Chapter Text
Marc Spector had received many nocturnal wanderers seeking help at the Midnight Mission. Those he had assisted always brought him beneficial returns in the future.
For example, the Zodiac, who had once disguised himself as Terry. Because Marc pointed out that there were frequent disappearances in the neighborhood where he was acting as Terry, this allowed Marc to solve the case of the kidnappers under the vampire mentor and also led to his acquaintance with Reese, his current capable assistant. Another example was when he dealt with Soldier Boy, who was manipulated by Holly. A former Hydra war criminal's plea for help enabled Marc to gain a loyal warrior. Of course, there were many more nocturnal wanderers' requests for help, which provided opportunities for him to meet the members of the current Midnight Mission team.
All of this took place after the end of the Khonshu Era, during the period when Khonshu, the Moon God, was imprisoned in the glittering Asgardian prison. Although Marc Spector almost parted ways with his god, there was no doubt that while fulfilling the mission bestowed upon him by Khonshu, he found all the meanings he needed as a human:
In answering the three ultimate philosophical questions of "Who am I? Where do I come from? And where am I going?", Marc Spector found his identity in his Midnight Mission: he was Moon Knight, the renegade High Priest of Khonshu. Also, through protecting the nocturnal wanderers every night, he became clearer about his origin: he came from death, from a conditional resurrection bestowed by a mad god, and realized the value of his existence through the obligations given to him. When he was killed on the top of an abandoned construction building due to the schemes of the Black Phantom and the Zodiac, he also knew his destination: even if his life was hanging by a thread, he had to save the nocturnal wanderers he had sworn to protect and then die like a hero.
But death was never the end of Moon Knight. Or rather, death was never an ending that fate allowed for Marc Spector. When his body was reduced to powder and disappeared in the explosion of the tall building, and when the crisis of eternal night loomed over the earth, Khonshu, who had regained his freedom, once again granted him a new life. This allowed him to return to his Midnight Mission as himself - Marc Spector, as Steven Grant, as Jake Lockley, and as Moon Knight, to continue helping those nocturnal wanderers who came to seek help with their problems. However, among the countless nocturnal wanderers Marc Spector had helped, there were villains disguising as good people, puppets manipulated to seek help, and all kinds of strange characters who had other motives under the guise of seeking help. But Marc had never imagined that one day after his resurrection, he would have to help a god in the Midnight Mission. And this god was neither Thor from Asgard, nor Loki, the god of stories with his rebellious tales. It was not Bast, the Panther God worshipped in Wakanda, nor any other deities from other dimensions involved by the Sorcerer Supreme, Strange.
Marc Spector couldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams that he would receive Khonshu, the Moon God, in his Midnight Mission. Khonshu represented everything the Midnight Mission stood for and was the origin of Moon Knight. He never thought that he would one day have to help his own god.
Dressed in knightly attire and calling himself Mr. Knight, Marc sat silently in front of the statue modeled after the image of Moon Knight. The mission was originally one that worshipped Khonshu, the Moon God. After Marc's death, Reese and others unanimously agreed (the Hunter's Moon rarely had no objections on matters related to Khonshu) to replace the statue of Khonshu with that of Moon Knight represented by Marc. For Marc, the change in form did not affect the essential work of the Midnight Mission in protecting the nocturnal wanderers. However, when the person seeking help became Khonshu himself, Marc sat on the sofa used to listen to the troubles and needs of the nocturnal wanderers and felt an unprecedented sense of awkwardness and restlessness. Although in the sense of blood relationship, Marc was not the biological son of Khonshu, after his fourth resurrection in the form of Khonshu personally giving him flesh, he finally admitted that this god, with whom he had had countless love - hate entanglements for forty years, was his father. This led to the current awkward and cramped situation. After the eldest son of the Moon God established his own business, he had to show his father the achievements he had created during the time when the god was absent from the mortal world.
