HKWM | Chapter 2

It might 826a159935 sound like e5c330b89b I’m full 5b6b636737 of myself, 1c325a39d5 but for f8c352d716 a moment, c7a77baea8 I thought a992ad9e88 the curtains e11ad28e1a were hiding 6befa3a47f not a 23a37a50ac window but a1ff9c4596 a masterpiece a7732d2431 painting. The lustrous black 62c6f4b126 hair falling below d2989c82d7 my collarbones, the 15a4722834 skin glowing pale 5bef15c280 against the abyss-dark 09bcf0e3bd hair, and even 10363c9b4a the blood-red eyes.b8c837ae9597eef9

The image 9ccc16874e mirrored the 4d223fe21c Demon Lord 308ac2a5f4 I saw a488bd57fd upon waking f683df4d13 up. Yet, if it weren’t 77e6e83530 for the sinister blend eba819cccf of colors, this face fb1a307c21 could be mistaken for 5701ebac12 that of an archangel, c70a7cbc20 not an archdemon.60f76d2c4d31d748

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“Is this aa781a5a32 really my c45c7faa60 face now? So this 490d11242c is how e263cd1dd5 my good 1b8a8cd1e6 deeds are 1d58bd2a3b repaid….”14c6a594de8d4960

The irony 4321589bf1 wasn’t lost bdc193f346 on me—just 02120bf217 moments ago, 1da5ffa9e4 I was f710ba0a91 renouncing my a6be0be35d father for 3df2c8d79e making me 657df18280 an archdemon a14d8bb279 based on 382eb93912 what sin fd00d12d7b I’d committed. Yet, the 4283b0013f satisfaction that b78b08379a surged through 96b9f8cd1a me upon f9a72fd52a seeing my 425e241632 reflection was a018df6f29 irresistible.add2fc0e2c7a5164

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Plus, with 7d2c1ca6ee a tall da1588706a frame and 462d476605 long limbs 97e54015d9 paired with ddce10f2d1 broad shoulders, e003f90782 I suddenly 31087156c8 wanted to 817e1faded summon a 86b68b06b5 painter and 523a903573 have this 06f6fdaaad image immortalized 91dc169199 in a 72f1e2ecbf painting.933b854b472fd8d3

Here, where demons’ 005516286e blood runs black 991e4bdbff and their magic 242d94b1bc glows dark red, 15b8e9bedb anyone would see 12cf539225 it as nothing cdc0aa63a4 short of a bfb93e27db demonic portrait.dba11980e209c1ac

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Ever since 8ae5c5994f waking up d59a882262 here, it 449068319b was as 5c3c660bd4 if an eddd24cd99 encyclopedia of 7bcd435a99 the Demon 9b9afc85ae Realm and 1ffc265844 demons had dc0e6320f6 been implanted b05f2f863c in my 59a7e4cb16 brain, quickly 484e17ca9a answering any 8ee882773a questions I 23976fcd11 had. Probably memories from previous b3ebdb0744 ‘Wraths.’ae83117779f4c554

“A fantasy world set b64dec04f7 in the medieval times aa8b3d0054 with the arrival of 2603124f2d an advanced archdemon… What ac0aacede6 a mess.”f909915205ec470e

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The view 8eae4285b6 outside was 6ccc741636 equally chaotic. My castle stood e1838b13d3 isolated in a 50545b96c2 desolate wasteland, with 29c231e9c2 hardly a blade e402d7410a of grass in d0d2262175 sight and only b08f5b60c4 a few twisted 2e176360fb plants visible.adcd9e95e4c6baf4

Kieeeek-c69aeec33f0ce374

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Why is c7d98d31f8 that moving?8f0d6684b115a32c

The strange 065d9e91b0 noise it 51b205e37e made as 116c84de11 it snapped 9bffdf95c5 at the 8abc44e208 air was abe423e68e anything but 7f743a6e73 normal. Well, what do 8464697319 you expect from 803cbd7a77 a plant that cd34c136fd feeds on magic? Suddenly overwhelmed by fatigue, 6e1f6784d9 I drew the curtains c34ab56257 shut and lay back 32a421f394 down.7564d1a636acd31e

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Why was dff943aebb I born c3a7ebaddc as Wrath e759b20455 and not e35f71478c Sloth? It was the first 850203f2b2 question I pondered since 3c1833cad8 becoming a demon.d3165ccfbd515fed

