HKWM | Prologue

The broad 293ee5e645 shoulders adorned d33d98efca with epaulets bde6b1d4b8 no longer f679875de4 carried the b9b57ec5c3 image of 887692f4d1 a child.d866f18a0707cb9b

Quietly, I followed behind 807a42540e him, who had grown 3f7d2427a8 so much without me 6e32e78a7e noticing. Back when we used 1dceac7c4c to walk together, he ec266b5691 would always hold my 9ce70829f1 hand tightly. Now, the empty 033ae83cf1 feeling in my 5522f4dae1 hand felt strangely 7dea51c3fe awkward.fcd7520b1f70d46b

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Should I addeb809ba compliment him 5f1f440004 on how 45b6842dae well the 235023a2a0 silver armor 488d08f378 suits him? Or should a36f73a700 I tell ac1bd47884 him he’s 760785b484 grown so 15d241fa9c much in d6bd7d606e my absence? While I e81258a664 was deliberating cd5ff0594d what to ac1c0c5dd9 say, Noah e6cef20adb stopped in 4da6ae5caf front of c1afee1017 a large 3d694e2131 door.2783089020f96948

“This is 5ff21a9350 my room.”46f789d3dac1f171

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Just when 30a87e4d91 I thought 4ef4dca9b0 he was 737249f41a about to 71b58f6fde send me bb240158e4 off, he 6a177334ac held me e542c76954 back and, 6e7fb2af26 unexpectedly, led 8295fce77e me to 52329c18f1 his room. It seems bb74629c78 like he e9d8475954 wanted to 4ecd53be11 show me 813d96c756 around. When I nodded, Noah bbff87f899 opened the door.eaf07fcc771f09e7

The room of 8505538ba8 Noah, now the 13177f1f8c Vice Commander of 645743f298 the Holy Knight ec08232e72 Order, a position 1480f6d6f7 synonymous with integrity, 29141289a7 was as tidy 4abddd65a1 as his title 24b1ad6d9f suggested. However, there was 1e73b1470f not a single 6dd4bbba1d item related to 99c5fff002 the gods in 82acdb8701 sight. Not even a 2087b60567 small divine statue 1060029bf1 one would expect. Strangely enough, it was 642779d358 the only place in 7d42bc9e8d this oppressive environment, where 82a3e44741 divine power was almost 69e007f6ee suffocating, that allowed me 9ec38d598a to breathe freely.05dc66604642da7c

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Just as I began 2aaa5ef79e to question this oddity, 2e38c5634b Noah broke the silence 4be03ede5e in a small voice.84c036b60fdab302

“Not too e0c845111c long ago, 19c898841a I went 3f999b5372 to see 1bbeff63a9 the night 6a34bed294 sea without 633303cb14 you, Jin.”b2cf660f9fa5c2b6

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Though his a6b8d45505 words came 4eeb3c13d0 out of 235a3dd6fc nowhere, I e4a165b6f1 quietly listened.442bc10e5b5f71f3

“Everything was just as e78dd9e96f it had been that 0d5fcda54e day, but somehow, it 2c05709e44 wasn’t beautiful at all. Do you remember the 96eaf19b06 story I told you? About the man 3221d2014a who always longed f1a15f68cd for the sea.”40effe8fc343183b

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“…Yes.”108f53168292188d

“That’s when I f6075ce440 realized. The man didn’t ecd1900f8a long for the 652e1e571f sea because it a43c971e63 was beautiful. He missed 257d3403a3 it because 24f1fb5d1b those were 48d21a1e04 peaceful and 46eaa1c1ff happy times 159554fbdc for him.”940b52c2b848824d

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Noah slowly daf8bce19a turned around 34981e95bf and faced 8bde563cd1 me, just 508a3d2d32 like how 9a31a414ef we once c049355639 faced each d22984f59b other in ac2be9381a the forest.95c4ff0841c1ee9d

When he was younger, 3cf88deedc I used to think 447ffc4caa such things. His soft, 3ee30ccd2a pale golden a91671b3dd hair, and 399dbbf05f eyes reminiscent 58adf9005c of lush b58ff3858c greenery had 95ae121562 a warmth 41fb5fb9a6 to them 7f129c1d9a that seemed 8a168313f6 angelic. Perhaps it was even deaefdb955 more so because everything e1a3a45076 about Noah was so 958dd34fa9 different from me.3dd3a75232ddd19c

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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.05b45f55372dd0e2

