Shinsu 'Refum, also known as the Black Knight of Sanghelios, was a Sangheili warrior and a son of Sesa 'Refumee, one of the first "heretics" to openly oppose the Great Journey. Unlike most Sangheili, he knew and had a caring relationship with his father when he was young, though Sesa would later distance himself from Shinsu due to the urging of his clan members and the responsibilities of his military career. Shinsu was learning the arts of swordsmanship in a blademaster's keep on Sanghelios when his father turned against the Covenant and was killed by the Arbiter Thel 'Vadamee. Facing persecution from the Covenant's religious authorities, Shinsu was saved through the intervention of the blademaster he was studying under, who hid him from his would-be killers. Almost the entirety of the Re