HKWM | Chapter 2

It might 984ebfef7d sound like d29a2f4e20 I’m full 6370f4aa9d of myself, 3e80717788 but for d229ab67d1 a moment, d253bb7ddc I thought 08e7c7dbd8 the curtains e6e0fab3ac were hiding 724fe8a183 not a b8dba84931 window but cb190e1e9c a masterpiece f343f9a89f painting. The lustrous black 3a89324309 hair falling below b256a09c36 my collarbones, the dc68cac983 skin glowing pale 8dcd48f9d8 against the abyss-dark 50c8f4dc27 hair, and even e86478491b the blood-red eyes.7aac8dc7c089b7ed

The image 02aebf8bf0 mirrored the 287331c400 Demon Lord 73db43df3b I saw 36539f4534 upon waking 80e854ae28 up. Yet, if it weren’t 2d8961a0db for the sinister blend f7b8363b11 of colors, this face 43bd505d55 could be mistaken for d074ba376c that of an archangel, fc0a875037 not an archdemon.9e332b25635676af

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“Is this really my 04b8410089 face now? So this 4e0a276aca is how d534196778 my good c99c0f1a63 deeds are 8240999779 repaid….”41e6ccd598ea5472

The irony wasn’t 73f719cac5 lost on me—just 687b90c1aa moments ago, I fb0779e888 was renouncing my cc6e346a72 father for making 39916af74a me an archdemon 485ff75161 based on what 9644bc228a sin I’d committed. Yet, the 4dbd49a267 satisfaction that ac53fb1147 surged through 9021b187d3 me upon 2dc97a434a seeing my 41df603900 reflection was f8e48933a1 irresistible.142a588e570b9cad

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Plus, with 96abe610ab a tall 0d956480e0 frame and 833a4bedca long limbs 9d01bfad16 paired with 3ca262fb32 broad shoulders, e494ef6b43 I suddenly d3e7d84707 wanted to ac3e758c21 summon a 0507e8bac4 painter and f4f210a6a4 have this 931334fd92 image immortalized cebc0be7b9 in a d7696a7af6 painting.7a942c56be96ac3f

Here, where a48454aa28 demons’ blood 5b937b9a8d runs black 43a62806a8 and their 984d31622c magic glows 98bdaf09ea dark red, 9fa0b09b5b anyone would cfc647ffa9 see it 3299891459 as nothing 5e1937cf3c short of c1fe700620 a demonic 416dab0a48 portrait.91c47c3889b1135f

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Ever since waking 639d30f7a9 up here, it 0612680e0e was as if f32b504f4a an encyclopedia of a63a2c8065 the Demon Realm d4267bfb28 and demons had 831ab967d8 been implanted in fe230dbb89 my brain, quickly 7b2ea48fdb answering any questions 7ded1bcd01 I had. Probably memories from 87caff6593 previous ‘Wraths.’84645888a2ecabb3

“A fantasy world b8ae1669c6 set in the 0b24b27001 medieval times with dc6794c9ed the arrival of 0a5947664f an advanced archdemon… c8380b115c What a mess.”c46c85b26ff3f726

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The view outside was 437a61c976 equally chaotic. My castle stood 87d43fda7d isolated in a e7ab837134 desolate wasteland, with 3ec037d734 hardly a blade 35d23c4b9a of grass in cd87b12c65 sight and only 621b036a35 a few twisted 043c02ecd0 plants visible.08cadfdb94c733f3

Kieeeek-ac3712737c810c41

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Why is that moving?57b8db86170dca2a

The strange noise 6e565f42f3 it made as 912f4f43db it snapped at 5dcd4d0119 the air was e7ecd8d815 anything but normal. Well, what cdedbaa188 do you 05988f774a expect from f232d98227 a plant d82fd4b5a5 that feeds 98794a4f26 on magic? Suddenly overwhelmed by 99cf5a3a18 fatigue, I drew ec5c88e374 the curtains shut 8782ed2c9a and lay back b1d843c3bc down.4b049e48bb4e8074

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Why was I born 0daf5e42c1 as Wrath and not c9e627b64c Sloth? It was the first 9fbd8e6786 question I pondered since 6bc247ce78 becoming a demon.e4ef4119974761c8