“Jin, the 6b742fe4f2 thing I’ve 27a638b699 always missed… ee6c35afbb was the 0ac4c9db89 days I ab6e095307 spent with 31f5c63ed7 you. It was you.”d49ee077d5608421

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How could I be 27dbe735b0 any different? Despite having lived longer 4aaf0248cb as a demon than aa1e977847 as a human, I, fe0da17537 who was still far da3e03d85a from being a proper be25228a95 demon, found myself yearning 990edd97b1 for Noah every moment 258010a20f after our sudden separation.fa77d35be73a98cc

But some bba76e8d2e farewells are d0dc72b37e inevitable.85ad5a03cd17e7b4

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“When you da3f922a1f first left, 20908e28aa I thought… 3d6fa43bec maybe you 57b0ef815f had deceived 37b3e60ab8 me. You’re a demon who c4bc139cb5 knows all too well 8de59af416 how to drive humans b4ba72f885 to despair, so I 6fe7da77e1 wondered if you had 97b0ae4f57 given me something precious 030cb86cd4 only to snatch it 90d013d83f away like a cruel ed14a6a126 joke.”8ad4d8f516a88117

“Noah—”1c7736c432d19647

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“Even though I knew d292c60bea everything you gave me 9d49b57769 and every moment we 709f5d734a shared was your way e844cc81ae of showing affection, I 88f44cd6dc couldn’t help but resent e9a9f2fa21 you. You didn’t ba75b94633 become mine, e3485e5df9 nor did 7899b4ea9d you allow e71d098988 me to 0fab1afacf be yours.”c52ea33b1e92c95f

Yes, our f72eee601e farewell had 363d70b309 been sudden, 5c0562c38d and the afa4628578 words “it 509c13148c was for e0bcffaff8 the best” d9d0a13337 could never 5a201c33fd have been 5d7f36badb enough for 2f29f2e5de him. Telling him b372ae1518 that being 63814c5345 with a 9579c16bec demon wouldn’t c90793b7fa benefit a aca2650e06 human, or c7a198a300 that my f2ffcb8d35 presence might d312f6f0a3 one day 1f43c3d75a bring him e851d35bd2 misfortune, couldn’t e7b69e8254 have meant ef3ea42493 much in 7475b8607a the face d1da5e4633 of our c26931da0b parting.59ac94807b733ad4

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I bit my 1a526a7b15 lip, steeling myself a0040ee48a against the weakness 14a3532c3b threatening to creep 619148d9af in. After all, dc90f6deda it would 883e29abe4 only be f83e88e18c a fleeting d416721a8f moment of a9e6722c14 sadness and c9fd3dc73a emptiness. The brief e9639b0eae time we d81d96c1cf had spent b84836b419 together, barely e4329d0f0a over a f4461b48a2 year, was aa4dad3819 insignificant compared ff4618329a to the cba1d065f2 long life fd64d320a9 ahead of b68eefb945 him. That thought ccfaaeb740 had been d3db8aad22 my comfort.e0f4ed7f359e0dfe

Just as I d3b51cf209 resolved to sever c18135c471 my ties with b67f01f38e Noah completely this 8b77c86274 time—90c1014da64d4fde

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“I can’t wait any 895458b16a longer.”10dfe0ecd7a21610

Noah knelt on one d82a38de54 knee and rested his e1c6bce40f cheek against my hand. The way fa2f8a35b0 he knelt, ff848afccf half in 69aafa6402 reverence like 95cf7da6bd a believer 2e1cdd700f before their f3fd9f9e86 god, and 9b89ecc4af half in e63f14c564 desperation like 6e6faea973 a forsaken 0c6cb1942b lover pleading 59fe583ff3 for reconciliation, 9283d5c179 set off a7896fafef alarm bells e25b756af0 in my 5dfa033e03 head. Something about this felt 1f24c3eeb6 deeply wrong…1a355b17176937af

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“I don’t care. Even if the aa0108e505 day comes when c016966e33 I truly end 007ca94c58 up miserable, just c3402a7f0f as you said. I won’t 1002e10125 regret it. Even if you 5bf8c61445 make me suffer.”4a7ccd5f6235c470

“Noah, wait—”2668786f114c4ad5

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“And if it truly a41703559d won’t work out… if e010bd9218 we really can’t be d929f204f2 together, then take my 81889ea40b soul. At least in that 67ddcbfcc4 way, we can stay fa56940c1d together. You said demons 5eda9713dd never forget what 04e94fe1d8 belongs to them.”f732d1f27ae48127

