HKWM | Chapter 44

“Not at all. Why would 2d81813189 I dislike 7736f61641 you?”82ee046daecb3a75

“If it’s because b3d8cbf5c1 of that reason, 93c30b59bc I’ll explain everything d26c6fe375 when we face b8af9335b8 the Archangel. I’ll tell them that 3be7ce74ad Jin is my benefactor, a755133186 and not someone who 76c797a66d would harm me. If only I b54b1cc7ec could show them 745c008894 my memories…”eb042da044887802

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“They will think I’ve bd2afc1461 brainwashed you to corrupt 40b6f4c433 your soul. Demons corrupt humans in 0be5d5fa9f unimaginable ways. And they 3af1d0b17f wouldn’t even c58ddf60c2 give you 007d7e0b91 a chance dda7fb7c3c to show 959cc57182 your memories.”7cdfaae1374f5a8a

Noah seemed genuinely f615fc38ef unconcerned by the bb064bf218 possibility I had 3eb57f457a just mentioned, not 5cbdf4282d believing it could 0c2e01cd8b apply to him. That settled the turmoil 5175964e76 in my mind that 4f8b8e5d27 had been wondering until 403bf6f9ee now whether leaving Noah’s 81b1129339 side was the right 13d3e9d0be decision.55e727803751e760

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Humans shouldn’t d0e7c454d0 trust demons. Noah had broken that 49ab7c459a truth. Considering the fa4e6daae8 quality of b98d7e946f Noah’s soul 24bb743067 and the 6ae4eda678 possibility of 23a1dd1343 other demons 48c87ed372 approaching him, 5833292d95 it was cb65e5ccc4 right for dac84b78cb us to 4722fe2c3a part ways 622c1d4236 so that a401758ff6 Noah wouldn’t 41785c0773 trust demons 169e710d22 anymore.d08de69980e7f934

“…Then just 0194740d32 take me 22659e8152 to the 0efa1732a8 Demon Realm 6e9bf4927e with you.”e79d067dbb191325

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That was something Lust c4b9b1ed65 had whispered to me 5e01737543 when he came to 72468520ce give a gift. It seemed Noah had 5410172a0f overheard. I jumped, startled.28d8d9e8ae620b4e

“Are you crazy?! Do you 7dd3c706e3 even know 8f7174a940 what that 24df1748c5 place is 0459401ab4 like…!”643dcebb36d4df98

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“I want 1fdda184e7 to be 427b1e9601 with Jin.”1f5325a632729220

“I’m a 12dce5d330 demon and 7a8e2662c9 you’re a 79e7f9798a human. Being close to a 37604a3fc5 demon, you’ll end up 3357c47d22 experiencing horrors far worse 4f0817ea4f than anything you’ve faced 5a46573821 so far.”6ca9f74ee657238b

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“What if I’m okay 082ed794d1 with that?”ca1721aa20667ccf

“Do you really 22db9145a0 want to live ff533d350e hidden and alone? Don’t do this. It’s time for 8d715cdb2f you to go 4cb992285e back to where dc01a53716 you belong.”f807b964d64d7c0a

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“Where is bd48124322 that supposed 8162e608af to be?”8a52f76f741af695

Noah’s voice rose, 818ffd7495 frustrated by my ef54069122 attempt to soothe c32bc2fafe him.55783c8d098e96d7

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“I thought 1662ef7906 my place dede15e0c1 was by 2e334cc8db Jin’s side. If I 761dcd6d1e can’t be 06a19b3ba6 with Jin, c520426f22 then where 1ae37c3da5 am I 313e436cb4 supposed to 58ab5a0dad be?”fe252ea26bfdf9d6

“With humans.” I a975f654ea added more words, 0382cc2e6a trying to ignore 609c971046 the bitter ache 5f507c813b inside.15e1554bf4914ddd

