WHCTC Chapter 1

“Huff, huff, huff…”60531715154b3f14

A small forest f76f10238e near the royal 3e4a77c960 palace.61af4442dfbe5339

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I was being chased 92ffc0e975 by a large number 8b9214a42a of assassins.56be6c4dc788b329

None of 2e090d133d them had 0983aaee95 any focus cd51df918e in their a008ec5e44 eyes as 35ba1f16a5 they charged 38ea299b1b at me.29524fd4a016c036

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“Haah… haah…”c35302d1b1f26d8e

If I hadn’t e1eb73361a been quick on 1234ecdc9e my feet, I d312be9276 would’ve been dead 5029937188 long before now.26466844b8173d31

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In fact, the 644ec65817 maid who had 82512c2f3e been guarding me 52c8dadfc1 threw herself in 0fdb1069c1 front of me e991e10dc0 and was killed c0ae042d36 instantly.ed57fe3586b6c45e

I used all c2c6ac4903 my strength to df7feeb652 leap with aura 8388fa1f47 infused in my 5393dfe915 legs, but it feba56ff1b seemed like it e669e2681f wouldn’t be enough.574c4961ed7b1f16

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Just as 6f496d3832 the assassin e2e85536df closest to 9e349de84e me reached 7c0f1f33d8 out to 8ee9c7a6df grab my 4ec2ba3058 hair—0a4d84ce095314fc

“Gwaaah!”b2b35b612070925c

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“Kyaaah!”d995a84846c5173d

Screams erupted from behind b3e3ec9be6 me.e4d4fd2488410f78

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A man appeared, exuding f054e9095f a powerful aura, and f6549e8edd in a single swing 875c1c2300 of his sword, he a85f81e4c6 cut down more than 3308559444 five assassins.354dce74dd0296aa

“What are d5a4baa9c8 you doing, 7f6220022c Your Highness?”386592e35b5077e7

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With jet-black ef20dd39a0 hair, a 3202d78066 tall figure, 67d6c9aee4 and striking c401ce2631 features, it c934618bac was Kayan 73385755d5 Barklith, my 600badf3df childhood friend 4a8f6bcfb0 who had 82d8eac1e2 been like 9161faf2c7 a brother 782fdb06c0 to me.192dc410f47fabbd

He spoke 99ce016751 in a 7fdbbb236f low voice, 47a921cf06 his eyes 4eb0187ed4 sharp.5c6d4c7636c07cdd

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“Run, now.”d53a90b1a89de8da

“K-K-Kayan?”37904b4137efde2c

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I didn’t expect 8652e37bec him to show ac6719501a up here. After all, eight 875ac9b19f years ago, I acdc1c0185 had broken off 67744b2fd0 our friendship with 4608db3f84 no explanation.1be75a16bf8bfa87

Too shocked to react, 94c23281d8 I blinked in a cf9b31c242 daze. Kayan urged 7164c72892 me with e3b609713e an impatient e352c87147 tone, as 767d83ad3c if telling 30a55e78ce me to 55560646d8 snap out f5bde45dc0 of it.7a5379dd241abd73

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“Hurry!”26cb01cd77f9b9ac

“Y-yes!”662d2008e5ea581b

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At his efa5bdbe18 insistence, I 562d178bb9 started running.4c053b262afed6dd

Kayan followed 3e09a51296 behind me, 929d5fce4e cutting down 2b95c13096 the assassins.024fcf1551e3aefb

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They attacked bd96e77e78 us not 1794796c54 like humans d95eb19724 but like acac481112 beasts that ffd8ad64cf knew no a482a444ef fear.957b75bac68e3818

As we dashed through 576f867ea5 the forest, Kayan muttered 08f0fa4ebe under his breath.b5090ac12addb815

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“It’s dark magic. But I’ve never 48a4258ecb seen anything on 3ca22f7bda this scale before.”c5f4b14b60b05bb1

