The moment the words left my mouth, the entire chamber fell silent.
No one expected me to accept my mother's role so easily.Not the Sins.Not the Jester.Not even Lucifer.
They stared at me as if I had just slit my own throat—and smiled while doing it.Maybe I had.
The Jester gave me a soft, unreadable smile. Lucifer's expression remained an elegant wall of calm—unyielding, ancient, impossible to read.But the Sins… they looked stunned. Shocked. Some even… afraid.
Honestly? I didn't blame them. I was just as confused as they were.
I agreed to become "Corruption" not because I understood it, or because I wanted power. I accepted because—
I didn't know who I was anymore.
I sold my soul to Lucifer to avoid dying.Or maybe… I did want to die back then. I'm not sure.The old me and the new me feel like two sides of a coin—except neither of them belong to me.
The only time I ever felt like myself…was the night I killed my family.
Lucifer let the silence simmer before speaking gently:
"Then welcome, Sammail."
His voice echoed like a warm breeze passing through a graveyard.
"This meeting has dragged far longer than I anticipated," he said. "Let's finish our matters quickly. Each of you knows your ancient roles and duties. Only Sammail requires clarification."
He turned toward me with a faint smile.
"As the new Corruption, you are the successor of Lilith—the one who once guided humanity's descent into doubt. Before her disappearance, our efforts focused on twisting the structures mortals cling to. Institutions, doctrines, interpretations. Not to destroy them… but to reshape them."
Then I interrupted him:
"And why? What's the purpose?"
Lucifer chuckled softly.
"Mortals cling to belief to give their suffering meaning. When their institutions fracture, faith fractures. And when faith fractures… they seek new truths."
His voice lowered.
"Truths we offer."
He continued, but his words were clearly his perspective—his bitterness, his version of history.
"There are realms of belief we have influenced for centuries. But others remain untouched—because Heaven intervened. Archangels guard certain domains still, and their presence distorts our reach. The one that remains a true obstacle…"
The Jester cut in, smoke curling from the cigarette between his fingers.
"Michael. Second only to the Creator before Lucifer's fall. The last archangel stationed among mortals."
His eyes flicked toward me.
"And part of your task will someday involve confronting him."
I blinked hard.
"…me?"
Lucifer nodded, as if assigning chores.
"Not now. Not soon. Perhaps not for centuries. But corruption cannot be complete with one pillar still standing. You will travel among mortals to understand your abilities—your strengths, your limits. The Jester will accompany you as guide and restraint."
The Jester smirked."You better be grateful."
Then Envy raised a hand.
"With respect, Lucifer—how do you expect a seventeen-year-old to finish what Lilith herself couldn't? Even with our help? He's barely more than a child."
He looked at me as if I were a rotting fruit.
Lucifer answered calmly,"His age is irrelevant. His lineage is not. And he will not be acting alone."
Then Lust raised her hand, twirling a broken strand of hair between her fingers.
"I want to accompany them too, my lord."
Lucifer paused.
"…Are you certain?"
"Yes."
The Jester's expression tightened—fear? dread?—but he said nothing.
The Sins began murmuring among themselves, catching up as if this were a family reunion. A dysfunctional, terrifying one.It surprised me how close they were.It surprised me how much that… hurt.
Maybe my idea of family really is twisted.
When their conversations died down, Lucifer rose.
"Then our meeting ends here.May your next century be prosperous."
The Jester clapped once—and reality shattered like glass.
I landed in the Jester's dim, crooked house. He appeared right behind me with a sigh.
"A long day, isn't it?"
"Shitty day," I corrected.
He didn't laugh.Just smiled—soft and broken.
"Want to see one last place before we sleep?"
"…Sure."
He snapped his fingers.
And suddenly, we stood atop a cliff under a sky overflowing with stars.Real stars. Clear. Beautiful.Cruel.
The Jester handed me a beer and a cigarette. We smoked in silence. The night felt cleaner than anything in the underworld—as if the world had paused just for us.
"That place," he finally whispered, "was your mother's favorite."
I stared ahead."It seemed like you two were close. You saw her last moments."
His face shifted—no mask, no humor, just raw exhaustion.
"She turned me into what I am. I thought she saved me out of pity… but she saw something in me I never could. She lifted me every time I fell. And I fell constantly."
He exhaled.
"She was the reason I died as a human.And the reason I live now as a devil."
A small smile tugged at my lips.
"I think I like your real self more than the mask you wear."
"Oh? Why?"
"Because the mask hides everything. Even from yourself."
He laughed softly.
"That's the point of a mask, Sammail."
"Maybe," I said, looking up at the stars. "But I still prefer this version."
We fell quiet again.Then, so softly I almost didn't hear it, he murmured:
"You really do remind me of her…"
A pause
"I'll take care of him, Lilith.As I promised.I'm sorry—for everything."
And just like that, the night ended.
The broken moon didn't heal—it simply learned to hide its wounds behind the rising sun.