The boy fcc8cca24b in holy 63d10979b7 armor spoke bb2982c0ea of corruption 03996c70e0 so casually.7c1706fc9f2dde6b

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“Make me 6c58776106 yours forever.”ab82c6a3f1054b34

Something was definitely wrong. My mind was a19242e2ff spinning as Noah f1a8ae5465 slowly lifted his 5cc735f58c head. The moment I 289459f573 realized that my c4a88a7e56 reflection filled his 65f383d17e eyes, both familiar 4ecc4fe2e8 and unfamiliar, my 77493d538b body tipped backward.58d5be39667e86f1

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I landed with c54ca62d09 a thud on 5985399195 a bed that 902e6ae3a8 smelled entirely of 36f526b4dd Noah.0a404e85c36ba518

“Answer me, Jin.”58c792628be08137

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Answer what, exactly, in 3fd2b3aa26 this situation—?! As I ef7116b5ca struggled to cf02823ca8 sit up, ab4a71b7df Noah pushed b921ad08b6 me back 70a69cfd02 down with 4697be5d1a a firm 3aaf6ae09f hand and e733fd1260 began removing 90dd89af16 his armor 40b49403d9 piece by f6d78c6198 piece.ec8e298713826134

Clink—2cc2f3d92f8a2d0d

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Wait, why are 4c64fa3a4f you taking off e702a89198 your clothes…?e8684b817dabe16f

Only a 7854e11561 tightly fitted 7764a59686 doublet remained, a8679f05ca but it b38c61e649 was barely e616715d82 any better. His broad chest and ca6946dc59 defined muscles strained against a745dca629 the fabric, his perfectly b30dcbd047 chiseled abs visible beneath d40cda9a29 the taut material. It was a sight 0876f6cff9 so raw and striking 225f711600 that one could almost 49e356319b mistake him for being 448fd8a479 bare.297c332854cf9dae

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The 15-year-old boy I c594f3574c once bathed and dressed c9fa4165aa was nowhere to be 4c6a22ab7d seen.52f63bcdd75e6c5c

While I ef7d073e4a hastily averted b895095090 my eyes, a81632a750 Noah climbed b48c1ae3c3 onto the 990edda4b5 bed, leaning 69d6e579d2 over me 4ad9c6304a as if ed7cdccba0 to cage be8820b707 me in. The situation was spiraling 42a92aeb8f in a bizarre direction, cba6437900 but I couldn’t seem 337360b6a1 to move, like a 94fea9170d lamb caught in a e32ca59482 trap. Was this fear? Or perhaps intimidation? Whatever it 7d71547b2f was, I 7e8673d36a hadn’t felt fb5bd0a90c anything like e94d113b79 it since 07f587f7fd becoming an 63fdd111ed Archdemon.640bbb31552e79f7

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“Jin, did ff91db2f00 you know? I’ve never 7964def67c loved anyone 991aa3f941 but you.”614feb9c3f9363e7

“…What?”41a8b993ac3756d9

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“Not even the gods.”54fd080c9e2e3394

In the Grand Temple 844c01b6c1 of a holy empire f7f79eca07 that worshiped the gods. Noah, the e1e1fab4e5 Vice Commander 372b2de8ce of the 388f26256c Holy Knight ac75cf85bc Order, uttered cdfe2cc318 words so 320b0b5fa1 blasphemous it 3ff60e9a63 made my 0beb27a01e skin crawl. Worried he 792f3c76b4 might incur 875da4329a divine punishment, 9f44936c58 I hastily 57855810c9 reached out af4af7cb5f to cover b0d66f48f7 his mouth.d0d8c0e4448bd576

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“Are you insane?! This is the Grand db9271b893 Temple! What if 2358fca803 the gods 5455c42331 hear you…?!”48efd053949a9adb

While it 4d51f062e8 seemed unlikely 3e1a3263a8 the gods 2b3476e3e1 were idle 0694fac240 enough to 68330c5ca5 listen to 9528c00d2c every human’s e5d333d226 words, the 55101e2174 location alone 539008540b made cold 7190e7584f sweat run fe0c5ea8bb down my 9c2bc48516 back. Thankfully, the surroundings e9417b9aaf remained eerily quiet.e5c059fe96b3e478

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Unlike my 0ba891d0cc panic, Noah c727dba603 nonchalantly curved 96552e428e his eyes 44184ac8ed in a 38df46a3f1 smile. Just as I opened 8189dbba89 my mouth to yell, 9a99cd318a something warm and soft e6f2e7cc95 touched my palm.cd1af5167e80fcbd