If it were just awkwardness and awkwardness, it would be fine. Marc intertwined his fingers, rested his elbows on his knees, and placed his chin, which was wearing the Face of Khonshu, on the back of his arched hands. Whenever he made this move, it meant that he had to fall into thought to cover up the intense ideological confrontation with his other two personalities. And the culprit who made his night so extraordinary, the Moon God Khonshu, who was his shaper, resurrecter, and his religious and de facto father, was standing opposite him in a completely different appearance from his usual one.
Khonshu stood in front of the window from which the moon in the starry night sky cast moonlight onto the floor of the second - floor room of the Midnight Mission. He held a silver crescent - moon scepter in his hand. His head, which should originally have combined the cranial features of ostriches, falcons, doves, and crows and other birds, now had a neck connection similar to that of a human. Like the human - shaped faces of all the god statues Marc had seen, he wore a pharaoh's headdress based on all Moon Knights as prototypes. The only thing that could distinguish a god from a mortal was the color of the face under the hood, which was either silver - white or pitch - black. And he wore the silver - white color that symbolized the Face of the Moon God, which was enough to inform everyone of his identity and status: he was the Traveler, the Pioneer, the Guide, the Guardian, the greatest god among the gods, Khonshu, the Moon God of Heliopolis.
His identity was reflected in his attire, the silver - moon scepter in his hand, and the solemnity that was different from ordinary people. However, the problem lay here. In Marc Spector's opinion, the identity of the god standing in front of the window was beyond doubt and there was no need to discuss it. However, the first words this god, who was clearly Khonshu both in appearance and in fact, said when he saw Marc were:
"Who are you?"
At first, Marc Spector thought this was another act of Khonshu on the verge of madness and accused him not to play tricks anymore. But later, when this "Khonshu" accused by Marc showed no signs of surprise or being insulted, Marc sensed something was wrong. Even though this tall god with a silver - moon scepter was wearing a hood, Marc could clearly see the confused expression under his mask. And what he said next was even more astonishing. Because he said:
"Khonshu? Is that my name? I don't understand what you're talking about."
During his forty - year - long entanglement with the moon, Marc Spector had seen many faces of Khonshu. He had seen Khonshu in the form of a god statue in the Egyptian desert, and he had also seen Khonshu taking on the appearance of Bushman with a blood - red leather face. He certainly knew that Khonshu was originally known as the Heart - Eater, with the skull of a vulture. Later, he had seen Khonshu as the Moon God, with a bird - shaped head that combined the characteristics of most Egyptian birds, bare and white after being weathered, wearing a divine robe woven from linen. Marc had seen so many versions of Khonshu that he was well - aware of all his appearances, his ever - changing tricks, and his concealment and falsehood when he tried to deceive Marc. But this Khonshu, even Marc at the beginning of the Khonshu Era had never seen such a confused and helpless Moon God. Although he had everything a Moon God should have, he lacked the most important core, that is, the understanding of who he was, where he came from, and where he should go.
The moon had forgotten everything about itself. Except for its essence as a god remaining unchanged, all its knowledge of itself had vanished into thin air, like a blank sheet of paper.
Speaking of how this Moon God, as empty as a blank sheet of paper, appeared in front of the Midnight Mission and was invited by Marc into the second - floor help - seeking room specifically used to listen to the troubles and demands of nocturnal wanderers, we need to move the hands of the clock back two hours. It started on the first night after the total lunar eclipse caused by the eternal night, when the first twilight covered the earth and the moon climbed into the night sky.
After the global vampire crisis caused by Varner ended, Khonshu, the Moon God, regained his freedom from the Asgardian prison, and Marc Spector, who had died in the explosion at the top of the Peak Building, also returned from the dead. His fourth resurrection was created out of nothing by Khonshu. According to Bader, every resurrection of Moon Knight came at a corresponding price. Although the body was intact, there was always a lack of spirit. As the number of resurrections increased, the resurrected person would eventually lose all rationality and become a walking corpse dominated by madness. However, after Marc Spector's return, he didn't feel any lack of spirit. After he returned to the Midnight Mission and cleared the vampires that occupied the streets, he specifically asked Bader about the spiritual changes of his brother, who had no blood relationship with him, after his last resurrection. But the result was unsatisfactory.