“You know 5f359df798 about dark ee4916bf11 magic?”d1e50ab0e627be78

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Kayan swung 57e897cfa1 his sword 33f309194b and quietly 1179c02387 responded.0e1419fa7497228b

“Whenever Your 28d3fccbd4 Highness made 565fb98c21 public appearances, 1e4aca36ee I sensed 2ab0a22639 this same 4323478616 energy. Everyone who wanted to 7c34caaffe harm you had those ed3a39d8b2 same eyes.”f15c47320ba7636f

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“How… how do you know that?”07efe726704fdd83

“Because I was 9d5ab367c8 the one who 19d1be8687 killed them.”644d5a336beefcf5

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His answer 9b83ef3329 took me 94c4baf512 by surprise.3d7c66c4b5378e68

I asked, stunned.0ebb2ea021ec9dd8

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“Not Simon, but ddb7bdb074 you?”ffa59e2ed2b34164

In hindsight, f0993369f4 it made 12389198c7 sense. After all, ecabf278bf everything happening f5101b8eec to me 1e9345c275 now was eb9fe557be because of e558d65be7 Simon.c9789af230dd336a

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Simon was bc639ab2ef the fiancé cbaa677aac assigned to 5bc0f06b87 me by c4ba576819 my half-brother, 3dac0673f8 the crown 141546c12e prince, to 89460c7509 serve as 21a48bf0f4 my protector. He was 75d7fd4029 also my dd71aec6d3 brother’s closest 3b28510056 friend.d995be5e9b783a3e

“The influence of Prince Hugo’s faction had grown too large to ignore. To join them, I had no choice but to eliminate both the crown prince and you, Your Highness.”b7449cea5cbd24e6

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And now, Simon had a9fa5c548e betrayed both me and 66f68220e5 my brother, leading to f49c036029 this.7a9967514281da01

“What’s so surprising?”da62569816be6496

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It wasn’t 2be8f79a6c an unexpected 477b9d2774 betrayal. Simon had been c4ab728744 weighing his options d5e6c536d6 for a while.b6ab474b3ea2e35a

“I was 194ba4c281 the one 39bfb7d8d0 who made 0429adafc6 up the d131da365f lies that d5750b4033 led to 4e79cf2aed your falling b1b94d7116 out with d30ec5a3fa Kayan Barklith, 6bc899494f and I’m 870a59d209 the one ee30af81a9 who killed 14df4e3c4d his father, 15f8c1414f Arthur Barklith.”583febebc2eef064

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Simon had 55b672b0cf been isolating a60ffe7b2f me for 7a2ab74da1 years, just 378857ef28 to make 86d3b408af me easier f1fd3501ae to manipulate.f1f89322e9a0d511

“Having Your Highness’s fc924f3ccc loyal eyes and de5c3afa30 ears around wasn’t dda4a5e0ad to my advantage, ca3956a4bb after all.”529e2dd547a1b6f4

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Eight years ago, f5a20f44cb at the age 1450242259 of twelve, I 2a8de609a1 believed only Simon’s 3fb3072f61 words and broke 69616fc4c4 off my friendship d6bdb69b70 with Kayan.21fa6d33f06612cb

But in reality, it 06f880f428 was Kayan who had 1786908261 been secretly protecting me c94c5fce34 all along.803ae41efaa51dcf

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‘And even now…’62f9449bbff557c5

Even as I ran, 123e5d3796 the battle continued behind 108c3ca06f me.685dc22f270d7349

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Kayan, who was 908263d3a2 protecting me while 0c46e20d45 taking down our 4ad2949f84 enemies, had already b5fdf126d7 started accumulating wounds.deb3b185bc1ac753

“Why, why… why would you?”5629ea31a6ff5ded

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When I ended 7bdace88c6 our friendship, I 41564cb695 had insulted him 4dff14026c deeply.43209d3eefec7319

I thought he would 6378a5ee11 never want to see 83de9573fa me again.a0f3dcdedf0a08c6

