—Fate/Whimsical God—
Some poor sod awakens in the void, accidentally wills himself into...
Some poor sod awakens in the void, accidentally wills himself into...
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—Fate/Whimsical God—
Some poor sod awakens in the void, accidentally wills himself into becoming a nigh-omnipotent god, then crash lands into the world of Fate before life had even sprouted on the planet. What could go wrong? (Crack-fic incoming.)
Author's notes: First of, I would like to say I'll probably write this while I'm sleep deprived, so don't expect this fic to actually have any semblance of quality.
P.S: Indiscriminate gender-bending.
Chapter 1: Becoming God.
"Well then, quite the predicament I found myself in." I whisper to nobody but myself.
My voice was met with nothing but silence, the utter blackness that encased my form remained muted, failing to even echo my words. Hearing no response from my imaginary audience, I laugh to myself. "Tough crowd."
"No, seriously, where the hell am I?" I twirl my head around to look at my surroundings, yet found nothing of note except the abyss I've somehow found myself inside of.
One moment, I was heading home from a long day at work, and in the next, I woke up in the middle of nowhere, quite literally.
"Did I die?" I mused while stroking my chin. Speaking of body parts, I can somehow still see myself despite having no light source to illuminate my form (Thankfully I still had clothes on).
To be honest, it wouldn't be a surprise to me if I had somehow collapsed out of nowhere. I've been overexerting myself for the past couple of years, and barely had time to take care of myself, so it was only a matter of time; which was now, apparenty.
"Now what?" Was I in the process of attaining eternal bliss or everlasting torment due to my sins?
I waited, and waited some more, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. I spun around, hopped on my toes, sung every song I've somehow memorized, and even danced in sheer boredom, but still, everything stayed the same.
"Am I in line at the DMV?" Were there too many souls waiting to be judged or something? Possibly, but my human psyche can't take anymore of this silence, I'd go mad before even reaching my turn at the council of Angels.
Like that, time whizzed by like a speeding bullet. After the first 48 hours (yes, I counted) I finally noticed that my bodily needs were nonexistent, nor did fatigue ever took its toll. There was only so many things you can to in a literal void, so I did my random activities at a much slower pace than usual to not lose my mind.
"—and that's ten thousand." Finishing my set of 10 thousand push-ups, I moved on to the next: a 60 minute full sprint. Which ended way too quickly than I realized. "This isn't working." My mind was beginning to numb, and panic slowly took its hold.
Another full set of 10 thousand push-ups later, I plopped down on the invisible ground and took my time to repair my toppling mindscape. My mental facilities were steadily failing me, my name was starting to become a blur, but I could still recall my first name, thankfully. "Leon… Leon…" I repeated it like a mantra in order to cement it in my brain.
"What the hell is even happening anymore." After days, months, years—I don't even know anymore, I finally took my first break from my never ending physical exercise. Perhaps I was looking at it the wrong way, maybe focusing on maintaining my state of mind is the better option instead of moving my body all the time. I'd still do my ten thousand push-ups every now and then, but my scattering mind takes priority.
"It'd be awesome if I can make stuff out of nowhere, it'll do my 21st century monkey brain a huge favour. Hell, I want this place gone, or at least changed to something more relaxing to be in." Nothing answered by ramblings—or so I thought.
After my words travelled across the empty plane, a splash of colour unexpectedly made its appearance. Red and orange coated the floor below me, yellow and green flew past the edge of my vision, blue and indigo covered the blank sky, and violet creeped into the horizon like the rising sun.
I briskly rose to my feet. But, before I could question what was happening, my mind was assaulted by a surge of pain coming in from all directions. However, before I could even release a grunt, the pain vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving me in a state of confusion.
While wondering what had just occured, my brain finally registered what my eyes were currently seeing; a seemingly infinite land covered in jagged rocks and enourmous craters. My mouth went agape upon taking in my newly found environment. "What… the hell is this place?"
