The Return of the Forgotten: Ties, memories and responsibility

Mortis' hand held Malgror tightly as they both plunged deeper into the darkness. "Let go of me, you sick bastard! Do you really think you can defeat me?" gasped Malgror. But Mortis just laughed out loud as he held the demon down and continued to plummet.

After a while, a faint light could be seen in the distance. Malgror laughed maniacally and said as the heat of the flames reached them, "I almost believed your threat, but it seems I'm the winner."

With these words, they hit the ground. Suddenly a shrill, rather high-pitched voice rang out, "Ahh, the master is back." Malgror looked around in confusion as he tried to rise and saw a small Imp in black and silver.

Confused, the demon asked, "Since when does a lowly Imp work for me?" The Imp replied, "I am Belzarak, and you are a microscopic demon. You are not my master." The Imp then extended his right hand forward, which began to glow, and the fire surrounding it formed a huge fiery hand that Malgror clasped.

"You beast, let go of me! Don't you know who I am?" roared Malgror. Belzarak, however, calmly countered, "You are my master's enemy, and you are now my plaything, microscopic demon."

Mortis slowly stood up, patted himself down, and laughed. Then he looked contemptuously at Malgror and said, "Welcome to my realm. I hope you will not fare well, but Belzarak will see to that."

Belzarak bowed to Mortis, then turned and pulled Malgror behind him. Meanwhile, he sang a little song he had made up himself. It was about what he would do to the other demon and how he would soon be a loyal subordinate.

Fidelia, who took care of the good souls, appeared to pick up Mortis and take him to a more pleasant place. Before his eyes appeared a place very familiar to Mortis: a large meadow, in the middle of which stood a huge tree. Under the tree, close to the trunk, there was a table with two seats, where tea and pastries were ready.

Fidelia hooked up with Mortis, and together they strolled across the meadow toward the tree. Fidelia began to speak, "This is the place where we met. And this is the place where I realized that I had fallen in love with you. Even though this is where the worst event of our past lives took place, I can never forget how the three of us played here and met again and again. Now, tell me what this place means to you."

Mortis looked around and recognized the familiar place. He felt the memories of past lives and happy moments, and his smile grew even wider. Together with Fidelia he walked across the meadow, and the mighty tree in front of them filled him with a strange calm.

"This place means a lot to me," he began softly. "It's where we met, yes, but it's more than that. This is where we played, laughed, and enjoyed life before the darkness came to our worlds."

He took a seat in the other chair and poured himself tea as well before continuing. "This place reminds me that even in the darkest of times, beauty and joy exist. That love and friendship are strong enough to stand against evil. This is where we built trust, Fidelia, and I can't forget how important that is."

Mortis paused and looked Fidelia in the eye. "It's strange, but I can't fully remember our past together. It's as if a part of it has disappeared, as if another goddess who was once by my side is slowly fading away. I don't understand why this has happened."

Fidelia, the Goddess of Bonding, smiled gently and grasped Mortis' hand. "The memory of our past lives may be hazy, but the bond between us is strong, Mortis. You are the Son of Death, the God of Rebirth, and I am the Goddess of Bonding. When you died in the War of the Gods, I was with you, along with another goddess, Lumina, the Goddess of Witches. It seems she was luckier than I was, and is now by your side as long as I can be."

She continued, "Or did you think that as a mortal, albeit an impressive one, you had the power to convince a goddess like me? I am sorry, but it seems that she has restored your bond with her. But be happy, because this way you both could find love for each other once again."

Mortis smiled and squeezed Fidelia's hand tighter. "Yes, and we will also find the time to fall in love again in the future. So please be patient until we find a way to give you a body of your own."

Fidelia nodded with a smile, but then her face turned serious as she addressed Mortis. "What were you thinking, letting such a pathetic demon riddle you?" she said in a serious tone. "Don't you even think about us women when you go into battle? Besides, you should be able to heal yourself. You may be a fighter, but you should know enough magic to heal your own wounds in an emergency. You also neglect your training with your divinity. You just ignore it and put it off to number two. But that has come to an end. The others actually think that you have everything under control as long as they think you are unconscious. You're going to connect with Number Two now and get the experience he's getting." 

Mortis took in Fidelia's serious words and lowered his gaze slightly. She was right, he had too often thrown himself into fights without thinking of the consequences, not only for himself, but also for those who were concerned about him. Hearing her words, he felt the weight of his responsibility not only for himself, but for his wives and the future they had together.

He nodded slowly and said, "You are right, Fidelia. I have neglected my duties and thrown myself into battle too often without thinking of the consequences. I will take my training with my divinity more seriously and learn to control my powers better so I can heal myself when needed."

Mortis was determined to better himself, not only for himself, but also for those he cared about.

Fidelia accompanied Mortis to the Silver Palace, where Number Two was already meditating at the Gates of Life, waiting for Mortis. Their goal was to get their souls somewhat back in sync and teach Mortis everything as well as show him what he had learned so far. This included the Gate of Life, the Sea of Souls, and the powers of Divinity itself.