Halo saw something…

Something concerning.

This was the second time on the journey he'd seen that crow, the one conjured from shadow. He didn't need confirmation. It was Liam Asterion.

The thought that his one friend was looking out for him was touching. But how? The previous crow had vanished completely, without explanation.

Unless multiple crows existed, it would cost Liam dearly to send another across the seven seas. Making the crossing once was already taxing. To do it twice?

Servants of Darkness like Liam didn't get the luxury of autonomous clones like Halo's. Every movement of his crow's wings sapped his energy. And typical of Liam, he probably juggled multiple at once. Concerning, since crossing a single sea should have left him bedridden for days, if not weeks.

Liam must have been missing Halo terribly, crushed that they couldn't meet. And no doubt he wanted to ensure Seraphim was far away after she'd sold him to his death.

Halo waved at it before it vanished.

Truth be told, he wasn't certain Liam even saw his overly enthusiastic waving. Though he'd waved like a madman, there was a problem his clones had left him to solve alone.

Well, the whole crew had, really.

Brave and Omega.

There were some punches and a few tactical moves, but ultimately it was just a spat.

Halo stepped in to stop them, restraining Brave, who was acting the most aggressive, while White coaxed Omega away.

As ridiculous as it sounds, this entire mess began simply because Omega referred to herself as a whore.

She wore pink, with cleavage prominently shown, and a skirt that barely covered anything. She was a woman most men couldn't tear their eyes from.

She possessed charm as a literal power and served the God of Lust. Why couldn't she refer to herself as a whore? She claimed the title herself, so where was the harm?

Once Halo had calmed the berserker down, he said almost nothing. He walked beside Brave, eyes turned toward the calm sky, hands shoved in his pockets. He had no patience for Brave's arrogance right now.

The unexpected struck. Brave spoke first, but with an uncharacteristic calm. Totally unlike his usual self. Whatever was influencing him seemed infectious. Airborne, probably.

"I'm not a psycho. You don't have to say it… I know that's what you're thinking. I mean, I did just attack a girl for calling herself a whore."

Hm.

Halo could only offer a noncommittal hum. He wasn't about to say anything that might ruin Brave's uncharacteristic calm. Still, it was good to know the bastard had at least some self-awareness.

"Her mother was a prostitute, and as for her father… they had no idea who he was."

Halo relaxed himself for a story time.

Omega entered the world in a strip club, minutes before her mother had to see a client. The woman gave birth and immediately returned to work.

Her mother had dark, perpetually messy hair that no product could fix. When her child was born beautiful with striking pink hair, it cut deep into the woman's pride.

She never laid a hand on her daughter. Omega was raised by her mother's co-workers, the ones drawn to her beauty and charm.

At a disturbingly young age, her beauty became a target. Men and women alike sought glimpses of her.

She loathed it. She was a kid, for god's sake.

She wanted normal things, playing with friends, being mad about nothing important, wearing oversized PJs, and hiding under her blanket agonizing over texting her crush.

Instead, she was forced into this life simply to survive. Too much suffering made her accept her fate.

On those rare moments when she'd stop in the street and watch her peers in uniforms or normal jobs, she could only pass by. Such lives weren't meant for someone like her.

But the moment she accepted it, treating the work professionally rather than with shame, her mother saw her as competition. She was kicked out the instant she turned eighteen.

For Omega, this was freedom, or the closest thing to it she'd ever known. Still homeless, still lost, but free from that life. Before she could figure out what came next, though, she was pulled into this world. The Lost World.

"I wasn't part of her past life. Even if I were, I never got the chance to meet her. If I had… I would've knocked some sense into her mother's head. That bitch."

Halo understood the situation now.

Brave had spent more time with Omega than the rest of them combined. He knew her. So hearing Omega call herself that, embracing the degrading label her past had forced on her, was something Brave couldn't tolerate.

"How honorable… I actually thought he was a brainless idiot."

Halo went still, eyes going wide as he turned slightly toward Brave. He hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Why did you stop?"

'Wait… he didn't hear?'

Plastering on a practiced smile, he joined Brave and ruffled her red hair. He responded with a threatening snarl.

"I think she needs someone like you. I couldn't just let go of my past life, even knowing it was wrong. She was born into this, giving it up would be impossible. But being there, one way or another, you might help her move beyond her Flaw."

Halo said the first thing that came to mind. He couldn't let the awkward moment drag on. He was actually rather proud of the save, though his expression remained carefully neutral.

Brave looked shaken by his words. His gaze stayed fixed on the floor, hands balled into fists, from rage or realization, it was hard to say.

"I just hope… I'm capable of helping her that much."

Brave tried to continue, but his words failed him.

There were three of them. The one Brave had been closest to was Nava. Who'd then betrayed the NeverLight crew, a betrayal that led to Delilah's capture and destroyed everything between them.

"When he left, I was angry and disappointed. But now, I see no reason to be. My ability demands rage, but this time, I'll fight with love.

I won't kill him like before. I'll do it with the respect we once shared. I'll knock some sense into him."

Touching, really. Halo might've cried if he experienced emotions the way normal people did. Still, he was glad to glimpse this softer, human side of Brave.

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