Was I on the moon? Cause it sure does look like it. Lifting my gaze upward, I was even more surprised to see stars twinkling in the sky in contrast to the emptyness that surrounded them. Was I back on Earth? Glancing at my immediate surroundings, I concluded it to be Improbable judging from the fact that there wasn't any fauna laying about, only gray rocks and hazardous craters.
Taking a moment to adjust to my surroundings, I realized that the gravity of this place was similar to Earth, giving rise to a rather ridiculous theory into the forefront of my mind. 'Did I travel back in time?' It was laughable, but the evidence was - quite literally - right above me.
The moon orbiting the planet looked the exact same as the one on Earth, there were even some constellations I could recognize hovering over the night sky, and most important of all, other planetary bodies such as Saturn and Jupiter were visible to the naked eye. Since the moon was reflecting light, I can only assume there's a sun brightening the other side of the world.
"Now what?" Despite the unbelievable scenario I found myself in, I didn't let it overwhelm me and instead tried to think of what to do next.
My body remained invulnerable, as evident by the fact I didn't instantly perish upon entering this underdeveloped world, but I needed to find out whether or not I possess other powers apart from my supposed immortality, lest I encounter a problem way out of my capabilities.
But then again, what kind of problems can an infant planet give me? "Don't jinx it, Leon." I immediately berate myself for tempting fate.
After many days of trying, and avoiding any potential tragedies that could befell my pitiful self, I finally figured out the entire scope of my newfound powers; I possessed a grand total of three. An underwhelming amount, some might say, but each one of them was enough to turn even the weakest creature into a god.
The first one I've discovered was the ability to simply remove anything out of existence, whether material or conceptual. If I want it gone, it will be gone. Yep, you heard that right. I wasn't just erasing stuff, but removing entire aspects of the universe itself on a whim. How'd I figured that out? Well, to be honest, I've completely forgotten it for some odd reason.
Don't worry about it. I fixed everything with my second ability.
Speaking of, numero dos: the power to create anything out of nothing, again, whether material or conceptual. Everything I removed in the pursuit of knowledge was brought back by this very ability. If I wanted it to appear, it will appear, no matter the complexities of the summoned object or idea.
There was one time I had almost accidentally made myself a permanent fixture of the earth by spawning a gigantic Gundam over my head. Thankfully, I had managed to revoke its creation before being becoming one with the floor.
And finally, my third godly authority was the ability to augment, or alter how an existing object works. What it means is that I can turn even a mundane pebble into a mighty dragon if I just will it so. With all these combined, I might as well have created the universe (or was it the universe that created me?). Well anyways, the long-short of it was that I'm basically God, with a capital G.
Then, the words I had spoken before entering this primitive planet returned to me. "Are you serious?" I said in exasperation. Was the abyss just waiting for me to make a wish or something? My back slumped forward, before quickly picking itself back up. Well, no use mulling over it now that I'm free.
"Now then," Time to move on to my next agenda. "First up, plant-life." With nothing but a mental tug on my part, the world was immediately encased in a large variety of lush greenery, seas, and unique animals roaming the surface, underground, and even the depths of the ocean, completely skipping over millions of years' worth of evolution.
My next idea was to add creatures capable of manipulating the natural energy being pumped out by the planet itself, but placed that thought on hold for now in favour of something else.
"I need a place where these magical beings can roam free without worry of destroying the world." And so, I made just that. High above the clouds was an archipelago of floating landmass circling the entire planet like a natural satellite. It was completely invisible to the mundane, and only accessible to those who possess enough mastery over mana; the natural energy the world produces.
With that out of the way, I spawned just as many magical beings into the world without worrying about the consequences it might bring (not my problem). These creatures had an innate understanding on how to transport themselves into the "Reverse Side" - the name of the floating islands - of the world, so I didn't have to worry about them being unable to access it.
While contemplating my next actions, a dark shadow engulfed the area I was standing in. Pulling my gaze towards the source of the occurrence, my eyes were treated to the sight of not just one, but two big fuck-off dragons having a brawl in the sky, one covered in brilliant-golden scales, while the other draped in lustrous-purple.
