For Peace

21. Dance with the Devil

"Lie down on your back. I need to access your mana points." Mingi led Seonghwa to the flat stone table. The weathered rock was rough under his fingers when the priest cautiously stumbled over on his maltreated feet. He sunk onto the hard surface, finding it unnaturally warm with the thrum of magic under his skin.

While Seonghwa stretched out, Mingi beckoned his hand at the others, who stood by tensely. Yeosang had helped Jongho up, and the crusader leaned between the obelisk and the wolf's solid shoulder, straining his eyes to focus on them.

"The rest of you, move outside the black circle. You are not part of this ritual."

Grumbling, Wooyoung and Hongjoong left Seonghwa's closer vicinity. The circle's radius was far enough that it would take Hongjoong a moment to leap through. A dreadful moment that Mingi could abuse.

Seonghwa forced himself to breathe, listening to his hammering heart that was alive and fluttering like a bird in its cage as it dreaded what he was going to do. This time, he would have to trust Mingi with all he had, mind and body. If the witch had come up with a plan to take revenge for their weeks of sneering at him, his revenge would come crashing down on Seonghwa's brittle body, and there was nothing he could do against it.

Mingi returned to Seonghwa's side once he made sure everyone but him, Fléau, and Seonghwa were clear of the black lines on the ground. The cat sat at the edge of the table, staring with her creepy gaze.

Mingi had spread out the ingredients needed for the ritual around the corners of the table. He lit candles and poured a clear liquid from his bottle into the bowl by Seonghwa's head. Something told the priest it wasn't water.

He so desperately wanted to speak a prayer and ask for guidance through the ritual, but it would disrupt the magic wafting around them, so he didn't. Mingi's mercy determined his fate.

The witch trailed his black fingers over Seonghwa's arms, nails sharp on their way up to his shoulder. When he found the spot he had been searching for, he dipped his fingertips in the liquid and left a mark on the priest's pale skin. He did the same with his other shoulder, the centre of his forehead, his chest, and his thighs. By the time he was finished, Seonghwa felt as if cast in a goo that either protected or trapped him in the eyes of the spirits they asked for help.

"You will want to close your eyes and stay down even if you are in pain. If you must scream, scream. There is no reason for your dog to barge in." Mingi sent a glare Hongjoong's way, and the gargoyle bared his teeth at him.

Seonghwa turned his head to look at him and took in his group of ashen-faced friends. They held each other up, apprehensive about leaving him with Mingi, yet hopeful he would live.

"I'll be fine," he told them with the most winning smile. It felt plastered onto his face like a mask.

No one was convinced, not even himself, but they nodded.

When Seonghwa faced Mingi again, he was ready.

The witch accepted it. His feathered wrist beckoned at Seonghwa's neck.

"Take the necklace off. The spirits can't access you with it on."

Seonghwa did as he was told and flung the necklace in Hongjoong's direction. The gargoyle cradled it in his claw, holding on to it until Seonghwa would need it back.

With a deep breath, Seonghwa settled and closed his eyes. He reminded himself to trust and to have faith. This should be it. The final step.

Faint rain trickled Seonghwa's lax features as he lay in the middle of some heretic altar and faced the skies, kneeling before the Lord he had turned his back on.