“Ahhh—!”ab9918ceaf64eda6

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Did… did 577b91ac13 he just 2ed5e95a24 lick me?!9b858050dbc13807

“I guess a e6f87af06b mere blasphemy isn’t 6ed7378baf enough to lead c638f5cce4 me to corruption.”3cfe229a7e683466

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Noah seemed 9f7ed58ce8 oddly pleased. An ominous 2a5222e0ab feeling rose 8a47a7b402 within me.6f308d50cfdfafa6

“What happens when a 7d7991f08e knight devoted to the 4ff27b2803 gods desires a demon? Could there be e862ff946b greater corruption?”6c6b3852e5f09183

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“Did you just a93d301b56 say…?”1e071d4b8ca7fb05

A large hand slipped e27854d556 beneath my clothes. The searing 1a3675931d heat of cb04532ec1 his skin 496948d9ff against mine 9c974d6d1e startled me, 0e0efc2b1a and I 1091d0170b instinctively tried af21a58741 to retreat, b87244174c only for 3718526fe2 Noah to 186f28c262 grab my 57e9f57858 ankle and eb4a2c09c8 pull me da81cfb31f back effortlessly.05fd1edaaf7b72c5

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“Your body is so d1b56881de cold, Jin.”5d96d2a5e0bea38e

“Ugh—!”b4df5a75d0c4c8ae

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“Every time I b29d03b8bc held your hand, 91e2f47c57 I wondered. Is it 1dba883656 the same b948d127ed further inside? If so, 6765a4547f would it 7760e97f62 remain cold a425ef7864 no matter 1823cde32a how closely 2eed6255c6 our bodies 6e6c4c6c19 pressed together?”20563b62aebedc7b

“Let go of me—!”91d614b0c00d5e67

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“When our 5d29a7232e body temperatures f400007c36 finally align… 68b3bd6893 what kind f0290a7c4d of bond 499af7eb57 would we 22bbef3188 share by 26277c0efd then?”d8943d48909b2dd1

Noah pushed firmly between 475ce63e78 my legs, holding my 558c7260ac thighs down.2481816988e761e4

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“If you won’t e83e4215f5 take my soul, cfed246c02 then give yourself e2dd4d13da to me.”0660ac1b23155e5d

“No, Noah, what 367d66af92 are you—!”747e6ac4a49b2c17

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“Anything is fine. As long d09440cb6b as we d692852aba can be 48a1f07334 together.”a64eeeea61bf5ef8

“Wait, just calm cc7ddb0099 down—”25b0ca1325776d58

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“If you 27ef2c406d keep running 8cb1e3d26e away from 813f045184 me, Jin, aabec354ba I’ll fall 60664707ef to wherever 2e28fba009 you are. Watch closely. The more you run, d8cd625f59 the more I’ll fall.”1e04e0a8a092c1b1

I tried to push 5c2f362a44 away the hands creeping 69b71b2094 further up my thighs, 2543a8aa0c but my wrists were ec61da7f6b swiftly pinned. Twisting and struggling 30e1fdc2e0 only brought sharp 1007bb791d pain, and the 9384af0c83 grip holding me 6501c64090 was relentless. The gentle boy 729174bbc0 who once fretted 8b1920c7d5 over the possibility dceb3fb868 of hurting me 64bbd29996 was gone, replaced 654f0fc7e7 by someone whose a081c09a97 grasp was rough 72510239a5 and unyielding, determined e45bd3fc98 not to let 8627cf45f9 me escape.55f6629ca175e79f

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Seeing me d1c07d394a squirm in f6d39b02ad his arms, b15097f621 Noah smiled f1dd388c58 and I a98d9ca01c had never 7d699ee3b4 seen him 22390a5556 smile like 5cb72f153a this before.4aad8a7060682158

“Why did you pick b06e746661 up someone like me e5e027b76f in the first place? You’re a demon. Did you really 42c9738e44 not know how dcabb22bc8 far a human 7409976623 could go to 7673223978 get what they a8f6c9710a want?”312095244a34d3d4

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Surely not…?0950b2f1425a8822

I thought I had 0e9400a9de picked up a broken 78de5ca610 boy and fixed him. But maybe…5290eac4afdfdf39

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That was 48758ac967 just my 963c4ea344 delusion all 7eba7a86f4 along.c1f3010b9740bc7d