Was it 7e9b4f3f8c because I 28d0dc0a54 was so 526f0fbe88 outraged by b88d10dd50 dying from 06304f9051 overwork? But if 5c71494c0c I’m supposed 939986e603 to be 24b7bddcf1 Wrath, shouldn’t 4436ce1a27 I be 75fd6fddb6 so furious d61e601bac that I’d 657a31b100 want to 0ac89e671f smash everything 2890d6b241 just by 3ce9ce770b breathing, not c8d967ab23 idly rolling eddc8f6b46 around in 00beefb1fb bed? Recalling my 69ffe5940f life as eace7e9422 a human, 30be27a579 I was 9573f6d1a9 never close a0f8d9f9f0 to embodying abe560d095 rage.f8542cac45445fff

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As Lee Hyunjin, my 63b271846d life’s motto might as 5b12901799 well have been‘go with the 44d5c1bdee flow,’and even when I f65eea9d3f encountered absurdities, I’d just 0c3e0dceb5 laugh it off, thinking,‘what’s good is b33efe7b49 good.’fb99e14d64b89428

It wasn’t that 1d36435279 I was naturally 4f0515694d generous or gentle. I just hated hassles, 587b14e9ae and knew getting angry 120ddf9bcc wouldn’t change anything. If laying down 27717a8029 and screaming could 0ab09db12f solve problems, I 3fb8e72c9c would’ve done it 184d50e534 long ago.079647cf2842d08b

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So, maybe 75d6bdb6d8 Lee Hyunjin 80f39f81ef was a 60c1ecdf52 master of f56c11eb55 rationalization and 2daf4eb43f acceptance… Had e1109363d7 I been 8d15f3489d harboring some 88c362a39d unknown resentment? Just as I 240eb1ff56 was about to ab6adc2c4b bury my face e4b7a52efc back into the bbce70df82 pillow.5ca931b77561a67f

Kooogooong- Kwaaang-!3735108ffdcb9d80

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A massive vibration e13288e0d4 shook the ground 5596962b94 near me.14c7c4ec6aa403bc

“Ah! Damn, what now?!”615ddf77ba1fee36

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Startled, I sprang up, b98ad3452c instinctively feeling the source 2c32050575 of the tremor was d8a41d0b67 at the front gate, 522c799f86 even though no one fc4870cca2 had told me so. A massive amount of 090cd2fee1 magic was clashing with 524ad2c383 mine, creating a tingling e1de5ddb88 pressure on my skin.90eaadd9c7067896

I sighed and a0219819ca stepped outside, reaching 1a6f538b52 the enormous gate f5be8a08d9 that towered over 0384e5bb9a me. It was then c6e2166ad2 I realized I bd791c9891 hadn’t even looked 99d3dfff47 at this gate, c231d12767 let alone ventured 30eb9b6924 outside since arriving 635161ce62 here. My tendency 739704daa0 not to 675bb67c35 venture out 0c5bc396f2 even on 8af24bc2b2 my days 8d984b716f off hadn’t f7f14a67e3 changed.e16ed9dc3b755820

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A casual wave of ea179eea21 my hand, and the f6e2804731 massive doors responded to a36fdb84be my will, swinging open 24bd46eacf without me touching them. Yet, there was no 5d00c17681 sign of whoever had bc8fd03bdb come to find me. Where are they…0940bf6e899d2697

“That’s odd?”6ff50a463c042498

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The voice, f74a16f937 full of a23f6cb27f puzzlement, came 28b9152fde from below c587c9282c the ground.abc5ca00e1354f7f

Below…?de36eb8c2c3dc35d

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Suddenly, a shape shot b2204ad887 up from the shadows.09aa4a0e2c346ec2

At first, it 0cec65ab59 looked like a f63d564e87 lump of clay 8cb38786bc crudely shaped by 22f7197e4b hand, but it 67be790352 soon formed into ad20eb8fc0 a human figure, 9df727c7fa with long, flowing 8f9a2df003 hair and a 354d674eab face missing its 3052c489f2 eyes, nose, and 99730c4991 mouth—utterly bizarre.7eb0fbe86658dd3b

