The world had changed beyond recognition. In the game, when given a Purpose, it typically included treasures and battles. Halo's current Purpose would have been pretty straightforward.
He would have fought off a few Sinners, explored the Changing Malicious Solemn for side quests, defeated the final boss, and then watched Rascal Land meet its demise.
But as it turned out, living it was different from playing it. There was more to this world beyond blood and victory.
***
It was early morning, and Halo was shirtless again. The injury from yesterday's Crawler fight needed room to heal.
He found himself before Seraph, who sat at the center of the Grand Hall, painting. Halo didn't like the idea of speaking to her. She creeped him out with her constant smiles.
But only speaking with Liam seemed weird enough.
Seraph sat before her easel, brush moving across the canvas as she painted a bizarre creature. She looked utterly content, lost in her work.
Halo approached from behind but casually walked near her and took a better look at her painting.
The painting was of a humanoid creature with its entire body wrapped tightly in a skin that seemed like a bandage. Flame-like energy seeped through cracks and openings in its body, particularly around the arms, head, and legs.
Its head was mostly dark, with no visible facial features, and red energy arcs around its head like a crown. It wielded a long, jagged, and black-and-red energy blade similar to the energy around its arms, head, and legs.
Though Halo stood beside her, it was as though she didn't notice his presence until he spoke up.
"That's quite an imagination you've got there."
Seraph turned to Halo with a confused expression before going for her usual cheerful demeanor.
"You think so? I'm not that good, but thanks…"
Halo sneered.
He despised false modesty, but hypocritical, since he did it constantly. Seraph's painting was outstanding. He could never do anything like that. He had his own skills, like wood carving, which he'd learned in the forest when he wasn't killing things.
But art? No. Which made her casual dismissal of her obvious talent all the more infuriating.
Still, he kept talking more than he normally would. The painting equipment was nearly identical to his old world's, which surprised him.
But her work itself… far too vivid. Too disturbing for such a cheerful person. He wondered what horrors she'd endured to paint like that."
He sighed.
"Did you kill a Sinner like that?"
Seraph turned to him with a calm expression and shook her head in disapproval.
"I saw this in my dream…"
Halo raised an eyebrow.
"A nightmare?"
Seraph gave him a warm smile. "No. Let's say it's foresight. We might fight a similar creature in the future."
Halo scowled. She can see the future too?
'These people are so overpowered. What the heck?!'
Halo took a seat and brushed his hands against his face in frustration. They all had impressive abilities except for him.
"You can see the future, huh?"
Seraph began painting again.
"No, this has nothing to do with my ability."
Halo was caught off guard for a moment, but though perplexed, he smiled.
"This came to me after I arrived in this world. I was terrified at first, but with every lesson, I learned to see the world differently. By the end of our month of training, my fear had turned into something else, a gift that lets me glimpse danger before it comes. Not always… but sometimes."
Halo's expression darkened. That was unheard of. How could someone develop such a powerful defense mechanism? Even though this was a magical world, he feared that even that was too much. Unless Seraph was just that unique.
"But I'm afraid I will lose this ability the moment I stop fearing the world."
Halo's expression turned unreadable.
What Seraph feared was inevitable. Her ability would disappear. Halo would readily admit he found it intriguing, useful, even.
Preparing for Sinners in advance, knowing when Rascal Land would fall… But none of that mattered if it was temporary. Unless she was lying.
But this had Halo thinking as his eyes tracked Seraph, who resumed her routine toward her painting.
Each person's Flaw were unique. Halo's Flaw was Coldness, a defense mechanism from childhood trauma that kept others from reading his true emotions.
But his coldness manifested unusually. He felt happiness easily from the smallest things, yet never showed it. And when he did feel outbursts of joy, his expression remained flat.
This meant Seraph's Flaw, Deception, couldn't be as simple as he initially thought. It might work differently from the usual deception he was used to.
This made him want to know what exactly it was. This would help him tell when she was acting and when she wasn't.
"You don't seem like someone who scares easily. You look strong, steady… not the kind who cries themselves to sleep."
Seraph turned to Halo with a warm smile.
"That's a compliment, isn't it? … I'm only human, after all. I feel everything there is to feel. Maybe I'm not perfect, but I'm not entirely flawed either. So, thank you."
Halo's expression remained unreadable as he watched Seraph return to her art with a cheerful smile. The way she spoke had Halo thinking.
Her voice was calm and calculated, almost like something she rehearsed. This gave Halo more reasons to test her character.
"No. That wasn't praise. You come off as someone who revels in violence, walking on your enemies' corpses with your allies crawling behind… people like you don't go to bed crying."
Halo watched as Seraph's hand trembled slightly on her brush before turning to Halo with a forced smile, which later turned into a genuine charm.
"Was that how I came off to you? Strength doesn't mean cruelty. I do what's needed, nothing more."
Halo smiled internally, though it never appeared on his lips.
He wasn't certain, but he believed he had figured out what exactly Seraph's Flaw meant. When she spoke, it was obvious Halo's words had struck a nerve, which should've caused a tantrum, but she managed to maintain a perfect facade.
She wasn't a lie in the sense Halo had initially assumed this meant, her usual foresight was true. However, she was a trickster.
She had the perfect mask for every situation, which helped her show the perfect response and reaction.
But as soon as Halo drew his conclusion, he realized Seraph had no intention of letting him go free.
"So tell me… why's your Flaw Coldness?"
Halo's eyes squinted slightly, and he sighed.
"You could say growing up on the streets without parents or a place to call home, just fighting each day to fill my stomach, caused it."
Seraph abruptly turned to him with a saddened look. The sudden shift between expressions nearly made Halo crack up.
"That's so sad, Halo. You're an orphan…"
"Nothing to make a fuss about. I am a pro…"