"It hasn't even been a minute since you bloody came into existence." My internal clock hadn't even registered a full minute, yet two of the strongest species in the world were already vying for territory. 'Well, I guess it's only natural.' I dismiss any thought of intervening in their fight, they can do whatever they want.
The two flying reptiles resumed their assault at one another, paying no mind to their creator. They twisted and turned their bodies mid-air to gain better leverage over the other, yet it seemed the two were evenly matched. After a short while, the golden one managed to sink their claws into the other's wings, causing the victim to release an ear piercing screech that caused nearby trees to tremble like a frightened child.
Deprived of its ability to fly, the purple dragon unceremoniously barrelled towards the ground, while the other gracefully glided downward with its wings spread wide. The lustrous reptile collided with the earth with a loud boom, followed by tons of debris being juggled into the sky. A deep crater was formed with the fallen dragon in the center.
Taking advantage of its stunned state, the brilliant winged-lizard swooped in from above with its hind claws primed and ready. Claws met scales, and the former won; breaching through the scales like it was nothing, causing the defender's blood to spurt onto the ground, painting it red. Despite its ruined state however, it didn't back down and instead cracked its jaws wide to take in as much air as its lungs could before expelling it through its open mouth. A spark accompanied the beast's breath which quickly turned into a raging kindling of destruction.
"The fabled Dragon's Breath." I said to myself while observing the two. To be honest, it looked way cooler in real life.
Its mounter was quickly bathed in hellish flames that was hot enough to melt rocks in seconds. The sun-dyed lizard was quick to escape the heat by putting some distance between them, and only after properly orienting itself did the lustrous one halted its fiery breath. Smoke rose from the latter's mouth as it glared threateningly at their counterpart, the former on the other hand shook off the liquefied remains of its shiny scales like a wet dog, exposing their flesh to the elements.
In just one pivotal moment, the tables had turned in the other's favour, without the defense its scales provided, the golden dragon was greatly weakened. Deciding that enough was enough, it briskly propelled itself into the sky before dashing away in the opposite direction, leaving the purple one abandoned on the ground.
"And there you have it folks, purple dude wins." I announce the victor to my nonexistent audience.
The victor roared triumphantly, letting its superior prowess known to all. With that out of the way, the dragon rid itself of dirt and steadily climbed out of the crater, then weaved through the undisturbed forest.
I, on the other hand, was perched atop the tallest tree in the vacinity, watching the retreating beast with an amused expression. If not for my in-born invaulnerability, I wouldn't have observed the two fantastical creatures' destructive display from such a close distance. Every other animal in the area had already vacated their spot to avoid being killed by the dragons' fierce battle.
Following the lusterous dragon's retirement into the woods, I dropped down from my spot, picked a random direction, and walked forward without a second thought.
"Quite the predicament I've gotten myself." With a slight pull from my leg, the sturdy vines that entangled my legs came loose. All the while, short, green-skinned humanoid beings with pointy ears and rows of sharp teeth carefully strutted around my form. "Goblins, cool."
They were your streotypical goblins you'd find in any fantasy stories, except they were very much real and incredibly dangerous depending on who you're asking. Not to me, however.
"Well-well-well, quite the welcoming gifts you have in store for me." I spoke with unwavering confidence while scrutinizing my guests. They wore armour made of animal pelts, and held primitive tools made of sticks and stone. Their postures were hunched forward while brandishing their polearms, ready to pounce at their prey, in which case was me who was caught by their surprisingly competent trap (or was I the stupid one for falling into it?).
Anyways, after removing the thick vines off my person, I was immedietly assaulted by multiple sharpened rock-spears from four different diretions. However, instead of drawing blood, their state-of-art weaponry merely bounced off my tracksuit (yes, I'm wearing one. Fight me). Confusion swiftly washed over my assailant's ugly faces, before attempting to stab at me once again with renewed vigour.
"Yeah, how about a no." With but a flick of my wrist, the 4 goblins vanished from sight along with their equipment, the only proof of their existence being the crushed grass where they previously stood.
