miles. The sheer presence of the land was enough to keep them away.

'This doesn't look like heaven to me.'

They could only imagine what lay within the sphere. Was there light inside, or eternal darkness as the sphere suggested?

"Tsk. Let's go…"

After taking in the sight for quite some time, Halo moved forward first.

He expected some force or celestial pressure from the barrier to demonstrate its power. Instead, it felt like walking through mist.

The moment he stepped on the land, he gulped.

He was greeted by giant sword statues standing sentinel beside a pathway. Their hilts were impossible to see; no matter how he strained to look, they vanished into the skies above.

Stranger still, the dark sphere wasn't visible from inside. The sun glowed clearly in the distance, and he could see Saint and Kysa joining him. The sphere had vanished completely.

As they walked down the pavement, the land of the gods revealed itself. The buildings resembled those of Ancient Greece and Rome, carefully crafted from marble, each with its own unique design.

Countless colossal statues filled the landscape.

The statues were genderless; none had faces. Some were too tall, making it impossible to know exactly what they looked like, while those short enough had a kredemnos, flammeum, veil, or cloak covering their entire face, rendering them in darkness.

"I can feel something within me."

Saint said and bizarrely clutched her chest.

"Me too. I think my Only Sin, Destruction, is calling for me."

Kysa said, mimicking Saint's reaction.

They both stood frozen like zombies. Halo, though, glanced at his chest with confusion.

"Are you sure? I can't feel anything."

He felt like an orphan at graduation. If the gods could recognize Kysa and Saint even as clones, if Destruction and Darkness acknowledged their shadows, but Death couldn't recognize him, then he truly was parentless.

Dark Saint turned to him.

"Could it be that Death was truly killed?"

Halo shrugged his shoulders. "How would I know? What I do know is that it never misses a chance to make my life a living hell."

Kysa tapped Halo by the shoulder.

"We'll need to ask around. Dead or not, someone in the area should know what happened."

Without a moment's hesitation, they began approaching the land.

Halo didn't care whether Death was truly dead or not, that bastard god was still putting him through hell. It should stay dead, because when it woke, it would come for him. No one wanted a god hunting them, least of all Halo.

Reverend Steppe was supposed to be a place where anyone could come and pray to their Only Sin to have their questions answered. Some prayed for gifts, but that had its limits.

However, this land felt like visiting Ancient Greek temples or the stunning structures of Ancient Rome. More surprisingly, there were far more people than any of them had imagined, despite the land's limitations.

However, it didn't take long before their journey reached its end. An elderly woman in front of a bakery delivered devastating news—news so terrible that Halo wished he could turn back time.

"Death? No. Gods like Death, Trickery, Forgery, and even Torture—none of them reside on this land. You can only pray to those mysterious ones in the Ashen Ages. Here, the only god of that kind is Darkness, and even its presence has only been felt for less than two years."

The moment the woman spoke, she dismissed herself.

"Well, at least it has a statue."

Kysa said and shrugged.

Saint flicked her silver hair behind her shoulder.

"We should find a place to stay for a while. My energy is depleting."

"Me too," Kysa added.

The two ladies walked away, but Halo stood in silence, disappointed.

He'd only wanted to ask Death a few questions, hoping for coherent answers. Now, even that was impossible. Getting to Ashen Ages would take forever, he had other matters to handle, and he'd already burned through two weeks of his three-month grace period.

"Curse that bastard…"

He felt maltreated. He needed to sleep.

However, before he could take a step, a loud voice grabbed his attention.

"Halo?!"

The voice sounded confused and shocked, but also oddly familiar.

He turned to see Liam charging toward him. Eyes of the Night wrapped him in a tight embrace.

"Wait… wait, you will kill me."

Liam nearly squeezed the soul out of him.

"You are alive—you survived!"

Liam finally pulled him out of the hug.

Halo smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah… I don't know why I wouldn't be."

Liam began checking up on him, searching for any fatal injuries.

"I rushed to help you, but when I got there… there was nothing but blood. For a moment, I truly thought I'd lost you."

Liam hugged him once again.

'Jeez, this dude will kill me.'

Halo pulled him out of the hug.

"Liam, calm down. Tell me what's going on. And let's move somewhere private."

Liam nodded energetically.

"Follow me."

Halo reached out toward Saint and Kysa. Saint seemed troubled, perhaps wanting to tell him something, but Liam was dragging him by the hand. Whatever it was would have to wait.

Soon enough, Liam brought them to a massive hall dominated by a dark, twisted statue. The figure depicted a warrior wielding a sword conjured from pure darkness. Its design was impossible, no mortal hand could have crafted it.

"This is the God of Darkness… and my new Purpose is to stay by its side for a while."

Liam said, but his worries and confusion kicked in soon enough.

"Seraphim came to me… she said she sold you out to Kysa just to save her life and get a shard of her sword. I panicked. I went looking for you, but you weren't there. For a moment, I truly thought you were dead."

Halo and Liam sat together on a bench, watching as Kysa observed Saint's prayer to the God of Darkness.

Halo frowned.

The Child of Deceit, Seraphim, had betrayed him, sure. But why tell Liam?

So Liam could rush to his rescue and get killed by Kysa too? She knew damn well the three of them couldn't defeat Kysa at full strength. So what was her angle?

"I'm so glad you made it, Halo. You're my only friend. If something had happened to you… I don't know what I would've done. When I thought you were dead, I completely fell apart."

Halo managed to smile at Liam.

"Don't worry about me. I stood my ground, and Kysa found that… honorable. So she let me live."

Liam exhaled in relief.

He didn't like lying to Liam, but Kysa intended to keep her existence as a clone a secret. She was just a child who'd lost her chance at life.

Liam's expression darkened.

"I still don't know why Seraphim did what she did. And seeing you sit here like this… I know you don't intend to punish her. But she knew she was sending you to die, and she went through with it. I'll remember that. And the next time I see her, things will go badly."

Halo tapped Liam on the back.

'Such a great friend.'

"Don't let it weigh on you. I'm here. I can help you with your Purpose while I wait for my own. For now, let's leave Seraphim out of our thoughts and just enjoy the moment. Okay?"

Liam turned to Halo with sparkling eyes.

"Really?"

Halo nodded positively and watched Liam rejoice in happiness.

"I've been waiting forever. Come on, let's spar. This time, I will win."

Halo's smile widened but faded not long after.

"Count me in! I've got a couple of tricks I've been saving just for you."

Shadow of Death had a week or two before his next journey to join the NeverLight cohort. He'd spend it with Liam. It would be a welcome change from the constant fighting and chaos. With Liam, somehow, even his Flaw of Coldness ceased to function.

[ End of Volume 1: Damn the Gods. ]

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