Growing up, Maruble heard several stories about the God of Death.

The first he heard was in the entryway of his mother's temple. It was one of those rare nights where rain swept over the desert and gave them a small reprieve from the blistering heat, drumming against the stone steps as Derutons lounged in a scattered circle. Maruble sat among them, still young enough to be considered blameless, and listened as they murmured the name of a god: Breath Stealer, they called him. Reaper of Souls. Their faces danced in the torchlight, casting elongated shadows over the walls as they shared stories about Noctavius.

He was a murderer who killed his wife in cold blood. No— a man who could empty entire cities with his Death Aura. In some tales, he raised rotting corpses to do his bidding, and in others, he crept into houses at night and stole the souls of godlings. The stories were ridiculous and overly embellished, but they had given him nightmares for months until his mother intervened.

When the Goddess of Sight heard Maruble's worries, she sat at the foot of his bed and gently chided him for believing such tales. Athema had stared at the ceiling for a long time, not meeting his eyes, and finally sighed. And that's how Maruble first heard the story of his Uncle Mattus.

Mattus had been the God of Foundations. After testing the limits of his power, Maruble's uncle— and Athema's only brother— died suddenly in an accident. It had been a tragedy. Gods from every corner of Alta came to give Athema their condolences, but their words did little to stifle her grief. Heartbroken, the goddess locked herself in her seeing room for days, using the orb to see futures where Mattus could have lived. This continued until Noctavius finally visited her.

The God of Death took Athema to the isolated battlements of the Court of Balance and motioned to the empty valley below. There, with a gust of wind sweeping the wildflowers and the sun settling into an orange glow, he told her about a beautiful place. A place where the dead were at peace, where their souls were guarded like sleeping children. He promised her that one day, when he learned to control his power fully, he would make sure her brother was safe and comfortable.

Maruble shook his head at the memory. The God of Rot was in deep conversation with Sarah about the inner workings of Alta, and they talked amicably as he led them to a different branch of the Underworld, but Maruble didn't join in. Instead, as they walked across the ballroom, and perhaps only because he might be walking into his death, Maruble wondered what his own story would be like.

He had been a villain. Even though the Derutons had been unfair to him as a child, he had somehow managed to be worse. He had spent his youth being unreasonable, and when he finally reached adulthood, he engulfed a mountain in flames out of anger and killed someone. For the first time in his life, Maruble realized that his story was no better than the ones he heard that night in his mother's temple— no better than the stories Derutons used to scare children.

But if he could do what the God of Rot asked, then maybe— just maybe—

"Through here," said Somel, nodding to a door at the end of the hall. "Sarah, if you wouldn't mind heading inside, I'd like to speak with the God of Fire alone."

Sarah opened her mouth to protest. Before she could speak, Maruble shook his head.

"It's fine. I'll meet you in there."

She nodded once, her eyes wandering to a well-lit corridor. "See you inside."

Maruble waited until she reached the end of the hall. For a moment, a burst of light flood from the next room, but then the door closed behind her. The two of them sat in silence for a long time. All around them, the sounds of the dead echoed off the cave walls, but they seemed muted and distant. Not for the first time, Maruble wondered just how many souls were really trapped in the Underworld.

After a long time, the God of Rot took a deep breath and sighed. "Thank you."

"I haven't done anything yet."

Somel paused. He rubbed his rotting fingers together thoughtfully, and after a moment of decision, he closed his hand into a fist.

"There's something you need to know about the human lands, God of Fire." Rot lowered his voice and met Maruble's gaze. "There is a well-kept secret among the Court of Balance, only known by those who travel frequently between the two realms. I only heard about it because Noctavius confided in me."

Maruble's heart skipped a beat. "Tell me."

"How long have you been on Earth?"

"A couple of weeks," said Maruble slowly.

The God of Rot pursed his lips. A tremble ran through Somel's body so quickly that, at first, Maruble thought he had imagined it. The god looked around uncomfortably before gathering the courage to continue.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, God of Fire," said Somel regretfully, "but you've been gone for two years."