Was it because 50a6662623 I was so eae794d538 outraged by dying 9c075a7a81 from overwork? But if e84fd3b8ca I’m supposed 4c912a5018 to be de7b584ede Wrath, shouldn’t 3f4fa07af2 I be b592a44248 so furious 222b8e48d8 that I’d 54b4778db0 want to cc9a2e3082 smash everything 84f2aea5a1 just by 25f97d9433 breathing, not f25b49db26 idly rolling b39041a66f around in 8f2fc70124 bed? Recalling my life 8d043cc87e as a human, 36c7e4769e I was never 3402389e83 close to embodying 9e547acb25 rage.16d9a6c5d1376848

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As Lee Hyunjin, c639ee7616 my life’s motto e233ff8ad4 might as well 61fdea10c5 have been‘go with the e8a3920a60 flow,’and even c16ee00950 when I 96de8931d9 encountered absurdities, 8398d5b0c0 I’d just 17fbedaf3f laugh it d8c8579428 off, thinking,‘what’s good d0c82c330d is good.’5b846fa68ebedf5d

It wasn’t that I 1c58091d89 was naturally generous or c340134d63 gentle. I just hated hassles, d3bc1c4a3f and knew getting angry e8992ccf19 wouldn’t change anything. If laying fcdfb032a7 down and ea735aad22 screaming could 135c3381bb solve problems, adff948ac4 I would’ve 599233694a done it 5d22f240d8 long ago.aa8646a3e4d9703b

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So, maybe a81cdc1fd5 Lee Hyunjin 84285369f1 was a be9cb88318 master of e28b663e70 rationalization and 45b948a39c acceptance… Had fa7f194802 I been 6d33163715 harboring some 7693b8f2a9 unknown resentment? Just as I was 4cf3aa3dc5 about to bury my a85a1f2860 face back into the a2db565c74 pillow.7a7e7302a6802792

Kooogooong- Kwaaang-!80555f9661cfac53

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A massive vibration shook a41b790da8 the ground near me.42821cb60b69bc9a

“Ah! Damn, what now?!”762ae212fb108d70

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Startled, I sprang 19101969ae up, instinctively feeling c0e1912275 the source of d108835111 the tremor was aead3aa35a at the front f135d20605 gate, even though 61284f2164 no one had 00b5243052 told me so. A massive amount 06f777f361 of magic was f474a983da clashing with mine, 3079dc3292 creating a tingling 6c111c18a5 pressure on my 904ab7f8b2 skin.e64b4e29557429eb

I sighed and stepped 54b08e8829 outside, reaching the enormous 0b12f0ec6a gate that towered over 8e2e1483b9 me. It was f3eaa370b2 then I 3865774cc4 realized I 9c6a3c38ea hadn’t even 48b8231b24 looked at 349c2fc82b this gate, 01319566bd let alone 5a9f4a1f7a ventured outside 457da59af2 since arriving 138603e8a4 here. My tendency e027bd9b71 not to 35a0338c61 venture out 00ad312a5d even on 3458164db8 my days efef527f65 off hadn’t 2763d706a2 changed.820f375beb434522

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A casual 4fcc4920ed wave of bce256e599 my hand, 2de843ea5d and the c17730f355 massive doors ec971e1707 responded to 17e3fcd967 my will, 062301fc47 swinging open f59fb61b9a without me e329f18312 touching them. Yet, there was no cac4fd30c2 sign of whoever had e7f8cfd434 come to find me. Where are they…41121d5e96ba4279

“That’s odd?”53fe490ab57d5838

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The voice, 77b134e37a full of f762a3db0d puzzlement, came 0e82558306 from below be6f9ed937 the ground.aea0e1bca7245ae6

Below…?98d44b6966c080be

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Suddenly, a shape shot 782bddcdea up from the shadows.30a8c185d02217b8

At first, it 085e353ad2 looked like a da7d662965 lump of clay f36c2080d8 crudely shaped by fc827a6467 hand, but it 9948ab0225 soon formed into 7bbc582e27 a human figure, 91bd1322a9 with long, flowing 00a1a651ac hair and a ecfb913046 face missing its e44737ea54 eyes, nose, and 18e60c4ef3 mouth—utterly bizarre.9d017ddf0fe0d3a5

