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“I made a dangerous wager and I lost, we all did. Hel won! Hel killed my sister. And in the end... after everything... She bade me balance the cohort of the dead. That is my task. When someone from another realm dies... someone here is saved. On these terms, I forged a contract with Hel. To save our world... I will decimate yours.”
—Líf explaining to Alfonse what happened to him, midpoint of Book III

Líf is a character from Fire Emblem Heroes. A general of Hel, he shares a name with the first king of Askr.

Profile[]

Once the first king of Askr, Líf formed an alliance with the Divine Dragon Askr, and with the dragon's blood he gained the ability to open gates to other worlds. He is also the founder of the Aether Keep. According to Reyson in Chapter 3, Líf has the power to bind Heroes to contracts.

Anna fates portrait
"Just a minute! The following section contains spoilers. Viewing it will cost a lot. Are you prepared to pay for it?"

In reality, Líf is Alfonse from an alternative future, one that succumbed to the wrath of Hel. Desperate to end her terror, Askr and Embla joined forces to perform a ritual, The Heart's Rite, to combat Hel. However, the rite carried a huge cost. Every living being was sacrificed in exchange, including that of Kiran. Furthermore, they were still unable to defeat Hel, who cut down Sharena in front of Alfonse's eyes.

Full of regret and despair, Alfonse agreed to become a general of Hel, taking on the name of Líf to hide his original identity. Hel offered him power to balance the cohort of the dead, so that if someone from another realm is killed, someone from his own Askr would be revived, including Sharena.

Prior to this, Líf and his Sharena had become friends with Eir, but her memories of them were hidden away by Hel.

"End of spoilers. It's a pleasure doing business with you!"

In Book III, Chapter 1, Líf is resurrected as a General of Hel who attacks the Order of Heroes during Hel's invasion of Askr, set on destroying the world. After his defeat, he vanishes, as his descendant Alfonse explains to his sister Sharena that Líf is their ancestor. Líf appears in Chapter 4 for a rematch before Hel arrives to take Alfonse's life, but he does not say anything at all.

In Chapter 6, Líf appears before Alfonse a third time upon entering the realm of the dead, saying that death cannot be defied, and the living will never understand until they die. Afterwards, he retreats to meet up with Thrasir. The two fight against the Order of Heroes as a team, and flee they are defeated once again. Líf opens up a portal to another world for him and Thrasir to escape to, while the Askrans and the Order of Heroes follow them in pursuit.

Líf appears once more in chapter 8, as the Order of Heroes attempts to traverse an alternate Askr in the hopes of discovering a way to defeat Hel. He attempts to assassinate Alfonse but is stopped when Sharena intervenes.

As Alfonse researches this alternate Askr, specifically why no life can be found here, he discovers that the citizens of this Askr formed an alliance with Embla and defeated Hel, at the cost of the lives of everyone in this reality.

Anna fates portrait
"Just a minute! The following section contains spoilers. Viewing it will cost a lot. Are you prepared to pay for it?"

From this information, Alfonse comes to the conclusion that Líf is not, in fact, the first king of Askr reborn, but is instead the Alfonse from this ruined reality. He confronts Líf with all the clues he has gathered, and in turn, Líf seems angry and perhaps even afraid after hearing it.

Though reluctant to answer at first, When confronted a second time in chapter 9, Líf reveals his past and motivations for joining Hel.

After defeating Thrasir, Alfonse deduces out that Líf will be at his version of the Order of Heroes' castle with the weapon the forbidden heart created, as he would do this if he were in Líf's position. However, even though Líf is defeated, he was counting on Alfonse to confront him in the castle, and sets up the collapse of the building as a back-up plan in order to guarantee that he at least takes him down.

Much to Líf's surprise, the Order of Heroes survives the collapse. Upon seeing Sharena rise from the rubble, he acts just a bit gentler to her due to her resemblance to his own late sister. When Alfonse and the rest emerge, he runs off to where the Order of Heroes eventually chases him down and confronts him one last time. Finally, they manage to defeat him, and he succumbs to his wounds. Before dying, he makes peace with Sharena and advises Alfonse to build a better future than the one from which he hailed. Later, Alfonse retrieves Líf's Breidablik and gives it to Kiran with firm belief they have the power to defeat Hel.