'Hm… maybe I should learn how to fight.' I thought my myself. To be honest, using my ability to remove stuff from existence gets boring after a while, perhaps I should try engaging in close combat? But before that, I should remove my invulnerability. Not fully, of course.
After brainstorming some ideas, my apparent immortality was modified to my liking. I made it so that if I were to be killed, my body would simply appear to the most recent bonfire I've lit; Dark Souls style, baby. With nothing but a thought, my body was immediately encased in full-plate metal armour with a torn blue scarf draped around my neck, along with a finely crafted sword and shield strapped to my back.
With a feral grin hidden behind my medieval helmet, I spoke with an almost predatory voice. "Time to go hunting."
"Gods… be… dammed." I spoke between heavy breaths. My armour crackled as the eccentric electrical currents covering my entire form gradually fizzled out, freeing me from its paralyzing effects. Right after, my dented armour slowly mended itself, returning its misshapen form to normal.
Heaving my torso upright, I glace to my right to find my latest prey; an enourmous eagle with the power to manipulate lightning. A longsword was plunged halfway through its skull, and countless slashes, made by said weapon, were strewn all across its feathered body.
It had been 6 months since my arrival in this planet, most of it was spent hunting down various magical creatures and dying over a hundred times along the way. It was not for naught however, for I became quickly adept at utilizing a vast array of weaponry, from bladed weapons, polearms, bows, and even my fists.
Now, I could've just added the knowledge on how to handle such armaments into my brain, but where's the fun in that? There was one time where I was, quite literally, snapped in two after being snatched by an enourmous crab's claw due to inexperience. It wasn't fun.
At the moment, I stood before the mystical bird, which had killed me a total of 5 times (the most I've had to a single entity yet) before being felled by yours truly. As my gauntlet-clad hand grasped the hilt, a jolt of electricity unexpectedly travelled across the length of the sword and into my arm, numbing it for a brief moment. Even after death, the beast still attempted to harm its slayer.
Shrugging off the weak current, I proceeded to pull the blade out of the avian's head before returning it back to its scabbard. After retrieving my equipment, an idea popped into my head.
"What if I leave a few artefact and some ruins?" As mentioned earlier, it had already been half a year, and there was nothing to see apart from the landscape untainted by human intervention. Though undoubtedly a gorgeous sight to behold, it could use some more landmarks, so my plan was to add some interesting stuff wherever I went; Items and structures for people of the future to find, explore, and speculate about.
"Kiln of the First Flame coming right up." With that, my first project was set.
After finding a suitable area, I began construction of the renowned Kiln. Rocks appeared from nothingness and seamlessly took on the desired shape. I wanted to create the one from the first game, instead of the decrepit and melted version from the third, since it was more interesting.
Soon after, the colossal structure was completed. Somehow, it had taken me more time to find a suitable place for it than actually making it. Oh well, no matter.
The Kiln of the First Flame appeared weathered, with countless rubble scattered all over the space, conveying its supposed age. Ash permeated the air, and sparks of ember popped in occasionally like fireflies to enhance the sombre atmosphere. The sight would no doubt enrapture those who lay eyes on it.
It was a one to one recreation, except for a single glaring difference. The enourmous structure that was supposed to house the First Flame in its center was instead accommodating a coiled sword that exuded a fiery aura.
It was no ordinary blade, of course. Because within it contained the First Flame itself, albeit a weakened one on the cusp of regaining its power. If a sufficiently powerful person were to empower the sword by feeding it their life force, the Flame will unleash its full might upon the world and kick-start the age of fire, also known as the Age of Gods.
Stroking my chin, I contemplated whether or not to add the 4 Lord Souls, which didn't take that long at all. "Sure, why not." With a mere thought on my part, the four fabled Lord Souls were created. I sent two of it, the Witch of Izalith's and Grave lord Nito's, some distance away from where the Kiln stood, and summoned the living corpse of Gywn, whom possessed the third Lord Soul, to endlessly roam the place.