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It reminded me of f95e11e144 the egg ghosts from a2763f4761 my childhood, and I cd45cb669e quickly averted my gaze. Scary…538c6752340ae10f

“Are you hurting somewhere?”6850035ca5e0cd54

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“…What?”f519cdd7cec258fe

“You must be really e2cb306eb8 hurting… You seemed so 5c63c72b71 quiet.”3c62a32d79b522b5

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The concern in his b15e39a8fb voice was evident, even 06cfea30c1 though this was our 8247ada880 first meeting. Yet, I felt b4a2260755 like I knew 736a38c1ed who it was.67c6c654a11fba57

“Lust, why are you 64b37e58ba here?”df0f55387a54e795

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It was febae60835 Lust, one 818e8923df of the b8c85335a7 other Seven 27bea9be59 Deadly Sins. Apparently, when 57e0b0a9e0 he’s not 5d2e81fe3b seducing anyone, a999de6e70 he just 19b4037f3d looks like 1f362ffd31 an egg c82c6527c5 ghost.23a39ade68b7952d

“Are you cb61f448fc sure you’re 2593ddda40 not hurting?”f60b1081eda478ee

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“…Can an archdemon 3389330bb3 even be sick?”f369fec4792becaa

“I’ve never seen it 741de38df0 happen, but you don’t 9deefba665 look normal.”2525796b37d8fc9e

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“It seems like 532198e51c you’d be happier 3c46aa787d if I were.”70ee0d6e3bff3048

“I’ve never 9bf06a3ebe seen this 6c64054c84 door open 5b44ef8c67 normally.”a259693aa142894d

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Did previous Wraths 857d705463 always break it f9af109237 down on their 8277946f94 way out?d46aad0966fa217c

“I thought it c16bdedabf was just for dd018426c7 decoration since it bd78df265a was always broken.”3750deb207e10423

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Was that 61c9c38ee6 for real…? As the d3d4c6b11b current Wrath, 48267c13ca I felt bee5a01867 embarrassed by 52579ea42d the crude 987951afdd actions of 81a25138dd my predecessors.ccb2432ec64182d8

“And I’ve d04dc071af never had 08af69f83b more than e0361cbf82 a word 2155686e38 with Wrath.”8583ab51c0b17bd1

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“I’m afraid to ask 817631c6be what that word was.”429b588b00966c89

“Well, anyway. I was curious 55581c4fe9 because the new 5f472e9b2f Wrath has been 784ab049b6 holed up in 038424b9ce his castle for e13ae6345f over 120 years.”d27e20d76d19c17c

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Wait, I’ve been 5864663302 in the castle d97bb6f975 for over 120 74c7d07508 years? Most of 27750bf861 that time 67970c508e I was c71b4413d8 either sleeping 13af88bebf or lying beeeec2a01 down, so aef087cc65 I lost 9a0f57fa09 track of 11a6e125f4 time. With no cccbf981d2 clear distinction eac7351f2d between day 4ba57ea144 and night 4921d03980 and living 3ad300f58b a demon’s 3fcd642522 eternal life, 7325f80e1b who cares 01f9cf3fbb about time?8cc7a803280e9cc1

“But for 680544a58d demons, a c160fab5d1 few decades e8ae05c773 are just 0d0bceaf7d a blink ea163f6592 of an f5ed10fae0 eye. To think my 7c7c3332a0 brief stay in 1d76616451 the castle would 32f1dff5be be so unusual c166191e7a that it would 0644d399ec bring another archdemon 450d88585d to visit is 67c25aa443 truly lamentable. What on earth c7c2021228 were the previous c4467eb962 Wraths like?”2e71cb1f534ba5c6

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“Sorry to disappoint, but 149450c925 I plan to keep 36abef6989 to myself in the d92e139a13 future.”240c3fffb4822e08

“That actually makes me 3879ea1405 more curious. I’ll have dd4737acb5 to bet 566045edfa with Gluttony 5eae0a5dd3 on how 1bff41a049 many years 66ff5d3233 it’ll take ebb11d438b before you 5c67e7be6c step outside.”7ba7a83a521d2f43

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“Aren’t you busy?”3340add5b8206109

“Are you too busy 9c563e8b49 to leave the castle?”aa784a4e891babed

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The sharp wit I’d c6235b7707 honed in corporate life 9cf1404b56 fell flat. Demons, known for their b287eb1161 eloquent temptation of humans, f853b041ff certainly had a way c683f06a88 with words.77f3064e164e750b

