Pray for the Wicked | ATEEZ

00. Prologue

I felt as if time itself slowed down as I pushed past another set of marbled doors and set off down the corridor of blindingly white walls and columns of bright stone reflecting the sunlight from above, laughing at the shouts of the others behind me as they desperately tried to catch me.

Freedom was the best word to describe the momentary sense of weightlessness enveloping my heart as it hammered in my chest, my white dress floating behind me in oceans of silks and pearls, the silver corset and gemstones embedded in the top making bright flashes of light dance across the walls.

"Dahlia!" the voice was pleading as it called out my name but I only pushed myself to run faster, glancing back across my shoulder to see Heeseung and Sunghoon taking the lead, the first of the two reaching for the ring on his finger as a set of wings sprouted from his back.

"That's cheating!" I called back at him, annoyed by the cocky smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as his feet lifted off the ground and he began to close the distance between us.

"Court of Humility," I scoffed under my breath, finally seeing the door I had been aiming to find and sprinting towards it despite the others' complaints, "Not very humble of him to put his own wishes first."

"Dahlia-" Heeseung tried again, grabbing my arm at the very moment I made it past the doorway which sent us both tumbling into the room in a mess of silk and armor and feathers.

His cheeks immediately began to burn as he scrambled to get off me, brown hair falling into his face in messy locks of warm brown as he dusted himself off and averted his eyes from me, mumbling an excuse under his breath before biting his bottom lip to keep silent.

I chuckled at the sight, shuffling to my feet with a smile on my face as I put both hands on my hips and took a look around, more than satisfied with my achievement as the others caught up to us at last.

"We're already late as it is," Jungwon whined, sounding out of breath as he ran a hand through his own mane of dark brown hair, looking nervous as he glanced around at the remains of the room, "And we're going to be in so much trouble if they find out we went in here."

I shrugged off his concerns as I straightened out my dress and felt my heart swell with curiosity at the sight of the broken columns, crumbling walls, and the cracks marring the burnt and dusty marble, not to mention what caught my eye more than anything else; the portal.

"Patience," I mumbled, purposely and ironically using the word I knew he hated, no, despised for reminding him of his future responsibilities.

"Don't bring father into this," he sighed, glancing back across his shoulder as he made a move to join me only to halt as Sunghoon walked forward instead, "He's still mad at me after last time," he mumbled.

"Dahlia," Sunghoon tried this time, his voice cutting almost beautifully through the old and stale air as he put his hand on my shoulder and instinctively brought my attention back to him, grey eyes a stark contrast to the darkness surrounding us.

"This isn't just a ball," he said, once again reminding me of the event I had been trying to flee from all morning, "It's a coronation, your coronation. We'd cover for you any day, you know that, but today we need you to be there. Illenium needs you to be there."

I pouted, staring at the perfect little mole on the side of his nose with slight distaste as I frowned at it, purposely avoiding his eyes because I knew that he was right, "It's not like I'll have to take over the rule today. It's mostly just ceremonial, symbolical," I mumbled, glaring at Jake as he cleared his throat and straightened himself slightly.

"Luckily," he whispered under his breath with a smile that immediately melted off his face as his eyes found mine. I made an offensive gesture at him that made Sunoo's jaw drop.