"Before we begin, if you have any major questions, now is the time." The being says.

You have to admit, this situation is so unique that you can't help but be curious so you do decide to ask questions. (As well and somehow holding out the futile hope that you might find an advantage)

"Are you a god?" you ask.
"I suppose I am, but in the scheme of things I am more of a collector and caretaker. Gods typically get to do fun irresponsible things like torment mortals and encouraging holy wars. Strange though, this world wasn't really high on any deity influences, the only record I can find of major divine influence here is a powerful yet non-divine being masquerading as a so called god of shadows and going by the name Dendrin and that thing left this world when you eradicated the shadows long ago." It answers.
"Isn't killing the world considered tormenting mortals?" you ask.
"To you and most others I suppose it would be, but this is really more of a necessary service. A reminder that death can't be cheated. In reality, the divine don't really want immortal types running about since it tends to threaten the status quo. If someone achieves immortality on a world then potentially someone else can do it too. Before you know it, you've got a whole new set of beings achieving godhood and believe me; we've got more than enough of them now. Too many really."
"How the hell is that fair? I mean as you said these gods haven't even been paying attention to this world and yet now they do?"
"Well as I said, you're a potential threat. And of course you're right. It isn't fair, but there are strict laws on this matter. Certain conditions have to apply, has to be an opening, and a bunch of boring diety debating. I didn't make them up either, they were long in place before I got this job so don't blame me. Really though your world was marked a long time ago when the Mortos necromancers attempted the same thing several centuries ago. I was so busy though with other things at the time that wasn't paying attention to just how close they were at closing the gate back up. Needless to say nobody was pleased about it and I got bitched at, but considering there wasn't any danger of someone becoming truly immortal anymore on your world I just had it marked and kept a closer eye on it."

You helplessly listen to the death god's words as the life continues to ebb from your body.

"Knew it wouldn't be long before someone here tried it again and then I'd get this world. Figured it would be one of those Mortos necromancers, but I have to admit I didn't see someone like you doing the deed. Then again given your background maybe I shouldn't be too surprised. For a mortal you're somewhat interesting and I don't say that lightly."
"Thanks…I guess. Is that why you wanted to speak to me?" you ask starting to feel very frail and tired.

"For the most part yes, but more than that. You see despite my assigned duty, I genuinely respect mortals who have a desire to endure at all costs. I always have had an admiration for those that have a strong survival instinct and you Eternal, definitely have one of the strongest. So…I am going to make a few offers to you. Unique offers that I have never given any living being before. And trust me, I've been through this process quite a few times."

You struggle to keep standing and use your sword as a crutch to prop yourself up.

"Wha…what…are…my choices…" you weakly ask.
"Well, your first choice is obvious. You pathetically continue to oppose me. You'll inevitably lose of course. I highly recommend that you do not take this option. While I may respect a strong survival instinct, I do not respect foolishness and if you continue to fight me, that's what you'll be, a complete and utter fool. I do not think you are, but then again you just might prove me wrong. Besides dying in a fairly inglorious way your assigned afterlife will not be a pleasant one."
"I…I…suppose I haven't really been a good guy." You say.

"That's a severe understatement. In fact you alone have contributed to the deaths of so many either directly or indirectly on this world that I almost wondered if I even needed to bother showing up. But honestly your brutal politics and such aside, that isn't really what got you into trouble. Indeed there are many deities that admire and reward such behavior. Your complete and total obliteration of gnome souls however was severely frowned upon by certain deities. Those gnomes were supposed to go to a happy friendly afterlife, not get completely annihilated. Personally I don't really give a shit since I know at the time you were just following your own orders, but I like to keep the rest of the deities off my back so if you continue to piss me off by opposing me, well I'll be throwing you into that very dark painful place of which there is no hope, myself."

The death god pauses before announcing your next choice.

"Your second choice is a very simple one, but probably not as obvious to the likes of you. Your second choice is to simply die. Lay your burdens down and rest. I realize that something like this would be hard for a warrior such as yourself, but I can assure you that if you do, I will guarantee you a place with your long lost love Alison."

You feel a slight surge of energy within you when you hear that name.

