Seonghwa spent his morning grumbling. He awoke to a mental reminder of Hongjoong's shadow looming over him and his breath brushing Seonghwa's chin and his mood lowered on the spot. His disgust with the demon caused random shudders to run down his spine every so often and he had washed twice and said one prayer more than usual to rid himself of the crawling sensation.

The terror Hongjoong symbolised sat deep in Seonghwa's bones. He regarded the eyes following him through his dreams as nightmarish and as he swung his lethargic legs from the bed in the morning; he wondered whether the demon's presence wore him out more than his illness did.

A migraine throbbed behind Seonghwa's lids by the time he made his way downstairs for breakfast. Yunho was there and chatted up a maid while his fingers snuck food for Perie under the table. When he spotted Seonghwa on the stairs, he grinned broadly and lifted a hand to wave the priest over. Fond of his good mood, Seonghwa heeded the call.

The maid took off with Seonghwa's order for food once he sat next to Yunho. The tall man scooted aside to make space on the wooden bench for him and took Perie in the bag to rest on his lap. Leathery wings peeked from the rim of the pouch.

"How have you slept, Father? You must have been exhausted from your journey."

Seonghwa smiled at him.

"I rested well, though I am afraid my brief trip from Cardend to Eastshallow isn't what marred my features with fatigue."

Yunho's lips curved downward. His serious expression looked mild, though foreign, since his face was so used to smiling.

"Is it your illness?"

Seonghwa nodded cumbersomely. He felt it eating away at his sanity even now. Yesterday, he forgot about it momentarily after visiting the local church and enjoying conversation with Yunho, but now the dread had returned.

"Hongjoong and I will continue our journey after breakfast, for haste is required. I am sorry that I can't linger. The story of your hometown enraptured me. I would have liked to hear more."

Yunho cooed at him. His pity drew his brows together, but he soothed Seonghwa with a smile.

"Worry not about me, Father. I would like to see you back in full health, so we can share our tales without haste. By any chance, which way do you travel?"

"We seek to find information west, so we will be on the road toward Briar Glen." When Seonghwa's food arrived, he dug in while Yunho pensively rubbed his chin. His other hand caressed Perie.

"I had planned to stay longer in Eastshallow and try every mead in the vicinity, but I might pick up my journey early. I also pursue visiting the capital and exploring there. Perhaps I could join you on the way and we talk there?"

Seonghwa's eyes widened. He had considered no one but him and Hongjoong to travel together, but Yunho's offer was tempting. The good-natured man with the pleasant attitude charmed Seonghwa. Whatever experience Yunho made on his prior travels, they might come in handy, since neither Hongjoong nor Seonghwa knew their way around.

They broke out into matching grins at the same time.

"I love that idea. If you see fit, you and Perie are welcome to join us."

"I can smell adventure three miles into the wind. If I can do anything to help you get healthy, I shall. A kind man like you deserves no sickness." Yunho clicked their cups together in a toast before he downed his drink.

Gleeful about their fresh addition, Seonghwa finished breakfast with Yunho by his side. The man told him bits about the south, but Seonghwa had yet to connect the many little tales to a succinct line.

Once breakfast was over, they gathered food for provisions and left the tavern. The skies were overcast today and dark clouds in the distance announced the impending rain. When Hongjoong came from the roof with a flap of his wings, his shadow fell over Seonghwa as a scary reminder of last night.

He shuddered.

Yunho looked thrilled to see the gargoyle, even when he got nothing but a sneer in return. While Hongjoong crossed his arms over his bare chest, Seonghwa motioned to their new companion.

"Yunho asked to join groups on our way west. He will accompany us until Briar Glen. Is that fine by you?"

With critical eyes, Hongjoong regarded the adventurer. Yunho stood with a casual hand on the strap of his bag and his radiant smile on display, looking like one blessed with a peculiar shine. In Seonghwa's eyes, he looked angelic, like one of the choir boys who accompanied the occasional priest visiting the chapel of Cardend. He couldn't fathom Hongjoong's criticism.

"Not as if he can lower the bar much further. I hope you made him aware of what we are dealing with. This is no festivity."

If Yunho was put off by the grave drawl of Hongjoong's voice, he didn't show it. With all the patience that Seonghwa had shared before Hongjoong killed a man, he beamed back.

"I am never one to regard adventures light-heartedly, friend. You are a mighty being, I can see that much, but I merely seek to support our lovely priest here."

"You're a believer?" Hongjoong started walking and the other two followed as they made their way out of the city. They left the bustling townsfolk to their daily business, as none of them knew of the festering secret in Seonghwa's heart. Full of fondness, he memorised the place between the two rivers. He didn't fear never returning, but he would like to come back in full health and dedicate as much time to the people and sights of Eastshallow as it deserved.

"I believe in my luck and skill; they are the ones I rely on when things get gritty. Though I wouldn't blame anyone for believing in a higher power. Some things are just inexplicable otherwise." Yunho shot Seonghwa a wink. He waited until they had passed a group of guards in their rattling chain mail before he reached into his backpack. Perie clung to his hand once he retreated it and stretched her wings in relief at the fresh air.

Cooing, Yunho sent her up into the skies to enjoy her freedom.

At the watermill, a group of kids waved at Seonghwa. He smiled back at them and wished them a blessed day before he caught up with his moody demon. Compared to Seonghwa's calming presence, the demon garnered suspicious glances all around.

