Pray for the Wicked | ATEEZ

28.

As the last colours of sunset faded and nighttime finally rolled across the vast planes and fields of Heaven, creeping up the facades of every building lining the streets of Illenium, Hongjoong and I carefully folded our wings and held our breaths as we snuck through alleyways, secret gardens, and plazas.

The son of Lilith stuck to me like a shadow; one with the night in all of his dark clothes and jewelry that allowed him to melt into the pools of shade between every flickering torch and street light.

His skin glowed in the light from every dancing flame, and his cerulean blue hair the colour of Odeion's oceans looked almost electric in the cold rays of starlight piercing the dark skies overhead.

As I lead him deeper and deeper into the heart of Heaven, trying to navigate through the maze of white buildings and houses, my thoughts spiraled back to the book I had been studying earlier and the possible locations the onyx could be hidden.

I had picked out the most probable of them, raking my mind as I tried to remember how to get there when the soft sound of a whisper cut through the otherwise silent night and I instinctively turned around.

"Where are we going?" Hongjoong asked, the slight crease between his brows immediately disappearing as my attention went to him, pupils dilating and turning his eyes almost black.

"The House of Glass," I whispered back, about to tell him about the museum only for my breath to catch as his eyes widened at the sight of something behind me, quickly grabbing my hand before pulling me off the road and dragging me behind a statue just as two figures emerged from around the corner of one of the buildings.

Hongjoong's hand didn't leave mine as he pressed himself against me, pushing us further into the shadows that seemed to grow darker and denser around us with every breath that left his lips, fanning my face in soft waves of heat.

Neither did he loosen his grip on it as the sounds of footsteps receded and I mumbled, "Come, I'll show you," before guiding him through the streets, turning corner after corner until, at last, through the arcs of several archways towering overhead, the tremendous building came into view.

The museum looked as grand as I remembered it from the times my mother had brought me there when I was younger; smooth walls of white marble which seemed to glow from within even in the darkness, the endless glass domes sprouting from where the roof would have been, and grand windows like a thousand eyes in the night revealing how the floors and stairs and interior within the building were all made of the same crystalline glass. 

"All of the relics, documents, uniforms, and written testimonies from the war are kept in the House of Glass," I explained, glancing back across my shoulder to check that we weren't being followed before pulling Hongjoong along with me, the building growing taller with every step we drew nearer.

"I thought that maybe we'd find the Lunar Flame in here. It could be hidden in plain sight, disguised as an ancient relic, or maybe even portrayed in a picture or mural considering its value. The galleries have pieces that date back several centuries so there's a possibility that-"

"Wait, was this what you were reading about earlier?" Hongjoong asked, a hint of surprise lacing his voice.

"I've been here before," I said, "All of Illenium's history is stored in the House of Glass, but what do you mean by- of course I was reading about this. I was trying to figure out where to search for the Lunar Flame," I continued, turning to him with a slight frown as we reached the door and came to a halt.

"If not this then what were you reading about?"

The son of Lilith seemed taken aback by the question, quickly tearing his eyes off me as if the door was suddenly of greater importance and clearing his throat before reaching into his shirt and pulling out one of two necklaces.