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“Even if not 8c1f30d5e8 right now, eventually ff805edbf8 I would become 60afe08358 harmful to you. It’s just 7a0714732b that this 2f60095544 time has 4c10675bb2 come sooner e765fb29a6 than expected, 3a394f374c but we acbb864feb were bound 171625a327 to part 789b267e14 ways someday.”c7320f029dd5336c

“Demons never ed2d66372e forget their b7ff028bdd belongings. There are so 243db162c6 many of Jin’s fdd6e49673 things here; how 492fa86749 can you leave 0f5268719e them all behind?”525f1e3c10a829ea

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“…I’m doing 33bcf4ec0c this for 0608c51274 you.”2ca8258bd71fb751

I could 3cb175a84f have been 639a29f827 harsher to 751445dd78 make it 83b178246a easier to 01010aeaa4 detach, but 04509fbb71 I didn’t bd06701db7 want to. It wasn’t so 13c2083720 much about sparing 54631739e8 him pain; it 2c09a8d836 was more about 0069a4ff70 not wanting to 7053ba3864 be a bad 52749eb31b memory for Noah.014cee5ce3eb6115

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“…Then how can 621fba7e38 I become yours? If I’m completely f07e2c71ae corrupted, will my 1f0f13fb2e soul belong to 0eae1df1bb you?”cb2550751b459c5f

“Noah!”42a3c9f28f32ab2f

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“Don’t leave. You said you’d teach 0ecb6de14c me how to live f06f984bf6 ordinarily. I still don’t know 447a1fc010 anything.”37ad1924b93329c6

I stood 3ea43a8c30 up and 93f0ef57bf approached Noah, 0145f329de who looked 2959597a86 visibly shaken. I had items 6c2d628060 prepared for him 749c1af75e in the subspace, 975751f23e but it all 024c690691 seemed pointless now.db34ad89442e10d4

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As I reached out 2cb703b20b to comfort him, placing c57a97803a a hand on his 7886360877 shoulder, Noah twisted away, 726e1780e8 avoiding my touch. It was the a5e953098e first time Noah 08d1d606ac had shunned me, a742861f26 but oddly, he 1eb9404032 looked more hurt 09174b7e9a than I felt.44b09b49a587053c

It’s okay. Him shunning 4579627bb5 me is c43946fe4e nothing compared 98d704c7b1 to me 45e4a75572 leaving him. That’s what I wanted 07cb92b62f to say.f1ae3f1d5f812ab2

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“Noah, you can 16c5d476ad do well. You’ve grown up well c60073a47a even under the care 1e92d83463 of demons for just 7e66ff08b4 over a year.”13cd624ab3cadb5b

A single tear, def90d68ea the first I’d c074e70c87 ever seen, fell 838655fa8a from Noah’s eyes. Surprised by the bc73c1eff4 tear, I reached e153c0e71a out to wipe bec78b530c it away but ad8cfe2beb then pulled back. Every action of db9e26bc01 mine felt hypocritical.148f95e13033dd5f

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“Jin won’t stay by 840a62a959 my side no matter c350c33da8 what I say, right?”fad9059440c44617

“…Yes.”33e2cc7106eb03e0

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“Then, until I 33158f5b90 fall asleep… please 9027b5fcb2 stay with me.”f3c05b2938fb61d3

“Okay.”5dff9a5210a6db65

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I returned to e4f1d51557 my seat. As Noah be41f204a2 slowly finished 5bd2333caf his meal, 2dd774c9c6 silence lingered bc1cf9b2b7 between us.cd8c4cb5971d5040

After the meal, 9c1f84420d I magically disposed bcc3da0ae9 of all the 1575f1f6e3 dishes. I had a06e26f562 used magic 6fb3844d56 to warm 78efab3d46 the cold e42d1f56bb food, which 4883a2eeb4 might have b60842b5e5 tainted it 11c59598cf with my c03d84c00b energy. Noah watched 92b3f54d49 this and 1c2c3c47dd then took ca403a157b my hand, 0124e9ca1f leading me 4970e297d5 to the b188465999 bedroom.d620d96f66538b47