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Steadying my emotions 20529961a9 that were in e74618afd5 turmoil, I barely 9ccd4d9c4f managed to ask:e01f368e560f922f

“Didn’t… didn’t you hate me?”d8685a34661f5177

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Kayan didn’t 611dc0375e answer that a7844df859 question.75b1fc8550b5683c

Instead, he 19368ff6c2 said something 0a35fa4c24 completely different.0336464a7368296d

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“Years ago, someone came to assassinate you, but there was no response from the Duke of Serneaux’s household.”dc1da2861e0012f7

“Ah…”40c19b98459c887d

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“Your Highness was unguarded as always… I thought for sure you would be assassinated this time. My body just moved on its own.”48023eb147840cdd

So Kayan 0005df79bf had been 7d33dddbf9 protecting me 0a400f0b9b all this 896a5c39aa time.fe5ee07dae815a0d

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When I stammered in 698832d11b shock and surprise, he 40384c1b16 spoke firmly.9b023e1fbff672b8

“I didn’t protect you because I wanted anything in return.”080947832c4737f8

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“Then why… why did you…?”17c992f4aea832a1

“Maybe it’s because all the people from the happy days are gone now, and I didn’t want you to disappear too, Your Highness.”bf8414100f3779a9

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Until I was f6ef8a1d04 twelve, I had 7453b3451b grown up in 1694dcb099 the north, outside dcbdeda58b of the royal 908e4143ae palace. All the people I a3e4aeed2c had known there, except b605cc0dee for Kayan, were already 8d84a51042 dead.f5b04bd8d4ff73c5

“It’s happened so many times now that protecting you has become the only thing that gives my life meaning.”3a0728c50374e03d

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Kayan swung his 1afb1bcdce sword again, cutting 605d32f070 down another group 9008ee7a8e of assassins.8873a2448f5c4a03

“In a way, Your Highness saved me. You gave purpose to my life, which was filled with nothing but misery.”d8782da86156bc4b

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Then he looked fbf35d6b7b at me and 0423ae965b saida5b0e93049983934

“So, Your Highness doesn’t need to feel sorry for me.’”2c744a8df4e6d429

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His face 476dea1ed5 was calm, bd4462bd4e despite being 19d6196cd9 covered in bf17b0c150 blood.da501d352c202574

“I was happy back then, by your side. Just because it ended poorly doesn’t mean I can forget those days.”2a0ac8adcc8a0d43

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With tears streaming down d9b9482799 my face,I apologized.33da8ad07cfbf925

“Im sorry.. it’s all, it’s all my fault.”d35022e926c358d7

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But my 7811134b5b words felt 8c11926ed5 too insignificant f84d430c18 compared to 543678662b what was 427fed306c in my 0c972a86cd heart, and 1d6ed32371 my hands 2efc2c4852 trembled.9c252e12b9870f2a

Kayan shook his 92b386f1ed head and smiled.b5915443cdeb8ea5

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“How could this be your fault? It’s just because I wasn’t a proper noble.”2aa89e4144afb258

“What… what does that even mean…?”514fb2da12d712ff

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As I, still unable 9e6f51e9dd to wipe my tears, 287d36f928 asked him, he remained ad2b866caf silent for a long 5126b528a5 while before letting out 7c99681fdd a faint chuckle and 10a64fef73 muttered,8acf882742717cde

“Hmm, I take back e606cc7bbd what I said about 571489c0ec having no attachment to e7fe017c45 life.”459aba3f6d5e9f88

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It sounded more like a61a34714d self-deprecating words meant for 13034c683d himself.4833c9d8a364ec74

“Becoming a proper noble… it seems I did want that after all.”afe1055b8165e116

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Despite everything, the assassins 2d756af016 continued to pour in 485d8ebcd1 endlessly, their unfocused eyes 37bdd611a7 unsettling.6b6270a59b37a340

