Time slipped by faster than Halo realized, the sun sinking steadily toward the horizon.
This was Silent Hill, a place where noise felt forbidden. Even the nearby Sinners didn't dare disturb the quiet. The only sounds were their careful, distant movements, barely louder than a breath.
Halo and his clone had been leaping between shadows, evading the circling Sinners above and the sentinels guarding the castle on the hill. But even their seamless coordination couldn't last forever.
A giant, nightmarish dog loomed before them. Its lips curled back in aggression, drool stretching between jagged teeth, its body unnaturally packed with bulging muscle.
It seemed to be the parent of the Sinner Halo's clone who had been slain moments ago.
But that wasn't the real problem.
The creature's massive head hovered close to Halo's clone, sniffing intently.
Halo stood only a few steps away, frozen, dagger clenched, mind racing through possibilities. His eyes never left the Sinner as its crimson gaze tracked his clone.
Was it anger? Grief? Recognition? He couldn't tell.
Darkness was closing in fast, and they needed shelter, but for nearly ten minutes the Sinner prowled around his clone, blocking every path of escape.
Then it suddenly shook its head with a sharp, irritated snarl. Halo instinctively stepped back.
Without warning, it lunged and struck his clone, sending it skidding across the ground.
Halo gritted his teeth, fear buckling his legs, but he forced himself into a fighting stance as the creature stalked toward him.
His clone rose again, unfazed, while the Sinner's breath came out in ragged bursts and annoyed growls.
Halo's mind churned. The thing could kill them with ease. Survival was the only priority.
Its fixation on sniffing his clone confirmed it, a Perverted Sinner, a tier above anything he had faced before.
But death? Unacceptable. Not yet.
He inhaled sharply.
Night would make everything worse. The hill was only a mile away and retrieving the Magnus Blade meant escape and freedom.
But first, the Sinner blocking their path had to fall.
He glanced toward his clone. It nodded, understanding everything.
His hands trembled as he tightened his grip on his dagger, his body retreating without permission.
The danger was twofold, if the Sinner surveyed their direction, it would find them trapped with no escape route. And with nightfall complete, even a minor error could draw the attention of every Sinner nearby.
In an instant, his clone slashed across the creature's spine.
The effect was immediate. The Sinner shrieked and twisted in a single fluid motion, its counterstrike missing the clone by a fraction.
Despite the sharpness of the daggers, the strike had done nothing but provoke it. No blood. No wound. Still, Halo found himself mesmerized by his clone's precision.
Their odds were terrible, but Halo refused to back down.
He seized the moment and rushed forward, a reckless grin spreading across his face. He dove into a slide between the creature's limbs, striking upward, but his blade bounced off its gut like metal striking armor.
What was he thinking? Sliding toward a monster like this? But he'd moved before the thought even formed.
Fear hit him hard. The Sinner's thick leg was already crashing toward his head, impossibly fast.
I'm dead. The only thought he had time for.
But his clone appeared, shoving him out of the way. Halo tumbled across the ground, his mind spinning.
He pushed himself upright, heart pounding and he froze.
His clone's skull was crushed inward, misshapen and caved.
Halo swallowed.
That blow would've killed him instantly, spraying the stones with his brain. Gratitude twisted with frustration, though his face showed none of it.
"What the heck was that? You could've died!"
The clone looked at him, its bright eyes expressionless as its skull slowly reshaped itself.
It nodded lightly, suggesting "I'm fine."
Halo wanted a moment to gather himself, to process the horrifying fact that his clone might be practically immortal… but the Sinner gave him no time.
The assault resumed, vicious, relentless, and precise. Halo quickly regretted not retreating.
His clone took the brunt of everything. The bites that would've shattered Halo's bones, and even impacts that should have ended their fight instantly.
It endured all of it.
Even as its torn flesh reformed, Halo could barely stomach watching.
Despite being hopelessly outmatched, they fought with everything they had. Halo's muscles screamed, his bones ached, every breath was a battle, but their strikes still couldn't pierce the creature's iron hide.
Determination alone wasn't enough.
Eventually, he collapsed, too battered to move, leaving his clone to withstand the onslaught alone.
Damage piled on until even its resilience faltered, movements slowing.
Halo called out to his god, Death.
He wasn't ready to die.
And then it seemed Death answered.
A devastating blow cracked across the Sinner's jaw, sending it stumbling. Halo stared in stunned relief.
The octopus-like Perverted Sinner, the one he'd escaped earlier, had appeared. The force of its strike made its intent clear:
It had returned to reclaim what it considered its own.
Halo didn't care why they were fighting. All that mattered was escape.
Summoning the last drops of energy, he hauled himself onto his clone's shoulders. Step by agonizing step, they retreated toward a distant structure offering shelter.
The battle between the two Perverted Sinners grew monstrous. Each clash erupted with bone-shattering force, collapsing nearby ruins with every impact.
"I think the Sinner loves me," Halo muttered weakly, attempting humor as he slumped against the wall and tried to relax.
His clone stayed razor-sharp. Its shredded clothing hung in strips, its body still knitting back together, but it never stopped scanning the surroundings.
A sudden, violent gust of wind tore through the air. When it passed, the fighting stopped instantly.
Halo's entire body seized. It was stiff and immovable.
His clone glanced toward the battlefield, then gestured sharply: "stay still."
Halo understood.
A higher-ranked Sinner had ended the fight.
Sweat rolled down his forehead.
This was bad.
If the superior Sinner surveyed the area, it would find them instantly. And now that night had fully fallen, even a small misstep could attract every Sinner nearby.
While he struggled to think, his clone moved ahead. A low snarl erupted to Halo's right.
His stomach dropped.
The angle and darkness hid the creature, but he understood the danger, one more growl, and the superior Sinner would find them.
It would be over.
The creature began to snarl again, and in the same instant, his clone's blade swept cleanly across, severing its head.
A bronze system display appeared, showing Sin Fragments, an ability, and clone growth.
Halo dismissed it immediately.
They had to move.
The sound was too loud.
Pain screaming through his body, he forced himself into motion as his clone located a safer spot and gestured.
A fallen section of wall revealed a narrow, shadowed passage. It was cramped but secure. Halo squeezed in and leaned against the stone.
His muscles finally began to loosen.
His clone motioned for the dagger, then took up guard.
Halo gave a tired smile. Gratitude washed through him.
He knew what the clone was, it was a shadow-self, capable of reason and strategy but devoid of warmth or emotion.
Yet somehow, it cared for him more than anyone had in the real world.Not his best friend. Not anyone.
Sleep took him before he could finish the thought.