Because it seemed that if his brother, who looked no different from an ordinary person, only had a deeper connection with the wills of the previous Fists of Khonshu in his second resurrection. Then Marc, who had long - term close communication with his own personalities, was probably already much crazier than ordinary people. Bader's case could not be used as a reference. Marc joked that his four previous resurrections seemed to have no cost, perhaps because he had already gone too far on the path of madness. So far, death had not highlighted the spiritual flaws he had already paid.
Since the returning Moon Knight seemed to be still in good condition, and the new body bestowed by the Moon God had returned his body to its peak state without any injuries, then the apostles of the Moon God still had to fulfill their promise to protect the nocturnal wanderers at night. Every night when the moon climbed and its light shone on the earth, the fists of the Moon God should shuttle between the buildings to conduct daily patrols to protect the safety of the nocturnal wanderers. This night was no exception.
Mr. Knight (also Marc Spector) in a white suit learned from his assistant Reese that no residents had come to seek help in recent days. Then he put on the new battle robe personally made by the Moon God, did not go through the main entrance, but jumped directly from the second - floor window sill to the window of the adjacent building and carried out the night patrol according to his own preferences. For Marc Spector, the layout of the buildings in New York was already engraved in his heart. In the early years, when Frenchie was still flying the New Moon plane and acting as an external navigator over New York City, he had already become extremely familiar with this bustling city. So he was fully aware of those communities with a high crime rate and how to effectively move from Brownsville in Brooklyn to the community alleys in Queens. And Bader, the Fist of Khonshu who ran a free clinic for the poor in Brooklyn, always chose to patrol in the opposite direction to Marc to ensure that no street in the entire city was left unprotected by the Moon God.
Thus, this pair of brothers, bound together not by blood but by faith, as the fists of Khonshu, could do more and cover a wider range at night than when Marc Spector worked alone in the past. Not to mention that Marc Spector now had his own team: two vampires who didn't have to worry about sleep, a fierce and deadly sister of the Tiger God, and a former jet - powered aircraft designer and ex - bank robber who had given up his criminal ways. Any abnormal phenomenon that appeared in the New York City at night would be quickly detected. This naturally included him - a figure towering over two - and - a - half meters tall, covered in white cloth from head to toe, standing out conspicuously in the crowd. Bader was the first to notice him, or rather, the crowd noticed him first.
No one knew how he appeared there. Clearly, a strong man over two meters tall like him, if he appeared in the crowd, would surely push aside the crowded people, and everyone could see where he came from. But he just appeared so suddenly, yet seamlessly integrated into the crowd. People walking west and east on the street were separated to his sides by him. People only realized that there was such a tall person standing on the road when they passed by him. But when people walked away from him, he disappeared from their sight, like a statue standing on the street. Bader, or rather, the Hunter's Moon at night, discovered him on Westchester Avenue in the Bronx. At that time, he was standing under the moonlight, in the crowd, holding a silver - white silver - moon scepter in his hand, wearing a pure - white robe that was the same as the statues of Khonshu placed in the Midnight Mission and the Moon Doctor's medical station. The robe hung down from his shoulders, and he wore a white pharaoh's crown that covered his entire head, looking like a god coming to the mortal world, solemn and majestic.
When the Hunter's Moon first saw him standing motionless in the crowd, looking up at the moon in the night sky, he almost couldn't believe his eyes. He couldn't understand, and more importantly, he could hardly believe what he saw. How could the god who always watched over him at night and listened to his prayers suddenly stand in the crowd? When he tried to ask his father god, who had always been closely connected to him, through prayer, he only got an empty silence, as if the moon had fallen from the high sky to the mortal world, and the other end of the bond that had once made the Hunter's Moon feel closely connected to the moon was now empty.
