"Arata, are you okay- no, I should apologize." Ravenna covers her mouth in sickness, but it was unclear if she could actually vomit. She couldn't cry either, but you could tell the only thing stopping her was that she no longer could.
Strangely enough, it wasn't from her seeing what happened on the stage but looking at the horror on Arata's face. It was unclear if she was worried about saving face or if she was genuinely disturbed by watching Arata's suffering.
Arata looks at her while unable to process what realization he just had of his predicament, "I don't think I can do it, I don't have the mental fortitude, if I go back there I'll just die again… how much longer will I have to die? For a promise that there are better days ahead, ones put too far out of reach by you and your creator? Are you also just here to make sure I'm kept on a leash!"
You… you're just using me, I know it! I never signed up for any of this! This angel's never given me a truth! She has no care for costing my lives if she has a little fun! Arata almost begins foaming at the mouth, ready to lunge over and beat the angel.
Ravenna does not back off; instead, getting closer, she looks down at him on the floor before bending down to his level. Twisting Arata's face in her direction before she slaps him across the face. It definitely stung; he was mad until he realized it was to get his attention.
"Did I hit too hard? We need you to be sane for the job. I need you to be sane to leave this place. I feel for you, as I've already told you, we angels serve our creator. Unluckily for us, our jobs are also thankless. Being in this theater made me really start to think, as well as seeing you in your immortal body. Our situations feel eerily similar." Ravenna explains to Arata her epiphany.
She's… is she trying to diminish my suffering! That bitch is complaining to me about a thankless job, yet she hasn't shown an ounce of sympathy! Arata clenches his fists; they almost turn white as he sneaks them away inside his pockets.
"So? What's that supposed to do for me right now, besides if you really wanted to reach me, why'd you slap me across the face!" Arata shouts at her.
Ravenna stutters, "I-I'm sorry I didn't think what to say-"
She doesn't understand. He grabs Ravenna by the collar of her white shirt, sweat beads drip down from his brown hair."HOW COULD YOU UNDERSTAND MY ANGER!"
In response, Ravenna slugs Arata in the face, her fist colliding, causing his lip to swell. She mounts Arata, hands trembling over him. Slipping up, she shows some emotions.
Ravenna shouts in rage, "I said our situations are similar, you are insufferable! You act like you're the only one who's ever been wronged. Newsflash, jackass, I'm stuck here in this shithole with you! Hell, I've been here longer!" Ravenna grabs him by the collar, looking down at Arata while both of them are sobbing their eyes out in rage.
She! What the hell is she talking about! I'll really do it. Ravenna's half-broken halo begins to glow. Flashbanging him, before the light subsides as he watches Ravenna, who similarly did not expect that.
The stage then suddenly lights up, to the days back when Arata was in high school, still suffering from the same illness that killed him in his first life. Next to him in the hospital is Ren.
A memory begins to play out on the stage:
"Arata, do you want to know why I went into primary care?"
"Money? You expect me to believe you solely want to help others?"
"Well, yeah- but there are other reasons too. You don't have to be noble and selfless to help others. It can also be to help yourself."
"Do you get a sick sense of superiority over others because you're a doctor?"
"What kind of an opinion do you have of me?! No, it helps clear my consciousness."
"Weren't you always the family's golden child, though? What's the dark secret?"
The figure visibly stopped, beginning to sweat, and he slowly admitted the truth. "When I was in medical school. I was busy with my studies, so I pushed a friend away when he needed me most. What I heard the next day was, suicide by overdose."
"So that's it? Your problem is that he took his own life."
"It was enough to make me realize. Realize what else-"
"That's what inspired you to become a doctor. I suppose it makes sense. Must've made you feel bad."
"No. Also, stop interrupting me. I realized that I was ignoring you, you wouldn't be able to go to college or get a job you've always dreamed of. I didn't even like college, I only felt like it all felt meaningless, I became too numb to accomplishment, and I can't put into words why."
"It's hard to follow you, man. What are you trying to say?"
"I didn't know why the hell I was doing what I resolved myself to do until I told myself the reason. I wanted to see you happy for once, so I needed to come back to the family and make money in Dad's absence. Lying in that bed, you may begin to wonder what the point of it all is, even if you have to lie to yourself. I want you to have something to look forward to once you get out of treatment, even if it's something you want me to do for you. I ask that you can adapt once again, no matter your challenges."
The memory ends of Arata and his brother, which makes Arata take a moment to think about what he had just been reminded of. Whether I want to be here or not, I've got some people I'll miss, I want to see Evan again, and I miss Ren. The life lesson was perfect for this situation as Arata looks back at Ravenna, who seems relieved that he came back to his senses.
She quickly tries to hide a tear of her own, clearly not wanting to feel anything from the sight herself. She uses magic to try to patch up the damage she did to Arata's face in a remorseful manner.
"Well… I wanted to say, I'm sorry. That was improper of me. If something comes up again in the future, I promise to be of more use. Please ask me anything." Ravenna says through a pained expression that she clearly hated having to be the bigger person.
"Hey, before you start complaining about the difficulty, mind letting me tell you what to fix when you use magic? Let's rewatch your fight with the boss." Ravenna turns towards the stage as she explains further, trying to divert the conversation. Ravenna poses him a question, "The sword, why was that your weapon of choice?"
I can't tell her it's because of fantasy media… besides, it's a common weapon, it has to be good, right? "Something wrong with that? It feels the most natural to me. I think I know how to use a sword; it's more intuitive than a spear." Arata explains to Ravenna, who looks at him like that was the stupidest thing she's heard in her eternal life.
Ravenna lets a fatigued groan slip before talking to him like Arata was an idiot, "Swords aren't as intuitive as you think, your edge alignment is shit, you can only do some real damage thanks to magic. That's not the main problem, though. The sword is a stupid pick for this fight. Think about it like this: the creature hits hard and fast and is much larger than you. What aspects do you think would be important in a weapon?"
The bug is big. Its wingspan is bigger than a sword, but what about a spear? Arata looks at her while still slightly confused, but giving his best answer, "I guess range, ok, this time then I'll use the spear. Is that correct?"
"Use the spear… dumbass." Ravenna sends him away again.