Yunho was a neutral middle between the two. Seonghwa doubted anyone could befriend Hongjoong, but at least the gargoyle scowled at Yunho less often than at Seonghwa.

"That's a good mindset."

"Still, I regard human lives with a certain worth and deem them wasted if I do nothing to relieve their suffering. How did your unfortunate ailment burden you, Father? Have you angered the Lord?"

Seonghwa looked at his shoes. He had found no answer to that still. Hell's creatures were vile and cunning, they knew to avoid the eyes of the Lord. Hongjoong should have been a ray of hope, but instead of faith, he sowed doubt and fear.

"He's a fool. Naiveté is his undoing. As you might be able to guess."

With a scowl, Seonghwa reprimanded Hongjoong for seeking offence again. The demon smirked at Yunho in a way Seonghwa didn't understand, but the southerner remained unperturbed. Honeycomb in hand, he nibbled on the first snack of the day.

"Be kind to him. Indeed, I was light-hearted about my security. All my life I have never been attacked by a creature in the confinements of the church and on sacred ground. A White Lady came and cursed me for not obeying her orders and here I am, suffering my ignorance. Usually, priests can banish such creatures."

Seonghwa searched the surrounding fields as if reminded he should be on the lookout for them. Chantry members were their preferred prey for the same reasons Hongjoong had addressed last night. Corruption and sin tasted twice as sweet on them.

He was sure Hongjoong would alert him of any evildoers, but Seonghwa could never be so sure. From all he knew, Hongjoong was the prime contender for that position.

"I'm sorry to hear that; it must have been horrifying."

For a moment, the overwhelming need to break down into Yunho's arms and share all of his distress overcame Seonghwa. Before he could tear up, he gulped around the knot in his throat. Flickering eyes found the road under their feet.

"Thank you. It truly was."

Yunho didn't touch him, but Seonghwa felt as if patted by a soothing hand. Sweet and understanding, like the villagers at home had been, Yunho became a precious person to Seonghwa.

"Hongjoong came to my aid and thus we began our journey. Little time has passed and I have yet to get worse, but we are in a hurry," Seonghwa wrapped up. He didn't want to dawdle with the thoughts of dying and never returning home to his people. The Lord knew what he was doing. If he saw Seonghwa try his best, he would save him.

"But enough about me. Just know that my sickness isn't of natural origin and its cure isn't either. What about you? Have the crusades taken much from you?"

Yunho levered his head toward the skies as he pondered it. Above them, Perie blended with the birds until she snatched smaller ones ever so subtly to eat them in a rain of feathers. Not even the bleak grey of the skies could dull Yunho's sparkle.

"My brother joined the crusaders at a young age, stepping into my father's footsteps. Mother was heartbroken to see him go, even if she spoke with pride about him. We moved when our village became a fighting ground. Mother went to the city to visit her family there, but I grew bored with such a life. I snuck out at night, never told her I left, and by the next day, I was on my way across the ocean to make a living with my adventures."

Stunned, Seonghwa pushed his hair back. The wind carried it into his face as if running through it with invisible fingers.

"Did you ever tell her where you went?"

With a dismissive shrug, Yunho finished his honeycomb. He licked his sticky fingers clean and wiped them on his tunic for good measure.

"She would know I am doing fine; I always fared well by myself. Rather than for my return, she awaits to see my brother. My path wasn't lonely. I met many new faces during my travels and acquired skills I never fathomed mastering. Now I even know a gargoyle and a priest voyaging together. The world is vast." When Yunho beckoned around to show what he meant, Perie descended from the skies to find a seat on his shoulder. He carried a leather harness wrapped around half of his body so her claws wouldn't dig into his skin, and she knew which shoulder to land on. A stray feather tumbled to the ground.

"Did you learn a lot?"

"So much. I met werewolves and other creatures touched by magic, just like your friend is. I narrowly escaped murderous bandits, haggled prices for my life more times than once, and I met Perie. She was in an egg I stumbled upon per coincidence, thinking it was to eat. Imagine my surprise when a wyvern crawled out of it." Chuckling, he caressed her jaw. With a chirping curr, she leaned into the touch, wings fluttering.

"No wonder you trust your luck and your skill! All of those scenarios need a lot of it." With gleaming eyes, Seonghwa hung to his every word. Yunho had travelled the world and explored so many of its corners. Compared to Seonghwa, his wisdom was that of a a knowledgeable old man. And yet he was so young.

"Life can be scary, but I find indulgence in its surprises. Whenever I join groups for some fun, I never regret it."

"I'm glad you joined us, then. We can need someone like you. And Perie, of course."

When she made a sound that could be affirmation, pride swelled in Seonghwa's chest. Wyverns were animals over being creatures tainted by evil, and he was proud to have one that would be so mighty one day at his side.

Yunho smiled easily.

"Our story will be one of many I can tell in camp later at the fireplace to enchant other travellers. I know it's not the way of a priest to journey without purpose, but I hope I can sweeten this trip for you. And smoothen it, so you may make it to your cure in time. Do you wish to hear of the sick pirate I met at the southern sea who thought a tea made of a mermaid's tail could cure all ailments? How wrong he was."

"His narrative probably didn't end well," Seonghwa grimaced, and Yunho snickered with a hand in front of his lips.

"On the contrary, he became a well-liked statue at the bottom of the sea. Let me tell it to you as we walk."

Time passed painlessly around Yunho. No matter Hongjoong's scowls behind the two, Yunho made a refreshing addition to their group.