It began in a breath. The last moment of wherever there had been—gone.

Then fire. A rush of it, lapping at the skin with the memory of heat but not the burn. The scent of scorched cedar and iron, thick and cloying in the back of the throat.

The room was vast, symmetrical in a way that unsettled the eyes. Gold and crimson spilled across floors of black glass. It was too clean. Everything here knew what it was for.

And then he arrived, present as though the space had always been his skin. Raphael.

"Ah," he sighed, arms spreading open like a curtain parting, voice velvet-wrapped and far too pleased. "It's always a joy when someone new finds their way to my humble little haven."

His feet barely made a sound against the marble as he strolled forward, not approaching so much as drawing the room tighter around himself. Those impressive red-leather wings arched to his back like a cape.

"I imagine there are questions. Good, questions mean you're thinking. Thinking means you're still interesting."

He stopped a few steps away, angled just so the light caught the perfect cut of his grin. "Where are you? Why here? Why now? All valid, all unimportant, in the grander scheme. But here's a better one." He leaned forward slightly, golden eyes narrowing with the gentlest curiosity. "What is it you lack?"

He gave no time to answer.

"I've always found that where one finds themselves unexpectedly, one often discovers that what's missing isn't clarity. No, no—it's opportunity." A soft chuckle. "And I do hate to see wasted potential."

He circled, easy, conversational. Wings unfurled just slightly with a subtle rustle—more of a reminder than a display. "Oh, I won't insult your intelligence with lofty claims or fiery threats. That's so… beneath us. But let's entertain a thought, shall we?"

He gestured with a single clawed hand, "say someone knew a little trick. A simple thing, really. A redirection of fate. A nudge of fortune. And say this trick could... relieve certain burdens. Soothe the ache in the bones. Unsnarl the mess of choices made in the dark."

He stepped back, hands folding neatly before him. "Now," Raphael said, voice low and warm, "why don't you tell me what's troubling you?"