"I want you to kill me."
Halo didn't react to Saint's words. He'd heard such carelessness before. Hearing it again made him wonder if this was how people spoke in this world.
But he was cautious. Dark Saint had slaughtered many, her body count dwarfed his. If sparing her could cost him his life, he wouldn't hesitate to kill her.
"And why would I do that?"
"Oh, trust me, you'll beg to."
Dark Saint's voice held calm and tenderness despite the menacing aura radiating from Halo. It was as if she already knew how this would end.
Halo frowned and stared at the tree trunk. He had no time for her careless talk. His body was still sore from yesterday's battle with a Perverted Sinner, and worse, he needed to find the hero.
After a brief moment, he grabbed his sack and began leaving.
"I've got bigger problems than your offer, Saint. But thanks, anyway."
He gave a dismissive wave over his shoulder as he approached the gnarled trees around him.
Dark Saint sighed.
"Do this for me, and I'll hand you the one thing you crave: the whole truth about your Only Sin and the hero. Fair trade?"
Her words wrapped Halo like a blanket, forcing him to a halt.
He turned to the tree, his expression mimicking his confused and desperate thoughts.
The god ruling him, Death, was a mystery. He knew little about it since Death wasn't a prominent god in this world. According to the game, the most prominent gods were Despair, Destruction, Lust, and Greed, and though countless other gods existed, those four had the most servants.
Still, he needed to understand it better. Death was his real enemy. One day, it would come to claim everything, possibly even his life.
He gulped.
"What do you mean?"
Though he couldn't see her but the tree, he was certain Saint was wearing a sharp smirk.
"How profound. Even with the chaos echoing in your mind, your confidence doesn't falter."
She giggled.
"My Only Sin is Darkness. I asked the same questions once, but Death was the one most people answered me with."
Halo relaxed slightly when she spoke. He'd heard of Darkness before, that was the same god who empowered the hero.
He would've preferred she just tell him, but if she could get answers by asking, he could too.
Then his expression darkened.
If her offer made killing her convenient, how would he learn about his Only Sin afterward? Unless…
He sighed and smiled.
"What are you playing at? Why would I need your answers, of all people?"
Halo reluctantly began approaching the tree once again.
"Because ending me would bind me to you. I'd serve, gather Sin Fragments, fight in your name, and when Death inevitably strikes, I'd be there to guarantee your survival."
Halo's body fidgeted, but his mind and expression remained clear as day.
This was great news.
Facing Death would be his greatest battle, yet he found himself surprisingly calm in the face of Dark Saint's hopeful words.
To him, Saint's words were nothing but false hope.
He was sold on the idea that she would become his slave once he killed her and summoned her clone, but outplaying Death?
That was different.
He wasn't convinced they could pull that off. Even if it were possible, they were both far from achieving such a feat. Despite his own burning desire to make it happen.
He didn't know what or who Death was exactly, or how powerful it was, but of that he was certain.
"And what's in it for you?"
"Life… and revenge."
Halo was bought in at this point, but he needed more reasons not to regret his actions. And even beyond his willingness, there was another predicament.
He walked toward the tree and rested against it.
"The Omen, he called himself, and I am his nemesis. He bound me to this tree, cursed me to rot with it, and unless he's the one to break the seal, I'll wither away, forgotten with the roots."
Halo exhaled.
If Saint's nemesis sealed her within the tree, then she was better off dead indeed. And though Halo hadn't received his nemesis yet, the thought alone made him uneasy.
He might be free to pursue his purpose and the hero, but worse, he couldn't tell if someone else was already pursuing him.
At least he knew it wasn't Dark Saint since she had already killed her nemesis.
However, something else made him far more uncomfortable.
Though Saint would be freed from her seal once he summoned her as his clone, she would be nothing but echoes of darkness. Nearly immortal, yes, but she would be less of a human.
"Before I was dragged into this world, I had a little brother."
Dark Saint spoke with an unusual saddened tone, seizing Halo's attention.
"Everything… lies, half-truths, truths, lies, all of it, I did for him. But it was never enough."
Halo gave her enough silence to recollect her emotions, as he could feel the shakiness in her voice despite it being telepathic.
He had heard lies and truths, more often than not, and Saint's sarcasm and manipulations were no exception. But now, he was somehow certain she spoke from the heart.
"Do you… do you want to talk about it?"
"It's been a while… Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. My mother had it first.
This case is rare, very rare. It proves how cursed I am.
After my little brother was born, he began showing symptoms too. My mother passed it on through a genetic mutation.
She died a few months later.
My father fled, but I stayed. I prayed, I stole, I begged… and still, he died. Seven years old. Two months before I was dragged here."
Halo barely made a sound, quiet as he listened to her speak. He understood her empathetically, but nothing in his features reflected that.
She was just like him, no one to return to, and perhaps worse off.
Saint's world had collapsed in the real world, and Halo didn't have to ask to know she wouldn't mind becoming his clone if it truly meant living.
Perhaps she had her own reasons to survive.
Halo smirked through the thick atmosphere.
"So even the feared Dark Saint bleeds after all."
"Tsk. It's not a wound… it's my shield."
Halo turned and glanced back at the tree and exhaled. Did he also have a shield beyond survival?
Still, Halo didn't hesitate to bring up their predicament.
"You know I need Sin Fragments to make you a clone, right? I only have six. My next purpose already scares me. What now?"
Saint let out soft chuckles. "I nearly forgot about your torture."
Halo sneered.
"I know. I'll survive long enough. Just… when you finish your next purpose, make me your clone and I will tell you about the hero."
Halo met her with silence.
After knowing her background, he found what he wanted, a reason not to regret his actions.
Not once had he heard Saint sound this somber. Always active and manipulative, but as he already knew, they all had scars to hide.
But for now, he needed to sort out his shelter for the night and consider how to gain enough Sin Fragments to grow strong enough for his next purpose.