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Chapter 28: Of the Forgotten

Watatsumi Island was known by many visitors as the kind of place that tended to get differing reactions to whoever was 'lucky' to find it.

To Lumine and Paimon, it was gorgeous for the way it was built upon such unnatural scenery made it an impressive sight to their eyes compared to the manmade constructsion they were familiar with. To Shenhe, it was a bit questionable due to the way it was built as she couldn't help but wonder if a storm could possibly cause extreme flooding and destruction to the few small fields within the fertile core.

Lastly, Kratos' opinion was... particularly biased. As a man that still had some foul memories of water-based fights in his past, Kratos never felt too at ease in any potential hostile territory which may hurl him off solid ground and deep underwater. He doubted it may happen in this instance, but as a man of Sparta, Kratos remembered too strongly the few times he came to loathe sea-faring monsters. And while his time spent in the Norse region made him somewhat less frustrated by trips into seas and oceans, he was nonetheless a warrior and he wished to uphold a footing he could trust rather than be limited by the many issues tied to water.

That being said, he had to admit there was a beauty to Watatsumi that reminded him about home. He had barely any chance to truly 'experience' Athens as he invaded it as the God of War. The memories of attacking the place, known to many as the heart of mortal Greeks, had always been mixed due to his painful remembrance bringing up the time Zeus betrayed him and when he first killed Athena. It was ironic how he had been initially mortified of slaying the Goddess of Wisdom, once thought to be a friend, and how this all came to hurt him in the end. To be used through and through... no more.

He bit down all those strong memories as he knew they warranted no place in his mind at the moment. He wasn't there to mull over the past, but to keep vigilant over the present and stick to his current goals. Which is why he was looking forward to leave Watatsumi the earliest possible even though part of him was curious about the so-called 'wise priestess'. The walk through the island, conducted with 'guards', keeping an eye on them through the entire walk, had also most of the population eyeing them with surprise and curiosity. Not a single hint of animosity came up, mostly because he could tell they were all pleased with his actions in Narukami.

At least the locals were not going to attack them anytime soon. It was time to see if the same extended to the one that invited them there in the first place. Of the many notions he had of Sangonomiya Kokomi, young and somewhat beautiful were not part of his list. This was mostly because Kratos' own experience with priestesses and oracles had women that were either duplicitous in their own 'skill' and those true mediums to the gods being elderly, and deserving the wisdom they carried through the wrinkles of their bodies.

Kokomi herself was clearly not 'chosen' to lead at this age, perhaps her predecessor perished earlier than she was ready to claim this job but ultimately was forced to do it upon that circumstance. Kratos didn't know enough to make his own opinion on this detail, but he was leaning to not find her age a reason to find her 'inexperienced'. After all, she had lead her people through a civil war and even 'shaped' the war into something else which favored her. Men can fight for greed of lands for a few generations, but ideals? It was the kind of wood that provided more fire than anything else.

"Introducing Miss Lumine, Miss Paimon, Miss Shenhe, and Lord Kratos, guests to Lady Kokomi and Captain Gorou."

The one introducing them, a priestess working for Kokomi, seemed keen to actually 'differentiate' the girls from Kratos. The use of 'Lord' felt unusual and yet foreboding. He couldn't help but feel something unpleasant was behind this choice. It was something Kratos felt oddly familiar, and not in a pleasant way as far as he could tell.

"Lord Kratos, it is a honor to meet a deity walking among us not as an Archon but as a reminder of the past."

...What?

The sudden mention had him alarmed. Somehow they knew this- and he could tell this wasn't a loose guess. He could tell there was something giving the young Kokomi a reason to appear particularly confident over this affirmation. Kratos was about to either deny or crush whatever idea this girl had over him but-

"I also understand you are not fond of such a recognition, so I will apologize if this is sudden or unwanted. We were just curious, as heirs of Enkanomiya, to know more about someone recorded in past as a recognized deity of old."

Kratos paused at this comment, confused by not only the way the priestess appeared genuine in her politeness, but also aware that there was a 'gap' in what she was aware of and what was the full truth. How to handle such a situation without escalating things further? Well, trying to keep calm on his part could be a start.

"I am no longer a God, and I wish to not be addressed as such."

"We understand, and I apologize for the inconvenience."

...It was becoming difficult to get angry to this girl despite the way she initiated the conversation. Also, he was confused. How did they knew his former occupation?

"How do you know I was once a god?"

"Documents from Enkanomiya from a time prior the existence of the known elder gods," Kokomi replied calmly, then blinked with interest. "Of course, it is also fair to say something else. Enkanomiya was not the first name of the realm. Despite what some historians may say, there is another name it went by as part of a wider land."

"...Hellas?"

Kokomi tensed up, eyes widening at Kratos' guess. "Yes. Hellas, it was your land... yes?"

A nod was all Kratos provided, the implications of this profound development sinking further as he was provided a brief history about 'Enkanomiya'. The Palace Below the Depths as it was titled, Enkanomiya bore some familiar terms to his past. Helios, a fake sun, and Delphi, the Serpent's heart. So many familiar words and new ones. It was slowly dawning upon the old warrior what Enkanomiya was.

Long ago, he had been aware Hellas had been growing back to shape, devoid of a pantheon of gods ruling over them. He had thought this had been the fate for all those cursed by his revenge when he climbed Mt. Olympus and killed the gods, but Enkanomiya added a missing piece of this vision - some of those old pieces of home never recovered for their were lost to the murkiest of seas and lost to reality itself. Drawn away from the old world they called home and lulled into the nothiness that would ultimately connect them to Watatsumi.

He didn't speak through the explanation, listening and understanding how this all connected to him. And he had to pause a few times as he could tell one thing out of this explanation - they knew something happened to cause Enkanomiya to lose itself away from Hellas, and for it to end up where it currently rotted away. And they didn't know he had been at least partly responsible for this.

It was best for that to not be brought up. He had good reasons to expect them to feel enmity towards him. Not to the point of outright banishing him, but it would sow distrust in a way he was quite unfamiliar to deal with. At least, not without somehow making things worse for himself. He also knew he couldn't linger on the past for, while he was surprised by this discovery, it didn't change his current plans for the near and distant future: he had to find his companions and return where they came from. They were offered to stay over the night and they took it, but Kratos took to not approach any of the individuals in the island out of fear he may say too much somehow. Especially when it was clear the young priestess was terribly curious of what he may tell her and...

He was most unwilling to provide her answers that may displease her and destabilize their current peaceful situation.

AN

Next time, Kokomi deals with... four intruders (five if one includes a certain Kunoichi), all the while ignoring that the recent Fatui guest may or may not use this opportunity to 'destabilize' the current situation for Kratos and co.