Hyukjae was still replaying the kiss in his head as he approached the high cleric’s chamber, tea tray in his hands. He couldn’t help it. Corners of his mouth curled into a sweet smile.

“Cleric Your Highness, your herbal tea is ready.” After announcing his request for permission to enter, Hyukjae waited at the chamber door.

For a long while Hyukjae didn’t hear anything. When he was about to repeat his request, he heard serious coughs from Kyuhyun.  And then it was silence again.

Bewildered Hyukjae made another attempt. “Cleric Your Highness, your servant has brought you your herbal tea.”

Silence.

Hyukjae frowned. Kyuhyun was a master of the healing art. Yet Kyuhyun didn’t pay much attention to taking care of his own health. He was especially susceptible to common cold. It only got worse because Kyuhyun labored all day long and took little rest.

Hyukjae’s genuinely worried. He debated with himself. It’s forbidden to enter the high cleric’s chamber without permission. But… what if…? Hyukjae’s caring heart got the better of him. He turned the door handle and cautiously, for the very first time, entered the high cleric’s chamber, on high alert and ready to strike in case something happened. He’s an assassin after all.

The chamber was dark and saturated with a deafening silence. Curtains were drawn. Light from an oil lamp danced on a nightstand. That’s the only source of light in the chamber. It did little to lift the weight of the place’s suffocating darkness. Nevertheless it did reveal an unmoving white figure lying in a bed nearby.

Not lowering his guard Hyukjae approached the cleric lying in his bed. It surprised him how humbly this chamber had been furnished. Kingdom Hawks’ royal prince and at the same time her high cleric, had a plain wooden nightstand with an ordinary oil lamp on top, and a more than common modest-sized wooden bed in his castle chamber.

Upon seeing Kyuhyun who had obviously passed out, Hyukjae gasped. He settled the tea tray on the nightstand. And then he began tending to the other.

Kyuhyun had coughed blood. Hyukjae dipped a handkerchief in a basin of clean water, and gently wiped away the traces of blood on Kyuhyun’s lips and chin.

While he’s doing that, he noticed tearstains on the cleric’s cheeks. He didn’t know what drew tears from the cleric. But that was enough to make Hyukjae sympathize. And he wiped those tears away extra gently.

Hyukjae then re-positioned Kyuhyun and tugged a pillow underneath the cleric’s head. That’s the moment he noticed the cleric was clutching a note in his hand. Hyukjae pried the note loose and it read,

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore… (Revelation 21:4)

Hyukjae knew that Bible verse. Somehow it had an impact on Hyukjae and deepened his sympathy for the other. Hyukjae’s eyes regarded Kyuhyun’s face. Under the wavering oil lamp light, Kyuhyun looked painfully pale and brittle. This Kyuhyun Hyukjae now saw, was a huge contrast to the one Donghae and himself, and countless Kyuhyun’s followers saw earlier the very same day.

It flashed in Hyukjae’s mind how easy it would be for him to murder the cleric now, and complete his mission. It’s actually more difficult not to. A voice in his heart screamed not to.

Hyukjae turned to leave. The cleric all of a sudden took Hyukjae’s hand.

Startled, Hyukjae almost unsheathed his dagger. He looked at the cleric. The other was sleep talking. “I… admire you… a lot…”

Hyukjae’s first reaction was to pull his hand back. But what the other then said froze him. “Father! I’m so tormented. No…”

The next moment, Hyukjae’s sharpened assassin senses screamed hysterically. Hair prickled at the back of his neck. Goosebumps travelled down his body. His heart raced to fighting mode in no time. His senses were alerting him, some unknown, mystical power had been woken up in the surrounding darkness. It’s lurking close. You could sense its breathing and its eyes on you. Yet darkness had you blinded. Danger!