"Al…Alison?" you utter.
"Yes, Alison. Granted, you probably don't belong where she currently is, but fortunately for you I can pull a few strings to get you there. You and her will re-united at last. You will get to exist for the rest of eternity with her in perfect happiness."

The chance to be reunited with Alison does sound like a good deal, but you can't help but wonder if it's a lie or maybe there's a catch just to lay down and die without struggle. Is this a trick? And if it is a trick, does that mean the death god believes you're more powerful than he's letting on and you could potentially defeat it?

In any case you still haven't heard your third choice, which the death god begins speaking on.

"But perhaps your long lost love isn't the true love that died. Perhaps your true love has always been with you in your heart. Perhaps you could potentially wish for that love affair to continue forever."
"I…certainly hope you…aren't talking about…a certain svelk…" you remark.

Surprisingly this causes a dark chortle from the death god.

"Oh no…not that one, Eternal. I am referring to a mistress of a more abstract nature. Your love of battle, war and bloodshed in general. That has always been a constant for you. As I have already mentioned your actions alone have either directly or indirectly caused multitudes of souls pour into my realm. I can also admire and respect a mortal that dedicated to death whether they realize it or not. Such a being could be of great use to me."
"Use?"
"Yes. As you may have somewhat gathered from our pleasant chat here I am an incredibly busy deity. Mortals die all the time and I have a duty to collect souls, assign them and even completely obliterate a few sometimes. This is in addition to the periods where I have a whole world to purge and when the appointed time comes, I have to personally oversee its harvest. It breaks up the monotony to be sure, but it also takes time especially when I've got stubborn little mortals like yourself opposing me to the bitter end. Also people on other worlds don't stop dying just because I'm purging another one. Souls stack up and then I get complaints from other deities saying they're missing this and that soul. The complaints don't really matter of course in the grand scheme of things, but it's not something I need to hear when I'm already doing the thankless job that nobody else wants."

You never realized being a deity was so bureaucratic. You still don't quite grasp how this is your problem though. Your only problem right now is struggling to live.

"Tell me Eternal, how would you like to be truly eternal?"
"What…do you mean?"
"You have a gift. A gift that I wouldn't mind putting to good use and this is your third choice. Beg me to make you my avatar on these world purging assignments."
"What?!"
"I said beg me to make you my herald of death. Instead of me having to slog through a marked world, I'd send you in my place. Naturally I'd give you a little of my power to help you along, but I trust command over literally legions of the dead is more than enough for you to get the job done. Just think, you'd get to enjoy what you truly love over and over again. Battle, war, death, and everything else that goes along with it. Best of all, you never have to worry about silly things like troop morale or morality in general, because the goal will always be the same and you will never run out of willing soldiers."

Now this offer sounds really too good to be true. You can't even believe that the death god is practically offering you a place by his side.

"So, wait…you're saying I can join…"
"No. I didn't say join…I said beg. There's a difference." The death god interrupts.
"I… don't understand." You answer.
"It's a test. A simple one really, but a test nevertheless. You are a proud being. Even when you served your Emperor with utter devotion, you were still a proud being. Again I can respect your pride. However, I can't have you believing that you're equal to me, because you aren't. Not by a long shot. I also can't have you thinking that somehow you're going to try to turn this opportunity into a way to destroy me and take over, because you can't. If this association is going to happen, I need you to humble yourself before me. Only then can I fully trust you because an oath will have been made. Such things are impossible to break when the gods are watching."
"But…if I don't stand a chance anyway then why do I need to…humble myself?"
"Let's just say it's a formality and the principle of it. Plus I'm suspicious by nature especially with a resourceful one such as yourself. Still, it is entirely up to you. I won't force you to do something you may find repulsive to your nature. But I don't think pride is in your nature. I believe war and battle is. And I believe the desire for those is a lot stronger than any pride you may have. Again though, you may prove me wrong."

And there you have it, you've been given your three choices, such as they are.

You've been through a lot in your life and you never could've imagined it would end like this. You're going to die no matter what you do that fact is certain.

And yet this death god respects you enough to give you choices. Choices that you could've never dreamed of, but at the same time are somewhat familiar.

You remember the very first time you had to make this choice…

You die

It takes you a few seconds, but you soon yield to the inevitable.

