Halo's life read like a twisted fairy tale. When his team learned how brutally he'd dismantled a notorious drug cartel three years ago, they all recoiled.
He went in alone and wasted every member and the boss in just three minutes. One bullet for each corpse… that was it. Shot them either in the head or the heart.
A single shot.
Boom!
That was all he needed.
His name alone was enough to have his enemies trembling. He was the beast everyone feared. But this world was different.
Over here, he was no better than a mere dog.
But there was something this world couldn't steal from him. Something he was certain outmatched most people in this world, his experience and his mind.
What truly made him the beast many feared.
***
If any of them stood a chance of surviving, it was him.
Halo clenched tightly to his dual daggers, and though shorter than the original, they bore the exact comfort he'd trained for, even better.
His clone led the way, dressed in its ragged black attire, as it clutched tightly to their luggage, moving with confidence and calculation.
They steadily strolled the forest, keeping a distance from the street while making sure not to linger too deep into the Sinners' territory.
The atmosphere was heavy, chilling, and quiet. Only insect chirps and the heavy thud of their military boots echoed in the distance.
The dormant state of the land perplexed Halo, though. A dozen people had met their end not long ago, their remains still resting near the wagon by the street, and yet he couldn't sense even the breath of a Sinner.
He was glad to some extent that no Sinner was within sight, but to be honest, he feared that too. To miss them completely made his mind spiral beyond control.
Were they lurking in the trees above? Or perhaps he and his clone had wandered off course, stumbling straight into a trap?
He knew his chances of winning against a Sinner were slim, especially those ranked above Toddler. But if he had met them and fought, at least his mind would have been at ease.
Understanding was better than uncertainty.
They walked for nearly six hours, without even encountering the smell of a Sinner. At this point, Halo was already regretting his decision to leave the wagon.
He had paid three of his six Sin Fragments for that ride, only to leave them and walk, suspecting they would meet their end. But now, his legs were trembling from exhaustion.
He'd traveled miles on foot before. His best training in his past life had been surviving in deep forests, where he learned to use nature itself. Back then, he'd known what he was doing. But this world was different. The air, the sun, everything felt wrong. And the constant threat of Sinners was its own crushing weight.
While his mind dwelt, his clone paused, prompting Halo to halt also.
He wasn't sensing any Sinners and the distant moon glowed perfectly, it should have been enough to help him locate any Sinner within the darkness. But there wasn't anything within sight.
This made him slightly uneasy.
His clone couldn't speak, which made this even harder on Halo.
He stared at his clone, narrowed his white eyes slightly, as though it was lost in thought.
But at that moment, Halo immediately caught up with what was happening.
It was faint and subtle, but he could hear bone-cracking and agonizing screams echoing in the distance.
He swallowed bile.
There was a fight going on not far from them, and with his busy mind, he had missed it entirely, but his clone didn't.
The clone turned to Halo with its unreadable expression.
But Halo understood it. It wanted instructions.
Halo didn't have to dwell much on his thoughts to know what to do.
There was a fight going on between Sinners and humans. He couldn't say with certainty since it could be between humans too, but this was his safest bet.
Hiding was their best bet, but only if they knew where and how. Otherwise, they'd just be trapping themselves.
He didn't even spare a second to think it through. He wanted them to close in on the battle.
His clone didn't argue, it simply nodded and began leading the way.
Their steps were lighter than a feather, and Halo's breath was too light for even his brain to register.
They followed the direction of the sounds, jumping between shadows with calculated precision until they finally got within a viewing sight.
The agonizing screams had ceased, but Halo could smell the stench of fresh blood all over. People had been killed.
They couldn't tell how many were left alive, so they played it safe. Though they couldn't get a proper view of the Sinners or even the humans, Halo was to judge from the sounds of their clashes alone.
Some clashes sounded heavy and sharp, while others were blunt and thick. This led him to believe the humans were armored and the Sinner had a hard shell, just like the Perverted Sinners he'd faced earlier.
He swallowed hard.
This wasn't good. He couldn't see how the fight was progressing, but he knew the humans would lose regardless.
They needed to find a better place to hide, a place where the Sinner wouldn't find them after its victory.
His head snapped in all directions, searching for an ideal place until his clone tapped him on the shoulder and gestured toward a clouded bush to their right.
Without a moment's hesitation, Halo and his clone found themselves within the bushes with the leaves covering their entire bodies.
At that moment, his mind was filled with nothing but dark thoughts. He wished the people the Sinner had attacked were from the wagon he'd left earlier.
This was too dark, even for him. There were women and elders in that wagon, and yet, all he wanted to feel at that moment was the feeling of being right, just so he could rejoice and feel proud about his judgment.
Amidst his thoughts, he heard a scream that echoed even louder than the previous ones. It was short and brutal, and what followed it was a proud roar from the Sinner.
Halo's heart skipped a beat, and his skin crawled.
The person the Sinner was fighting had died, but that wasn't why Halo felt uneasy. It was the fear of being caught by the Sinner.
He wasn't sure if Sinners could smell humans, but considering they were all animals, it was safe to assume that.
He held his breath with his eyes slightly narrowed, as he feared even his blue eyes might be enough to draw the Sinner's attention.
But before long, his clone tapped him on the shoulder as it rose to its feet. Halo let go of his breath with a satisfying relief before joining his clone.
But he scowled instantly. Something was off. He could hear deep and heavy breathing.