In Chapter 13, Hel reanimates Líf and Thrasir, but only as empty husks that the Order of Heroes was able to easily dispose of. Later in the afterlife after Hel's defeat, Líf awakens from a dream in which he saw an alternate reality where the heroes triumphed over Hel and their future was saved. After explaining his dream to Thrasir, Líf reasons that there could be countless alternate realms besides their own, and hopes that Alfonse will guide his future well.

In Xenologue 5, Líf and Thrasir are approached by Thórr, who offers an alliance to her, Loki, and Alfaðör, promising them their fallen realm will be restored. While Thrasir is somewhat easily convinced to join, Líf tags along out of his own desperation to save his kingdom, and holds tightly onto his skepticism towards Thórr. He assures her that he will eventually break free of the contract, and prove the gods are much too arrogant. In response, Thórr is impressed by the statement, saying that he has shown the true strength of a warrior's spirit. She invites him to step forward and watch the heroes' next battle.

Following the end of Book IV, Líf and Thrasir arrive in the dream world, and approach Triandra and Plumeria. Líf tells the two dökkálfar that the gods have the power to grant their shared wish, presumably recruiting them just as Thórr did.

"End of spoilers. It's a pleasure doing business with you!"

Personality[]

Líf can be described as a man of few words, only speaking on rare occasions, such as his first appearance. Having been resurrected by Hel, he has turned into a cold-blooded killer set on destroying all worlds. Despite his ruthlessness, he is not without purpose as he seems to carry some sore of personal goal behind his actions. A natural skeptic, Líf does not trust anyone save Thrasir and to a certain extent Hel. Even after the defeat of Hel, in which Líf was recruited by Thórr and Loki for their plans, he shows no real trust in them, only following them in order to expose their folly. Strangely, despite hostility to all enemies of Hel, he shows none towards Sharena, even actively avoiding her.

In the Forging Bonds with post-timeskip Dimitri, it is shown that he finds the situation that radically changed Dimitri's personality relatable, remarking the latter's words that "(they) are indeed cut from the same cloth" in Fallen Dimitri's S-Support dialogue and referring to his Brave version as "lion-hearted king" in his S-Support dialogue.

Anna fates portrait
"Just a minute! The following section contains spoilers. Viewing it will cost a lot. Are you prepared to pay for it?"

Líf secretly holds onto his past as Alfonse and dearly misses his Sharena and Kiran. Much of his actions, both in service of Hel and against Hel, is to accomplish his goal of reviving his loved ones. He regularly visited and left flowers behind at a tomb which his Sharena was buried in. Throughout the events of Book III, while he shows no restraint in attacking his alternative past self, he cannot bring himself to harm Sharena. Guilt driven by her death, Líf willingly allied with Hel as a means of possibly reviving his loved ones even at the cost of his own life or the lives of his alternative selves.

When recruited into the Order by Heroes, he still holds onto his bond with Kiran, showing concern for his safety, though holds back and recommends that they seek out their Alfonse for help.

"End of spoilers. It's a pleasure doing business with you!"

In-Game[]

Lethal Swordsman
General of the realm of the dead. At his queen's command, this dark swordsman fights in hopes that all the living will join the ranks of the dead.

Base Stats[]

Heroes Líf SpriteTitle
Lethal Swordsman
Group
Heroes Infantry Infantry
LevelHPAtkSpdDefRes
1
40
17/18/19
39/42/45
7/8/9
35/38/42
7/8/9
26/30/33
9/10/11
31/34/37
6/7/8
25/29/32
SkillsWeapon
FEH skill offense Sökkvabekkr
FEH skill special Glowing Ember
FEH Sword Sword

Skills[]