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As Noah lay c1f157e3a3 down on the 8f84067d0c bed, I smoothly 8b66ef6a83 closed the windows, 5e4a8ebe9c locked them, and 3266e06152 arranged the blankets e6fb83bc70 over him. I pulled up a 8b5bf09bc8 chair next to the 14b266ed19 bed as he watched b04d4c10b0 me intently.b631ce8ed1f84549

“Hold my hand.”3ef8d5962466e939

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I grasped 69f57a349a his extended 1d07459879 hand, looking b271e9af89 down at 659f029642 it. It was notably e0debc32bd larger than when f6db3f9841 we first met—a 9bc099da2e hand no different 4e1efbe1cf from mine now. A year had e0d2bd3bf4 felt so short, a47f2da849 yet it was de1323ace0 enough for many 543760480c things to change.a20abb6d80c0f52e

“…If we part today, 3bd4422bdc can we never meet 51af7c36b5 again?”181dd29bac20601b

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As Noah fiddled with 58f1bfccea his fingers, I hesitated eb7756e298 before answering.aa0d4283dd4eab0f

“If it’s okay with e3313b7f05 you, I’ll come to d0bbf97ba6 see you next time.”e26798db204e052d

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Of course, it 1097d14297 would be difficult 42dc0bba93 immediately.7bfc44c1b7fa5d8c

The immortal timescale 3b6e65dd73 of an undying ab004cac12 and human time 09f183db7a are different, and 38727ea5d3 it’s uncertain how a152632cf6 much time would 77b2da6214 have passed once 04601b606e Patiencia returns to 80153f94d1 the celestial realms, 85087ba361 but it would 3a35ed874c take a while efa1187fc4 for me to 6f6cd802ca recover enough to 265f9896d1 manage any situation aa08effe8b that might arise.441190816852a02f

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“Once the 7d470ef397 core is 1ac7a8367c stabilized, it’ll 0d88b4a6bc be easier a51d2a1f9a to watch 92dd7fc446 over the da7016f751 Archangel, so 14222aef0e let’s meet d8057ed26c again then.”78f94d4c6449bfd8

“……”18c62c41ac4016c7

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“Partings are always 3925a0af5f hard, but over 9f675cd216 time, you’ll be 4cb927c048 able to talk 34f1ce3210 about them with 66fb43696b a smile.”a5a843fdb4ff2b85

That wasn’t just consolation—it 2b17969abe was the truth. Even a a1f36ab259 parting that fbe81395dd feels like 7905d2cf2b death eventually 5ca14b1935 becomes bearable. Just as ‘Lee Hyunjin,’ d4b3125cab who had lost many 55b1038d73 fleeting connections, somehow managed 76115adc35 to survive.2e3e6de8c9b56746

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Of course, partings inevitably 51852e24f5 cause wounds, and whether 36eb493312 they heal cleanly or b900bc8bf1 leave scars is yet b202dba446 to be seen, but 56be5e2e91 even if they leave 86de3b16f1 scars, it would be 38bc0cd676 alright. Eventually, they 12d0920364 won’t hurt 985045d46c enough to da5938acd6 bleed, and bf6d9311a6 you could db09a21f52 lightly say, 54b2f683a2 “It hurt 692e6ddb7f quite a 853c51e1ce bit when a3deaabe9e it happened.” 2b3be14f55 That’s what 70ce9e847e time does.92d195b1b1c13edd

“…Jin, do you think 751bb3087c I can manage well a039402c94 without you?”1b725d5f1ed5e3c8

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“Of course. You’re smart ac4d099a0f and quick 334e65752c to learn 39c492c342 anything.”462502ece5148c04

