"As do many who die too young. I cannot interfere in mortal affairs beyond the church without good reason."
Do it, please... do what I think you're going to...
A snort came from the boy's body. "Fine. You want a good reason? I'll give you one. If you save this boy, then God help me, I will make him into your ally, no matter my own feelings. If you do not…"
Gabriel sighed, not surprised at the blatant threat but happy it had come nonetheless.
"Well, Gabriel? We don't have more than a minute. Make your choice and make it wisely."
Gabriel shook her head, pretending to be reluctant despite her happiness at being allowed to save the boy. "If you wish to play that card, I suppose I have no choice but to accede. However..."
Still kneeling, she withdrew a box from her robes, opened it, and grabbed the first item her fingers touched. To mortal eyes, it would appear an impractically large playing card; to her eyes, it was perhaps one of her greatest tools.
"...I will be doing that on my terms, Ddraig."
Ddraig said nothing as she laid the card on the boy's body and watched as it was absorbed into his flesh.
A few moments later, the teenager's enormous wound began to seal. Flesh and blood slid back into place against gravity, save for the blood on Gabriel's clothing.
The first of the systems had worked.
When the wound had sealed, she carefully picked her new Saint up, his weight barely registered by her immensely powerful arms. Then, she formed a cross.
A few moments later, the courtyard stood empty.
As soon as Gabriel arrived in the building in First Heaven where her Brave Saints resided, she was met by one of its only two residents. Griselda had been reading one of the church's newspapers and sipping tea in the entrance hall. As soon as she heard the door open, however, she looked up. An instant later, Griselda dropped into a formal bow.
"Greetings, Lady Gabriel."
"Rise, my dear Queen," Gabriel said.
When she did, the first thing to exit the Queen of Heart's mouth was the obvious question.
"Who is this?" She gestured to the unconscious boy in her King's arms as she said this.
This young man is my newest Saint, my Jack," Gabriel explained.
She indicated for her Queen to take the boy. "If you would, please bring him to one of the unused rooms and lay him down, and let me know if he awakens."
Griselda nodded. "It will be done, Lady Gabriel."
"So, you've taken a new Saint," Michael said dryly. "I suppose you have an explanation as to why you broke the rules of reincarnation so blatantly?"
Gabriel faced Heaven's leader and the other two Great Seraphim, her own brothers, within Zebel. After handing her Jack over to Griselda, Gabriel had gone straight to the home of the Seraphs to change her robes and then lay out exactly what she had done.
"Yes, as a matter of fact," Gabriel replied, her tone flat. "I do indeed. That boy is the host of the Welsh Dragon, and by extension, the wielder of the Boosted Gear – though I doubt he is aware of it."
"How would you know, then?" Uriel asked, his baritone voice echoing off the halls as he narrowed his eyes. "If even he himself knows nothing of the Red Dragon Emperor's presence, then how can you be certain of him possessing the Boosted Gear?"
Gabriel shrugged. "Very simple – the Welsh Dragon himself spoke to me through him. He demanded I save the boy, else I would earn the dragon's eternal enmity towards Heaven."
"That is... half an explanation at best, Gabriel," Michael said, shaking his head. "It fails to answer why you chose to use one of your cards rather than simply bringing him here for treatment. The latter would have achieved the same result."
"Perhaps, but I felt that this might be the better way," Gabriel said. "After all, if the Red Dragon Emperor was willing to put aside his enmity towards us simply to save his host, perhaps the boy fits at least one of the two requirements for sainthood."
So then," Uriel said, "your entire justification is based on a shaky extrapolation made based on the actions of a completely separate creature?" He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not trying to be pessimistic, Gabriel, but I think you may have taken the wrong course of action."
Gabriel's teeth clenched. "Need I also tell you that whoever attacked this boy was almost certainly not human? If his injury was any indication, it was likely done with some sort of magic. If that person attacked him again, what defense would he have? If he doesn't have the ability to manifest the Boosted Gear or any knowledge of how to use it, he's nothing more than human, and evidently whoever this was wanted him dead. What would prevent them from trying again?"
There was no answer from the other three, and Gabriel barely gave them time to give one.
"And another thing – yes, I reincarnated him because of the Red Dragon Emperor and wouldn't have done so otherwise. That does not mean I will not care for him as I do my Ace and Queen. He has much to learn, but it can be done. He can be taught our father's teachings."
"We shall see," Uriel said, his tone noncommittal.
"Yes, you shall," Gabriel replied. Her head turned to face the leader of Heaven. "Now, Michael, I have a request."
Her brother tipped his head to one side.
"I ask that you research a certain Holy Sword so that it might be employed for my Jack's benefit. You know the one that I speak of. It shouldn't be too difficult; after all, most of the work is already done for us, and we can be sure the last living wielder would be willing to help us."
"I'll consider it," Michael said after taking a long, slow breath.
Gabriel frowned, her irritation at her brother's ambiguous reply evident to all three of the other Great Seraphim. "Well then, if you'll excuse me, I have a few things I need to address in First Heaven."
She vanished into a cross.