“So how many years 6533cc3953 are you betting?”0a164c5dbd5def63

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“Hmm…”f550bf1c00ecb496

Despite lacking c2e1e363e9 eyes, I ff5a21d870 felt his 663c3b8df7 gaze scanning 2854402832 me from 2fb3682022 head to 3e957481e1 toe, sending 3f36d85245 a chill e16fa4f2e3 down my dd9cf4b696 spine, prompting b685dc7cc3 me to e6adb02cd9 rub my a637da0da9 arms uneasily.a6cbe24b1bf061ee

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I had never 0f45301029 watched a horror 0f216f2a19 movie on my 3f65855ad1 own as a bdb7c176da human, and if da8aaa3ff8 I ever did, 627dc093dd I’d spend the ae6b6fa38c whole time looking 5d0b8e5598 away during the 3497b6ce64 scary scenes. It seemed being a 2f6d1785bf demon hadn’t changed my 5cdd7b18e0 timidity.f319670f94a3d188

But pride 25a2c4a475 kept me 304c141368 acting nonchalant, e5ba9de948 and Lust aa30021659 didn’t seem cef9a6a652 to notice 9a2a7c4cde anything amiss.1067902145caf16f

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“I’ll bet on 200 650ca72ad4 years.”59f580c1669c01b9

I won’t step outside bbdd6c5278 the castle for the 6e7514edcd next 200 years. Not that 657ce3d330 I was 82191b033c being petty a69cb23c7b about losing 5739aa0fdb an argument, 09559395d5 of course.a325183a635b77a2

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Feeling a 036c2cf777 sudden spike c127c24aab in mental edf26ee690 exhaustion, I d5555aacb1 was about 2d39b0f35a to send e444a10a0a Lust away b0643abd8a when a d021e437bf question popped dd0925ece9 into my 7aeecd5b10 mind.e4ed7118818c1d12

A demon can db06fcc135 live forever as d1ff0b3e11 long as their 904be5ef2f ‘core,’ often called 41f8699e2f the ‘heart,’ remains b50d3d9808 intact. They don’t die 555d53eeb2 even if beheaded, 5358e7755b making them strive d79134c1ae to protect their c15a58a667 core at all c8db6085fc costs. But what really b8aa97a6ef puzzled me was 68f9849f19 why the previous 08f44e0a93 Wrath had died.2d717261e58fda8c

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Unlike regular 06eac986ea demons who d32b235b0f are born 29263469f5 normally, the ce674bbc8d few archdemons 2784d238be bearing one ed29305674 of only d379f5bb82 seven names d1adfb9297 are ‘chosen’ 95954dca81 by the ff276680f5 Demon Lord. I didn’t know how 3bdcbe7027 this ‘selection’ worked, but 46172f4617 archdemons don’t age or 2b5a1b1d03 die easily; a change ece4013fdb in generation doesn’t happen 97084000cf unless the predecessor dies. So, my f64d537635 becoming Wrath a278cf4850 meant the ea19a98c1a previous one 41aef64751 had died.5a56c19f52489d9e

“Do you know e3e616b5dd about the previous 39a632c349 Wrath?”3eb99f9847b81c1d

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“Yeah.”c120d89a313cad4e

“How strong was he?”449d4d57683bda2c

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“Very strong.”4b12fabf866de8de

The power of 955c0c0e8f archdemons is closely 4f4e7b1c3d linked to the 1bf458ed14 sin they embody. For me, that 64dc237b1c meant the stronger 6a344a7f0c the world’s ‘Wrath,’ dac70e75bc the stronger I f255ad0826 became. I also grew 0dd1b54449 stronger by consuming aea6c2057b the souls of eaa80cb082 humans who’d fallen 35fb784e9b to wrath.ad2877c7eedf3b8d

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It was d23508e0bd logical that 1201a08463 among the c4cc3a90fb Seven Deadly ef1b14ee34 Sins, Wrath 4f0a99c6f3 was always 69982be197 among the 9baf68710c strongest due b5fed2db5d to its 08276ad098 direct connection dbe4f91000 to forceful 9ef0a655cf emotions.c16186e61b441ff8