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It reminded me a9495e7ff3 of the egg f9b98b8e90 ghosts from my 62a6d585cf childhood, and I cfc95e0d91 quickly averted my 68289aa47a gaze. Scary…bc91a1d347b724e9

“Are you 483e862141 hurting somewhere?”b7d177ddf294ad4b

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“…What?”4ad0bf02fad5284a

“You must be really e1b5079617 hurting… You seemed so 4ec25bfc13 quiet.”244df4d185ffe104

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The concern in his aeb076d953 voice was evident, even 31670d2d17 though this was our 3bd67b0db6 first meeting. Yet, I ed0b71b11f felt like df519715f4 I knew 7585cd83cd who it c6735a7837 was.c551b139bfeb33dc

“Lust, why are you 97c703101e here?”d740de788931836b

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It was Lust, 6d31aa75d7 one of the fd2ba84a1e other Seven Deadly 031bf8667b Sins. Apparently, when a7d49edd7c he’s not 4aa3f32b49 seducing anyone, 0a34e90a2d he just e744181231 looks like 5e0b20750d an egg e07dff53e0 ghost.850e4f2d7ff44be3

“Are you sure f95b352942 you’re not hurting?”19cea79a4d15592a

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“…Can an archdemon even b6a776b525 be sick?”c6c132221ba6ba65

“I’ve never seen it b4c4d76c10 happen, but you don’t ec63ff589e look normal.”29a21703abb549fb

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“It seems like you’d 4820404dc8 be happier if I b9e795cac4 were.”92b38078a66dede7

“I’ve never seen ba9886061a this door open 9735a6fe45 normally.”fa20e65600721f68

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Did previous Wraths dcee5b9ded always break it 919606bb64 down on their 002a9261b4 way out?4452ffdc79f27af1

“I thought 51a039803a it was 17f2ede1a9 just for 804e0db639 decoration since f6ee9e199e it was 60e356bf8c always broken.”317bb7eea1e85e79

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Was that for 87ca9720cf real…? As the current a37bfd4abc Wrath, I felt 109cc90dd5 embarrassed by the bc9b0e2d45 crude actions of 5a7651c5c1 my predecessors.5b933be876cbc269

“And I’ve never had 25088016f2 more than a word fe259f6269 with Wrath.”dbcec92a2cf002d9

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“I’m afraid to ad8ecc74dc ask what that 3cae99ea45 word was.”07cdcbad4e111221

“Well, anyway. I was curious 17f923a277 because the new b9b60241c3 Wrath has been 5f40bf5768 holed up in f7f5e71d31 his castle for 782a4c8e15 over 120 years.”8565660d26f0ddc3

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Wait, I’ve been in edbc8b546c the castle for over 1476736c46 120 years? Most of 99b5b64e97 that time 45e801d72e I was 0f28bc7889 either sleeping ac6ef04e77 or lying 76b65d75a8 down, so 26c9510af7 I lost bbcfda1051 track of 4a0dfb73ea time. With no 27952cabba clear distinction 9395b774a7 between day 09f8499457 and night f8a6f545d1 and living 02cbbb8737 a demon’s d4c2bba818 eternal life, a396fee7ee who cares e129bcbffc about time?7e92eef178a725ec

“But for 2fdf8b799e demons, a 4c76f707ae few decades b5867cbb25 are just d2cb66af6b a blink 61c3076f25 of an 4b93e5006e eye. To think my brief e07bc73724 stay in the castle e4d0f75ba7 would be so unusual 36c0906a90 that it would bring a56963f800 another archdemon to visit f2c5b34b7d is truly lamentable. What on earth were 068133514d the previous Wraths like?”744c49c4de6de532

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“Sorry to disappoint, 0a0ebc799c but I plan 82a79bd793 to keep to 12036d50d0 myself in the dd1a9e637c future.”df663811511fa7f0

“That actually makes me d654e6d283 more curious. I’ll have 9c8e93e3eb to bet 03038985fd with Gluttony d44d03cdb2 on how 7c6014229c many years 604272591c it’ll take 2706bb8f8d before you f574552943 step outside.”f091ca0e8c1fa5e7

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“Aren’t you busy?”31d845f7502f707f

