Too impatient to wait for the sun to creep over the horizon, Seonghwa left the room in the morning's grey. Jongho slumbered peacefully in his bed with his cheek squished against his pillow and the blanket tugged up to his chin. The priest purposefully softened his steps so he wouldn't wake him as he pulled the door shut behind him.

The inn laid silent, a crass contrast to last night when the boisterous clamour of the drunk patrons had sounded until late. Seonghwa almost wished it had kept him awake.

His nightmare sat burnt into his bones like a branding of cattle. It made him shudder with disgust and fear every few minutes. His heart hammered in his chest as he dreaded the moment he would have to look into Hongjoong's eyes again, knowing what he had dreamt about. Each beat was accompanied by a painful ache and they were worse than usual. As if his heart had cramped more into itself, the pain took his breath away. In constant resistance to it, Seonghwa ground his teeth until the tug in his jaw distracted him.

A cold wind travelled through the ghostly streets of Lewes when he stepped outside. Few vendors were out so early to set up their businesses and they huddled into their coats as the cold scent of winter came with the first frost. Since the city was so shrouded by the forest, Seonghwa spotted many more trees in orange and yellow as they swiftly lost this year's youth.

Seonghwa caught up with a man who piled fruit onto his stand. He purchased a few apples for the group and bit into one to taste its sweet juices.

"Can you tell me where to find the church, good Ser?"

The man beckoned down the street.

"Follow the road and go right once you see the duke's castle straight ahead. There's a marketplace at the bottom of the hill. You'll find the church there," he informed with a gruff voice. Seonghwa smiled.

"Thank you. Blessed be your day."

The man waved him off and Seonghwa was on his way.

Lewes was a pretty town. Its houses were old and crafted from sustainable materials that would last long into the future. Trees dotted the streets wherever they could break through the stone and fed the city with their fruit. Seonghwa picked up a few chestnuts and collected them in his pocket on his way to the church.

Chickens and pigs sounded muffled from the stables. Seonghwa heard a woman singing through a nearby window and the giggle of children who were awake early to start their lively day.

Seonghwa breathed the peace as if he needed it to live. It calmed his restless mind, eased the strain on his jaw. It couldn't soothe his heart, but it filled his lungs with freshness. He felt less tainted walking among it.

By the time Seonghwa found the church, his hand had reached for his chest subconsciously again. He rubbed his fingers over the hurting spot, hoping to appease the ache with a massage when really it served just as a distraction.

Before he entered, his eyes searched the roof. Massive towers rose from it, but between the magnificent giants of stone, he found the gargoyles. Hongjoong's brothers peered over the church, some with grimaces of mischief, others with terrifyingly dead eyes. They observed soundlessly, and they all were alive. If need be, they would wake from their slumber to protect the church and its people.

How noble they were. Spirits of protection. And yet, the core of their hearts was black as ink.

The doors of the mighty building were already open despite the early hour. Aside from Seonghwa, a few others spoke their morning prayers. Reverently, they wandered the halls.

Seonghwa drank up the sight of this church that was even bigger than the one of Eastshallow. It had two stories. Artwork and humble shrines decorated the walls along the gallery. Large, colourful windows allowed the light to fill the nave with a lofty glow.

Seonghwa took a seat on a bench and prayed. He apologised for his nightmare, wished for health, and expressed his hope that no more fights or unrest would come their way.

The reminder of Hongjoong in his dream left him bitter and shaken. It came to no surprise that Seonghwa dreamt such vulgar things of him, since the gargoyle was set on corruption. Yet, the distress it had caused him was anything but pleasant.

When his prayers finished, Seonghwa went to light a candle and offered it to Mary to wish for her blessings. He included Jongho and his hopelessness in life, Yunho and his joy that Seonghwa wished to uphold, and even Hongjoong, for there was a lot of untouched room for kindness in him.

When Seonghwa was done, he found a priest. They walked the nave together and talked in hushed voices as the unspoken fraternity between their tasks connected their bond. Seonghwa asked about the story of Lewes and this church, about the dukedom, and about the way to Briar Glen. He learned that the capital's church was the oldest among the kingdom of Alverton and that its grandeur put any other to shame. He should visit it if he found time, and Seonghwa hoped he would. Multiple times during the conversation, he almost grimaced when the pain became too much.

After the sun had risen and it was time to return and wait for Yunho, Seonghwa bid his goodbyes. Blessed by the other priest, he left the church.

Outside, he had to lean against the weathered wall for a moment. He felt faint and saw dark spots where none should be. His mind, ever so stuck on the dream and its terror, informed Seonghwa once more of the place Hongjoong had assaulted him at. Of how real his touches lingered on Seonghwa's skin.

Seonghwa exhaled and scratched at his arms. He should wash up as soon as Jongho was awake. Even after his prayers, he felt tainted.

After a moment of rest, he picked up his wandering. Lewes awoke progressively, like a cat stretching after its slumber, and its crowds filled the streets. Their number made it difficult to dodge them and Seonghwa stumbled more times than necessary as he avoided their rushing shoulders. His feet dragged over the ground as his mind hummed like a beehive with pictures of Hongjoong on him, above him. Amber eyes scorched his soul. Black wings engulfed his writhing body.

Seonghwa didn't notice he passed out until he regained his senses. For a blissful moment, there had been peace and no pain. Then, the aghast voices of multiple people hammered on his overwhelmed brain.

"Father, are you alright?"