And he stood there, as if indicating where the moon that no longer responded to him had gone. But why? Why did the Moon God appear in the mortal world in this statue - like posture? This was the first question that popped into Bader's mind. When he squeezed into the crowd, ignoring the strange looks of the surrounding pedestrians, and walked straight towards him who was still looking up at the night sky, another question emerged in the mind of the Hunter's Moon: Did Marc Spector know about this? The moody and seemingly crazy mad god among the people always favored his eldest son, who was as crazy as him. The Hunter's Moon tried to figure out whether the arrival of the Moon God had a close connection with Marc Spector.
But when he walked to the side of the moon and cautiously greeted his god:
"... Traveler, Pioneer, Healer, Protector, the greatest god among the gods. Please forgive my interruption, Father. But why did you come to the mortal world alone without giving any revelation to your priest?"
The answer he got was exactly the same as what Marc Spector heard when he rushed over:
"Who are you? Why do you call me by those titles?"
When he turned around, with just a glance, the Hunter's Moon was convinced of his true identity. There was no doubt that he was indeed the Moon God who was supposed to be crazy. Even though he was not wearing a divine robe woven from linen at the moment, and there was no non - human face where a bird's head should have been floating, the way he looked at him, although strange to the Hunter's Moon, still had the feeling of a god looking down on humans, making humans feel their own insignificance, the vastness and width of the night, and the tranquility of the moon.
So, without hesitation, the Hunter's Moon called Moon Knight.
What happened next is not necessary to elaborate. Although Marc Spector was in Queens when he received the message from the Hunter's Moon, he rushed from Queens to Westchester Avenue in the Bronx immediately. In Marc Spector's impression, every time Khonshu showed an abnormal sign, it meant that his crazy and unpredictable father was brewing some malicious plan. So, rather than believing that the Moon God had lost his memory, he was more inclined to think that Khonshu's sudden appearance in the mortal world was another of his conspiracies. But to his surprise, when he arrived at Westchester Avenue and landed directly in front of Khonshu, the Moon God in a simple robe looked at him like a stranger.
In order to prevent causing too much commotion on the street, Marc and Bader finally negotiated to take this Moon God back to the Midnight Mission to avoid attracting trouble from the Avengers and the Asgardian gods. Since Marc had blown up both of his presidential cars and the New Moon aircraft had also been destroyed in the fire, they finally chose to let the soldier drive Jack's yellow Queen's Taxi from Westchester Avenue to transport them back. Although Khonshu seemed not to know any of them, he was still willing to cooperate with the arrangements made by these people who clearly knew his identity. However, his two - and - a - half - meter - tall body was obviously too crowded in the taxi. Bader sat in the passenger seat, and Marc had to squeeze to the edge of the seat in the crowded back seat. This was the first time he missed so much the days when Khonshu used to appear beside him as a spiritual companion. At least at that time, his god wouldn't crush him with his huge body.
All in all, after much trouble, they finally returned to the Midnight Mission safely.
Reese and the Tiger Lady, who already knew about the visit of Khonshu, the Moon God, were very vigilant towards the god who had descended to the mortal world. Greer, the sister of the Tiger God, had an unclear relationship with the Moon God. The vampires instinctively feared their only natural enemy in the night. As for 8 - Ball, Marc was already surprised that he could keep his mouth shut and not say anything disrespectful to the god.
As for the god himself, he seemed quite bewildered by all this. Only because he thought these people had no intention of harming him did he let things play out. His overly compliant behavior made Marc wonder for a while on the way whether he was truly Khonshu. However, both he and Bader repeatedly called out to Khonshu in their minds, but all they got was silence. Since Khonshu had been released from the Asgardian prison, they could only believe that this tall, pure - white figure, who looked like he was carved from marble, was indeed Khonshu himself.
