Raziel took off after Janos, but the angel had not gotten very far. Janos was perched sullenly on the peak of the roof; his wings and shoulders drooped, and his hands dangled loosely between his knees.
"Why did you not tell me about this sooner?" Janos asked.
"I was going to," Raziel said, "but Jennifer convinced me that you wouldn't be able to handle too many surprises at once."
"I killed you," Janos said, his voice surged with anger and guilt.
"No you didn't," Raziel argued. "I think I should explain."
Raziel began telling Janos about his execution and how the Elder God had resurrected him to be a devourer of souls. He explained how he could pass into the spectral realm at will and use the portals to return to the physical.
"Do you see now?" Raziel asked. "That final jolt only knocked me back into the spectral realm. Besides, it was against your will."
"Then where were you?" Janos desperately asked. "Why weren't you there when our enemy again set foot on Nosgoth?"
"That's not what I was for," Raziel said. "My destiny was to be imprisoned in the Reaver until I went insane, then bound to my own arm in a never-ending cycle."
"I'm sorry. I had no idea that would happen to you," Janos choked.
"I know," Raziel said. After a pause, he said, "I didn't know then what you would be condemned to, either."
Janos and Raziel sat in meditative silence as they watched the sun slip below the horizon.
"I shouldn't have kept anything from you," Raziel said softly.
"No, Jennifer was right," Janos sighed wearily. "I do not think I would have kept my sanity if you had told me everything at once."
"There's many things left," Raziel warned.
Janos winced. "Surely they can wait. I've had enough surprises for one night."
Raziel nodded sagely. "I'll tell you whenever you're ready. Eventually, you will know everything."
"Why are you willing to let Kain rest here?" Janos asked.
Raziel took a moment to think. "Telling him to leave would be more trouble than it's worth. He'll be gone again soon enough."
"Azrael has told me about the empire. Then I learn that Kain was the one who caused your suffering. And I've seen first hand how little remorse he shows for his actions," Janos said.
"I realize that he doesn't have a moral code, at least it's not one that we would easily recognize," Raziel said. "He had a destiny as well."
"What would that be?" Janos asked, wondering if he really wanted to know.
Raziel stared Janos straight in the eye for a moment before saying, "Kain's the Scion of balance."
Janos sat frozen in shock. Unlike his undead progeny, Janos did need to breathe, but now his breath caught in his throat. After a moment, his lungs unfroze, and Janos began muttering in his original language again. Occasionally, words like "impossible," and "doomed," would emerge from Janos' incomprehensible monolog. After a couple minutes of this, Janos ran out of words.
Janos and Raziel both sat in silence again. This time, it was Janos who broke it. "I should have known."
"Don't blame yourself, Janos," Raziel said. "I doubt even Kain realized it at the time."
Janos grimaced as his bewilderment became too much for him to bear, though he also began to see how the puzzle could be unraveled. "We will discuss this further in the morning," he said as he stood and then flew off the roof.
Kain sat on the porch, seeming to be lost in thought. He idly swirled a red liquid in a glass goblet. Jennifer gave him a critical look as she gathered the now-dry paintbrushes.
"It's wine," Kain told her. "I can't tolerate food."
"Do you still drink blood?" Jennifer asked.
"Only when it is offered," Kain said. "I wouldn't want to disappoint my admirers."
"At least in that aspect," Jennifer reminded him.
"I will not encourage their misconceptions of me," Kain said. "However, I do see fit to continue in my accustomed habits."
"I suppose some of them would be crushed if they found out that you're not the vicious fiend they thought you were," Jennifer said in resignation.
Kain turned in curiosity at the sound of a motorcycle puttering into the driveway.
"That would be Azrael," Jennifer said.
Kain set his glass aside and stood up. "You must excuse me. I would have words with my wayward childe."
Azrael was surprised to find Kain standing in the garage. He stood at attention and humbly said, "My Lord."
Kain strode up to Azrael. "Why didn't you stay where I put you?"
Azrael did not show any emotion, but inwardly he wanted to back away. "Forgive me, but I would have grown weak in that insufferable woman's care." Azrael knew that he had done something regrettable. Now he would have to deal with the consequences.
"I had intended to find someplace more suitable for you," Kain mused. "I suppose you managed to do that on your own."
Azrael let himself relax slightly. He had unconsciously braced himself for a blow that never came. Kain casually ran an index claw down the side of Azrael's face. Though it didn't cause any damage, Azrael hated it because it made him feel like a possession.
"Remember where your loyalties lie," Kain warned. "I may not tolerate your disobedience again." Kain drew his claw away quickly, causing a momentary scratch on Azrael's perfect face.
Azrael curled his lip in the beginning of a snarl, but the expression did not go any further. He was pleased to see a hint of the emperor's old strength returning.
Kain casually sauntered around Azrael's motorcycle. "You seem to have adapted quite well to this world."
"It is an interesting device," Azrael said noncommittally.
"Tell me how it works," Kain said, examining it with a critical eye.
Azrael began explaining how to control the bike. Though Azrael had also learned how to perform minor repairs, he had never known Kain to be overly interested in how machines actually worked.
Kain nodded in approval, satisfied with the knowledge he had gained.