TypeNamePrerequisiteDefaultUnlocked
FEH skill offenseIron Sword---
Steel Sword---
Silver Sword---
Sökkvabekkr---
FEH skill specialGlowing Ember-FEH Star Rarity 5-
BonfireGlowing Ember-FEH Star Rarity 5
Open the FutureBonfire-FEH Star Rarity 5
AFEH Distant Counter Distant Counter-FEH Star Rarity 5
BFEH Deadly Balance Deadly Balance-FEH Star Rarity 5
FEH Deadly Balance+ Deadly Balance+-FEH Star Rarity 5
CFEH Time's Pulse 1 Time's Pulse 1--
FEH Time's Pulse 2 Time's Pulse 2FEH Time's Pulse 1 Time's Pulse 1-
FEH Time's Pulse 3 Time's Pulse 3FEH Time's Pulse 2 Time's Pulse 2FEH Star Rarity 5
FEH Even Tempest 1 Even Tempest 1--
FEH Even Tempest 2 Even Tempest 2FEH Even Tempest 1 Even Tempest 1-
FEH Even Tempest 3 Even Tempest 3FEH Even Tempest 2 Even Tempest 2FEH Star Rarity 5

Overall[]

Secret Book (Artwork)
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
Base Set[]

Líf is an Anima Mythic hero, making him a strong asset for defensive Aether Raids teams. On his own, Líf boasts a strong Atk at neutral 38 and has great mixed bulk, favoring his physical bulk by 5 points, but a mix of decent Spd and HP makes it tricky to deal with him at face value. Utilizing him is tricky as his kit comes with some powerful tools at his disposal, but there are some caveats that if mishandled can turn him quickly into a bane for his team.
Sökkvabekkr requires that at least one ally unit be within three spaces of him to activate its effect. Given the tight map size, this is relatively easy to achieve. Under this conditions, Líf gains an additional +4 to his four core stats during combat and can guaranteed make a follow-up attack. This makes him deceptively stronger and bulkier than he seems. However, after combat under this effect, the ally nearest him takes 20 non-lethal damage. Smart players can utilize this to activate certain skill thresholds on units using skills like Desperation, or boost the potency of a healing skill like Martyr, however, players also need to keep their units placement in this range as it can affect all allies if they all are at the same distance as irresponsible placements can wind up dealing 20 damage to all of his allies. This can be mitigated by having a Staff user on standby on his team or allies who have means of self-sustain and healing.
He has two powerful skills, one of which is exclusive to him and the other is limited to specific heroes. Deadly Balance deals an in-combat Atk/Def -5 debuff on his foe and accelerates his special cooldown per enemy attack on him if he is at at least 50% HP or has a【Penalty】at the start of combat. This combination makes it extremely easy for him to get his special active and further increases his damage output. Open the Future takes 50% of his Def as bonus true damage, meaning that he deals 17 neutral true damage, but also he recovers 25% of the damage dealt, giving him strong self-sustain.
Distant Counter allows Líf to counterattack ranged foes, reducing the types of units who can safely engage him and Time's Pulse accelerates his special cooldown in combat if his special is at maximum charge at the start of his turn.

Counters[]

Líf needs his allies within range to reap his weapon's full effect so dealing with his allies first takes away one of his strengths. At the same time, utilizing his weapon can also hurt his teammates in more ways that one, especially when using Dazzling Staff/Wrathful Staff units who can prevent his counterattack and then stack their combo's splash damage on top of Sökkvabekkr's ally recoil. Otherwise, Líf is generally dealt with easily through high bulk Blue units like Brave Hector, Legendary Chrom, and Fallen Hardin. Unless he runs Vantage, nuking mages like Ophelia can also deal with him in a single attack after their AoE damage.

Skill Inheritance[]

Inheriting Reposition is basically all Líf needs to succeed as it can pull an ally out of lethal danger and still keep them in the range to reap Sökkvabekkr's effects. Otherwise Líf's starting kit is perfectly tailored to make the most of his effects and any sort of changes are up to the player depending on what they wish to accomplish as his stat spread is flexible enough to be run any way they please.

Meet Some of the Heroes[]