The cave around Maruble spun. He put his hand on the wall to keep from falling to his knees. A million thoughts raced through his mind, and his heart hammered relentlessly as he tried to gather his thoughts.

"That—That's wrong," he stammered. "It's not possible."

"Time flows unpredictably between our worlds. The Court believes it's related to the ebb and flow of The Sea's tides." Rot shook his head grimly and kept his eyes on the wall. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you."

Maruble exhaled shakily. The signs had all been there, but he had been so caught up in his human life that he hadn't been paying attention. Noctavius had gathered enough followers to raise and train an army, Athema's orb had been stolen in a plot after an uprising, and The Court of Balance had declared war against the God of Death. All of this didn't happen in the span of two weeks. It happened in two years.

Stolen story; please report.

"I— I wondered how it all happened so quickly."

"I'm sorry," repeated Somel quietly.

"Two years?"

"Two years," he confirmed. Somel's eyes wandered to the door Sarah had gone through. "I know this is sudden, but I wanted to tell you in case—"

"You don't know how long will pass when I'm in the godlands," breathed Maruble, the realization washing over him.

He thought of his father and how the God of Volcanics would go away on his trips to human lands and come back looking older. How long had he really been gone? Months? Years? All this time, Theon had berated him about the short lifespans of humans, and it finally struck Maruble that it might have had nothing to do with the actual years of their lives.

Without looking at the God of Rot, he asked, "How long do I have?"

"I can give you an hour." Somel bowed his head. "Any longer than that, and we risk missing the war altogether."

"I see."

Maruble closed his eyes. There were so many things he needed to say to Sarah and Jacob, so many things he needed to explain, but they were out of time. If Death's army took over the Court of Balance, no human on Earth would be safe. He needed to protect them— even if it meant saying goodbye.

Without looking back at the God of Rot, Maruble walked down the corridor. It seemed to stretch out in front of him, going on and on, his footsteps echoing in his ears. He reached the end of the hall and grabbed the door handle. With a shuddering breath, he turned the knob, and the door creaked open slowly.

Sarah and Jacob stood together in a small room. Sarah's eyes were closed, and tears flowed down her face as she clutched Jacob's hands to her chest. He patted her head, smiling softly and murmuring things Maruble couldn't hear. For a moment, he felt like he had intruded on a private moment, but then a voice spoke next to him.

"I've heard much about you, God of Fire." A woman with long black hair nodded to him. "My name is Selene, and I am the Goddess of Memory. I'm also Somel's friend."

Maruble glanced at the goddess and then back to the scene before him. Jacob, after all he had been through, seemed strangely calm.

"How much did you show him?"

"I showed him only what was necessary for him to understand." Selene shrugged. "I figured I would save you the trouble."

Maruble hesitated, eyeing his friends uncertainly.

"Go," whispered Selene, nudging his arm. "You don't have long."

Maruble took a deep breath.

Not long ago, he had looked down upon humans. Even after he had been banished to Earth, and the two of them had treated him kindly, he still lashed out and treated them as though they were beneath him. At the time, they had been nothing but stepping stones to help him return to the godlands. But now, after all that had happened, Maruble found it hard to say goodbye.

"By the way," the goddess added, "you never killed anyone on that mountain."

Maruble's face went pale. "I'm sorry?"

"Noctavius planted the body to provoke the Court into acting. He knew your punishment would cause unrest, especially among gods who believed in the old ways, and so he used it as a point during recruiting." Selene heaved a long sigh, and even though the Goddess of Memory looked young, her eyes seemed older than the rest of her. "I thought you should know."

"I never killed anyone?" he asked carefully.

"As far as I'm aware, no one has died by your hand."

Maruble closed his eyes as a flurry of emotions welled up inside him. He allowed himself a moment—just a single moment—to let them overwhelm him. All the worries, fears, and regrets that had been tucked away were set free, and he felt them all at once—but then let them go. There would be time to think about everything later. He needed to spend whatever time he had left with Sarah and Jacob. Without wasting another second, The God of Fire steadied himself and opened his eyes.

