The group hadn't exactly got livelier with the addition of the crusader, but Seonghwa found their newfound companion a pleasant presence. He talked little and spent his day watching Hongjoong warily, but he never lost their pace and went hunting by himself to return with nuts and berries when they camped. Seonghwa dedicated all his attention to the man, thanking him for his service and praising his efforts to equal the rest.

Seonghwa's muscle strength deteriorated with his illness. Picking up larger sticks made his head spin and, more often than not, he rubbed his chest to ease his pain. Yunho took his work off him wordlessly and bustled around camp to gather wood and accompany Hongjoong to his hunts for poor animals that Seonghwa wanted to pet and coo over. Seonghwa stayed at the campfire and cooked their meals, his body hunched to save all the warmth he could provide to the fouling muscle in his rib cage.

Dread caught up with him every day. Whenever he spent a moment alone, he wondered how much time he had left. Would the end hurt? Would he just become so weak he couldn't stand up anymore one day? Or would he cough blood as his heart rotted away?

One scenario was more frightful than the next, so Seonghwa was thankful for the ongoing company of the crusader. Their shared awkwardness as Seonghwa tried to make the knight more comfortable offered a distraction. Occasionally, his bashful giggles pulled little smiles from the knight's plush lips. They made it worth Seonghwa's struggle.

He knew nothing about the crusader, but Seonghwa adored his entire party so much. Even Hongjoong, with his horrific character traits and appalling appearance, played his role that Seonghwa got used to after the days on the road.

Whenever he and the crusader were alone, Seonghwa entertained him with mindless stories. He wisely steered around the topic of religion and hoped his mere existence as a priest wouldn't bother the mute man.

"My father taught me to squash these berries and use them as jam to eat on bread. It isn't super sweet, but the taste spreads out evenly like that." Seonghwa showed the knight how to ground them into a paste using mortar and pestle. When he scooped a drop onto the bread to offer it to the man, war-hardened hands full of callouses plucked it from Seonghwa's fingers with great care.

Seonghwa leaned his head on his hand as he watched with joy how the man tried it. His round eyes widened and a hesitant smile spread across his lips. Affectionate, Seonghwa prepared more.

"I can imagine they don't feed you many sweet things in the army. Enjoy as much of it as you'd like."

While the crusader happily munched away, Seonghwa rambled about his favourite recipes he knew from home. The baker lady had created wonderful pastries with chestnuts in them that melted on Seonghwa's tongue every autumn. Leila's mother brought rice-filled dough packets with meat and vegetable mixed in for special occasions. Though the cheese and milk from their own cows tasted most like home to Seonghwa.

Seonghwa sometimes couldn't tell if the crusader listened to him or if he rambled into the void, but the scant reactions he got were enough to keep him going. His mind had never led him to places as dark as the crusader had visited, but he liked to think that a spark of liveliness soothed that terror.

When Yunho and Hongjoong returned, Hongjoong's arms were loaded with firewood and Yunho carried a bunch of rabbits and a pheasant that were killed with more kindness than Hongjoong liked to display. The sickening pleasure he got out of cruelty always made Seonghwa lose his appetite.

At the sight of Seonghwa and the crusader at the fireplace, Yunho's face lit up.

"Looks cosy here," he commented as he came over to try Seonghwa's berry jam. Seonghwa fed him a piece of bread with a giggle when one of his fingers caught onto Yunho's lips. Yunho smacked an exaggerated kiss onto it before he complimented Seonghwa's berry idea.

"It became somewhat homey," Seonghwa agreed as he regarded their furs laid out around the campfire. The light fended off any curious animals and potential robbers thought twice before attacking such a large group that featured not only a crusader but also a full-fledged gargoyle.

"We'll arrive in Lewes tomorrow. As comfortable as this is, I can't wait to sleep in a proper bed again." When Yunho stretched, the hem of his shirt rode up to expose the lines of his stomach. Seonghwa politely averted his gaze. Hongjoong dumped the armful of wood on the ground next to him. He didn't bother stacking it up, just dusting his hand off of moss and wet bark pieces.

"I agree; we deserve that." Seonghwa reached to pile the wood together neatly. When Hongjoong lingered at his side, he lifted his questioning gaze to the gargoyle. He caught Hongjoong's eyes flicking from the crusader back to him. They were still overcast with displeasure, and Seonghwa gulped at their hellish burn.

"A word?"

It took the priest a moment to understand he was meant. Once the words registered in his brain, he thrust the mortar into the crusader's hands and scrambled to his feet. He smiled reassuringly at Yunho when he passed the frowning man. Perie clawed at his arm and batted her wings, which were so much bigger than her slender body. She garnered distracted pets while Yunho watched over the two wandering off.

Hongjoong took Seonghwa far enough into the forest that he lost all ability to see. He tripped over loose branches and roots in the earth and missed the trees to balance himself on. The memory of the time Hongjoong had lured him away last time appeared fresh in Seonghwa's mind. He prayed Hongjoong had no chance to kill a man this time.

Once they were out of earshot of the other two and Seonghwa would have trouble finding the way back by himself, Hongjoong turned on his heel. In the dark, only his eyes shone like signal fires.

With a minor tumble, Seonghwa leaned against a tree. The cold bark supported his back as his eyes adjusted to the shape of Hongjoong's horns in the dark.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Your newest pet, obviously. Get rid of him. Yunho brings enough trouble already and I don't need two dead men dragging behind me." His wings rustled and Seonghwa didn't need to see him to know he had crossed his arms.

