"So, about your gift… Magnus, was it? It's quite unique. How did you get it? Steal it from a Sinner, or is it something new?"

Halo was seated within one of the castle's towers when Seraph joined in. Her words were abrupt and out of context, which had Halo taken aback for a moment, but after taking in her smile, he decided to answer anyway.

He summoned his daggers. The white blade rested in his right hand, the dark in his left. Both were exclusively designed for their respective hands and bore similar features from hilt to tip. His grips were firmly wrapped around the hilts with brown bandages.

Indeed, the blade was unique, especially its faded cartoonish appearance, sharpness, and the fact that it could change into any blade imaginable. But things weren't as they seemed.

"Yeah, it's one of a kind. The blade was forged from a Perverted Sinner's remains by a craftsman like no other."

He gestured at the bandages around his wrists.

"This damned thing is the Magnus Blade… it came as a cursed bandage and coiled around my wrists."

Seraph frowned in confusion for a moment before joining Halo on the seat.

"That's new… this explains why I was able to use it."

Seraph stared into his eyes as she spoke, but Halo's attention went to her skin. As soon as she realized he was staring, she tried to cover herself with her long sleeves, but he had already taken in the sight.

There were dark burns around her hands. This wasn't the first time Halo had seen this. When they fought a Beast Sinner, Tough, days ago, something similar had happened, and she'd gained enough strength to slay the creature with a single strike.

But since she was covering it, Halo knew it wasn't something she wanted to talk about, so he decided not to bring it up.

"Magnus came from a Forgotten Sinner. Mucus, to be exact. I never saw the creature, only what it left behind… could've been its urine for all I know."

Seraph smiled.

"What about yours? The Ancient One?"

"I had to steal it. A potion from Sterling Silver. That place is nearly a dozen lands away… and every step felt earned."

Halo scowled. His was on a hill, Silent Hill, and he just touched the mucus and gained the Magnus Blade, but stealing a potion? Were there no Sinners?

"How?"

Seraph replied with enthusiasm as though obliged to do so.

"The land shimmered under rivers of boiling silver, and the Sinners that roamed it had grown shells hard enough to survive the molten heat.

They looked almost untouched by humanity, as if no one had ever dared enter their world. I slipped through their midst, seized the potion resting in its golden jar, and escaped."

Halo raised a startled eyebrow.

Incredibly harsh for a first Purpose. His had been challenging, but at least it wasn't literal hell. Walking on land like that was practically walking into a volcano.

He let out a sigh.

"I suppose you drank it?"

"Yes, I did…"

Halo's expression grew darker.

"Wasn't it hot?"

Seraph's smile faded for a moment. She rose to her feet and smiled softly.

"My burns aren't from that… it's because of Dormant Flames. I told you about it, remember?"

She glanced at Halo, and he responded with a nod.

"My strength only shines when the fire within me burns brightest. Every struggle feeds it, every effort stokes it higher, passion and pain, they grow together."

She flicked her cascading white hair.

"I didn't want to say anything before, but during the fight, I had a hard time concentrating. It's not because of your strength or anything. I'm just not good at working with others. I've always worked alone."

Halo watched as she let go of her rigid posture, letting the burns on her hands show.

"It will heal soon." She added.

Halo didn't hold any grudges against Seraph, though she kept looking everywhere but his face. In fact, he was quite similar to her.

He'd worked with others before, but always preferred working alone. He understood where she was coming from.

"Go at your own pace. You're strong enough to face this world on your own, but if you ever need a hand, learn to lean on others. Little by little, you'll get there."

Seraph turned to Halo and stared into his eyes for longer than a moment. Her expression was blunt and unreadable, which made Halo uneasy.

With her faded blue eyes, her stares were always a mystery to him.

After a while, she finally spoke:

"Your eyes… they say a lot. I like them."

"Huh?" Halo's confused expression mimicked every bit of his perplexed thoughts.

"You're often cold and unapproachable. Sometimes I feel like a single misstep could make you rip my heart out without hesitation. But your eyes… whenever I see them, they speak to me. They're honest and sincere."

Halo gulped with sweat forming on his brow.

'How did it get to this?' He thought.

His hands reached for his eyes, giving them gentle touches, which made Seraph smile. He wanted to see what she saw too.

"It's been four days since Light disappeared, hasn't it? I assume you haven't been able to summon it because to the distance."

Halo looked at Seraph. Four days since Light left to survey Inferno Moist. He was worried, truthfully. That's why he was up on the tower.

He'd tried summoning it multiple times, but it never showed. He couldn't tell if Light simply chose not to answer or if the distance played a factor.

"Aren't you worried?"

Halo exhaled.

"Not entirely. It is practically impossible to kill, and if it were, I would have known."

The moment Halo spoke, something beneath Seraph's black shirt caught his attention. Blood, right at her abdomen. His mind began circling as he gestured toward it.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Seraph glanced toward it in similar confusion before smiling.

"Wait… do you mean menstruation?"

Halo gave an awkward nod. It was all he could think of. But back in his world, things like that were sacred. Talking about them casually made him uneasy.

Seraph smiled.

"No, no, that doesn't happen here. I mean, people can still give birth, but… I've never seen it happen, and no one else has either."

Halo sighed in relief. He couldn't help but wonder how embarrassed Seraph would have been if that were the case.

"Got injured fighting Tough. Hope you don't mind if I keep training anyway."

"Oh, break a leg."

Their fight with Tough had been brutal, and that was with all of them. Seraph had been fighting it alone after that agonizing battle. The thought said everything about her strength.

"Sure. But I'd suggest we go after Light."

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