Halo stood before stone walls that towered more than a dozen times his height. Surprisingly, there were no guards, and the massive gates stood wide open. Yet no matter how hard he stared, it was as though nothing existed beyond the walls.
But he wasn't dazed by the sight. Mill had already explained to him how the Mirror Steppe worked before dropping him off.
An invisible barrier covered the land, preventing Sinners from entering. It mimicked the land's appearance without showing its inhabitants, fooling most Sinners. Though stronger Sinners could occasionally breach the walls, it rarely happened.
As far as anyone knew, the walls and the barrier had always existed, and how exactly they came to be was a mystery.
Halo wished he could get into the Mirror Steppe and observe the land for himself, but his Purpose called.
"Stay close to the walls. When you spot the other two lands, you'll recognize them easily, they're nothing alike. Between them runs a narrow path. Take it. It'll bring you to the castle."
Those were the last words Mill gave him before his wagon vanished into the invisible barrier.
Halo sighed and began walking.
Mill's words were filled with urgency and wariness, and Halo understood him.
It was said that the castle attracted Crawlers, Sinners so grotesque, they've been given a name. Wandering through the lands wasn't ideal.
Halo wasn't one to be bothered by heights, but the walls dwarfed him enough to fish out his insecurities. He wasn't tall or short either, he was ideal for an eighteen-year-old.
Still, while he brought up humorous thoughts to mask his worries, his mind couldn't comprehend.
Rumor had it that Kysa, the strongest Knight to ever exist, lived within the castle. He'd never seen her before; this was his first time even hearing of her.
But with everything said about her… her ability to slay armies of Sinners and humans alike, if such a monster truly lived here, this would be his end.
Worse still, nighttime was approaching. Either Kysa killed him in the castle, or he would run into Sinners, which would guarantee his death.
He hadn't asked for this, to be transmigrated into this world. But who was he to protest? As it turned out, every human from this world had suffered the same fate. More daunting, unlike him, none of them had died. They'd all been robbed of their freedom entirely.
***
It took him more than an hour to wake past the walls entirely, and the next sight made his skin crawl.
To his right was a land enveloped in red mist, as if the air itself had turned crimson. He could make out trees and mountains, but everything was drenched in red, from the leaves to the bark to the mountainsides.
To his left lay an eerie land of dried forests and lonely mountains. The atmosphere was grim, devoid of life, though a light dusting of snow covered most of the land. It seemed like something straight out of a horror movie.
He gulped bile and began walking but abruptly stopped with sweat forming on his brow.
Something was circling above. He couldn't tell what it was exactly because he was sure it was a bird, a crow. Yet, something about it seemed off.
He contemplated summoning Light, but taking a good look at the crow, it was too small to pose a threat. It was, without a doubt, on scout, but for whom?
If it were scouting, then summoning Light would be a mistake. He needed to keep his clone hidden to surprise his enemies. Still, he couldn't shake the thought of returning to Mirror Steppe.
He took a deep breath and exhaled. Retreating was futile. If this were Kysa or Crawlers doing, he would face them anyway, he just had to do it.
With a heavy heart, he walked the narrow path between the two lands, Rascal and Inferno Moist. The air from both sides clashed, creating a tangible boundary.
Halo had his hands tucked into his pockets, the false confidence radiating intensely from him, but deep within, he was shaking to death.
"Fuck it…"
After a brief moment, he summoned his weapon and clung tightly to it. The crow above was acting a bit suspiciously. It was as though it was guiding him.
It flew a bit closer to him as it led the way. But its nature struck Halo as odd, which made him want to kill it.
The crow looked like it had been conjured from darkness itself, but unlike his clone, this one seemed to smoke and shimmer, as if darkness had been compressed into physical form.
This justified his theory, the crow was being controlled, and he was being watched.
But even knowing that killing the crow could put him in danger if he was being watched, he waited for an opportunity to strike. The bird was too fast and agile, though.
After a long wait, he gave up. The moment his attention shifted, he caught sight of something pleasant and quickened his pace.
There was a castle before him with a distinctive triangular layout, unlike most rectangular or square-shaped castles.
It was surrounded by a broad water-filled moat. The walls seemed reddish, probably from the reddish atmosphere behind them.
Two round towers stood prominently at the front corners, flanking the main gateway.
However, the moment Halo closed in, he paused. His heart was hammering violently against his chest as every sense within him focused on someone beside the moat.
A young man roughly Halo's age, dressed in dark, tattered clothing, sat by the moat. His head was slightly bowed, and he was seemingly gently interacting with black crows similar to the one that led Halo's path.
He had dark hair with sharp features, blue eyes, and innocence that spoke malicious volumes.
This… this was the hero! Was his mind playing tricks on him? This couldn't possibly be!
Halo could tell even with his eyes closed that something was wrong.
Something was missing!