I held my breath as I pushed past the doors to the Ivory Citadel, a sigh leaving the old wood beneath my hands, smooth with age and cold to the touch, before the sight of a small city was revealed to me and the demon hiding in my shadow.
Placed at the very heart of the city, a fortified and defensive core well inside the outer walls and bastions, it had been built partly for the purpose of acting as a safe haven for the angels as well as a place to defend Illenium from if the enemy forces had infiltrated Heaven during the war.
Within the ivory walls was a small courtyard with a fountain at its center, the peaceful song of running water catching my attention for a moment as I watched it flow down the different basins before settling at the reservoir at the bottom, dancing at the surface for a moment where the ripples caught and reflected the light from the stars overhead.
The brightest light was still that of the Gleam which rose high over the Ivory Citadel and any other building within Illenium. Like a ray of pure sunlight piercing the night, its glow flooded every street, storefront, and facade of the city.
Along the sides of the courtyard, several archways revealed doors leading into the citadel itself, no doubt hiding secrets of war and history-
I subconsciously reached out for Hongjoong only to frown as my hand found nothing but empty air at my side.
I turned around just as the son of Lilith made an elegant gesture with his hand and a quick flash of gold cut through the darkness before it disappeared in the clear water of the basin.
"What are you-?" I began, realizing, as the demon pulled more gold from his pocket, that he had been throwing coins in the fountain.
"Making a wish," Hongjoong smiled, extending his hand to me with an expectant look in his eyes, a challenge, "Do you want one as well?"
I glanced across my shoulder though I didn't hesitate for long before joining him, taking the coin from his outstretched hand, my fingers grazing across the skin on his open palm, lingering there for a moment, a moment too long, I realized, before pulling back and turning to look at the water as well.
"You do realize that time is not something we can afford to waste right now, right?" I asked, looking down at the golden coin between my fingers as I furrowed my brows a little and added, "How do you always have money on you?" remembering our night in Odeion.
"I do, though I don't feel that this is a wasted moment," Hongjoong said, "That question, however, definitely is. Wouldn't you rather know what I wished for?"
"No," I mumbled, letting my eyes flutter shut, "Because then it won't come true."
And as I shut out the world for nothing more than a couple of seconds, reveling in the darkness of wishes and hopes and secret desires, I didn't notice how the look in the demon's eyes changed as he turned his head and studied me for a moment.
I didn't notice his stolen glances at our hands which were close enough to touch had one of us moved slightly closer to the other, how it seemed as if he was contemplating whether or not to take it, to intertwine our fingers, only to pull away as my eyes fluttered back open, sucking in a quick breath as he averted his eyes again.
"So, what did you wish for?" Hongjoong asked, and every thought I had just collected about onyx, dark oceans, and skies that would break open as light filtered through nocturne clouds immediately vanished as I watched a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
I nudged him with my elbow, rolling my eyes as I huffed, "Your audacity never fails to amaze me," before leaving him as I headed for one of the many doors lining the ivory walls.
The citadel was filled with rooms, some for meetings, no doubt used during the war as was given away by the many maps along with miniature figurines of troops and units scattered across tabletops, others which resembled bunkers, dining halls, and studies.
My confidence and resolve to find the Lunar Flame suddenly faltered, flickered, as our search led us down one of several hallways and, as I was peeking into dark rooms behind ancient doors, I stumbled upon a shrine rather than the storages that had preceded it.
I halted for a moment as the sudden smell of incense and accident secrets burned my nose with every shaky breath as I took in the enormous marble statue at the center of the room, recognizing it in a heartbeat.
"You would be safe in Odeion.. I could help.. I could protect you."
Intricately carved pillars and columns surrounded what resembled an altar, curving into arches as they met each other toward the ceiling height above which was decorated with mosaics in silver hues of royalty, a heavy chandelier hanging from its middle.
"Did you find anything?"
Hongjoong's voice pierced the air like that of an icy cold blade, and I was immediately pulled from my thoughts, tearing my eyes from the statue of my mother before quickly closing the door, gathering myself, and shaking my head.
"No, nothing," I lied, following him further into the Ivory citadel.
A comfortable yet focused silence had settled over us by the time we made it to the armories, the two of us splitting up to each trail along the sides of the room, studying the glass shelves and display cases holding every kind of weapon imaginable.
A flash of black at the corner of my eye made my heart skip a beat, but the momentary excitement quickly melted into a familiar sense of disappointment as I realized it had been nothing more than the handle of a dagger catching the light reflected in the crystalline glass.
I glanced over at Hongjoong, watching him for a moment as a slight frown became visible from underneath the cerulean blue locks falling into his face, a look of concentration in his dark eyes as they trailed across every detail and relic within the room, his features a mask of mixed wonder and seriousness.
Following his example, I turned my attention to the wall beside me, studying the swords which hung ready to be taken down, imagining how it must have been centuries ago, how soldiers must have barged in, pulled them down, ready to strike the enemy, running my hand along one of the mirror-like surfaces of one of the blades only to flinch and suck in a breath as I felt the metal pierce my skin.
My eyebrows furrowed as I watched droplets of crimson collect around the small cut, instinctively raising it to my mouth where the metallic taste of blood coated my tongue as I slowly turned around only to freeze as I came face-to-face with Hongjoong.
The demon had appeared out of thin air, worry coating his dark eyes as they locked onto my finger, still in my mouth, before finding mine; grey the colour of steel and surprise.
We looked at each other for a moment, the silence now deafening as I felt my cheeks flush and my heartbeat began to echo in my ears, realizing how much the situation resembled that of earlier in the wine cellar when Hongjoong's eyes suddenly cleared and he pulled away, looking flustered and a little shy.
"I was-" the son of Lilith began, but, almost as if they had melted off his tongue, his words trailed off before he could say anything else.
The boldness, confidence, and craving from earlier were nowhere to be seen.
I cleared my throat, hurriedly hiding my hand behind my back as I offered him a little smile and mumbled, "It's- I was being careless," to which Hongjoong simply nodded, abeit hesitantly, taking another step backwards only to hiss as he bumped into one of the displays.
The chuckle escaped my lips before I could think much of it, and as I quickly moved my hand to cover my mouth, suddenly embarrassed, I felt relieved as I watched a smile make its way onto the son of Lilith's face as well, lowering it again as yet another laugh danced through the air.
We spent the rest of the night in the Ivory Citadel, searching the fortress at the heart of Heaven for any and every sign of the Lunar Flame, bright and dark eyes trailing across every inch of the miniature city, but without luck.
And as the light from the Gleam began to fade and mix with that of the rising sun as dawn, regretably, began to break hours later, it was with a sigh that I turned to Hongjoong who was watching the skies brighten with warm hues rather than those of the night, a faint breeze ruffling his hair and the dark feathers of his wings.
I straightened myself as he turned to face me, a soft smile on his face as I raised my wings a little and tried to hide my disappointment and guilt over the fact that we were just as empty-handed as we had been after last night's search.
My eyes widened as the son of Lilith raised his hand to cup my cheek, his thumb grazing over the skin, drying away the stray droplets of blood from before. And then it was gone, too soon, too fast, almost as if I had imagined it.
"We still have one more night," Hongjoong said.