"O Lord, give us, we beseech Thee, in the name of Jesus Christ Thy Son our God, that love which can never cease, that will kindle our lamps but not extinguish them, that they may burn in us and enlighten others. Do Thou, O Christ, our dearest Saviour, Thyself kindle our lamps, that they may evermore shine in Thy temple, that they may receive unquenchable light from Thee that will enlighten our darkness, and lessen the darkness of the world. Lord Jesus, we pray Thee give Thy light to our lamps, that in its light the most holy place may be revealed to us in which Thou dwellest as the Eternal Priest, that we may always behold Thee, desire Thee, look upon Thee in love, and long after Thee, for Thy sake. Amen."

The cart was ready. All bags were packed and safely stored under the two benches. The fire was stomped to the ground, the embers cold. Well-fed and with its ears flicking in interest, the donkey jingled its reigns.

The group hadn't climbed onto the wagon yet. They had assembled around it with a lingering hesitation, waiting for the call to depart. Wooyoung was ready to lead them to the sinking forest. Jongho polished his sword. San tinkered with his difficult lock.

Seonghwa paced left and right, restless. The dice had fallen onto their map long ago, leading them to their new destination. He had made up his mind and had been praying for a safe journey ever since.

If they didn't leave soon, the sun would pass the horizon.

Seonghwa dropped his hand when he caught himself gnawing on his nails again. His eyes found Wooyoung.

"I will say my goodbyes to Hongjoong, then we will go," he announced. His voice betrayed his anxiety about approaching the witch and her devious ploys. Hongjoong's leftovers would remind him of the purpose he sought to serve.

"We'll wait," Wooyoung agreed. His eyes returned to the coin he was polishing to perfection.

Seonghwa took off toward the forest. With stiff shoulders and awkward steps, he crossed the distance between their camp place and the hidden clearing. He hoped his restless feet didn't leave a trail. If someone found the statue and destroyed it while the group was gone, all would have been for nought. If only it weren't so heavy.

Hongjoong sat in his place. Unmoving and frozen in time, his intimidating features demanded respect, even without his scary smirks.

Seonghwa stood in front of him and then thought better of it. He sunk to his knees to share the space Hongjoong dominated. The towering wings and horns dwarfed Seonghwa.

"We'll be leaving in a short while. Everyone wanted to join me. They want to watch over me rather than seek to help you, but that is natural. I am the one who owes you a life. I'm glad they tag along, even if I will not hesitate to forsake them if they get endangered. We resolved to face the witch and ask what her demands are to heal my heart in your chest. Wooyoung might convince her not to eat us on sight, even though he described some grisly things."

Shy at discussing these things with a statue, Seonghwa looked at his hands. They fiddled with a hole in his tunic. So long as he imagined Hongjoong getting angry inside of that stone shell, he was entertained.

"I hope all will be well. Now that you aren't around to threaten all our enemies into submission, I feel less protected. Funny how I only ever saw a threat in you and not someone who took care of us. Another ploy of yours?" Seonghwa chuckled, but the sound was lonely. He almost wished for Hongjoong to smirk back. His cruel comments would have brought a sense of companionship.

"My solace is that you can't do anything brusque from where you are right now. If you are screaming on the inside how ludicrous I am being, please know I will happily ignore you. You may have saved my innocence and kindness, but you also saved that naivete you despise so much. I will do good on it. I will show you how I believe in you."

Seonghwa hesitantly glanced back up. He couldn't help how his fingers reached out to touch Hongjoong's cheek. Cold stone met him, as expected. He still couldn't believe it. Hongjoong had been so heated, so full of fire whenever he had crowded his body into Seonghwa. A memory that made the priest shiver, but also set off an upset in his mind for being gone.

"I-" Seonghwa's hand lingered, cupping Hongjoong's cheek. The priest shook his head to himself before he dropped his palm.

"Hopefully, we all return in one piece. I would like to prove to you that my naivete has its perks, as well. I also learned a lot while travelling with you. Who knows, perhaps I already became so much smarter than you assume me to be?" Seonghwa had to scoff at that.

"No, I take that back. I'm not. I'm going mad already without you and Yunho, talking to statues and such." In a reminder of the kiss he had imagined, Seonghwa touched his fingertip to his lips. As if the remaining coldness on his hand reacted to it, his mouth tingled.

So many weird imaginations since he knew Hongjoong. So many things to be wary of.

On cue, Seonghwa warily glanced up. The statue didn't blink.

He lowered his hand once more.

"See? This is what I mean."

A beat of silence passed as Seonghwa played with the grass between his legs.

"I would have liked it if you talked to me properly instead of doing... Whatever that was. It was on purpose, wasn't it? Shock me enough that I couldn't resist and then fulfil your ploy. That's also why you didn't do it any sooner."

Unless he truly had learned to appreciate Seonghwa. Which couldn't be true. They hated each other. Hongjoong said so every time they spoke. He had even said so right before his speech that excused his behaviour.

Exhausted by his spinning thoughts and the one to answer them so near and yet so far, Seonghwa rubbed his face. The scent of the apples he had eaten for breakfast clung to his fingers and reminded him of better times.

He studied Hongjoong's face for another long minute. He ingrained those demonic features in his mind, sought to study them again later once they were alive to see if he detected a change. To figure out what Hongjoong desired. Already, he mourned the loss of the amber glow in the demon's eyes. When his gaze involuntarily got stuck on Hongjoong's lips and all train of thought was lost, Seonghwa rolled his eyes about his own absurdity.

