“You don’t remember anything, do you?”
Tahnahos felt very out of place. He was sitting in a dining hall, surrounded by mountains of food and three beings who all claimed to have been his best friends. The yellow-armoured being, Tahnahos definitely recognised. Arkay was the son of Kinisis, Tahnahos’s boss, and a being that Tahnahos knew didn’t get along with Kinisis. The red and gold flame-wearing being was called Retvik, and was apparently Arkay’s mentor or guardian or something, who the Twelve Guardians had run into before and had trouble with. The green creature though, Tahnahos wasn’t sure at all, apart from the fact it was female, was a time drake and was called Elksia.
“I don’t know what you mean…” Tahnahos grunted.
“You don’t remember our time as the Dessaron?” Elksia asked, bouncing around erratically. “You know, the legendary heroes that saved the Allbirther and stopped the angry Whenvern?”
Tahnahos shook his head. “No. Sorry.”
“What about when you betrayed your dad and saved a bunch of beings?”
“Uh, no…”
“What about when-”
“He already said he does not remember, Elksia…” Retvik interrupted. “If he does not remember the major events of our lives, then he will not remember if you keep on asking him.”
Elksia shrugged. “You never know! Might jog his brain a little bit! What do you think, Arkay?”
Arkay hadn’t said much yet. He was clearly thinking. And he was clearly aware that Tahnahos’s mistress Kinisis would want to know what was going on.
“I’m sorry, I just don’t remember anything…” Tahnahos tried to explain. “Kinisis said she plucked us out, saved us from death, made us better, stronger, more powerful.”
“And she wiped your memory out in the process…” Arkay frowned.
“I… I guess…” Tahnahos sighed, then started rummaging through his little backpack. “She did give us little… portfolios about our pasts, but I am… starting to think that they’re… not as accurate as Kinisis thinks. Because I know that I am supposed to be a member of a group called the Dessaron but I don’t remember any of the details.”
“Well… do you mind if I take a look?”
“At the portfolio?” Tahnahos hesitated. “Or… something else?”
Arkay glanced at Retvik and Elksia, then back at Tahnahos. “Well… I can have a look in your mind, if you let me. I can see if there are any mental roadblocks that are stopping you from remembering.”
“You can do that?” Elksia whispered.
“Of course he can…” Retvik whispered back. “He has been a deity for far longer than we have…”
Tahnahos hesitated some more. “I… I would rather you didn’t. I kinda don’t want a broken brain or anything. But you can have a look at my portfolio…”
Arkay took the portfolio and flicked through it, then showed it to Retvik and Elksia. Everything in the portfolio was incredibly vague, to the point that Tahnahos might as well not have bothered reading it himself.
“I take it something is wrong?” Tahnahos queried, looking worried.
“I don’t want to say “wrong”, but there’s definitely something not right…” Arkay explained. “The portfolio only just outlines your life. It’s not incorrect, but it’s not actually telling you anything. Doesn’t even mention the fact that you have two brothers and that you all betrayed your father and opted to help anyone who wasn’t a Kronospast.”
Tahnahos slumped in his chair, sighing. “I… I thought as much… But… how do I fix this? Aside from letting you enter my mind?”
“Yeah, I understand your unwillingness. Had enough people venturing in my damn mind too…” Arkay tutted. “But… I guess… we could sit around a campfire and tell stories? That might help jog some memories?”
“It also sounds FUN!” Elksia added.
Tahnahos smiled, just a little. “That… that sounds like a great idea…”