A Force Gained in Solace

Leo pushed past Raphael and into his bedroom. He laid Tiam down on the pristine white sheets, which immediately turned red with a crimson corruption. Leo began checking their wounds, but didn't know what to do about them in the first place.

'Leo, you can't just bring another competitor into your room,' Raphael stated in protest. He repeatedly checked out the front door, likely to see if they were followed. 'They probably have their own, anyway.'

'Doesn't matter.' Leo carefully unwrapped Tiam from their body armour, until all that was left was simple teal clothing. They must really like teal.

'Look, your friendship is touching, but also against the rules. Unless you're in a game of team combat, you can't help one another.' Raphael paced to the balcony and shut the glass doors. He took his white cap off and returned to full height.

'Sounds like you're scared of rules a bunch of demons made.' Leo loosed a glare at Raphael that must have been terrifying, as the archangel stumbled back a step. Leo turned away, heat rushing to his face. The last thing he needed was to hurt the friend he already had over the friend he'd just made. When he realised Raphael wasn't going to speak, he said, 'look, I just don't want them at the whims of some being I don't trust. This place is messed up enough to make me think they're in trouble, even at their own home.'

The air went dead, and Leo decided he wasn't going to try and salvage the awkward situation. He needed to help his friend. He searched through the room until he found some clothing that would bind the atrocious gut wound. Leo was too stubborn to ask Raphael if there was any proper bandaging. He assumed that with how things worked here, there probably wasn't a first aid kit just lying around.

Once Leo had done the best job he could, he propped himself beside Tiam and decided to take his mind off things with his Key. The little sphere whirred as Leo gestured and moved through the empty lists and different sections. The entire item was designed like a simplified spreadsheet for anything to do with the colosseum. He managed to find his own sword in a weapons list. So far it was named Nameless in the list. Leo thought about changing that, and calling it something cool like thunderbolt or black strike. He drew the blade from his bedside and peered between the twin prongs. Maybe double strike? He looked back to the list to find that the name of the blade had changed.

Apocryphal.

Leo blinked, and the name was gone. Strange. He put the blade down again and tried not to think too hard about it. He didn't even know what that word meant. He would have to ask Raphael when the archangel returned from his stroll around the colosseum.

Again, something strange happened. A name blipped into existence, but on a separate line to the nameless sword. It was a new weapon. Bellestar. Leo suddenly had a realisation, like a feeling prompting him deep in his gut that he needed to do something. He moved over to the page of sponsors, and a new name appeared. Kazanalae.

A second passed.

Leo had a new sponsor?

'A sponsor!' he cried, excitement bursting from him in the form of a tickling across his skin.

'Mm.' Tiam rolled onto their side, still not quite conscious. Leo cursed and hushed himself. The excitement didn't leave him, however. Part of him was wondering where this weapon was, the other was too excited about what new ability he might have gained. He looked about the room, trying to picture what the new ability felt like, then honed in on a metal lamp. Something about it drew a sense of familiarity in him. He tilted his head. The metal bent.

'WHA–' He covered his own mouth, kicking his legs giddily. Leo recognised the ability immediately as Prim's metal melting power. His new sponsor must have been the same being Prim was connected to. He couldn't wait to meet her again and tell her. Taking a deep breath, Leo relaxed on the bed and managed to calm the buzzing in his mind. He also remembered to bend the lamp back into shape just in time for Raphael's return.

Now, there were very few things that shocked Leo after coming to Heaven and fighting in this colosseum, but watching an archangel in casual white clothes walk into a room with a shotgun had to top the list of weird things.

'I have something for you,' Raphael said nonchalantly.

'I can see that.' Leo tried to not screw up his expression too much with his confused facial muscles. 'Why in Hell do you have a gun?'

Raphael held the weapon out like it was no more than a stick. Leo took the cold metal beast in hand and tried to work out how this happened before Raphael could explain. He quickly found that he gripped the gun as naturally as he did with his blade. This was Bellestar.

'How did you get this?' he asked.

Raphael looked about as confused as Leo felt. He said, 'I just happened to run into Kazanalae on my walk. She explained that she wanted to sponsor you and to hold onto Prim's gun for a while. So here I am, your weaponry deliveryman.' Raphael made a slow bow and tipped his cap.

'Why doesn't she just give the weapon back to Prim? And also does she know who you are!?' Leo instinctually wanted to check and see if Raphael had been followed.

'It's complicated–the process of getting someone back here after defeat. So it might as well be put to use.' Raphael rubbed his nose. 'And no, I just happened to strike up a conversation with Kazanalae, and mentioned I was a lesser angel sponsoring you. She thinks my name is Davlen.'

'That's a terrible name.'

'I know.'

'Well,' Leo began. He held the gun up, shrugged, then laid it at his bedside. 'Thanks for that. And also, I'm sorry for being sharp before.'

'No, don't be.' Raphael had that kind gaze which had drawn Leo to be close with him a long time ago. 'I shouldn't have been so pushy about it. Your friend should be able to rest in safety.'

'Well thanks, Raphael.' Leo sunk into his pillows with a deep sigh. He decided then and there that he would take the next day off from the colosseum. It would be nice to take a break from all the stress in that place. He turned, then met the wide eyes of Tiam.

Tiam's lip quivered, brow twitching erratically. Leo already realised the mistake he had made.

'Did you say Raphael?!'