Night 57: The Coliseum
Touching the sandy grounds of the coliseum was a catalyst, and the progression of day did not mean the end of the process. By fortune or otherwise, this group's efforts were not allowed to halt simply due to the rising sun. Therefore, when nighttime was pronounced, those who had undergone the beginnings of an incomplete trial were pulled from their
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Even though Castiel had been doing all he could to not make his state obvious, Gabriel still turned and looked. It was only for a split second and the distance between them was too great for Castiel to even decipher the look on his brother's face, but he'd still looked right at him.
The pain wasn't relenting; Castiel slowly started to sit up and then lean back against the large stone step behind him. He focused on regulating his breathing, deep and low, as his hand remained clutched to the wound itself. He could feel the blood pouring out and spilling over the back of his hand, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Gabriel had pulled out his weapon, one so similar to the one that had caused Castiel's wound now. Was that the point being made here? And yet even if Gabriel had sent him into all sorts of hidden dimensions in attempts to be rid of him, he would never --
Castiel heard the girl speak again, though her words didn't come through as clearly to him now. The pain was fogging his mind, which annoyed him; he should be stronger than this. But he forced his eyes wide open as he saw a series of stakes shoot straight at Gabriel. They hit true, and yet his brother hardly seemed to react.
Instead, Castiel was the one who took damage. It was his right shoulder this time, but instead of feeling like he'd been slashed, it was more like he'd been stabbed. The light erupted out of the deep wound and Castiel made a groaning noise in the back of his throat. He couldn't apply pressure everywhere, and yet he still did his best to stem the blood flow.
Gabriel was arguing for his name, his title, his role -- and Castiel prayed that he would succeed. There wasn't much else that he could do at the moment.
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It didn't make sense, that he was taking wounds as if he was an angel and yet suffering from them like a human. His vision was blurring, each breath he took was agony, and with the light that escaped there was also so much blood. It was staining his coat and all the layers underneath, covering his hands in a layer of red.
Castiel knew now that he had to be witness, and yet it was getting more and more difficult to process the words. The pain was too overwhelming and he felt his mind slipping further and further. He was going to pass out, but no, he couldn't, he wouldn't --
The next thing he was aware of was a sound: the snapping of fingers. It was Gabriel, that very sound was his brother and he knew it meant that he was on the right track. Gabriel had never known how to use his powers with dignity, but at this point it didn't matter so long as his point was proved.
As Castiel opened his eyes again (when had they closed?), what he saw through his hazy vision was a splash of colors surrounding Gabriel's opponent. He didn't understand where they had come from or what they meant, but Gabriel had clearly accomplished something because she was now screaming and demanding a proper fight.
That was her first mistake, and it was bound to be a lethal one at that. Castiel coughed wetly and watched as blood splattered onto his shirt. Too much time had passed and he wasn't going to be spared yet, because no true blows had been exchanged. That meant that he was torn open once more, this time at his middle. A gash cut its way across his abdomen, releasing more light and his grace with it.
Castiel cried out and laid back in pain, his body going slack. He could feel something creeping up on him, and the fact that he didn't know if it was a loss of consciousness or something more permanent caused his heart to pound.
Though he was unaware of it, the outline of wings was slowly becoming visible against the steps that he was splayed upon. Black and ashy, the image flickered against the stone like a shadow.
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