Then, the time returned to this moment. The Moon God, who had been brought back to the Midnight Mission, stood in front of the window, once again looking up at the moon in the night sky. Meanwhile, Marc sat on his sofa chair, engaged in an intense mental struggle with the two "brothers" in his mind.
"Is this another one of his plots?"
Marc voiced his suspicion to Steven and Jake. Steven then countered with a crucial piece of information:
"But what kind of plot can an amnesiac Moon God come up with? He didn't even resist and just came back to the mission with you guys."
Jake offered another speculation in response to Steven's question. He downed the whiskey in his glass in one go and said,
"What if this is just a way for him to test us? I don't believe a god would lose his memory for no reason. Anyway, an amnesiac Moon God sounds even more dangerous than a conscious one. Who knows what crazy things he might do."
Marc agreed that Jake's speculation made sense. After all, this wasn't the first time he'd seen Khonshu act harmless. Every time Khonshu showed weakness in front of Marc, it usually meant he would make even more excessive demands in other aspects. From trying to usurp Marc's body to plotting the Khonshu Era to rule the Earth, Marc Spector had endured enough torment from the moon. Although Khonshu, who had gained freedom from the Asgardian prison, had given him life and indeed fulfilled his vow to protect humans at night, Marc Spector knew Khonshu as well as he knew how many alleys and manhole covers there were in the Midnight Mission neighborhood.
"I think our best bet is to keep an eye on him and not let him out of our sight. If he shows any signs of being strange, we'll take immediate action and contact the Avengers or those Asgardian gods. Damn it, Thor beat me up last time, and I didn't have a chance to get his phone number. Do they have phones in Asgard?"
Steven sat at his desk, then swiveled his chair to look out the floor - to - ceiling window behind him. In the one - third area of Marc's mind that belonged to him, the view outside the window was always night. He supported Marc's plan but also raised another question: "Sounds good. But you seem to have forgotten one thing, Marc. We're human. Even though Khonshu has given us superhuman powers, we still need to eat and sleep. How are you going to keep an eye on him when we're sleeping? After all, gods don't need to rest."
After whistling off - key, Jake added with a laugh, "And there's the patrol. You can't take him with you, right? Just think about it. What would that be like? Taking your living god on patrol and having him rate us on the spot? We've been adults for so long. Are we still going to do that 'dad watching son' thing? I thought we'd already sorted out our 'Daddy Issue'."
Sometimes, Marc Spector really wished the two "brothers" in his head would shut up and not undermine him just when he'd finally made a decision. But Steven and Jake were right. Even if he really wanted to keep an eye on Khonshu, he had to face a problem: Khonshu was a god, at least he seemed to be for now. And gods didn't need to rest. He himself often repeated the saying, "Khonshu never rests." This meant that he couldn't just keep an eye on Khonshu by himself; he had to involve the entire Midnight Mission... Thinking of the Midnight Mission, Marc suddenly slapped his head and stood up.
He looked at the wall next to him and realized that he had been neglecting another of his closest friends, the mission itself.
Marc glanced at the Moon God. Since coming to the Midnight Mission, he had remained silent and just stood quietly in front of the window, like a marble statue facing the window. After making sure that Khonshu wouldn't jump out of the window and run away at this moment, Marc pushed open the door of his office and touched the wall on one side of the corridor. An idea was brewing in his mind, and the mission was the best help for him to carry out this plan.
"Hey, Mission. I think I might need your help with something next."
"This is something only you can do. I think you're definitely up to the task. I trust you, buddy."
...
When Marc pushed the door open again, he was still wearing his Moon Knight battle robe. Through the viewing port, he looked at Khonshu standing in front of the window, and the statue of Khonshu was right behind his sofa chair. This made Marc feel a bit awkward. Considering that the Moon God himself was already here in person, having his statue on display seemed rather redundant. But those were things to think about later. For now, he only had one thing to do: have a good talk with Khonshu tonight. Because since the Hunter's Moon discovered him until they returned to the Midnight Mission, they hadn't really talked yet.