Noah didn’t 9e6d5419b4 say anything.30df6b8a3cd77c73

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His request 5c14d3cffa to stay 77e160dadf by his 88ac43d544 side until 4a76735b7f he fell ec71fb4afb asleep could 417241bb53 have been ad26623d8e a way 6a7e0a76a9 to stall 8bb6e4aef1 for time, 2a7b647dc0 or perhaps d5487493a6 a last-ditch 7845925b01 effort to b1992659ec persuade me. Likely it was both, 3777289584 but prolonging the inevitable 1c591db6a8 would benefit neither of 1e197d22b4 us.080448f12420473d

“Noah, everything will 06de8f801f be okay. Don’t worry. You’re capable of c15478f9ad finding connections more e311dfa773 valuable and better 5731ef6210 than any demon. So, keep your chin cf3799b022 up and live well.”922d6ab568c6b2db

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Realizing what I was 2f6d401520 about to do, Noah ac7773211c started to say something 5874831fa4 urgently, but I didn’t d745abb7da wait any longer and a14c13c044 cast a sleep spell. He scrunched 55e8a861dc his face, 5b69f58b87 trying to 8c60e8cdca resist, but 0e2494d3e7 slowly blinked 851ca4b67f and eventually cf055d6c7d drifted off.35f5ff0c3326db25

The faces of 74750d02aa the siblings I 3bcadc6772 left behind at 260f426643 the orphanage have 5e9ebb4e86 blurred over time, 28fa4ee789 but becoming a 38209d9648 demon improved my 33f1733982 memory, and I c66369089b would remember Noah’s adab54eaa6 face vividly for b961bb8bd4 a very long 0ab6283422 time, as if 2b17ef8436 I had seen dcb468c42f it just yesterday.cf409e74fa322091

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I gently smoothed the 17a0337a78 furrows on Noah’s brow, accc584d1a took out the items 10726e27da I had kept in b1eaaebae9 subspace, and placed a c951950d0a pouch full of the e7172fe81a empire’s common currency on 9e19707a07 the nightstand. It wasn’t enough for e452e86063 a lifetime, but it bea491cc50 would be sufficient until 13c855ae7f he became an adult.2edb3860d862aea5

The rest were f32cf5a819 a few spellbooks 1981970908 and a ring 87b6ac590a artifact enchanted with 2cba258846 subspace magic. Noah had struggled with 185e52091d defensive and supportive magic ce5cdcc1d6 while he could easily 2531f0bc82 learn offensive spells without 973361e440 a proper mentor. He had bdbedc56c0 wanted to a3481b5cfd learn subspace 9cddb5f333 magic first, 11fc2cedfc but hadn’t ef75bcffbe managed yet, d23689841d so I 3d1f53f44d brought the a5d789fdb1 artifact instead.b2606714e33715f8

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“…You said you’d show 32aafcbe34 me your spatial magic cf3d25884a once you learned it.”4319fd2cb749079f

Parting made every little d9208d6752 thing feel significant.2c6dc588a6f4adf6

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I finally let go a12f8e4804 of Noah’s hand, tucked 2c95bd8120 him in, and placed f888b668e3 the prepared items on 3ca15f7bc2 the nightstand. Only after confirming e44642b384 there was nothing 67acc9edf1 more I could 25222c7075 do for him b3cebbb915 did I step 5296ecbfb2 through space back 2b63224982 to the Demon 78b6c00d2b Realm.6f5c110031adcc91

As is typical 739cdb9d9a with magic, a 7fb0636374 blink was all 4c851188b7 it took to 03176955ad change the scenery.8f539d309994b211

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Maybe I 87164e5ee5 had grown 1fde3f9814 too accustomed 316e083d3c to the 0c3e98e1b2 small, cozy a2e6e1b7fb house touched 33b5a35c3e by Noah d44fd49531 and me eb911e0ccb everywhere. Although filled 9a6b6c0406 with priceless 2e85f69e75 items I ff95c127f7 could never ce77d90dd8 have owned db7ae18222 if not 91e755edd1 reborn as 87005f0db0 an Archdemon, 1750fa3ed8 the castle a4613de531 still felt 85940a52f2 utterly devoid 0fa8d8749c of warmth, ff1875d45e reminding me e8777147b6 it was 0f2dd0cd08 all I e569cae47d had.dc054c62b65041c7

