Halo ate about five plates until he couldn’t breathe.
"I don’t know what’s wrong with . Everything about my Purpose is going smoothly, and still... my mind keeps circling back to my Nesis every single day."
Liam clenched his fist.
Halo lay in his seat, his hand rubbing his swollen stomach.
"Whenever I think of them, I want to stop everything I’m doing and track them to the ends of the world. I’ve never felt hatred this strong. Not ever."
He turned to Halo.
"Does yours do the sa to you?"
Halo gave him a lazy look.
Everyone had a Nesis, a naturally sworn enemy. The world itself forced hatred between them, regardless of personal feelings. Mutual neses, where both parties held that designation for each other, were theoretically possible but had never been docunted.
Not only did you need to track your own Nesis, but you had to guard against whoever considered you theirs. A deadly triangle where timing ant everything.
In the ga, the hero had gained unimaginable strength after killing his Nesis, the Ancient Light. Maybe the forced hatred was worth that power, but...
Halo, however, still hadn’t received his Nesis. Strange, considering everyone gained theirs upon awakening. But his arrival in this world hadn’t been like the others, no summoning ritual. He couldn’t expect the sa rules to apply.
He t Liam with silence until Seraph spoke up.
"It happens to all of us, Liam. Just don’t let it consu you."
Halo remained seated, breathing hard as he listened to them discuss their Neses. The conversation eventually turned to Sin Fragnts.
He remained quiet. His stomach might explode if he spoke.
"I expected the weight to crush us, but I guess a few thousand isn’t enough to push soone into madness. The higher ranks bear far greater numbers... maybe even millions."
Liam said.
"You misunderstand. A Flaw eats you whole, but Sin Fragnts work through subtler cracks. The brief jealousy, the envy, the sudden flicker of rage... those impulses are theirs. They don’t consu you in one bite the way a Flaw does, but over ti? They erode you, piece by piece, until you’re lost."
Seraph said and turned to Halo.
Halo nodded.
It made sense.
Soone bearing the Flaw of Listless couldn’t consu a million Sin Fragnts of Vibrant and expect the sa effect. That would undermine the gods’ entire frawork.
Halo sat back and listened to the Eyes of the Night and Child of Deceit discuss Neses and Sin Fragnts at length.
Sothing felt off with Seraph, though he couldn’t pinpoint why. And Liam wouldn’t stop going on about his Nesis. Their dynamic seed the sa on the surface, but underneath, sothing fundantal had changed.
This was all weird for Halo. He didn’t expect their eting to be about that.
He wanted to know how their lives were going.
He adjusted in his seat.
He cleared his throat and grabbed their attention.
"How are your Purposes going?"
Liam was the first to jump in.
"It’s easier than I expected after how exhausting our last Purpose was. I’m only making sure the people of Shattered Perks feel safe... but at this point, it won’t be long before I’m done. They’ve started calling a hero."
Halo gave him a soft smile. It was nice knowing he was having it easy.
"I don’t have much to do most days, so I focus on training. They even set up a personal gym for . Not bad, right?"
Halo turned to Seraph, whose eyes were fixated on the floor, lost in thought.
"Hey, Seraph."
Halo’s call startled her.
"What about you?"
"Oh, yeah."
She took a deep breath.
"It hasn’t been the best, though the Sinners are pretty easy to deal with. They look like worms and never stop pursuing the Onyx Tree. But they aren’t what you should worry about..."
Her expression darkened.
"My comrades want to—
She paused.
Halo and Liam stared at her in confusion.
She smiled.
"It’s nothing..."
She turned to Halo.
"How about you, Halo?"
Halo stared at her for a hot minute.
Sothing was clearly bothering her. Halo hated seeing that sadness in her expression, but it wasn’t his place to pry. She could handle her own problems.
"My comrade, Iris, is pretty cool, I guess. There’s another one, but we haven’t t."
Seraph’s dark expression softened.
"Dark hair, golden eyes, right?"
Halo nodded.
"I tried to befriend her at the academy, but she always seed annoyed. She only speaks with that one staff mber anyway."
Halo attempted to smile but couldn’t.
That was Iris, alright. But he was surprised by how much Seraph’s Flaw pushed her into getting to know everyone. It was cool in that sense.
Before he could say anything else, Seraph spoke with a sad tone.
"Do any of you hate your Flaw?"
"I do, but you know, it has its perks. Being anxious constantly kind of makes relaxed... weirdly, I like it."
Liam said.
Child of Deceit turned to Halo.
"I... don’t really know what to say. I’ve always been like this. I wish I could be happier and more expressive, you know? Maybe I would’ve been if I hadn’t ended up in this world. But at this point... what can I even do?"
Seraph looked worn out.
She hated her Flaw, and it was evident in her eyes.
But it went beyond her Flaw. None of them knew much about her, but they sensed there was more to it. Her new comrades must have played a role.
In the next second, it was as though sothing within her shifted.
She began wearing the cheerful smile they always saw her wear. It didn’t seem forced. It was genuine.
"I got you sothing, Halo."
She rose to her feet and hurried into a room.
"What do you think is wrong with her?"
Liam asked.
Halo shrugged.
"Don’t ntion it for now. If there’s a ti she wants to talk about it, she will."
Liam nodded.
Seraphim returned with a bag stuffed with supplies.
She handed it to Halo.
It was lighter than it looked.
"I got this for you."
She leaned toward Halo the mont she spoke and whispered sothing.
Halo frowned.
She told him she’d co see him after his Purpose. It was harmless enough. He didn’t understand why she’d felt the need to whisper.
Still, he gave her a positive response.
Liam had his mouth parted.
"What about ?"
Seraph smiled.
"This is for Halo. Maybe I’ll get you yours... one day."
"Maybe?"
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