"Does it bother you to have two faithful men around? Yunho did nothing bad, he is great at this. He knows all the mushrooms and ways to read nature by a tree's bark alone." Stubborn, Seonghwa shook his head. He liked his companions, and they eased the strain Hongjoong put on Seonghwa every day. While his friendship with them might appear selfish, he genuinely liked the group better than just their duo.

"This is a journey to save your life, not some holiday trip. Need I remind you how dire your situation is?"

A clawed hand stretched out in the dark. It pressed against Seonghwa's chest before he could stop it, but it didn't seem to halt on his skin. Hongjoong's magic seeped into his flesh to connect with his suffering heart. Hot pain flashed white in front of Seonghwa's eyes and he staggered. The demon's claw kept him crowded against the tree as Seonghwa's ribcage fluttered in fear. Every breath hurt and he didn't dare more than shallow gasps that had Hongjoong's claws digging into his skin.

When the hand disappeared, Seonghwa fell. A shoulder caught him and he found himself trapped between Hongjoong's body and the tree. His head spun as he leaned it back against it. The darkness in front of his eyes didn't come from the night.

"It's as I thought. Your time is running out and you spend it goofing around with two criminals."

Seonghwa gasped in a breath. His hands clutched at Hongjoong's shoulders. Their feeble force attempted to push the demon away even when Seonghwa knew he would collapse the second Hongjoong parted from him.

Whenever Hongjoong and he talked, the pain in Seonghwa's heart doubled. He knew Hongjoong enjoyed it. Knew the man was smug to see him suffer just to question the will of the Lord.

"Your disgraceful assumptions-" Seonghwa panted. He relearned how to breathe as if it were his first day.

"I know more than you, lamb. You believe blindly, that is your one competence. I keep telling you that your innocence will be your downfall."

Feeling mean, Seonghwa dug his fingernails into Hongjoong's shoulders, but their blunt corners did nothing to the demon.

"They don't slow us down," Seonghwa argued as his senses returned to him. His embarrassment and disdain for being so close to Hongjoong overpowered his pain with heat.

"They distract you from the matter at hand. And you don't know what they are scheming."

"Says you."

"I, of all people, would know." Hongjoong's fangs flashed in the dim moonlight from above. His wings loomed over their secluded corner as if they were lovers who had sneaked away for a nightly rendezvous. They woke terror in Seonghwa as he felt as if they consumed him and drunk up his soul.

"I appreciate having people to look out for. I don't want to spend my last weeks in dread of what is coming. If we fail, I want to be happy with the last days I spent. Yunho is fun, even to you, and we can do good helping the crusader."

"Your doing good is renewing the shackles that burnt him once. Can't you accept there is happiness outside of your god?" Hongjoong's agitated breath brushed Seonghwa's cheek. The moon stood behind his horns and threw eerie shadows over Seonghwa's features. Danger poured from Hongjoong in waves as if this was finally the last day Seonghwa lived before he got eaten.

As his sight cleared, and the pain subsided, Seonghwa shook his head.

"To some of us, He saves our lives. If He is what made the crusader live before all this, He can become the same once more. Faith solves us from our darkest moments, so please, leave him the time to return to it." Seonghwa ended in a surprised whimper when Hongjoong pressed closer. Their chests aligned and Seonghwa's crumpled body put them at the same height. Blazing amber eyes bore into his.

"He lost his faith. Whatever happened to him disappointed his trust in your god and led him to attempt his life. Can't you respect some are broken beyond repair? Can't a man fulfil his last wish? He wouldn't have ended up in that tree had it been a light-hearted decision!" Hongjoong roared. The sight of his fangs up close had Seonghwa flinch and his hands shoved at the demon harder.

"His life still has worth that he might not know of currently. Once he knows he can be forgiven, he can build it anew. The one to give that forgiveness is Him."

Hongjoong snarled into his face. His chest vibrated with the echo of his growl and his claw dug into the tree behind Seonghwa until splinters of bark broke off. His rage was terrifying, but Seonghwa had nowhere to go.

"You're selfish," Hongjoong spat. "You claim to accept all when truly you seek to convince everyone of your belief. Even the worst of criminals who think of a hundred ways to kill you in a night."

"Nobody attacked me, did they?" Seonghwa said between clenched teeth. "You can destroy me easier when we are alone, but I wish to make friends with them. If they find better ways in life - no matter what they are - I'm pleased."

Hongjoong stared at him full of hate. His breath on Seonghwa's lips numbed him, petrified him in fear of getting his face ripped off his skull. He wanted to squirm his way out of his prison, but he was afraid of pressing any closer to Hongjoong's body.

"This is not worth repeating me over. I can't keep you from collecting garbage off the streets. You will rot either way, whether or not your so-called friends kill you. I'm beginning to think you deserved that curse."

With that, Hongjoong stepped back. He disappeared into the forest seamlessly, but the glow of his eyes shone in the dark for a while longer as he watched Seonghwa during his retreat.

The priest sunk to the forest floor on soft knees. His heart pounded in his chest and he felt he had dodged death's blade narrowly once more. Wherever Hongjoong had touched him, Seonghwa's skin itched.

As Seonghwa stumbled through the forest on his way back to the camp, he scratched at his arms and neck. Hongjoong's heat lingered like a disease. Once the morning dawned, Seonghwa would wash it off in the river and hope his heart calmed.