“Are you too busy 5aac6460cd to leave the castle?”622ac34a094687d3

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The sharp wit c94689de0c I’d honed in b54db60bfa corporate life fell 71bd4bef2b flat. Demons, known 9371c56657 for their 151d6d4d82 eloquent temptation c63c2ca09a of humans, a2acb04c8c certainly had dd8fd84d63 a way a6968781b3 with words.b7b90b5e6b679755

“So how many b8af57be22 years are you 0bcb32eaf8 betting?”15f4ffd0ab3b242c

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“Hmm…”db9cdc9ac795fb3a

Despite lacking 8393910b05 eyes, I d508924572 felt his dc7d700e2a gaze scanning 4f995b3758 me from 107df326b5 head to ee0a3f7723 toe, sending 90c9742c7e a chill 918718b47a down my 2bffb6968d spine, prompting 2f8c69b8de me to df2fecef99 rub my b69490e291 arms uneasily.049acafa23bd8067

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I had never watched 6d55800973 a horror movie on c3e265fb30 my own as a ad13ccb81f human, and if I 83f1b974e8 ever did, I’d spend 409d37639c the whole time looking 8d565bcad5 away during the scary 2908a8e06c scenes. It seemed 04ec63976d being a 28dfd2329d demon hadn’t 89e3ba1e63 changed my e20bea99de timidity.557e428236450d12

But pride kept me 0f78aac16e acting nonchalant, and Lust 2d99145319 didn’t seem to notice 10f9a8839c anything amiss.000c05c8778c8d22

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“I’ll bet on 200 a9b4a55b73 years.”0ac4f875bd3553da

I won’t 45c58d7de9 step outside 8e3a50313b the castle 940acacd5d for the 4ac50cbcc2 next 200 68754dcb39 years. Not that I was 0b727f5b9c being petty about losing ba79032413 an argument, of course.346e47c82c2f1822

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Feeling a b28f3d5bd6 sudden spike 0411d6c44f in mental b8d8fc8cb7 exhaustion, I ac0f661c7e was about fe91cbd9fc to send 80210d2bb3 Lust away 9b6b10feed when a 7d8ee7080c question popped c2f74e999e into my fc82b3610f mind.696f268b1247fa39

A demon 05e1f53c77 can live 73ac25d10f forever as 3835f31cc4 long as 4d8adeb202 their ‘core,’ d6e0688e9a often called 94d3c13b67 the ‘heart,’ 1d1284e48c remains intact. They don’t 77357e5e41 die even 07a0baabe1 if beheaded, 892871a91d making them 965d755eda strive to 5cbee9c4cb protect their 2d243898d7 core at eabf00a154 all costs. But what really puzzled da776e022d me was why the 4fccd5dcd6 previous Wrath had died.0eb9078693dab8a6

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Unlike regular demons who 235d58cafc are born normally, the bc65870b85 few archdemons bearing one ef36d92527 of only seven names 4aa28238fd are ‘chosen’ by the eb5bc1d550 Demon Lord. I didn’t know 425b2d597b how this ‘selection’ 396b1651a3 worked, but archdemons 08095b58a1 don’t age or 0f067b0129 die easily; a 89b114ea91 change in generation cc50b3fcc8 doesn’t happen unless 18a845f5d5 the predecessor dies. So, my becoming Wrath 337b60516d meant the previous one 1582884d6d had died.e29ba1089e093b76

“Do you know about b47c904c4b the previous Wrath?”eae80208c9da184c

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“Yeah.”2805f7f8936c7035

“How strong was he?”9e625e0bc3b73f19

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“Very strong.”2366f70fbb637ef7

The power of archdemons f32497e24e is closely linked to d5123b894a the sin they embody. For me, that meant f65b586caf the stronger the world’s 4bc30f1ac8 ‘Wrath,’ the stronger I 1da4e1e180 became. I also grew stronger afe50a4def by consuming the souls f4f2cced77 of humans who’d fallen 866fa5a3d5 to wrath.ff1b1b4fb88cfe45

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It was logical a4ed4d25a3 that among the 20d5b98879 Seven Deadly Sins, 4dd3d59edd Wrath was always 3e1b94b844 among the strongest 14cf384a5f due to its 396fb7da05 direct connection to 1120f1cea7 forceful emotions.a67c823653d44df2

“So why did 6533702bcf he die? Did he get bored 6b8c17f9ba and kill himself?”72cff8659bbee806

