Pray for the Wicked | ATEEZ

39.

Neither the soft caress of the evening breeze on my face nor the sea of colours splattered across Heaven's skies was enough to calm my racing heart as I paced back and forth across the cold slabs of marble on my balcony, going over everything that had happened tonight.

Everything that had gone wrong tonight.

As the sun continued to set, the glowing ball of raging red now just a speck of light in the distance, my mother's words haunted me once more like the ghost of a nightmare whispering faint threats in my ears.

"I expect that you will do a splendid job at ruling Odeion. After all, light will always prevail. Light will always triumph."

We were going to invade Odeion.

We were going to ruin Hell, rule it.

We were going to war, and I was going to be at the very front of Heaven's troops, sword raised, as I came face to face with the demon I had come to care for.

My hand instinctively went to my neck at the thought of Hongjoong, fingers grazing skin and collar bone before grabbing the cold chain of the golden necklace, trailing down to the jagged piece of onyx hanging from its center.

I had to tell him.

I had to find the Lunar Flame so I could warn him, save him, repay him.

I had to-

Desperation was a feeling I had come to be familiar with. The same could not be said about that of hope.

And yet, as I turned around one last time, watching the sun dip below the horizon and thrust Illenium into darkness for a split second before the Gleam ignited itself, that was the very feeling that washed over me as my thoughts faltered.

Suddenly, tragically, laughably, the pieces fell into place one after the other like those of an absurd puzzle game rather than the intertwined fates of both worlds.

Because as I watched the ray of light, staring directly into the unnaturally bright glow of ivory white, I realized that the key to saving Odeion had been right in front of us all along. The redemption of Hell lay at the very heart of Heaven.

My hand fell limply to my side as my breath caught with a sudden sense of urgency.

I watched the light the same colour as my own feathers and the bones beneath Heaven, slowly reaching for the silver ring on my finger which made my wings unfurl in a rush of white before I, without hesitation, ran for the railing and, like the son of Lilith, threw myself over the edge.

My heart was in my throat as I plunged toward the ground before I managed to lift myself to the skies again, tearing through chill air and wind as I soared for the city.

The lack of stars visible as I, at last, stumbled to a halt onto one of the cobblestone roads, the heat of nearby torches burning my cheeks and turning the skin flushed, told me that it hadn't taken me long to reach the city. And yet, every second passed could be a second wasted.

I hurried through narrow streets and dark alleyways, my eyes locked onto the ray of light piercing the charcoal sky, until the walls around me disappeared and opened up into an immense square.

Around me towered tall marbled columns, archways beckoning me into the inns and taverns offering warmth and safety from the night, buildings in various sizes all built from the same shade of white, homes and shops with domed roofs, all surrounding the structure at the center of the courtyard.

A pyramid, grand and awe-inspiring, from the top of which the gleam shot toward the skies overhead.

I folded my wings as I crossed the square, though I didn't dare hide them away as I was unable to shake the uneasiness and fear of being spotted.