Unlike the game however, this empty vessel wasn't a pushover that can be easily defeated (we can't have that). Though he lacks the intelligence to make complex decisions, he possessed supreme strength and immense skills to back up his title as the God of Sunlight. Essentially, I wanted him to be the final hurdle to anyone vying for the Coiled Sword's power.
The last of the bunch, the Furtive Pygmy's Dark Soul, was kept safely on my person. Why? Because I want to personally give it to the first human I find on this still developing world. With that out of the way, I immediately vanish from my position before being noticed by the waking hollowed god.
"To the victor o'er the inaugural Lord of Cinder, may thy newfound godhood guide the realm unto prosperity."
"What might you be, good sir?" I ask the serpentine creature before me, and it replied by brutally ramming itself into my chest. My armoured self was thrown into the distance, crashing and breaking a few dozen innocent trees along the way, skipping between points of contact with the ground like a rock being tossed across a body of water, before finally skidding to a halt.
A pained groan failed to even escape my lips before my consciousness ceased. I didn't die, I knew that much, but it certainly felt like it.
The damage to my equipment was minimal, but I couldn't say the same to my innards. A grand total of 36 bones were obliterated upon contact with my assailant, and an additional 9 were fractured during my less-than graceful flight through the dense forest. Don't worry though, the pain was already receding by the time I regained my consciousness.
Colour flared around various parts of my armour, glowing an iridescent orange that produced a tinge of heat. On the inside, it felt as if I was taking a warm, relaxing shower. The injuries I sustained healed at a visible pace, my bones snapped back in place with a gruesome crunch, and my torn flesh was quickly sewn back together.
Beyond the wreckedge of the trees, my eyes spotted a thick limb rushing in my direction with palpable hostility. I quickly drew my greatsword off my back just in time to deflect the incoming attempt at my life, the branch was thrown off-course and swiped at nothing but thin air before retreating where it originated.
Narrowing my gaze, I discerned that the wooden tendrils were connected to a nearby hollowed out tree.
As if stirred from a deep slumber, the hollow tree began to extricate itself from the ground, gradually revealing its full form. Its contorted body bore an eerie resemblance to skeletal appendages, stretching skyward and eclipsing the surrounding trees in height. Within the gaping hollow of its trunk, a maze of jagged, splintered wood awaited, reminiscent of a human ribcage that had been violently ripped open.
Scattered across its gnarled form lay the skeletal remains of various animals, as if the tree itself wore them as macabre garments. The sun's bright rays rested upon its twisted form, highlighting its ghastly appearance by ten-fold.
The looming figure's sheer size dominated the surrounding, and from within its gaping trunk, a shrill screech erupted. Its piercing cry caused the nearby trees to tremble like a terrified child.
A frown made its way to my lips, not because of the suffocating presence it exuded, but the amount of negative energy it was releasing into the wild, resulting in all fauna within its vacinity to wither in seconds. Whatever this thing is, it was not part of the natural world. Well, not like that information matters to me (Let the people of this world deal with it).
"You know, that's not how how you should greet people." I spoke like a parent reprimanding their child's rude behavior.
The gigantic beast ignored my words and paced forward, crushing everything that obstructed its path. With each step it took, the ground shook heavily in response, throwing me off balance for a brief moment. Its movements were inconceivably fast despite its massive size, quickly closing the gap between us.
Raising its leg high above, it cast ominous shadows over my figure before executing a resounding stomp.
Focusing inward, I will my heart to envelop my entire being with mana, granting me a momentary surge in physical strength. I bent my knees and crouched down before launching myself forward, evading its powerful stomp and landing right under the Living Tree's colossal figure.
Brandishing my trusted blade, I swiftly deliver an array of cuts and slashes at its planted leg. A tearing sound ensued as my greatsword shred its thick bark.
I quickly retreated and scrutinized the area I had targeted. My short probing inflicted minor damage to the giant beast's bark, but it was clear that, given sufficient time and effort, I could bring it down with my current strength.
The sentient tree retaliated quickly, lifting its limbs skyward before delivering a fierce downward swing at my small form below. I held my greatsword overhead to block the incoming attack. A loud clang echoed throughout the forest as its limbs struck my blade.