So, Marc walked up to the living god, crossed his arms, and looked up at the Moon God, who was much taller than him.
"Hey. Um, Khonshu? We need to talk."
The one called Khonshu turned his head. Their eyes met. There was something familiar in his eyes, but his words still sounded strange to Marc:
"You call me by that name again, but I still don't know yours. When you guys were talking, I heard them call you Marc. Maybe I should call you 'Marc' too?"
Damn it, he's being too polite. Marc complained in his heart, and Steven and Jake agreed. He suppressed the discomfort in his heart because he was more used to shouting at or sternly rebuking the unreasonable Khonshu with a tough attitude. Now he had to be more polite when talking to him. Although Steven said he could do it instead, Marc insisted on handling this conversation himself.
"Well, it seems you've really lost your memory... Yes, Marc. Marc Spector. You can call me that for now. Khonshu, even though you don't remember who you are, I know your identity and understand you even better than I understand myself. I don't want to waste too many words. If you want to get your memory back, the best way is to stay with us for now and follow our arrangements."
That's too blunt. Steven commented after Marc said these words. Jake shrugged and shook his head, saying that if it were him, he could have done better. Marc cursed his two "brothers" who were watching the show under his breath. He knew very well that what he said was too blunt and tough. But he swore he had tried his best and hadn't given any harsh orders directly to Khonshu. Moreover, compared to his usual way of dealing with things, the way Khonshu looked at him like a stranger was what made him more irritable. This madman, with whom he had had a forty - year - long entanglement. Although he hated the various torments the moon had brought him, he had to admit that if it weren't for the moon's favor, he wouldn't have been able to live until now and achieve so much. However, now this Khonshu had forgotten everything. It would be fine if he just didn't remember others, but he didn't even remember himself, not even Marc Spector? This made Marc even more annoyed.
Fortunately, the amnesiac Khonshu was more agreeable than he had ever been. After a moment of silence, he nodded and agreed to Marc's proposal, or rather, his demand.
"If this is a viable way, I'm willing to give it a try."
Just as Marc was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Khonshu's next words made his heart leap into his throat again.
"But I still have a confusion, Marc Spector. Since you said you know me very well, can you tell me why you've been acting so restless since you first saw me? Is there some irreconcilable conflict between us?"
I told you so. Jake burst out laughing in Marc's mind. At this moment, he wasn't Marc's good brother anymore. He stuffed a banknote into the leather pants of a bar girl and laughed at Marc's predicament with a "the more trouble, the better" attitude. Steven shook his head and sighed, saying that he couldn't help at this moment. If Marc had listened to his advice earlier and let him communicate with Khonshu, maybe Khonshu wouldn't have asked this question. But Marc Spector was always very stubborn. He wouldn't listen to others' advice until he hit a wall. So now, Marc Spector had to face the first difficult question thrown at him by his amnesiac god:
What kind of conflict was there between him and Marc?
Marc, who had been crossing his arms, froze on the spot. His mind went blank for a moment after hearing Khonshu's question. He should have thought that even if he had lost his memory, the one standing in front of him was still a god. A mortal's thoughts were transparent in front of a god. Even the dissatisfaction he had been suppressing in his heart was seen through by the moon at a glance. He no longer maintained his previous posture but let go of his arms and tightly grasped his hanging cloak. He couldn't look directly into the Moon God's eyes anymore, so he lowered his head and turned his face away, no longer meeting Khonshu's gaze. Although they were both wearing hoods, the masks on their faces obviously couldn't stop Marc from showing his emotions.
After silently repeating dozens of times that this Khonshu wasn't that damned old bird, and even though this might just be a fake persona of Khonshu, Marc Spector finally managed to suppress the emotions that had welled up in an instant.
"... It's nothing. Just some personal matters, some unhappy past. This isn't the focus of our conversation today. As for you, you still haven't changed your habit of prying into other people's minds. You're still so sharp even with amnesia."