Lethal Swordsman Líf
Lif lethal swordsman pop01 The armies of Hel surged into Askr, plunging the kingdom into mortal terror. Leading the charge and defying the Order of Heroes was Líf, General of Hel!
Lif lethal swordsman pop02 Wielding Sökkvabekkr, the sword of ruin, Líf claimed the living for the realm of the dead, his expression never changing. But why would he do such awful things?
Lif lethal swordsman pop03 He seems to have some connection to Askr. In fact, Líf was also the name of our first king, who founded the kingdom with the god-dragon Askr's blessing...
Lif lethal swordsman pop04 His face is mostly hidden by his mask, but something about him seems familiar to me. I just wish I could work out what he's really trying to achieve!
Closely Associated Characters
Hel Sovereign of Hel, the realm of the dead. Her power increases as the ranks of the dead grow. She aims for all the living to enter her realm.
Thrasir General of the realm of the dead. At her queen's command, this witch uses her powers to swell the ranks of the dead. She shares a name with the first Empress of Embla, and leads Hel's armies together with Líf.
Eir Princess of Hel, the realm of the dead. Dearly loves her mother, Hel, who rules it. She finds Hel's increasing mercilessness toward the living disquieting. Regardless, she joins Líf's attack on Askr.

Undying Ties Duo
Líf and Thrasir have come to attend the festival, brimming with love and radiant with life! ...Are they planning something?

Base Stats[]

Rarity: ✯✯✯✯✯

Heroes Líf Undying Ties Duo SpriteTitle
Undying Ties Duo
Group
Heroes Cavalry Cavalry
LevelHPAtkSpdDefRes
1
40
16/17/18
35/39/42
8/9/10
36/39/43
2/3/4
21/25/28
7/8/9
26/30/33
7/8/9
22/25/28
SkillsWeapon
FEH skill offense Þjálfi
FEH skill special Glimmer
FEH Fire Tome Tome

Skills[]

TypeNamePrerequisiteDefaultUnlocked
FEH skill offenseFlux---
Ruin---
Fenrir---
Þjálfi---
FEH skill specialNight Sky---
Glimmer---
AFEH Atk Def Push 1 Atk Def Push 1--
FEH Atk Def Push 2 Atk Def Push 2FEH Atk Def Push 1 Atk Def Push 1-
FEH Atk Def Push 3 Atk Def Push 3FEH Atk Def Push 2 Atk Def Push 2-
FEH Atk Def Push 4 Atk Def Push 4FEH Atk Def Push 3 Atk Def Push 3FEH Star Rarity 5
BFEH Lull Atk Res 1 Lull Atk Res 1--
FEH Lull Atk Res 2 Lull Atk Res 2FEH Lull Atk Res 1 Lull Atk Res 1-
FEH Lull Atk Res 3 Lull Atk Res 3FEH Lull Atk Res 2 Lull Atk Res 2FEH Star Rarity 5
CFEH Fatal Smoke 1 Fatal Smoke 1--
FEH Fatal Smoke 2 Fatal Smoke 2FEH Fatal Smoke 1 Fatal Smoke 1-
FEH Fatal Smoke 3 Fatal Smoke 3FEH Fatal Smoke 2 Fatal Smoke 2FEH Star Rarity 5

Duo Skill[]

Duo Skill Standard Effect
Deals damage to foes within 3 spaces = 10 + 50% of total damage dealt to HP of allies within 3 spaces (max damage: 40). Inflicts Atk/Spd-7 on foes within 3 spaces of unit through their next actions.

(Duo Skills can be used once per map by tapping the Duo button. Duo Skills cannot be used by units deployed using Pair Up.)

If unit is 5★ and level 40 and unit's stats total less than 190, treats unit's stats as 190 in modes like Arena. (Higher-scoring opponents will appear. Stat total calculation excludes any values added by merges and skills.)

Overall[]

Secret Book (Artwork)
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
Base Set[]