"Someone call a healer!"

"Can you stand?"

Hands kept Seonghwa up under his arms. They tugged on his sluggish body, helped him rise, but he stumbled again, his vision black. His head lolled, unable to keep up its weight.

His chest hurt so much.

Voices faded in and out. The chilly ground touched his back, soothed his scorching skin. Amber eyes bore into him from below as heat consumed his body to drag it to fiery pits.

A familiar voice stood out between the blurred droning of the others.

"I know him! Let me through!"

Then a gentle hand patted Seonghwa's cheek. His lids fluttered, finding silhouettes moving behind a bright backdrop. When clarity came, he found Yunho's worried face framed by messy blond hair hovering above him.

A relieved smile spread across the man's lips.

"Thank God, you're alive. Come here." He drew Seonghwa's arm around his shoulder and hauled him to his feet. When Seonghwa swayed, a second arm supported his waist. A polite touch. Nothing seeking, testing, robbing.

Yunho smiled at the crowd of disturbed people that surrounded them. Fluttering eyes showed Seonghwa only their feet.

"Thank you for your help. I will bring him back, we have a healer waiting for him."

They wished him good luck but looked after the pair with consideration as Yunho lugged Seonghwa off. His feet towed behind, but he got some stumbling steps in.

"It's getting worse. You look as if you didn't sleep a wink. What were you doing?"

Seonghwa used all his willpower to walk. His sight cleared, but a hazy film fogged up his brain.

"Nightmare," he whispered. His hate for Hongjoong seared him and brought him back down to earth. He was lucky Yunho had been the one to find him.

"Let's stay another night in Lewes. You need rest," Yunho suggested as he lifted Seonghwa over the doorstep to the inn. When the owner threw them a bewildered gaze, Yunho beamed at her. Slowly, he lugged Seonghwa up the stairs step by step.

"I won't get any better. If we wait for me to regain my strength, we only waste precious time."

If Hongjoong didn't plague him with unrest, Seonghwa would have more energy.

Yunho threw the door to their room open. Jongho startled where he sat at the desk but came to their aid when he received the situation. They pressed Seonghwa onto his bed and helped him lie down with persistent conviction. Like a child, he let himself be swaddled in blankets and his pillow adjusted. Yunho released the bag with apples and chestnuts from him and set it on the ground.

"I'll ask the owner for the healthiest meal they have here. You rest until you ate. I will find Hongjoong and discuss how we continue from now on. Perhaps a cart." Muttering to himself, Yunho scurried out of the room. Jongho stayed behind to look after him with big eyes. Then he tugged the blanket tighter around Seonghwa.

The priest giggled weakly.

"Thank you. I fainted outside when I went to visit the church but I can still walk. He's being dramatic."

Jongho's gaze dropped to the part of Seonghwa's chest that held his heart. It throbbed as if in response, and Seonghwa smiled through the pain.

"I'll be fine. I still have time. If it were over so soon, I would feel it."

Jongho knelt by his side to pay him company. He was visibly shaken at seeing Seonghwa so battered. Like a watchful dog, he waited for Yunho to return.

When their local adventurer came back, he had Hongjoong and the promised food with him. The gargoyle looked apprehensive, but not as bothered to be disrupted in his brooding as Seonghwa had expected. While Jongho helped Seonghwa sit up and handed his clammy hands a spoon to eat his stew, the demon leaned against the corner of Jongho's bed with folded wings. Seonghwa avoided his gaze since he feared what it would do to him.

"So, you collapsed."

"Don't be too worried about me. Yunho took care of me," Seonghwa bit back. The words were bitter around his delicious stew, but they matched Hongjoong's arrogant grin.

"Whatever is the reason for weakening so fast? You look like death earlier than I expected."

Seonghwa glared at him, but Hongjoong's wicked smirk broadened.

"Nightmares?"

Seonghwa's spoon froze mid-air. Stew dropped from it and splashed into his bowl.

The same amber eyes. In them shone their sadistic sense of humour, but it was accompanied by something else. An all-consuming hunger, the same expression that Seonghwa had seen on him in his dream.

He knew. He knew and the realisation that this had been his purpose made hot ire flare in Seonghwa's chest.

"That's none of your business," Seonghwa gritted. The spoon clanked against his teeth when he roughly shoved it into his mouth. Yunho winced.

"We need to improve the quality of your sleep and make sure our pace doesn't push you too much. I considered renting a cart?" Hopeful of civil conversation, Yunho looked between them.

Hongjoong shook his head, thankfully distracted, while Seonghwa ate so angrily that Jongho worriedly tapped his leg.

"We won't make it far. Beyond the bridge are the Wool Mountains, and those can't be crossed with a cart. We need to walk. Perhaps we can get horses in Briar Glen and find the witch faster."

"Speaking of. Do we know anything about her yet?"

Seonghwa lifted his head, just as curious. Hongjoong gave a slow nod.

"I don't have details, but the spirits of the area told me they live by the Sinking Forest. The bridge in the south is broken, so we will have to go the northern route, but it comes in our favour concerning the horses and more information. The people of the glen must know how to deal with her."

"For her services will have a price," Seonghwa guessed. Hongjoong didn't need to reply to acknowledge that.

Silence engulfed them. With a sigh, Seonghwa continued his meal.

"We will figure it out along the way. Let's depart after I finished this. So long as I have any might to walk, I want to cross the mountains."

They agreed in alleviation, but their frowns remained etched on their faces.