The god standing in front of him didn't continue to ask. At this moment, he was being too considerate. If one ignored his previous sharp words, Marc almost thought he wasn't Khonshu himself.
"So, do you remember how you got here? Bader. Uh, should I introduce the two of us first? Forget it. First, tell me how you suddenly appeared on the street in the Bronx. If you know how you got there, we can try to figure out what happened to you."
The solemn Moon God held his silver - moon scepter and fell into silence again. Marc thought he was seriously thinking, and the other two voices in his head finally quieted down for a while, no longer making a ruckus. Taking this opportunity, Marc took a closer look at Khonshu, who had the same face as the Moon God statue in his office. To be honest, although this version of Khonshu had been with him in the form of a statue for decades, Marc was used to seeing Khonshu with a bird - bone head above the neck. His gaunt appearance didn't make people feel close. However, the Moon God showing himself in human form completely broke the previous distant feeling that Khonshu gave Marc.
Looking at Khonshu at this moment, Marc even had an illusion that he looked approachable. It was just tiring to keep his neck raised to look at him. However, before he could observe for long, Khonshu's words brought him back to reality.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
Marc slapped his forehead and asked, "What do you mean you don't know? You don't even remember how you got to the street?"
"I don't remember how I got to the Bronx you mentioned. My first memory is darkness. At a certain moment, I opened my eyes, and then my vision was filled with indescribable scenery. I saw you people walking beside me, and I saw unknown objects moving quickly on the road. Then I saw the moonlight."
"Moonlight?"
"Yes. Moonlight. When I looked up at the moon, I felt an unprecedented sense of peace. I didn't worry about who I was, where I came from, or where I was going. That's all I know. I'm sorry, but my memory probably has no value for you as a reference."
Now things had reached a dead - end. Marc looked into Khonshu's eyes, trying to see if he was hiding something. With his forty - year experience dealing with the moon, if Khonshu was hiding something, he would be able to tell at a glance. Unfortunately, the moon wasn't lying. His memory was truly blank. His calm and steady gaze when looking at Marc left no room for doubt. A god who didn't know his origin, his destination, or even who he was, and only stopped thinking about those questions when looking at the moon. It seemed that his identity had been proven once again: he was the moon itself, the moon's incarnation on Earth.
But the question still remained: what caused the moon to lose its memory?
Their conversation could only end hastily. Besides making Marc confirm Khonshu's identity, no other clues could be obtained through the conversation.
The moment he closed the door, Marc leaned against it and let out a heavy sigh. As the organizer and founder of the Midnight Mission, and as Moon Knight, he had solved countless problems for nocturnal wanderers. Whether they were humans or residents of the underworld, as long as they needed help at night, he would do his best to fulfill his duty as a guardian of nocturnal wanderers. However, after helping so many people, he now faced the biggest problem in his career. He had solved world - class problems, and he himself had even been a world - class problem. But now, the Moon God who had given him power and duty had become the one seeking help.
How could Moon Knight help his god? It was like asking how a believer could help his god regain the awareness that he was a powerful deity. Helping Khonshu rule the world was what Marc Spector thought was the craziest thing he'd ever done in his life. But now he realized that he could actually do something even crazier.
"It seems your conversation with our father didn't go well."
The voice that suddenly appeared didn't come from Marc's mind but from in front of him. Marc didn't need to look to know who had said these words.
Bader, still wearing the Hunter's Moon battle robe, stood aside. He had been waiting downstairs for a long time. This was a rare moment of impatience for him. When it came to matters related to the moon, this fanatical believer would always be like this. Dr. Sturman had a high - level professional ethic and wouldn't reveal her conversations with anyone. But Marc knew very well that the only reason the Hunter's Moon couldn't wait to come upstairs and find him was Khonshu himself.
"It went smoothly, but it was useless. He really has forgotten everything, his identity, his duty, and even me... us."