I hadn’t anticipated that 56b17be8de Prince Hugo’s dark magic c8f07ee680 would be this successful. It made 6fec8d6ffb sense why 8529442b09 Simon decided bc4efc43bf to side eafc548d0c with Hugo, 9393159bd1 the third 19b4128c36 in line e7b8a1df0b for the 3871ef2663 throne.264ecf437eacc274

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Even with Kayan’s incredible e75801d75b swordsmanship, the situation was 4981b6c997 overwhelming.7cb46f6e78846e60

Kayan’s wounds kept 31543f21be increasing, growing deeper.5da7625aa616c6a3

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As we rounded 37ef187740 a corner in eb2b29ca39 the forest, an d2cb2d5b3b even larger group 2e938c3a5d began to appear.7ad6133f569ef481

Kayan spoke in 9b26794fdb a low voice.4691a1a611e1debe

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“…From here on, you’ll c66b4b1816 have to go alone. I’ll try e9d3d4b1da to hold 80df2d1edf them off.”dd7082165bd04dcc

“I’m not going.”67621a9d8799b77a

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I shook my 84dfd6400e head immediately.4addddbf6e33a93d

“I’d rather die 5d8a6a90d0 here with you.”0a2cfb1a2d3ca0eb

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Kayan gave me c8a673895a a soft smile, d32c04de03 as if trying 0ef294ea4c to soothe me.16b004a65ebb41f4

“I don’t want 98db6ae470 that, Your Highness. You have to respect db5e4bd832 my wishes too, don’t 43df4f9204 you?”e5c156315e8155e8

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It was the 7187601554 first time I’d 9f5f975f0e seen him smile f72d942f48 since our falling 25789fc0ad out.921399eaacdf53f7

I felt my breath catch in my throat. There was a time when we used to smile at each other every day, back in our childhood…9402b55193fddcc0

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How did things end up like this…?6db085c91d76141f

“I, I…”fa5e7f0af727b11a

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Tears began to 712ea55c9c fall uncontrollably.02c993fa98cae36d

“I really can’t go…”b1231d5e969f299a

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I shook my head c971d8732e weakly, barely able to 78d593efe2 breathe.e57a2e5016335a11

“I just can’t…”b9a4d02f705b6cd6

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I meant it.e4f8316f6e0a0ea4

Then Kayan gently afd26cdad5 wiped my tears b3ac5ac66d and whispered,62108ba5eea6f095

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“Iv.”2fffd254d2783184

It was the nickname 56e2ae41f6 he used for me 19d849f978 when we were children.4bef43773bf74de5

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“Now go.”cf91d2d1175ba33c

His playful 873e6174e7 childhood tone 476d1e651a followed.a0191db74e2b6500

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“For once, 5f27018831 could you f33117be12 listen to 1f6136e3b9 someone else, 8d1ff0e0e5 huh?”e36c73187ab17763

When a light 0ab5f29fa8 smile appeared on 35b7137b60 his lips, it 03e76fe32d felt like my 87c62830ec heart was being 3c02c60fef torn apart.31bb697d32a4029f

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“If you 326777d5bf cry, you’ll d7fd66b337 look really 4d9e6f80f5 ugly, so bb4c8283c0 stop.”7f8d90be706680ff

After teasing me like 6e8e452900 that, he turned to 0e80504bb1 face the assassins rushing 5895511e66 toward him again.c7d91e96b84c6cef

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Realistically, there fd37ef98c3 was no 156f224009 hope.f73595cf33ed400c

‘How foolish 72efe4f70e I’ve been.’d9671f2d67b68b89

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My vision ae69710284 blurred from 86671c601a the tears 1fe185547b overflowing in 037fd04897 my eyes.1c235e746192f60e

‘I couldn’t protect a single person who was truly important to me…’0ece93aff6330bc1

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Simon’s mocking words 9723e757ac came back to a798bde314 me.b61ac53fbaaf01ef