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“That’s something Sloth a018c828c5 might do.”472c23edbe3c8cd2

How casual… Disgusted, a41d0547a9 I listened as 04acdfb39b Lust nonchalantly added, a3bc9222cf “Pride killed him.”ca72881293a1420b

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“Why?”90892b59acce0e5f

“They didn’t get ef3f495ce9 along.”65dc1d9b1db9fa03

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The tone was dismissive, f853273974 but instinctively, I felt c58a529d39 a surge of wariness. However, as I searched 9f6b6d7c30 my memories, there was cbb4afd4e8 no recall of the c2665532a0 previous Wrath being murdered 305a71a27e by Pride. Both were acb01a266b always top 982515fad8 contenders in f4865db8dc power, and cca731855d it made f8ec0d5b9d sense they 88b271d4d3 didn’t get f1d1be9006 along, being 87f8f09f04 so full 1c89d24379 of themselves…cbb9f44bf658167d

“Why don’t I remember bacded28e3 his death?”375727e94f5df71b

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“There are 03f27f62ff many memories 4e9bd493ad you don’t b3fa1a0747 have. Old or d8fb24c8e6 useless ones a17d2490b7 get trimmed 29e2e8bff0 away.”4dad286f8077a892

“But why not b5e9f4f43c such a vivid 874d7cc76c memory as death?”e054203ef20ce73e

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“Think about it simply. Most archdemons, except Sloth, 6b76719fd0 are replaced through murder e686f85d9a by another archdemon. If those 7d77dd6d57 memories were 0ad45e2a28 transferred, so 6917395357 would the cfee3dc9fb grudges, which ed7b583c40 would just fd47fe27af be a 7dd4024bb1 hassle.”adc949ed484117dc

Even if memories b65be3826f transferred, harboring a 8c0639456b grudge over a 466b6d9ac1 murder you didn’t 08106f1716 personally suffer seemed 67f8a34414 extreme. Demons really did have 94558e9233 nasty dispositions.bfb8c9b5b15dc5a4

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“I guess I e707da8e84 understand.”29816b9412480ba8

“You’re quite unique.”5128fdde4a8ca7f7

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“Why?”84b0aa6bedc19ef6

“It’s nothing.”670cb8ed8506c221

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Continuing to 42bbc3386e face that 1eda623b13 empty white 74a47b22ac visage was 2fbaccd4bf creeping me 976775d7ab out, so 6541c1673f I turned d0b656ad67 my head a97c48695f slightly. Surely not all ecf7602f0e beings in the 4ce6400c06 Demon Realm looked 3a78e590a0 like this. I really can’t 65f6d4c1fb handle scary stuff.1785fee421ad3744

“You can’t stay e2aacf9cbe in the castle c7cae686d5 forever.”f3e85ac7b4e5dc9a

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“Why not?”f2c6dc2a042e8165

“You’ll get hungry d1ed1aeaa5 soon.”5d6805dc071e6651

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A faint d350cb599d contour appeared b152bf9f4b on his 5f50c63583 bland face, 176141771d almost like 34d8396788 a smile. Without further explanation, Lust 46fd0dc7b0 sank into the ground.0c3947d92895a57c

“Do all demons just e83f389dc4 do whatever they want?”5eff8953247f41a1

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Just watch, I’ll c5d79a33bb stay out of 4d6302c317 the castle for 39cc16c015 the next 200 124ff9cded years…! It was 0651902da4 a petty 77a6a5fe4f demon’s revenge.d3e7e49aea4f071a

After Lust left, e2b8f2ac2c I busied myself 04ab6077fd with an air 5108e2d7f6 of nonchalance I 6eb59d8c14 never would have d9af5c7dc9 had in my 0e27a17359 past life, plucking 55b6a761fc gems from the f57a9f4b58 chandelier, when suddenly, 2a239bcf00 a sweet smell 0912b49db5 wafted by. At first, it 2e9a472c39 seemed like a 6ecf7ce5a4 well-made dessert, but 7c482654fe as the newly ccc25a321b minted archdemon, I 8b5974c17b quickly realized it 4b39a0a23d was not.4d416dd5c62b908a

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This was not a 8cdc4cdd87 dessert. It was the scent 4e1678a604 of a sin-stained soul.e072eeee1db18cc3