There was a Sinner near the only upright tree bearing green leaves, its breath coming in heavy gasps.
It wasn't as huge as the Toddler Sinners Halo had fought in the past, but it had piercing red eyes that could burn souls.
Though short, hardly taller than the tallest dwarf, it was clearly no weakling. It had a goat's face with four horns protruding from its skull, stood on two legs like a man, and featured a human torso that transitioned into goat-like hindquarters below the waist.
Halo swallowed hard and tossed his clone a dagger.
No words were shared, only gestures of understanding between the two.
The clone moved forward to face the Sinner head-on with measured steps, while Halo slipped into the shadows, biding his time for the ideal opening.
This perspective on his attire was new to him, but despite the moon's full radiance, only his shock of white hair betrayed his position.
Intriguing as it was, a different concern weighed on him.
The Sinner slouched against the unusual tree, its labored breathing growing more pronounced as the clone approached, yet it seemed utterly unaware.
Something about its formidable aura contradicted its inaction.
But when Halo was only three trees away from ambushing the Sinner from behind, a voice invaded his consciousness that froze him with dread.
"Kill it. Now. Before it wakes."
Halo gulped, sweat forming on his brow as his head snapped in all directions, causing a spiraling mind.
His clone speaking? Impossible. The voice was too gentle, unmistakably feminine. Dread washed over him. Was it…?
He dismissed his thoughts amidst everything and gripped his dagger tightly. He had to kill the Sinner first, then worry about what it was.
Yet the voice echoing in his mind seemed to devour his agency. Before he realized what was happening, he was moving faster than even his fearless clone.
Before he knew it, he stood at the creature's back, hearing nothing but its labored gasps, yet his eyes caught something that made him hold his strike.
Something emerged inch by inch from between the creature's shoulder blades, and below the waist, where goat legs had been visible minutes before, now stood hairy but distinctly human-shaped limbs.
Even more unnerving, the creature was actively growing in stature.
"Now!" The voice echoed in his mind once more.
He moved as if in perfect unity with the mysterious voice. The moment it spoke, his blade had already cut through the creature's throat in one clean stroke.
The instant the severed head struck the ground, raw instinct seized Halo.
He tightened his grip on the dagger and crouched into a fighting stance, eyes darting frantically around the clearing, heart thundering in his chest.
The clone reflexively mirrored his alertness.
Now he knew for certain the voice was female.
His thoughts immediately went to the one person Noah had warned him about in this region before they'd parted way, the Dark Saint.
Still, no matter how thoroughly he scanned the area, the distant shadows, the heights of the unusual tree above, he found no one else.
Just himself, his clone, and the slain Sinner.
For that brief moment, he felt as though he was going insane. He could have sworn he heard a voice in his head.
Despite himself, his mind dwelt elsewhere. He had slain the Sinner but he was yet to receive a Sin Fragment. His previous kills handed him fragments barely a moment after his victory. But this… wasn't coming.
Was it because the Sinner was unusual? Or perhaps the game had indeed changed completely?
"You're lucky I'm here. Otherwise, you'd be dead meat."
The voice echoed in his head once more. But still, despite his terrified state, he only scowled and let down his guard.
"What you killed was a Crawler, a unique breed of Sinner. One of the chosen few given names."
Halo forced himself to ignore the voice.
He rationalized it as mental exhaustion or possibly a Beast Sinner's trickery, trying to bait him into a fatal mistake. But still, if it were true then indeed the game was different from real life. In the game, no Sinner was lucky enough to be named above their ranks. Or maybe, he just didn't play the game well enough to know about them.
Whatever the truth, he wanted to get as far away as possible.
He directed his clone with a gesture to retrieve the supply sack they'd left behind. But despite acting unbothered, he remained alert to the unseen threat.
The voice sighed. "This is the only tree still alive. Doesn't that bother you?"
Halo's expression remained neutral despite the words, though his gaze shifted to the tree above him.
Looking around, he realized it was true, all the other trees had crooked, bent trunks, discolored brown leaves, and roots that twisted up out of the soil.
But this one was exceptionally glorious. Glimmering geen-leafed, standing upright, it was apparently the only untainted tree around.
Still, the question nagged at him… why would Dark Saint be in a tree? Sealed? Was that even possible in this world? Or maybe…
"You were too quick. If you'd waited for it to evolve, you could've matched Noah. Maybe even surpassed him."
The moment the voice echoed in Halo's head, his eyes widened and his chest tightened.
He was becoming increasingly convinced this was the Dark Saint, especially considering she'd encountered Noah and even killed his best friend.
However, the moment his clone brought his stuff, he shrugged it off.
He was approaching two full days without sleep, and while the weariness seemed strangely muted, his survival instincts told him to find shelter before morning.
He had stressed himself enough, robbing him of his sleep entirely.
"You will protect me while I sleep. Right?" Halo asked his clone, and it responded with a firm gesture.
Halo smirked. "Great. I'll need an open place, but still safe enough to sleep in… that Sinner wasn't normal. There might be others."
His clone nodded.
Without pausing, they began their retreat from the strange tree. But Halo pulled up abruptly as the mysterious voice cut through his thoughts again.
"Come on, Halo… it's me. The Dark Saint. I am the tree. Aren't you just a little curious?"
He faced the tree again, reassessing it.
At least he wasn't being manipulated by a Beast Sinner, but that didn't change anything.
Dark Saint was a cold-blooded killer, no different from himself but with her skills, she outmatched him entirely and she wouldn't spare him for a second.
If a tree was her prison, then good.
"Shadow of Death. People like you are a rare commodity. I need help… so how about a little arrangement? You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."
Halo's eyes narrowed while still maintaining his detached look. 'She read minds, huh?'
From one deal to another. He wasn't in too much of a good mood to be striking another deal since he just escaped from a bizarre ordeal similar to this.
But he was confident in his intuition. That was what had him survive long enough as an assassin after all.
This was no monster, it was Dark Saint and since she needed his help, he was sure he could use her for the most part.
But there was still a problem. She could read minds.
Shadow of Death…?