Accompanied by Thrasir, Valentines Líf is a Red Tome Cavalry Duo Hero. Those who have base form Líf will be very familiar with how he plays in this alternative form as he share the same strengths. His Atk is high at neutral 39 and has a modest mixed bulk scoring 69 for physical and 64 magical. His Spd is decently low, but his kit shores up this issue in terms of his offense, but it does leave him vulnerable to receiving follow-up attacks. Valentines Líf may not seem quite as powerful, but their kit plus the power of their Duo skill can put surprisingly high amount of work into demolishing foes.
His unique tome Þjálfi has the same effect as Sökkvabekkr as well as a flat Atk+3 boost on top of its 14 Mt. If Valentines Líf is within three spaces of an ally, he gains a massive Atk/Spd/Def/Res+4 boost and is guaranteed a follow-up attack. This allows him to gain exceptional power and can destroy units who are unprepared under its activation condition. However, in exchange for this boost the closest ally within three spaces takes 20 non-lethal damage as recoil if he attacks. If multiple allies are at the same distance, it will inflict this on all of them. The recoil can be dangerous as for some Heroes, this can be over half of their health. However some players can take advantage of this recoil to put certain units within the damage thresholds for some of their skills.
Valentines Líf Duo skill deals damage to foes within three spaces of him equal to 50% of the total sum of damage currently dealt to Líf's allies +10 (maximizing at 40 non-lethal damage). Not only does this mean that his recoil becomes even more devastating when used as fuel for this effect, but he also inflicts a further Atk/Spd-7 debuff on foes within three spaces. Depending on the situation, Valentines Líf can lay waste to his foes simply clean up the mess.
Glimmer boost his damage dealt by 50% and through a mixture of Þjálfi's buff and any subsequent buffs he can receive from his allies, Valentines Líf can deal incredible damage. Atk/Def Push 4 grants him an Atk/Def+7 buff if he initiates combat with at least 25% of his maximum health for added power and physical bulk. While he does take 5 non-lethal damage as recoil, he can easily get an ally to help him recover and maintain the effect. Lull Attack Resistance inflicts an Atk/Res-3 debuff on is foe during combat and neutralizes any current buff to those stats. Finally, Fatal Smoke is a skill introduced by Valentines Líf which prevents the foe from healing during or after combat through skills like Sol. In addition, the foe is inflicted by a new debuff【Deep Wounds】which prevents healing onto that unit until their next action from skills like Renewal or healings from Staff units.

Counters[]

Despite the raw damage output that Valentines Líf can put out, in the hands of the enemy AI, he can inadvertently be used to soften up his allies. Given his Cavalry movement range, he can also inadvertently put himself out of range of Þjálfi's activation requirements, thus losing out not only on his stat buffs, but his follow-up attacks. Aside from AI manipulation, Valentines Líf suffers from a weakness to cavalry effective weapons, most notably from Micaiah who has the color advantage and high magical bulk to check him. His low Spd and inability to counterattack from close range also leaves him vulnerable to units who can close in on him at melee range, especially some notable blue units such as Dimitri and his various forms, Brave Hector, and female Kris. Guinivere also makes for a good check as she has the color advantage and deals effective damage because he is a tome unit.

Skill Inheritance[]

His only empty skill slot is his Assist skill so Reposition is a solid choice to fill it for its utility. The rest of his base kit skills are generally his best options, though he can make some concessions on which skills can be replaced such as his Skill A with Death Blow to enhance his player phase offense or Close Foil to give him a certain degree of defense for the enemy phase. Cavalry skills can also be considered to give his cavalry allies a boost when on such a team.

Meet Some of the Heroes[]

Undying Ties Duo Líf
Lif undying love duo pop01 Líf and Thrasir, Generals of Hel, have arrived at the Day of Devotion celebrations! Did you know that they have the same names as the first king of Askr and the first emperor of Embla?
Lif undying love duo pop02 The two are wearing special festival outfits that are a little brighter than their usual gloomy looks. The difference is quite striking, and I mean that in an entirely positive way!
Lif undying love duo pop03 While they're wearing lighter attire than usual, it looks like they're being particularly careful about keeping their faces hidden... I wonder why that is?
Lif undying love duo pop04 By the way, do you think those flowers they're carrying are gifts for each other? This must be a rare occasion for them, so I hope they enjoy the celebrations!
Closely Associated Characters
Alfonse A prince of Askr and member of the Order of Heroes. Kind and serious, and eager to maintain peace.
Veronica Imperial princess of the Emblian Empire. She is seeking the whereabouts of her missing beloved brother, Bruno.

Arcane Blade
Swordsman of the realm of the dead, now wielding a weapon imbued with magic, having made a contract with the god Thórr.

