The night was still and quiet.

Halo was preparing to leave his inn and survey the streets for Chaos Eaters. But there was one problem.

Silas, the chef, stood watch behind the counter. But Halo had one thing working in his favor: Silas had been consumed with perfecting a beef curry recipe for him to try.

Even in daylight, Halo could see the dark circles under Silas's eyes. The man looked dead on his feet. Halo hoped exhaustion had dulled his awareness, or better yet, that he'd fallen asleep. If Silas did spot him, he'd claim work obligations. It would invite questions, but he didn't have a better option.

Soon enough, he was descending the stairs, each step measured and deliberate. As expected, Silas stood behind the counter, lost in his own world.

The moment Halo spotted him, he shifted to a casual walk. One excuse was all he needed. But as he neared the counter, confusion crossed his face. Silas stood with his eyes open, yet there was nothing behind them. The man was asleep standing up.

The moment he stepped outside, the cold air welcomed him with a gentle breeze. But beyond that, the streets were empty save for the lanterns flickering in the darkness.

Without wasting a moment, he released his clones and began his mission.

He leaped from one shadow to another, heading for the library. His conversation with Aeliana had left him unsettled. She might not be the monster people whispered about, but there was definitely something strange going on with her.

Before he could move farther, instinct screamed at him. He spun around to find a ghostly figure barreling toward him. It was nothing but a disembodied head that resembled a wolf, its yellow eyes piercing the darkness. The thing moved faster than any Sinner Halo had encountered.

It headed directly for Halo's head, its jaws snapped, and yet there were no sounds.

Before Halo could even reach for his sword, Light and Tough struck, cutting the creature down before it could devour his thoughts.

But the kill seemed to trigger something. Suddenly Chaos Eaters were swarming from every direction, and Halo's clones fought desperately to hold them back.

The bronze screen began to appear with notifications, but Halo dismissed it immediately, annoyed. He'd trained for this. His mind should be calm and focused enough to face these Sinners. Being protected by Light and Tough wounded his pride.

He ordered them to stop in no time and took a few steps forward and closed his eyes.

This was bound to cost him if his mind wasn't clear and still enough to face the Chaos Eaters. After losing his memories, he didn't know what came next. Maybe brainwashing. Maybe something he couldn't come back from.

He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, over a dozen Chaos Eaters had surrounded him. They only stared and gnashed their teeth, but Halo could tell they were trying to find a way to devour his thoughts.

He entertained their thirst for brains for a moment before drawing his daggers to slay them all.

He didn't want to stick around after that. Taking point, he and his clones started avoiding the Sinners when possible, killing those they couldn't dodge, and making their way toward the library where Aeliana slept.

However, about two alleys from the library, Light spotted something and gestured for Halo's attention.

Halo's hands balled into fists at the scene. A girl and two men occupied a dead-end alley, their conversation clearly tense. Then the girl pushed one of the men by the shoulder, driving him back against the wall.

He didn't know the men, but the girl with short brown hair and familiar mannerisms had to be Aeliana. Even without her glasses, he'd seen her enough to recognize her. Yet everything felt different, her aura and her personality, all of it.

They occupied a dead end, surrounded by darkness with only the distant moon casting its glow on them. But Halo still couldn't hear anything and couldn't discern much due to how carefully they'd selected their spot.

But as he concentrated, he caught the sound of footsteps approaching their location. He hadn't gotten much, but staying was too risky. He slipped away, grateful for even the little he'd witnessed.

They were right there in the open, yet not a single Chaos Eater approached them. The footsteps and the two men, it all told him what he needed to know. Aeliana was definitely involved, but there was clearly more to this mystery.

He barely had time to think any of this through, and fear clouded his judgment. Somehow he made it back to the inn. The instant he shut the door, Silas, who had been sleeping upright, suddenly woke.

"Hey… is it morning already?"

Halo was caught in an awkward spot. His position by the door made it clear where he'd been. Even drowsy, Silas should have realized. But it seemed like he'd either missed the obvious or chosen to ignore it.

"Your meal is almost ready, made exactly how you asked. Would you like to have it now?"

Halo raised a startled eyebrow.

"No, not now. I need to handle something. Come back for me in a few hours."

Silas gave him a subtle nod and watched as he ascended to his room.

This day couldn't get any worse.

Those men with Aeliana had to be the guards of this land. Which meant Silas catching him outside at night was dangerous. Everyone here worshipped those Knights, and that made any suspicion deadly.

He didn't trust Silas to begin with. Between those intense glares and twenty-five years on this land, the man almost certainly had connections to the guards.

He sat on his bed, massaging his brow.

This was an important discovery, and as long as no one else had seen him, he should be fine. He just had to act normal in front of everyone, even Silas.

He was close, but whenever he got closer, people were bound to come for his head.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.