For Peace

12. Doting on the Stars

Jongho's pocket knife chipped away at a wooden statue. He used the craft as a distraction from the traces of war that trailed across the lands. Near the sacred ritual sites of the Reds, the hubris increased. Puddles of putrid blood filled the stubborn mud of the ditches between the path and the fields. Clothing both of the savages and the crusaders hung in tatters from the scarce trees. Traces of where bodies once lay led into the grass, and though Fléau strayed between the stalks engulfing her, Seonghwa didn't dare peer too closely at the shapes distorting their surface.

Sunken into his own world, Jongho let go of all thought as he worked. Each small chip of wood that dropped under his feet became a worry he brushed off.

Seonghwa didn't dare interrupt him. The shape under Jongho's fingers what that of an animal, perhaps a cat or a dog. He peered at the progress from time to time, but he was sure once it finished, Jongho would start another. Anything to keep his attention from drifting to the past.

Though queasy to his stomach at the lingering scent of death and the disruption of vengeful spirits in the air, Seonghwa resisted all need to surrender. Led by his staff, he strictly directed his steps to follow Mingi. While his cat gathered whatever he reaped off the dead, the witch was unbothered. Earlier today, he had sneered at Hongjoong and Seonghwa's closeness, but Seonghwa hadn't let it deter him.

Yunho and his newfound secrets established solidarity with Wooyoung. He had made progress with San, but the man remained rightfully wary of the deceit that had started their relationship. Seonghwa knew he brimmed to ask the priest for advice, but waited for a better moment to word it out loud. In the meantime, Seonghwa thought of a proper answer to give.

At least Wooyoung never minded what weird stunts Yunho pulled in the nighttime. He illustrated how to find coins buried in the earth with the same graveness as usual.

Yeosang peeked his curious nose everywhere. He shifted through the grasses to find out what the scent of decay was he picked up on. He chewed on the soothing herbs San handed him as the adventurer was prepared to stumble into dreadful graves during his looting trips. Afterwards, he remained on the trail and stared at Seonghwa and Hongjoong as they not so subtly tried to find closeness with each other.

Since he had picked up on it so fast last time, Seonghwa was sure he smelled their relationship three fathoms against the wind. After finding them in the grass together, his guesses had been solidified. The priest was glad his intrigue wasn't of judgmental character, even when the priest wouldn't have cared if so.

After all the arguments, all the difficulties Hongjoong and he had overcome, he wouldn't back down because their friends frowned upon them. In a way, he wasn't different from Yunho and his selfish pursuits.

For him, too, Seonghwa prepared answers. Once he was healed and they had time, that wasn't marred by their escape from Morden, he would explain everything that happened outside of their view.

Perie circled the skies to alert them of any danger before it dawned upon them. She looked nonchalant enough that she might have been a regular bird, but her wingspan was too broad now to fit in Yunho's bag any longer. Her growing horns and tail made her a sight to behold. Seonghwa knew little about dragons, so he couldn't tell when she would become a full-fledged wyvern, but she gained size frighteningly fast.

Would she grow up and leave her home with Yunho as humans did? Or would she stay loyal for eternity and make him a most dreadful enemy (or even more intriguing lover?)

Awed, Seonghwa looked after her majestic form sailing through the winds that made the tall grass look like waves.

In the distance, more crooked displays of the Reds' horrid artwork with the crusaders stood from the field like crooked teeth in a monster's maw. This time, the group dodged them, aware not to run into Mingi's traps.