HKWM | Prologue

The broad shoulders adorned with epaulets no longer carried the image of a child.

Quietly, I followed behind him, who had grown so much without me noticing. Back when we used to walk together, he would always hold my hand tightly. Now, the empty feeling in my hand felt strangely awkward.

Should I compliment him on how well the silver armor suits him? Or should I tell him he’s grown so much in my absence? While I was deliberating what to say, Noah stopped in front of a large door.

“This is my room.”

Just when I thought he was about to send me off, he held me back and, unexpectedly, led me to his room. It seems like he wanted to show me around. When I nodded, Noah opened the door.

The room of Noah, now the Vice Commander of the Holy Knight Order, a position synonymous with integrity, was as tidy as his title suggested. However, there was not a single item related to the gods in sight. Not even a small divine statue one would expect. Strangely enough, it was the only place in this oppressive environment, where divine power was almost suffocating, that allowed me to breathe freely.

Just as I began to question this oddity, Noah broke the silence in a small voice.

“Not too long ago, I went to see the night sea without you, Jin.”

Though his words came out of nowhere, I quietly listened.

“Everything was just as it had been that day, but somehow, it wasn’t beautiful at all. Do you remember the story I told you? About the man who always longed for the sea.”

“…Yes.”

“That’s when I realized. The man didn’t long for the sea because it was beautiful. He missed it because those were peaceful and happy times for him.”

Noah slowly turned around and faced me, just like how we once faced each other in the forest.

When he was younger, I used to think such things. His soft, pale golden hair, and eyes reminiscent of lush greenery had a warmth to them that seemed angelic. Perhaps it was even more so because everything about Noah was so different from me.

But even with the warmth of his colors remaining the same, today’s Noah was different from the one in my memories. The child who always looked up at me with a bright smile, now can lower his head and looked at me. And he no longer reached out to me, asking me to hold his hand when we walked.

“Jin, the thing I’ve always missed… was the days I spent with you. It was you.”

How could I be any different? Despite having lived longer as a demon than as a human, I, who was still far from being a proper demon, found myself yearning for Noah every moment after our sudden separation.

But some farewells are inevitable.

“When you first left, I thought… maybe you had deceived me. You’re a demon who knows all too well how to drive humans to despair, so I wondered if you had given me something precious only to snatch it away like a cruel joke.”

“Noah—”

“Even though I knew everything you gave me and every moment we shared was your way of showing affection, I couldn’t help but resent you. You didn’t become mine, nor did you allow me to be yours.”

Yes, our farewell had been sudden, and the words “it was for the best” could never have been enough for him. Telling him that being with a demon wouldn’t benefit a human, or that my presence might one day bring him misfortune, couldn’t have meant much in the face of our parting.

I bit my lip, steeling myself against the weakness threatening to creep in. After all, it would only be a fleeting moment of sadness and emptiness. The brief time we had spent together, barely over a year, was insignificant compared to the long life ahead of him. That thought had been my comfort.

Just as I resolved to sever my ties with Noah completely this time—

“I can’t wait any longer.”

Noah knelt on one knee and rested his cheek against my hand. The way he knelt, half in reverence like a believer before their god, and half in desperation like a forsaken lover pleading for reconciliation, set off alarm bells in my head. Something about this felt deeply wrong…

“I don’t care. Even if the day comes when I truly end up miserable, just as you said. I won’t regret it. Even if you make me suffer.”

“Noah, wait—”

“And if it truly won’t work out… if we really can’t be together, then take my soul. At least in that way, we can stay together. You said demons never forget what belongs to them.”

The boy in holy armor spoke of corruption so casually.

“Make me yours forever.”

Something was definitely wrong. My mind was spinning as Noah slowly lifted his head. The moment I realized that my reflection filled his eyes, both familiar and unfamiliar, my body tipped backward.

I landed with a thud on a bed that smelled entirely of Noah.

“Answer me, Jin.”

Answer what, exactly, in this situation—?! As I struggled to sit up, Noah pushed me back down with a firm hand and began removing his armor piece by piece.

Clink—

Wait, why are you taking off your clothes…?

Only a tightly fitted doublet remained, but it was barely any better. His broad chest and defined muscles strained against the fabric, his perfectly chiseled abs visible beneath the taut material. It was a sight so raw and striking that one could almost mistake him for being bare.

The 15-year-old boy I once bathed and dressed was nowhere to be seen.

While I hastily averted my eyes, Noah climbed onto the bed, leaning over me as if to cage me in. The situation was spiraling in a bizarre direction, but I couldn’t seem to move, like a lamb caught in a trap. Was this fear? Or perhaps intimidation? Whatever it was, I hadn’t felt anything like it since becoming an Archdemon.

“Jin, did you know? I’ve never loved anyone but you.”

“…What?”

“Not even the gods.”

In the Grand Temple of a holy empire that worshiped the gods. Noah, the Vice Commander of the Holy Knight Order, uttered words so blasphemous it made my skin crawl. Worried he might incur divine punishment, I hastily reached out to cover his mouth.

“Are you insane?! This is the Grand Temple! What if the gods hear you…?!”

While it seemed unlikely the gods were idle enough to listen to every human’s words, the location alone made cold sweat run down my back. Thankfully, the surroundings remained eerily quiet.

Unlike my panic, Noah nonchalantly curved his eyes in a smile. Just as I opened my mouth to yell, something warm and soft touched my palm.

“Ahhh—!”

Did… did he just lick me?!

“I guess a mere blasphemy isn’t enough to lead me to corruption.”

Noah seemed oddly pleased. An ominous feeling rose within me.

“What happens when a knight devoted to the gods desires a demon? Could there be greater corruption?”

“Did you just say…?”

A large hand slipped beneath my clothes. The searing heat of his skin against mine startled me, and I instinctively tried to retreat, only for Noah to grab my ankle and pull me back effortlessly.

“Your body is so cold, Jin.”

“Ugh—!”

“Every time I held your hand, I wondered. Is it the same further inside? If so, would it remain cold no matter how closely our bodies pressed together?”

“Let go of me—!”

“When our body temperatures finally align… what kind of bond would we share by then?”

Noah pushed firmly between my legs, holding my thighs down.

“If you won’t take my soul, then give yourself to me.”

“No, Noah, what are you—!”

“Anything is fine. As long as we can be together.”

“Wait, just calm down—”

“If you keep running away from me, Jin, I’ll fall to wherever you are. Watch closely. The more you run, the more I’ll fall.”

I tried to push away the hands creeping further up my thighs, but my wrists were swiftly pinned. Twisting and struggling only brought sharp pain, and the grip holding me was relentless. The gentle boy who once fretted over the possibility of hurting me was gone, replaced by someone whose grasp was rough and unyielding, determined not to let me escape.

Seeing me squirm in his arms, Noah smiled and I had never seen him smile like this before.

“Why did you pick up someone like me in the first place? You’re a demon. Did you really not know how far a human could go to get what they want?”

Surely not…?

I thought I had picked up a broken boy and fixed him. But maybe…

That was just my delusion all along.