Base Stats[]

Rarity: ✯✯✯✯✯

Líf Arcane Blade Heroes spriteTitle
Arcane Blade
Group
Heroes Cavalry Cavalry
LevelHPAtkSpdDefRes
1
40
18/19/20
37/41/44
12/13/14
40/43/47
6/7/8
25/29/32
7/8/9
37/41/44
3/4/5
22/26/29
SkillsWeapon
FEH skill offense Arcane Éljúðnir
FEH skill special Glowing Ember
FEH Sword Sword

Skills[]

TypeNamePrerequisiteDefaultUnlocked
FEH skill offenseIron Sword---
Steel Sword---
Silver Sword---
Arcane Éljúðnir---
FEH skill specialGlowing Ember---
Bonfire---
Open the Future--FEH Star Rarity 5
AFEH Atk Def Clash 1 Atk Def Clash 1--
FEH Atk Def Clash 2 Atk Def Clash 2FEH Atk Def Clash 1 Atk Def Clash 1-
FEH Atk Def Clash 3 Atk Def Clash 3FEH Atk Def Clash 2 Atk Def Clash 2-
FEH Atk Def Clash 4 Atk Def Clash 4FEH Atk Def Clash 3 Atk Def Clash 3FEH Star Rarity 5
BFEH Deadly Balance Deadly Balance-FEH Star Rarity 5
CFEH Threaten Def 1 Threaten Def 1--
FEH Threat Atk Def 1 Threat Atk Def 1FEH Threaten Def 1 Threaten Def 1-
FEH Threat Atk Def 2 Threat Atk Def 2FEH Threat Atk Def 1 Threat Atk Def 1-
FEH Atk Def Menace Atk Def MenaceFEH Threat Atk Def 2 Threat Atk Def 2FEH Star Rarity 5

Overall[]

Secret Book (Artwork)
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
Base Set[]
Counters[]
Skill Inheritance[]

Meet Some of the Heroes[]

Arcane Blade Líf
Lif arcane blade pop01 Líf is a warrior who was sent to attack Askr as a minion of Hel, ruler of the realm of the dead. But his true identity...was another Alfonse from a different world, brought back from the dead!
Lif arcane blade pop02 After Hel was defeated, Líf was freed from the realm of the dead's influence. However, when Ganglöt claimed power over the realm in Hel's absence, she charged Líf with a mission of her own.
Lif arcane blade pop03 He was ordered to kill Eir, who was living a new life as a member of the Order of Heroes. Once again under the realm of the dead's control, Líf was powerless to refuse.
Lif arcane blade pop04 At the end of our last fateful battle, Líf asked us to ensure a happier future for the Askr we lived in... I wish we didn't have to fight each other again!
Closely Associated Characters
Ganglöt A former servant of Hel. After Hel was vanquished, she became her successor. Uses Líf in an attempt to kill Eir.
Hel Sovereign of Hel, the realm of the dead. Her power increases as the ranks of the dead grow. She aims for all the living to enter her realm. Raised Líf from the dead to serve her.
Eir Princess of Hel, the realm of the dead. Dearly loves her mother, Hel, who rules it. She finds Hel's increasing mercilessness toward the living disquieting. Ganglöt sends Líf to kill her.

Quotes[]

Líf/Heroes Quotes

Non-Canon Appearances[]

Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)[]

Líf is illustrated in the trading card game Fire Emblem Cipher with the following cards:

Choose Your Legends Placement History[]

Round Placement Character Version Votes

CYL1 - CYL2 N/A
CYL3 16 CYL Líf Portrait
Heroes
11,876
CYL4 30
↓14
CYL Líf Portrait
Heroes
5,771
↓6,105
CYL5 62
↓32
CYL Líf Portrait
Heroes
1,613
↓4,158
CYL6 81
↓19
CYL Líf Portrait
Heroes
1,222
↓389
CYL7 77
↑4
CYL Líf Portrait
Heroes
812
↓410

CYL8 117
↓40
CYL Líf Portrait
Heroes
619
↓193

Etymology[]

Líf is Old Norse for "life" and "life of the body". According to Norse folklore, Líf is the name of the last woman who survives the events of Ragnarok and is to repopulate the world with her husband Lífþrasir. Notably, Líf and Thrasir's genders are reversed from their mythical counterparts.

Trivia[]

  • Líf's artwork shows him wielding Sökkvabekkr.
  • Líf shares his English voice actor, Edward Bosco, with Gustav, Luke, Klein, and Veld.
  • According to the Fire Emblem Heroes Character Illustrations Vol. 1 book, Líf stands at 199cm (or about 6'6).

Gallery[]

See main article: Líf/Gallery.
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