Kinisis sighed as she read the long list that the Decay Lord has presented to her. Galyn meant well, but this massive list of items seemed like a very passive-aggressive way to say that Kinisis had majorly fucked up and needed a little too much assistance.
“Is there a problem, Life Goddess Kinisis?”
“No, no… This is just… I have a lot of work to do.”
Galyn crossed his arms and grunted. “You seem a little flustered.”
“No, really?” was Kinisis’s rather sarcastic reply. “It’s not like I had my Guardians taken from me and was locked in my vault for ages because a feral bitch wanted to kill me…”
“You seem like you need a little assistance.”
“I don’t want your assistance!” Kinisis snapped.
“It is fine to need help. We all do, sometimes. You had a bad time. I want to help.”
Kinisis sighed some more, then glanced at Galyn. For an older Decay Lord, he was pretty attractive. And he was being very patient. Maybe, for once, Kinisis could let her guard down a little.
“I’m actually fine with most of these tasks…” Kinisis finally admitted. “But… you gave me one here… I have to give them back their memories? In their entirety? Why?”
Galyn tilted his head to one side. “What is wrong with letting them remember?”
“Most of the potential Decaylings you picked up, you stripped them of their memories and sent them back home. Or at least back to Epani’s little pocket. Yet here you are, telling me the opposite, that I have to tell my Guardians the truth?”
“We did not really strip anyone of their memories. Traumatic events like, well, nearly being killed by an army of golden beings and seeing your universe explode, can cause memory loss on their own. For a mortal, to live their fullest life, they do not need such horrific thoughts, lest they lose their minds and then their lives.”
“But what about… my Guardians? What’s the difference?”
Galyn tutted. “They are immortal now, Kinisis. Assuming they are not wounded, they will live as long as you do. But they also need a sense of self. They need to know who they are. Otherwise the question of “who?” will perpetually burn inside them. And they will unwittingly accept anything that will fill that gap.”
“So… you are saying that… because Viia gave them a “who”, they were more easily controlled by her?”
The Decay Lord nodded. “They do not have a strong link to you, Kinisis, because they do not know themselves.”
Kinisis took a deep, rather worried breath. “If I let them know the truth, they may resent me. I made them immortal but I took them from their homes.”
“Better to let them know the truth now, than to let it fester. They will be thankful for the gift of immortality, they will understand that what you have made them into is better than what they would have had. Your Guardians will experience what trillions and trillions of beings could not even fathom, to exist outside of a universe. To be their true selves.”
“You’re sure they… won’t get angry and attack me?”
“Attack you? Of course not. But they will be angry for a while. Then they will mourn what they have lost. Once they settle down though, they will understand. And they will become loyal to you on their own terms.”
“I…” Kinisis hesitated. “I suppose you’re right. Sometimes you Decay Lords are right. I shouldn’t keep them in the dark…”
Galyn bowed slightly. “I appreciate the sentiment. Do you need help with anything else?”
“No, thank you. I think I’ve got it…”
“Very well, Kinisis. Let us know if you need anything else, before you head off.”
“Thanks…” Kinisis frowned as she headed off. “I’m good for now though… Got some… explaining to do…”