Pray for the Wicked | ATEEZ

20.

The seven other demons were flanking us by the time we made it into Illenium, slowing down into a trot as the horses' hooves clicked with every step across the cobbled roads beneath us, white-roofed houses built from stones in the same colour springing up around us, growing taller and taller as chapels and towers and archways followed.

The burning sun overhead and the hundreds of gilded torches secured to the facades, carrying fires which danced and flickered as we passed them, made it seem as if the city itself was made of light.

I noticed the stares as soon as we crossed the first bridge, trying to brush off the many looks that people were sending us as I diverted my attention to the river below; the clear water glistening and gleaming as the surface broke in gentle waves.

At the same time, I once again became awfully aware of Hongjoong's hand which was still wrapped around my waist, his fingers digging slightly into my side.

I could feel his chest pressing into my back, but it was the way he was holding me as if it was something natural, second nature, that made me flustered all of a sudden.

Finding a place for the horses turned out to be easier than expected, and as we dismounted the animals and my feet sank into the hay covering the floor of stables we had found in one of the bigger plazas, I couldn't help but smile at the looks of admiration in the stable boys' eyes as they took in the armor-clad demons.

The owner of the inn next door had promised to take good care of the horses for the duration of the day; a favor to which I was willing to pay him good money for as a token of gratitude as well as insurance that any and every sign of suspicion would be buried.

The awe in the hidden darkness of the demons' eyes was hard not to notice as I headed into the city and they trailed after me, small sounds of amazement escaping the bunch as they took in Illenium, a stark contrast to what I remembered about my night in Odeion, their home.

I let them, feeling a sense of pride flicker through me only for it to turn into relief as I spotted an alleyway which was, unlike the bigger streets of Heaven, completely empty.

I lit up at the sight, "Perfect," I mumbled, absentmindedly grabbing Hongjoong's hand as I took a sharp turn and headed in that direction, disappearing into the shade and dragging him with me as I continued, the others following.

I slowly peeked around the corner of one of the buildings, making sure that there were no angels in sight only to let out a deep breath before turning to the demons who had huddled around me in a small circle, "You can take off your helmets now."

As if on cue, all eight of them practically tore off the golden pieces of armor, revealing messy hair in a mayhem of different colours, the blond glowing like ribbons of gold in the firelight from the torches along the walls of the alley.

I took a moment to study them; looking more like angels than demons in all of their armor and gold, simply admiring them until my eyes locked with San's where they lingered for a moment longer than the others, noticing the way he instantly lit up at the attention to which I couldn't help but smile.

And then Hongjoong cleared his throat and I forgot all about the son of Satan, turning to face him as I took in his slightly flushed face only to realize that he wasn't looking at me.

He tightened his grip on my hand as he glared at San, my eyes widening at the action as I quickly let go, having forgotten all about holding it.

"Okay," I said, wanting to change the topic, knowing that we were already on borrowed time, "So what exactly does the Lunar Flame look like?"

The silence in the alleyway seemed to thicken as soon as the question left my lips, and I immediately frowned at the reaction it had caused.

"You can't be serious- I- you were the ones preaching about it all along. It's all you talked about back in Odeion and the only reason you came here in the first place. Are you meaning to tell me that you don't even have the slightest ideas as to what we're looking for?"