Halo's new clone, Tough, wasn't just a Beast Sinner but also a Crawler, a special breed among Sinners whose potential and origin were unknown.
Having such a creature patrolling the castle's borders should have been reassuring, but not for Halo.
Tough had done a number on them during their battle. Though it had been two days and Seraph tried her best to heal them daily, Halo's body still felt sore as ever.
Beast Sinners, unlike Toddler and Perverted Sinners, had Purposes. They fought to protect and survive, just like humans did. But a Sinner's Purpose hardly changed.
They received one upon ascending to Beast-rank and stuck with it until death claimed them. A few Sinners were exceptions, but even so, their Purposes rarely aligned with humans' tally.
For a Beast Sinner to come to the castle meant its Purpose was somehow related to it.
This had only strengthened his urge, but even after staying in bed as Tough slew every Sinner that neared the castle, Halo was still wary.
He began to realize he'd made a good choice by summoning Tough, since it was only two Sin Fragments away from earning back what he'd sacrificed to summon it.
But throughout the course of the days, he decided to loosen his urge. Tough was a Crawler after all, and he barely knew anything about Crawlers.
Instead, he decided to get Seraph and Liam something. Liam had saved his life during their battle with Tough, and he'd even given Halo a gift before the fight.
And Seraph had been generous enough to let him take Tough's kill without throwing a tantrum. She'd killed it and could've asked for the Sin Fragment back, regardless of whether she'd used his sword.
He wasn't the kind of person for these kinds of things. This was new to him. But ever since he arrived in this world, the terror and violence he saw in the game, Damnation of the Gods—the very game he lived in now—covered him like an invisible blanket.
But in that moment, fighting Tough, what kept him going was knowing they were there. So he decided to do what he did best, carve portraits of them from wood.
Truthfully, he was masking his own gratitude by framing it as something bigger.
He believed this would be enough to bring him and Liam closer, since Liam shared similarities with the hero. And for Seraph, he didn't want her to feel left out.
He kept this a secret from them, which led him to carve everything right from his mind.
Magnus's sharpness was a disadvantage this time. He needed to etch each of their perfections and flaws into the wood, from Liam's incredible physique and timid yet calm demeanor to Seraph's stunning looks and cheerful smile.
It required more finesse than he was used to, forcing the blade to carve either deep or disturbingly shallow.
This made him look like a creep. Seraph and Liam found him stalking them more often than not. He would've prepared a direct approach, but even his pride couldn't afford that.
The legendary assassin, Tenebris, was carving portraits of people he had only known for mere weeks. That thought alone shattered everything he had worked for.
Though his quiet approach and harmless stalking didn't go unnoticed, he held his ground, and two days after their battle with Tough, he was finally done.
His body ached not only from the battle but from his rushed craftsmanship too. The night before finally giving them the portraits, he lay on his bed panting heavily from exhaustion, the candles in his room glimmering faintly.
He felt a tinge of happiness within him, barely noticeable, but enough to make his toes fidget. He never thought giving gifts would mean this much to him, though from a bystander's perspective, he seemed evidently emotionless.
Before he could dwell much on his thoughts, he began considering how he could carve things in this world and sell them for Sin Fragments. But before he could get deep into his thoughts, sleep overtook him.
***
The sun was dipping below the horizon, and Halo stood before Liam and Seraph in the Grand Hall with his heart battering violently against his ribcage and sweat forming on his brow.
Each portrait was barely six inches long, and he was certain he did a great job, but the way Seraph stared at him made him a little paranoid.
Her blue eyes were unlike Halo's and Liam's piercing ones. The color was so faint and barely noticeable that she could be mistaken for a blind person from afar. It was as unique a feature as Halo's dirty-white hair with red streaks.
Unlike Liam, who was flabbergasted by Halo's art, Seraph's expression remained unreadable as she stared intensely at the carving.
This had Halo thinking. Did she actually like it? Maybe she was simply anticipating the way to crush the craft into pieces? Or was this nothing more than an ordinary stare?
"Why did you give me this?"
Her tone was daunting and unguarded, unlike how she usually spoke.
Halo swallowed hard, and Liam's cheerful smile vanished as he stared at her in confusion.
"This is for our fight with Tough. I felt bad for stealing your kill, so… consider it compensation."
He nervously scratched the back of his head and turned to Liam.
"Liam, this is for saving me… and for the pocket watch. I couldn't just take without giving back."
"I love it!" Liam said with his eyes sparkling.
But Halo focused only on Seraph. He'd gone through so much pain just to make that, and the slightest misstep could shatter him completely.
The moment he saw Seraph smile, his heart sank in relief.
"That's so nice of you, Halo. Thank you."
Halo sighed.
"I did it without expecting compensation, but I'll accept this. In return, I'll paint a portrait of you both."
Halo raised a startled eyebrow and locked eyes with Seraph, who continued to smile warmly.
"Okay…"
"Perfect. I'll paint Liam tomorrow, then you the next day. We'll keep that pace until you're both done."
As soon as the words left Seraph, Liam spoke up with a steady and dry tone.
"What about the Crawlers? This isn't right… a Beast Sinner isn't supposed to attack like this."
Halo scowled. He'd touched on the same topic.