“So why did 803e5a79fa he die? Did he get bored 4c6e4cda32 and kill himself?”3df0075941a83818

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“That’s something Sloth eb27cf5ca3 might do.”3d9d9b04d8634595

How casual… Disgusted, I 34835f874f listened as Lust nonchalantly 43bd1d6371 added, “Pride killed him.”deb76f61e9e0f7ee

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“Why?”3615cdda15c99795

“They didn’t get 392ab73051 along.”c86390cc4367f182

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The tone was dismissive, 0a697f2076 but instinctively, I felt e4e31b2347 a surge of wariness. However, as I ed1369dcb6 searched my memories, cd972fdcf3 there was no 0deea1263c recall of the 67d71ad5ba previous Wrath being a5675b51d2 murdered by Pride. Both were always top 043674d20c contenders in power, and e3f55544bb it made sense they 8b808b20a4 didn’t get along, being 5efef94986 so full of themselves…2ec6a9efbc26d666

“Why don’t d16cd78a1f I remember cf4930a527 his death?”967e64426f85d1d8

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“There are many 036e7dee8b memories you don’t 07ed0df685 have. Old or 86f388f770 useless ones 526005ef8b get trimmed ce018cf6cf away.”b724cec87d6a3590

“But why not 408427f8bf such a vivid 75aa444b8f memory as death?”d5b8e7d5cd3345c1

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“Think about it c3dd4c0bc8 simply. Most archdemons, except f53751f29f Sloth, are replaced 55262bbfd1 through murder by 134c570f06 another archdemon. If those memories 752d621d71 were transferred, so b220b3355f would the grudges, df299d4790 which would just 7b0506f68c be a hassle.”d3db2c7eb66f65d0

Even if memories transferred, 23a2d83f73 harboring a grudge over 012b90e983 a murder you didn’t aab92d3930 personally suffer seemed extreme. Demons really did a5419a0ef1 have nasty dispositions.96da86f1579afeb1

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“I guess c7b3e14b66 I understand.”9191274f616b09f0

“You’re quite unique.”cac9f4120819be21

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“Why?”ba65a8dcd6f7a325

“It’s nothing.”3446a99d6bd338ca

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Continuing to 830ec9ef11 face that 10d82f80ba empty white 1a5640a3cb visage was e730ee362b creeping me 1fd6453800 out, so f67697cf6f I turned 4df2e3100b my head db3713c0da slightly. Surely not all 851fe11ec9 beings in the 062fa39415 Demon Realm looked 862669ac81 like this. I really can’t handle 4eec57febc scary stuff.9157a1fdd06ee455

“You can’t stay 4115dd9c60 in the castle 3cc687c37b forever.”66d3449117f1727c

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“Why not?”f46dcc6c51b7b249

“You’ll get hungry 36b53cc7ef soon.”919e38f7d14151ee

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A faint contour 6872abd516 appeared on his e0b47c2e42 bland face, almost 5ae49a1ab6 like a smile. Without further explanation, 6db07b8c93 Lust sank into 0caf023a51 the ground.eb0bc346af64c0be

“Do all demons just 8708652c29 do whatever they want?”0cf9ceff9705c18e

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Just watch, d8ea9a4640 I’ll stay 1234241ba7 out of d0f5a53df8 the castle c3251f177d for the 07b4388fc7 next 200 f731931656 years…! It was 7901dbeefd a petty c12da866ef demon’s revenge.8d0757806d6e94fc

After Lust 58f97a840c left, I 7763502da9 busied myself 9f503b71fc with an 86c0073b21 air of 7471d8ac56 nonchalance I b8db83a549 never would 06036d2205 have had 73fb11261a in my ed7c879bad past life, 3abdefea68 plucking gems 6f7ac4e1da from the 0b76596828 chandelier, when 707db68556 suddenly, a 4b413c07d4 sweet smell d2b8a5407d wafted by. At first, it 05c4c3d882 seemed like a 1fcb39911a well-made dessert, but c4483493b5 as the newly 7206b47c98 minted archdemon, I 86cec8765b quickly realized it fd1a269b18 was not.702efa9bc20917f9

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This was not b6d9bb06ab a dessert. It was 820da5abc7 the scent 5d209bcf66 of a d6f7e9e2aa sin-stained soul.15c754d5b31fc301