"I must go. Don't wander anywhere. We shouldn't be gone for long, and if she sends us on a fetching quest, I will come by to inform you of it. You know... just in case." Awkward, he scratched the back of his neck. He had never bothered to update Hongjoong on travel developments. Hongjoong was usually the one who spied news from a distance and then warned Seonghwa of them.

Keeping him informed like a travel journal felt weird. Was it that much easier to talk to Hongjoong as long as he stayed silent? Seonghwa almost felt bad for having such a problem with him.

Until he remembered why he had it.

Overwhelmed by the emotional turmoil that he blamed on the foreign heart in his chest, Seonghwa rose. His pants had a grass stain now, but he found it charming. He looked more and more like an adventurer like Yunho did. Would Seonghwa ever be as wise and charming as he? Perhaps after he bested the witch.

The flower was still tucked behind Hongjoong's ear. It hadn't moved as the sweet white petals touched along Hongjoong's temple. The display of innocence on the scary demon had Seonghwa chuckle.

"Your flower will keep you company. See you in a while. I will be back for you and repay what you did."

He turned, then thought better of it and remained.

"Allow me just one prayer. For protection."

Hongjoong didn't complain. Of course, he didn't. As Seonghwa clasped his hands together, his head lowered.

"Almighty, everlasting God, have mercy on Thy servants our friends. Keep them continually under Thy protection, and direct them according to Thy gracious favour in the way of everlasting salvation; that they may desire such things as please Thee, and with all their strength perform the same. And forasmuch as they trust in Thy mercy, vouchsafe, O Lord, graciously to assist them with Thy heavenly help, that they may ever diligently serve Thee, and by no temptations be separated from Thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

The word 'temptation' lingered heavily on Seonghwa's lips. When he swallowed it, its scarily familiar taste startled him. Was he still not cleansed from what tainted him? Were the scabbed scars on his back not enough?

"Now I'm done. Farewell, Hongjoong."

Seonghwa backed away. He awaited one more scare, one more slam against a tree as Hongjoong snarled at him for being foolish. None of it happened. Seonghwa turned and roamed the soft mosses back to his companions.

Amber glowing eyes watched him leave. They only died out once Seonghwa's back had disappeared between the trees.

-

Seonghwa skipped back into the camp in a lighter mood. He felt as if Hongjoong had given him his blessing to challenge the witch. The faster Seonghwa got done, the sooner Hongjoong could knock him against a wall to yell into his face. With his usual fiery ire, he would douse Seonghwa in insults and heat.

Seonghwa almost looked forward to it.

When he arrived, his comrades lifted their bodies from the forest grounds. They thrummed with energy and curiosity about the next part of their journey. Well-rested and -fed, they smiled at Seonghwa's determination.

"Are we ready to leave?" San asked, and this time, Seonghwa nodded. They had wasted time for long enough. Their plan wouldn't get any better and their resolve persisted. The witch was their next goal.

"Let's go," Seonghwa called.

Jongho sheathed his sword. San pocketed the lock. Wooyoung flicked the coin in his hand and hummed when he saw on which side it landed.

"Luck might be on our side. Let's go, priest." He smirked at Seonghwa before he scaled the coach box and grasped onto the leather reins. The rest of them scooted onto the benches behind him so they could uphold their conversation.

Seonghwa's gaze lingered on the forest. He would have liked to leave a blanket with Hongjoong, maybe make him a fire. Out in the open like that, the gargoyle wasn't exactly vulnerable, but so, so lonely.

Since all that would be wasted on a statue and only alert other travellers of Hongjoong, however, Seonghwa ripped his eyes away. He was the last one to scale the cart, and he shuffled to San's side. A short polite sorting of their feet happened between them, then Jongho framed Seonghwa's legs with his own.

San folded a blanket and tucked it behind Seonghwa's back to cushion his injuries. They healed well with Wooyoung's suspicious-smelling, self-made ointment. Yet, Seonghwa adjusted into the blanket with a grateful smile, as his back wouldn't have to dig against the wood.

They coordinated their seating, glanced around the camp area. They had suffocated the fire, gathered their things, and hopefully left nothing behind. The statue of a wooden gargoyle Jongho had carved in his distress was preserved well in Seonghwa's bag.

Seonghwa turned to look at Wooyoung, who beamed back with his mischievous features.

"Take us to the witch," he ordered. A tense beat passed, then Wooyoung hooted at the donkey and snapped the reins. With a creak, the cart got moving and took them back onto the path to the Sinking Forest.

"Onward we voyage!"

********

Hellooo again, here we are at the end of this story~ Thank you all for joining me and reading until the very end. Your sweet comments and feedback made this a joy to write! I hope you enjoyed watching Seonghwa suffer as much as I did <3

As some of you may know already, this is the first book of a trilogy. I will take a short break to work on a different project and then return with the second book of this, so if you want to know what happens to Hongjoong and the witch, stay tuned!

Tomorrow I will update a new Seongjoong one shot in my one shot book and the day after, I will start part 2 of my pirate Seongjoong book 'Servant's Pride'. It will be called 'Captain's Will' so feel free to join me there if you are interested ^^ Please make sure you've read the first book beforehand.

For updates and to scream at me in person, my Twitter is Susimau_s

Until then, take care and see you soon, hopefully!