The night fell faster than Halo expected. He sat at the inn's hall, savoring a delicacy Silas had prepared for him. The meal was appealing and smelled perfect, but the moment he put it into his mouth, it was as though he was chewing sand.

This wasn't Silas's fault, really. He could tell what a great chef he was from the meal he'd prepared. But this started after he ate Seraph's beef curry. It was too good, now, anyone else's meal tasted dry and rough in his mouth.

Still, he forced himself to eat. But something entirely nudged him.

He'd been in the Never Again Inn for more than two hours. Besides Silas, there were two staff members and the actual owner of the inn, who lived upstairs with them.

Not only that, but as far as he could hear, there was nothing outside. Not even the echoes of footsteps. His hearing should have been sharp enough to catch something like that.

He couldn't help but see this as a result of the threat plaguing StoneHaven. His meal was already tasting awful, so he headed to the counter where Silas stood, gently wiping the surface clean.

"What can I get you, Halo?"

Silas asked, preparing to attend Halo.

"There's something I want to know…"

"Shoot."

Halo gestured to the empty chairs behind him.

"I haven't seen anyone else. For someone who calls himself the best chef around, that's… odd."

Silas smiled awkwardly.

"I'm flattered, but don't misunderstand… this has nothing to do with my meals."

Halo raised a startled eyebrow.

"I take it you didn't do your research before coming..."

Silas's expression grew somber.

"The citadel sleeps early. Stay out too long, and it might rip your mind away."

Halo's eyes narrowed slightly. When he'd heard the Sinners here were weaker than Crawlers, he knew there had to be something dangerous compensating for their lack of strength. Silas didn't seem like someone who'd be threatened by Sinners weaker than Crawlers.

"They're a special breed of Sinners, Chaos Eaters. Even indoors, you're not entirely safe, they can still track you at night. But it's better than being caught outside."

Halo began to understand why he saw many people exit the land when he first arrived.

"Are they strong?"

"Not quite. In raw strength, they rank below even Toddler Sinners, yet their danger lies elsewhere. They possess a singular ability, the consumption of the human mind."

He didn't want to overthink this without knowing more about the Chaos Eaters, but judging by their name and the fact that some people still existed, they weren't after ordinary minds. Yet the fact that this world rendered everyone slightly insane gave him more reason to investigate.

"You seem awfully interested… are you sure you aren't on a Purpose?"

Silas asked with a skeptical look.

"Not quite. I just need somewhere peaceful for a moment. Escaping one threat only to walk into another isn't my style. So… I'd like to know everything there is to know."

Silas nodded in understanding.

"We've all been there. Just stay indoors after six, and you won't have anything to fear. I'm… rather formidable when it comes to protecting this place."

Silas wore a practiced smile, his eyes squinting.

This felt like detective work to Halo. Though gentle, Silas seemed battle-hardened, but considering he'd been a chef for years, this had to be his Purpose. Still, he was already onto him, and for all he knew, Silas could be the one responsible or perhaps knew something. Mill recommended him, after all.

"If things are as bad as you're saying, then why stay in StoneHaven? Why not move somewhere safer?"

Silas's dark eyes darted suspiciously into Halo's blue ones for a moment.

"I've been on this land for over twenty-five years. Enough memories to feed the Chaos Eaters for decades. I won't leave what I've grown to love. And with the Knights watching over it, danger isn't something I dwell on."

Halo's expression darkened.

'Knights, huh?'

He thought.

Nothing made sense. The Knights had to be pathetic. If they could handle this situation, he wouldn't have been summoned here. So why would anyone praise such useless Knights?

"So, the Knights are supposed to protect this land… yet the Chaos Eaters are still a problem?"

Silas paused for a moment and rested his hands on the counter.

"The Knights face the same curse as the rest of us. Yet in the five years since it began, I haven't seen a single one falter. They fight on, no matter the cost."

Halo exhaled.

The way Silas was looking at him was enough. He knew that if he pressed this matter any further, he might give himself away. He needed to think everything through.

"Safe enough, I suppose. I'll be going to my room now."

Without waiting for a response, he made his way to his room, bypassing a woman approaching his plate.

Silas gave him enough to prepare for the threat ahead. But after five years of having the Chaos Eaters around, the Knights had yet to get their hands on the source?

Something smelled fishy.

It was either that the Knights were in on whatever was creating the Chaos Eaters, or whoever was responsible was shrouded in mystery and immensely powerful.

But neither of them explained why Silas would speak so highly of the Knights. Was he a Knight himself, or was he truly involved with what was happening?

The moment he arrived in his room, he rested on his bed, eyes darting on the dry ceiling.

He had no option but to hit the streets the next morning and find something worth knowing. Even at a glance, he knew StoneHaven was as large as Mirror Steppe with all of its nature and wondrous sights, despite being built on a bridge over two mountains.

This meant his Purpose was going to be harder than he'd initially thought. Finding the source in such a crowded citadel was bound to create many loose ends.

"What a pain…"

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