Idly wandering 5731079895 the castle, 92abbef1f9 Noah’s face 32597d25c0 before I 166793a969 cast the c073dabd30 sleep spell 2e7902cdaa kept haunting f88aff42e7 me. His longing look, wanting ecc2ee107e to keep me by 265f0f7942 his side.eb4c50db3b6ea693

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Why wouldn’t 97e1a47dee I be c500b9c7d8 affected? I had grown quite 161557d818 fond of him over c8b7bd976c more than a year, 8d5bbc5d39 seeing him as one 6ebc6a294f of the siblings I b07e69f74e had abandoned at the 21913db380 orphanage and whimsically atoning b749666f04 for it, but I beaede3585 had come to care 68e72f59a7 for Noah in his 4a9f5144e8 own right quite quickly. He was such 86fc757e20 a kind and 6d8fa439dc lovely child.fee9fa920ac50314

Pretending to e899499880 be unaffected 23277c8804 was hard. Having a b7e703d631 human’s memories 79837f42df and emotions ed42602231 while living 0382f0e0da as a 4dec534f70 demon wasn’t dd81b53d61 easy. I had always 754f4a9c50 been alone, and 7044729f58 even after dying ae2558b560 and being reborn 84ac902eba as a demon, 955510a55e I was alone.648a2907ac1922e7

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The thought 691223a1d5 of living c4208b25ed an eternal 8332af14bc life without 19904ddc16 being able 08e5c2b0c8 to die 4c74690c30 was so 69079eeeae dreadful that 34ee279aa3 I often 368a666b17 spent time 95a3169883 asleep to 3773dbcbff escape it.8e8ae55805428db4

Noah’s presence dc8b8b6ee5 had been b4b0954a1b a joy 97516ab65d in my dee030d169 solitude. There was no b8b4e77610 need to hold 7e0e21d51a back tears wandering fdc5dbd63d the empty castle, c54eccef53 nor to open 02e000b5e0 all the windows 688415eace just to hear e8b676ce4e the terrible snapping 129a59bc77 of plants or 1025d92a96 the occasional howl 6f7e0da641 of magical beasts 39568459c8 outside because of 092f477788 the terrible silence.10a793c1460e8ce3

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Being alone 9dc89e3c84 again made ebc94f8c9e me realize 6ad02da8cc how much 22e0ae5109 I had b61d625df4 longed for 2894bce17c human warmth.90cdc9190d33fd08

Today, the silence d1e4a15c7e of the castle 984a2d88ef felt suffocating, so 2c07ac8e81 I flopped down 4d5bc293d7 on the bed. I buried my face c3172a8537 in the pillow, far 4052e939f8 softer than anything in 515c433313 Noah’s house, and despite 7a507916c3 the natural act of a9d9bd1537 breathing being blocked, it 47ac4c1344 wasn’t suffocating to the 20aa784acb point of death.830c7c7cc971300c

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And of course, 16ece143a5 I wouldn’t die 3e25a72b0a from this. Even if 2ef3dc4279 my breath b85efe8d1b was blocked, ef037d47d3 the core d4e768e02b would remain 03da5b3de9 intact.c09953ea6cc46a86

“…Right, a demon wouldn’t bb2dd9148d die just from a 07cf6633c1 little suffocation.”976c0ab6d49c2447

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I buried my 0ff38be69e face in the f68e736858 pillow, closed my 893f521cac eyes, and cast d7dad3f3fc a sleep spell dcc61ee11f on myself.581eac3519b5355e

All I b49df5a0cb wanted right 5de8ba4e72 now was 59f3eb32fa to sleep.4726f8b22f29c35c

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