You're tired of conflict. While it is true that war, bloodshed and the like are the very core of your essence and you do enjoy such things, you have to wonder is that what you really want? Do you wish to be nothing but destruction personified forever? (Or at least until the Death God has no further use for you?)

You don't know. Part of it has its appeal to you and if things were different maybe you'd choose such a role.

However the Death God has offered you a chance to be with your first and only true love, Alison. Your time with her was STILL the happiest you ever were during your life. How can you possibly pass up such a chance? A chance to be with her forever.

You smile at this prospect and with this idea in mind you collapse to the floor before the Death God.

"I…am done…take…me…back to my…Alison…" you struggle to say as you feel all life leaving your body.

The Death God hovers above you.

"As you wish Eternal. I admit I did not expect you to make this choice. It is a difficult thing for most to deny their nature and pursue another path…but then I also understand the desire to be reunited with that one true love. Many should be so lucky to experience such a thing one day."

With the Death God's last words to you, your life force ends and everything goes black.

When you wake up you find yourself in a much different place. You're lying in a bed first of all. Upon sitting up and looking about the room, it appears that you're in some sort of house. A single closed door leads out, but before you even get out of the bed, you hear footsteps coming towards you.

Instinctively you reach for a weapon, but you have none, instead you ready yourself to cast a spell.

The door opens and a blonde woman in casual clothing with a sword in hand appears.

It's Alison.

"Who are…wait…I feel like I should know you…do I know you?" she asks.
"It's me! Alison, surely you know who I am?" you remark.
"I'm not sure."

You begin to slightly panic and get up off the bed to approach her, she doesn't sheath her weapon, but she's no longer holding it up in a threatening manner.

"Alison, I'm your husband. We met while serving the Empire."
"Empire? Husband? I'm sorry, but I'm just not quite placing you…what are you doing in my house and how do you know my name?"
"I came here to be with you! We fought in the Felkan War together! We loved one another and were married! You died while on a carriage ride back home from an assassin! Please! Listen to me, you have to remember!"

You begin to wonder if this was the Death God's elaborate joke on you. Putting you with your true love only for her to not remember you. You're just about to curse the god, you hear hope.

"Wait…I vaguely remember. Yes, we do know each other..."
"Yes! We were together! We were married!"
"I'm still not sure, but you seem very sincere and I can't deny that you aren't familiar to me. I'm not sure about all the other stuff you're talking about though. It sounds very interesting though, why don't you tell me all about it, I don't get many visitors out here so I'm happy for the company. Try not to talk so fast this time; I didn't even catch most of what you said before. I could've sworn you told me I died and that's just ridiculous of course!" Alison chuckles, puts away her sword and tells you to follow her to the kitchen.

What was supposed to be a happy occasion is turning out to be a frustrating one, but at least Alison is being friendly with you. You're wondering what exactly is going on here. Why can't she remember anything?

In the brief time between walking from the bedroom to the kitchen you try to come up with some sort of explanation. She doesn't even know she's dead or you're dead for that matter. Is this some sort of "new life" for her? Seems sort of an odd one; you never pictured Alison living in a place like this, which while a nice home it's seemingly too peaceful. And that's far from the type of military background that she came from, though she still has a sword for protection you guess, so some things must not have changed.

While she's pouring some water from a pitcher into a mug, you decide that maybe you should ask some questions.

"Alison, how long have you lived here?"
"Oh, I dunno. I feel like I've lived here all my life, it's a nice place though so no point in moving."
"Where does the food come from? Do you farm or something?"
"Me? No, I wouldn't know how. Sometimes I do a little hunting in the woods nearby, plenty of wildlife to provide meat. Got a garden outback too and sometimes I tend it, but the funny thing is it doesn't seem to need it. Always has fresh vegetables and fruit available. Guess I just got strong healthy plants."
"I see. So what about people? Have you ever seen anyone else?"
"Not really. There has been the occasional traveller passing through, usually they just smile and wave. Most are very friendly. In fact I believe you're the first person besides myself that's ever set foot inside my home. Here's some water, you look a bit thirsty."
"Uh, thanks…" you say and take the water.

Upon drinking it, it's some of the best water you've tasted in…well you don't know whenever you've appreciated water or food for that matter. You just ate and drank because you had to usually. Never got any sort of enjoyment out of it.