"What are you going to do? We should go to Strange. The Sorcerer Supreme should be able to solve the problem with our father—"
"No. Not so fast. What if this is another plot of Khonshu's? I'll keep an eye on him during this period. Once we confirm that he really has lost his memory and we're at our wits' end, then we'll go to Strange."
As he said these words, Marc could clearly feel the dissatisfaction rising behind the Hunter's Moon's black mask. He was obviously trying his best to suppress his anger.
"You suspect that our father is faking amnesia? Brother, even if you have many conflicts with our father, how can you make such an offensive assumption? The top priority is to solve the problem with our father as soon as possible. If you're really his Fist, you should do that even more."
Marc looked at the Hunter's Moon, Bader, who had no blood relation with him but had become his brother because they served the same father. He was more excited than usual, and the emotions in his voice were more obvious. What he said was indeed reasonable, but Marc Spector still didn't want to agree with Bader because there was still a glimmer of doubt in his heart. It was precisely that glimmer of doubt in his heart that had allowed him to expose Khonshu's plots every time at the last moment. So he walked up to Bader, getting so close that they were almost touching, and said seriously and solemnly:
"Listen, Bader. I know what I'm doing, and I've really thought through all the possible consequences. Trust me, if we confirm the problem with Khonshu's memory, I'll do as you say. But for now, I need to make sure he's not pretending and that he won't hurt anyone. So I'll keep him by my side and watch over him for the time being. I've reached an agreement with the 'Mission'. I'll make sure everything is okay. If you're really worried, you can join me. As for being offensive, if you've been toyed with by the god you believe in for most of your life, you'll find that 'being offensive' is the mildest form of respect I can show him."
The two brothers stared at each other for a moment. Finally, it was Bader who made a compromise. As a devout believer of Khonshu and also Marc's current brother, he always cared more about the Moon God than Marc when it came to upholding his faith. But he wasn't completely unreasonable. So even though they often had different opinions, they could still leave room for each other like real brothers and not push each other too hard.
"I hope you can remember your promise, brother."
Before leaving, the Hunter's Moon turned his head and glanced at Marc, as if waiting for Marc's promise. Marc naturally knew what Bader was thinking, and he assured Bader that he would keep his promise and wouldn't be selfish in dealing with the amnesiac Khonshu.
"Of course. I always keep my promises."
After getting Marc's promise, the Hunter's Moon left the Midnight Mission. Marc Spector had thought that his brother would want to pray to Khonshu directly, but perhaps his brother needed more time to sort out his thoughts and face the god he had always worshipped. The impact of facing the god directly was still too overwhelming for Bader, who had once been redeemed by the Moon God. So his departure was quite reasonable. As for the others, after learning about the situation, Greer returned to her home under the moonlight. The soldier went back to take care of his elderly mother. Reese and 8 - Ball, like Marc, lived inside the Midnight Mission. So he simply told them briefly about his plan to personally monitor the god and received a helpless sigh from Reese and a neurotic complaint from 8 - Ball. They cared more about the absurd but real fact that they had to live under the same roof as a god than Khonshu's amnesia.
After making proper arrangements for everyone in the Midnight Mission, Marc Spector returned to the second floor. He gently pushed open a crack in the door. Through the crack, he saw that Khonshu was still standing in front of the window. Marc felt a brief sense of relief. Then, he closed the door again and took out his phone to make a call.
Since he founded the Midnight Mission, whenever he encountered problems that were beyond his mental capacity to solve, he would dial this number.
"Hello? Is this Dr. Sterman?"
"Yes. I think we may need to adjust the focus of our weekly therapy sessions in the future..."
"No, no. It's not about my personality issues. Nor is it about trust crises or mental problems after resurrection. The problem we need to discuss is no longer just about me, doctor."
"The problem we need to discuss is Khonshu."
"The bastard father who gave me a new life and a mission, but now has forgotten everything."