"Thank you."

Maruble walked away without waiting for a response, and Selene slipped out of the door quietly.

As he approached, Sarah turned to him and wiped the tears from her cheeks, smiling toothily. She laughed, but it came out as a choked sob. Her face was still covered with traces of soot from when she ran through a wildfire. Maruble thought she might have been the bravest person he had ever met— god or otherwise. Then, he turned to Jacob. The blood on his face had been cleaned off, but there was still a large gash in his cheek, but he was here. He was alive.

"God of Fire," said Jacob formally.

Maruble nodded once. "Human."

Jacob burst into a smile. He grabbed Maruble, squeezing him into a suffocating hug, and patted him on the back with force. Stepping back, he looked between them and shook his head.

"I can't believe you guys did it."

"We had help," he admitted. Maruble eyed the gash on Jacob's cheek and frowned. "Did Noctavius do that?"

"Well— it's not a good story, really—"

"Tell us what happened," said Sarah gently. "How did you end up in the woods?"

"Ah— that. Well." Jacob's cheeks turned red, and he didn't meet their eyes. "The other day, I saw Maruble going into the woods. After our fight, I was pissed off and wanted to see what was going on, and that's when I met Death— or whatever his name is. The bastard said some annoying stuff and then ran off into the woods. I was already in a bad mood, so I chased after him." He scratched his neck and pointed to his cheek. "I tripped over a branch and fell face-first into one of the limbs. It was stupid, but when I tried to turn around and go back, I got lost." Jacob's eyes grew dark. He pursed his lips, and for a moment, his eyes glistened. "I was lying there. I had inhaled so much smoke, and I knew that I was dying, but I didn't think anyone would find me."

Sarah sniffed. "It's Somel who saved you."

"The God of Death targeted you because of me," said Maruble quietly. "All of this is my fault."

"I know what happened." To his surprise, Jacob snorted and added, "But how many people can say their friends broke them out of Hell?"

Sarah laughed, and for a moment, time slowed down. Maruble felt the tension in his shoulders ease a little.

"Selene showed me everything," said Jacob, his face growing serious. "I know that our memories were planted and that none of it was real, but I want to make something clear: I don't know much about this god stuff, but you and Sarah came into the Underworld to find me." Jacob took a deep breath and sighed. "You guys are my best friends. And no matter what happens next, you always will be."

Sarah looked between them sadly. "We're running out of time, aren't we?"

"I don't know if we'll see each other again," admitted Maruble, wiping his eyes, "but I promise I'll try."

"No goodbyes."

They both looked at Jacob, but he just shrugged. Their friend who had survived death. Even after waking up in the Underworld and learning everything, he was still smiling.

"You know what I want?" he asked, looking at Sarah and Maruble. "I want to hang out— the way we always did in our memories."

Sarah nodded slowly and said, "I like that idea."

His two friends looked at him. Maruble hesitated as he took in their faces and tried to imprint them to memory. Even though his heart felt like it was shattering, he lifted his chin and matched their smiles.

"I'd like that," he said. "I think I'd like that very much."

And the three of them sat on the stone floor.

It was nothing like their memories. After all, they were deep in the depths of the Underworld, in a room that smelled like mold and moss, and the three of them had seen too much to ever be the same again— but it was enough. It was plenty.

As the minutes ticked by, they talked about life and school and the future. Jacob agreed to stand up to his family and change his major. Sarah, fascinated by the concept of other worlds after her talks with Somel, decided to study the stars. They talked as if there weren't strange noises in the distance, as if Sarah's father wasn't trapped among the dead, and as if this wouldn't be the last time they would be together like this. And as they talked and laughed, the memories that Selene planted became real. Maruble was a college student, and he was hanging out with his two best friends. There was no Altan war, no God of Death, and no saying goodbye.

Soon, Rot would come through the door and tell him it was time. He would face the battlefield and weaken Noctavius so that the Underworld could take him— but that would all come later. For now, for one fleeting moment, Maruble was happy.