Heavenly Damned Player

"Did I die?"

Light existed here, though not the kind found at the tunnel's end. The distant sun was breaking through, throwing shadows across impossible trees that floated on water, while their roots clung to the earth below.

Halo rested upon a tangled lattice of green, moist roots that rose from the water like grasping limbs. They knotted and coiled over one another, thick as beams, slick with algae and clinging moss, spreading so densely across the surface that the water beneath was hardly visible.

The roots pressed together in such profusion that there was no clear boundary where one tree's hold ended and another's began had long been erased by time and growth.

Despite the persistence of the roots, the water still held firm, showing itself where it wasn't allowed to.

They formed a living floor, tight and unyielding, warped by centuries of expansion, as though the forest itself had clawed the swamp dry and refused to let go.

Hollows and small burrows opened between the roots, leading to unknown darkness. Such spaces should have housed creatures but instead revealed only moss-covered green vines.

These vines, unlike the static roots, remained active, supple, and oddly vital for something ancient. They undulated continuously, beckoning.

And yet, the tree itself was unsettlingly ordinary. Its trunk rose thick and straight, scarred by age, its deep green bark ridged and weather-worn, bearing the quiet weight of countless years.

Heavy branches jutted outward at deliberate angles, each one a testimony of its stories.

If the roots and vines were a monstrous tangle of hunger and persistence, the tree above stood calm and composed, as though the madness below was its foundation.

By this point, Halo's predicament had slipped his mind entirely. He hadn't been alone in a forest for ages, though "forest" was generous for this place. The tangled, twisted roots were the only solid ground available.

But then he frowned.

The best part of any forest was the sounds: birdsong, insect buzzing, distant roars and growls, and even the hiss of snakes. But this place offered no such symphony.

That absence of sound brought reality slamming back, the full weight of his predicament returning at once.

He gulped again.

"Did I die?"

He immediately rushed to get his pulse. He was definitely alive.

"What happened…? I remember seeing something. Yes—those bastards woke the golem, and the force sent me plummeting into the smoke."

He rested his hands on his waist, utterly confused.

"There's no way I survived that lava. Am I really not dead?"

He wore a forced smile.

"In another world, are we?"

He looked up at the sky and laughed bitterly.

The sun remained small, coin-sized at best. Perhaps twice that, maybe three times, but he couldn't be wrong about this place. The Lost World.

"Then where am I?! The Fourth Sea? But this is a forest—where's everyone else?!"

After gathering his scattered thoughts, he decided to summon Saint to help him find his way back to the ship. With those navigation crystals still active, every moment he delayed meant the ship traveled farther away.

He took a breath, centering himself, then spoke Saint's name, the same summoning technique as last time. Now to wait.

He leaped between roots, his throat tightening as he took in the countless trees surrounding him. Boredom truly was a curse.

To think he'd somehow ended up in the middle of this forest by "flying" into dark smoke.

He remained near where he'd called for Saint, yet impatience crept in. Time itself wasn't the concern, but he could sense it: he'd been waiting too long. Unnaturally long.

"What's going on?"

He frowned.

'Kysa.'

Eternal Giant's name reverberated through his thoughts as he resumed his pattern, leaping between roots with newfound caution.

The clock ticked, but she never showed.

In desperation, he summoned the one person guaranteed to ridicule him, Light. He'd have gladly endured the mockery, but Light didn't appear either.

The situation was becoming impossible to take lightly.

"Have I been cut off from the rest of the world? And do I still have my ability?"

He summoned Magnus, and the dual daggers materialized, though he still wanted better clarity on the threat.

'Status.'

***

[ Name: Halo D. Tenebris

Title: Shadow of Death

Rank: Knight

True ability: Death Clone - - - Description:

Flaw: Coldness

Only Sin: Death

Nemesis:?

—

Sin Fragments: 8180 /10000

Dominant Skill: Agility

Clones: 6 ]

***

Huuu

That brought genuine relief. He remained linked to the world, even here.

"Tch. I must be far away from them, or something else is interfering… Either way, I need a better place to stay."

His knowledge ended at the fourth sea. If Jihriel, Saint, or Kysa were here, they could guide him, they understood what dangers each sea contained.

The smart move was locating defensible ground and staying put. Still, he'd always wanted to wander a place like this. Maybe he could enjoy the forest a bit before his crew came for him.

Yet while he bounded between roots, something brought him to an abrupt halt.

His eyes narrowed bizarrely, staring directly at a tree's trunk.

Moments ago, the tree had been still. Now it looked like something was fighting to escape from within, a person pressing desperately against the wood from the inside, distorting its surface.

His skin crawled.

Within moments, the trapped thing took on human contours. Features emerged with a face, limbs, and every small detail of a body, all horribly visible through the tree's surface.

Creepy.

Disturbing.

Because Halo recognized it: his own face staring back.

He knew he should have fled.

But the pull was irresistible. Before he knew it, he was right up against the tree, his weapons manifested, leaning in to verify the impossible. Was that truly his own face?

'I'm not being stupid. This is the right choice… yes. The best one.'

The moment his blade touched the trapped figure's brow, Halo gasped. His forehead stung with a sudden, stabbing pain. Then liquid, warm, and wet, dripping down.

"Uhm…"

He reluctantly reached for his forehead. His heart ceased to move for a second.

He bled from precisely where his blade had touched the tree-figure.

This time, no force could hold him there. His body moved on pure instinct, jerking back, breaking into a desperate run while his mind struggled to process what had just happened.

But when clarity finally hit, something wrapped tight around his ankles and yanked him down hard onto the roots.