"Where does this water come from? No, wait let me guess a sparkling stream." You say.
"Ha ha! No, it comes from a well out front, but there is a river that runs through the woods nearby. Doesn't sparkle though." Alison says smiling at what she believes is a small joke on your part.
"Well, I guess not everything is perfect." You say.
"Well of course not everything is perfect, sometimes I even have problems with gnolls."
"Gnolls?"
"Yeah sometimes a few of them pop up and harass me. Nothing major though, I usually just chop some of their heads off and the rest go running off. I'm pretty good with my sword, so they're more comical and annoying than actually dangerous.

You touch Alison's hand from across the table. She gives you a look of confusion, but doesn't pull away.

"Alison listen to me. You used to fight gnolls while serving in the Empire army. We even fought many together. Don't you remember any of that?"
"No…no can't say that I do. Don't remember ever being in any sort of army either, but sounds pretty exciting. You say we fought together? Tell me all about it. In fact why don't you tell me all that stuff you were talking about before? It isn't like I have anything better to do and I'm enjoying your company."

Seeing no better option you do just that. You focus on when you first met and everything involving her. You try to stick to major events hoping that those will spur her memory the most, but mostly because you're having trouble remembering all the details yourself.

Alison hangs on your every word and is enjoying your story. You have to admit even though you're not entirely sure you're getting through to her, you're appreciating the time you're spending with her.

After you're done you're almost feeling a bit dizzy.

"Wow, that's some tale. And you say that was us huh? Wish I could remember it. Hey, wait didn't you say I died earlier? What was that all about?" Alison asks.

You look at Alison as she waits for your answer. You are about to explain again, but then realize that it won't do any good.

"…nothing. I was just saying something outlandish to get your attention because I really wanted you to remember me."
"Well I suppose it did get my attention. Hmm seems to be getting dark outside, guess you better stay here for the night. Let me…" Alison suddenly gets up from her chair and stops speaking and stares off into the distance.
"Alison?"

Her head turns toward you.

"I…I think I remember…"
"You do?" you say standing up hopefully.
"Yes…I…mean not all of it. But I DO remember YOU. I remember that we were married! I loved you! Why were we apart? What…what…happened?" Alison asks.
"We were separated for many years due to forces beyond our control, but none of that matters, what matters now is that I've found you and we can be together again. I have come home and we will be together for all eternity now!" you remark.

You open up your arms to hug her and within that moment tears well up in her eyes and she embraces you.

Once again you feel the warmth of her body and the taste of her lips. A feeling you missed so much, but now that has changed forever.

Alison and you hold each other for a long time as if the pair of you are going to be split from each other again even though that will never be the case again.

The pair of you then retire to the bedroom and reunite in the way that lovers do.

The next morning you wake up beside Alison who smiles sweetly to you and kisses you on the cheek. You enjoy her affection, but you feel a bit strange.

"Good morning my love. Did you sleep well?" Alison asks.
"Yeah, but I feel a little weird." You say.
"How do you mean? Like sick?"
"No, I feel fine. I dunno, I can't explain it. I do know I'm happy to be with you though."

This comment earns you another kiss and the pair of you get up to start the day, though to be honest you aren't sure what you'll do with yourself. Everything seems to be taken care of already; maybe you could hunt you suppose. (Or kill gnolls if they show up)

A little later when you're still pondering on what to do with your day, Alison asks you some more about the stories you told her. She says that maybe she'll remember more stuff if you tell them again. She also asks what you've been doing since you lost contact with her.

And the strangest thing is you don't know. Your mind is completely blank. In fact you barely remember the stories you did tell Alison.

"That's odd. I can't remember." You say.
"Really? You seemed to tell them in great detail yesterday considering you spent the whole day telling me the stories. Oh well I'm sure if they are really important you'll remember again. Just like I remembered you!" Alison says.

You smile at her comment and tell Alison that you're taking her bow to hunt and will be back later.

Another day and night passes and when you wake up this time you remember nothing of your old life at all. Alison doesn't remember anything you told her either and the pair of you are unaware of the last two days even occurring.

The only constant is that the pair of you know that you're married and you love one another and that this has always been the case for as long as you both can remember.

And so you and Alison live together in eternal bliss.