The End of an Era

Cael

     Cael stands on his balcony looking out at the horizon. He sips a dark beer savoring the rich taste and warmth spreading outward from his stomach. He hadn't had a drink in a while. So this particular moment is refreshing. Even if he must consider the consequences of a grave decision.
     He scratches his head. Zaak is always neck deep in trouble. This time though. Fuck all kinds of ducks. Cael wants to help Zaak. But that means accepting the current cycle of events. Which is not at all okay with Cael. Progress is measured by accepting mistakes and moving forward. Which Zaak may very well be okay with. But death is something almost no one accepts gracefully.
     There is a knock at the door. Cael strides over to the door and opens to see Razz grinning with a six pack of Ember made Fire Mead. The two bump fists.
     "Hey I know we're supposed to meet tomorrow but I was wondering if you wanted to drink with me?" Razz says jangling the cans.
     "You've met me right?" Cael says jokingly.
     "Hell yeah!" Razz walks in and plants himself on the couch. Cael joins him finishing off his glass and cracking the can of bubbling alcohol. The first thing he notices is how cold it is. Sia must have iced them before Razz left. He takes a sip and his mouth is instantly burning.
     Cael is no stranger to spicy food. But Incandescent are absolutely crazy about how hot they can make their food and beverages. Cael mans up and drinks more.
     "So how are you and Sia doing?" Cael asks. "Been making up for lost time?"
     Razz laughs. "You heard us?"
     "Everyone heard." Cael says almost pointedly. Razz just shrugs. "So when should I prepare to see little Flamekin running around the castle?"
     "It doesn't work like that." Razz says tossing a can into his mouth and eating it whole. This had shocked Cael at first but now he's used to it.
     "Right, the whole furnace thing." Cael says remembering that Incandescent don't reproduce normally.
     "And what's a Flamekin?" Razz says mildly confused."
     "Oh yeah. I noticed the other day that Incandescent and Suijin, or Water Gods, are more like elves than anything else. So in a way we're distant relatives."
     "I'm gonna miss stuff like this." Razz says slightly sad. Cael picks up on this.
     "You've decided then?"
     "Yeah." Razz says quietly. The atmosphere has become somber. "You should check on Lexianna. I heard her crying in her garden earlier."
     Razz chomps another can Fire Mead and gets up to leave. Before leaving however he stops.
     "Zaak sacrifices everything to save everyone around him. Just this once I want to save him from himself. And if he ends up hating me... So be it."
     Razz leaves shutting the door behind him. Cael reflects on his words. What is the best course of  action in this situation? Razz wants to confront Zaak. That won't end well. Zaak is a survivor. And has power that makes the most mighty of gods seem like children.
     Razz is a reincarnation of a god. Lexianna is a cosmic entity of nature. Blaze is an alien Archon of technological prowess. Lylith has the souls of ancient dragon gods bound to her own.
     "Don't look so glum. You're so much cuter when you smile." Saedysm, one of Zaak's six core existences, sings in a disgustingly soothing voice.
     "I told you to stay far away from me." Cael spits.
     "Since when do I ever deny myself pleasure?" The way he lets the word pleasure drip from his mouth makes Cael's stomach churn.
     "Why do you even care?" Cael says ignoring Saedysm.
     "Why not?" Saedysm's eyes pierce deep into Cael's. "Humor me and I'll leave." Cael nearly outright dismisses the thought. But he relents.
     "I don't know why Zaak chose me to lead everyone. I'm not the hero everyone thinks I am." Cael says. Telling this to Saedysm makes him feel sick to his stomach.
     "You've become more powerful than any of us had ever anticipated." Saedysm says. His soothing voice cutting the silence that had hung in the air. "That's why everyone followed you when Zaak was indisposed. That's why Zaak continues to trust you to lead missions. You're a diamond Cael. You just need the right amount of pressure to make you sparkle."
     Cael doesn't speak for a while. He isn't sure what to say. Eventually Saedysm turns to leave. Cael tosses him a can of Fire Mead as he reaches the door. Saedysm catches it without looking.
     "All this time I thought you were just a monster." Cael says.
     "My dear boy. We are." Saedysm's words have a haunting ring to them. Cael understands the meaning. Saedysm was referring to all of Zaak's existences. The silence that hangs following Saedysm's departure is stifling. Cael takes a drink and almost chokes on a small crystal fragment.
     He curses loudly and begins to crush the gem. But he notices it isn't a normal stone. It's a Data Gem. Crystalline reality filled with data. This specific gem is full of memories. Cael knows precisely where it goes.