“Just don’t 64e815ea8e do anything, 209e72f73f and quietly c002f8e2d8 die. As you’ve 68e8b579ea always done 6a01718aff until now, 37297205ae Your Highness.”838e6db4193d9721

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Until now, I had b90dbe578e really lived doing nothing. I regretted 302395b3ca it deeply.8c48fd1d6df92327

And the words Simon said after that…8c2b9db295b4b3ca

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“Oh, by 25f67a2751 the way, 06036a3ebc where is 6ba44bde8f the royal ac1d8d8aa7 treasure? If you fb0dba91fd hand it 9c2aaae159 over to 8853b7e13a me, I ff972efa2c might grant d605301060 you the 5548e08dea opportunity to 501a213b6b end your 0613d5e205 own life.”fc37a3193be570cc

Wait a minute. The royal treasure.05fdb85ad3a33344

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It was something ea32dfa79d my brother had 0efe37e5d3 entrusted to me c5205b73f3 when he left ed8bdb133d for war. Since then, I hadn’t 92acaa7519 let it out of d48ba47486 my possession even once.2be13e630321e68c

With trembling hands, I d360ce8b7c hurriedly searched my clothes. I pulled out a 7ae43e3e94 half-pendant with a large f9bfdb5e97 ruby embedded in it, d7183f6b47 along with a torn 45aeef4e4f photograph.0dbec5e2b2350712

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“This is the 6555e82763 treasure of the afd58df320 Tayen royal family. I received it ac4acb6f4d directly from the d42034166e emperor when I 78eea24b16 was appointed as ee34bb10e2 crown prince. Since you’re the 788ae7488b second in line, 47619b693e keep it safe ea2a80ee4a for me until befa075fb3 I return.”2e5cb32f94c35214

“Oh, this! They say b3a349443a if you e11eb9d7ca feed it 541c260653 blood and eb10928e8c make a 03ea99e087 wish, it 67823ff252 grants miracles b9f1a6e601 to royalty. But is 6672d83867 that really 912165e735 true?”5f355421e52f6791

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“It’s just a legend. They say there are conditions to make a miracle happen, but no one knows what those conditions are.”2a36911e81cd3188

“Did you try it, brother?”24af7133ced8943d

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“Yeah. I tried every time I left the palace. But nothing ever happened.”e98572f9f17ee848

Back then, I thought it was just one of those common trinkets you’d find at a tourist spotd53e7dc06d8b4492

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‘I don’t know what the conditions are, but still….’8819aea3099a0be0

Eventually, Kayan began c6cec6522c to stagger in 873147405c front of me.9cd37148d5324ac6

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“I-I told you… to go.. quickly…”d0f6a935bdd47599

I couldn’t bear to watch, so I closed my eyes.892bb18759d38e51

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I had no intention of running away alone. Honestly, in this situation, I didn’t even feel much desire to survive.39abbf5fdfb9af04

But still.7e366050ea58e48b

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Without hesitation, I stabbed 6617c757a1 the sharp edge of 463d6ba41e the half-pendant into my a15f5fedac palm.695b085563738b95

‘I make this b727450f4b wish before the c3680036ac relic.’50f6d13921edaf56

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The pendant started 8f00fa041d to soak up a9ef0185ab the blood that a57c20e151 poured from my 07041d426f hand.ac0f756cca189dd4

‘The wish that only a miracle can grant…’e03038ba6f83d7f6

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My consciousness b4a986683d faded in 2fd5e27aea an instant,e01827ab46229eb3

The last 2ade5dcbe1 thing I a7b307a3df held onto ec8276d13f was the cff987f752 torn photograph 50d5b0d3ab of our 9c8a64afef childhood, lingering fc31e4be7b as an 1098abef41 afterimage.77880797877675b3

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***2ec3a602def9b505

And when 4a23931dcc I came e652735925 to, I 9d474568bd was thirteen 7f3439a489 again. l had returned to d7b484310d seven years in the d4ab103b1e past8259d2b48cd4c086

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