A suppressed grunt escaped my lips, and my legs folded due to its greater physical prowess. Exerting more strength into my arms, I push its limbs aside before executing a retaliatory strike. My bolstered physique was able to deal a modest amount of damage to it, but not enough to take it down.
The creature whipped and lashed with its animate branches, yet none had come close to grazing my body. Unfortunately for the beast, its massive size was but a hindrance in such an environment. Though its size might be seen as an advantage by the average person, for I who regularly dealt with monsters beyond my capabilities, it wasn't something to worry about.
I deftly maneuvered around the Living Tree's serpentine branches using the surrounding trees as cover, capitalizing on every opening I could find to deliver swift cuts and slashes.
As the creature thrashed, the impact of its flailing limbs sent dirt to erupt into the air. Using the billowing debris as cover, I rush towards the sentient tree's exposed legs, my blade arced through the air and sliced through its thick bark, servering its foot.
With one of its legs gone, it lost its balance and fell onto all fours with a loud crash, causing the ground beneath its fallen form to sink. With but a twist of my wrists, I guided my weapon towards my foe. Suddenly, an ear piercing screech abruptly erupted from within its hollow trunk.
A thick rootstock suddenly extricated itself from the ground and took hold of my arms, halting my ensuing attack. Seizing the opportunity, the beast moved one of its limbs and struck my rooted figure, flinging me deeper into the woods. While sliding across the ground, I stabbed my blade into the soil to halt my roll, and with a push of arms, I regain my footing.
From beneath the injured beast's form, countless robust roots began appearing and rapidly snaked towards my direction, their intentions clear as day.
Brandishing my greatsword, I cut and slice through the sea of serpentine roots while steadily narrowing the distance between the living tree and I. Though it had caught me by surprise, it would not work a second time.
I stomp a wooden tendril that burst from below and turned my attention back to the unnatural beast. Roots began attatching itself onto the tree's severed limb and a new leg slowly formed. Not wanting to give the creature a moment of respite, I bent my legs and leaped towards it.
Landing beside of the kneeling beast, I threw an overhead swing in attempt to slice its contorted head off, the tree quickly raised a limb and successfully intercepted it.
I swiftly withdrew my weapon and executed a flurry of heavy strikes at my opponent, and to my surprise, its injuries mended itself at a visible pace. The beast had unexpectedly gained an unparalleled amount of vitality, far outstripping the damage I could inflict, rendering my attacks ineffective after a short while.
All the while another problem arose, the Living Tree had started using the surrounding root system as its own, depriving me of the trees' protective cover and forcing me to exit the dense forest into an open field.
Being faced with a dilemma, I delve deep in thought, searching for ways to eliminate the beast. If this continued, my stamina would be completely drained before I could bring it down. In time, my mind pieced together a rather straightforward plan.
"Joseph Joestar special technique." I leaped backward to place some distance between us.
"RUN!" Then swiftly bolted towards the opposite direction without looking back, abandoning the raging beast to its own devices. It might be fast relative to its size, but it could never surpass the renowned Joestar family technique.
CH1 END.
—Status—
True name: Leon.
Aliases: The Creator.
Master (-)
Class: (-)
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral.
[Parameters]
Strength: B+
Endurance: C
Agility: A
Mana: B
Luck: E
[Class Skills]
Magic Resistance = C+
Bonfire's blessing = EX
[Personal Skill(s)]
Master combatant = A
Instinct = A
Mind's Eye (True) = B+
Mana burst = A+
[Noble Phantasm(s)]
True Destruction (Sealed) = (-)
True Creation (Sealed) = (-)
True Augmentation (Sealed) = (-)
Some poor sod awakens in the void, accidentally wills himself into becoming a nigh-omnipotent god, then crash lands into the world of Fate before life had even sprouted on the planet. What could go wrong? (Crack-fic incoming.)
Author's notes: First of, I would like to say I'll probably write this while I'm sleep deprived, so don't expect this fic to actually have any semblance of quality.
P.S: Indiscriminate gender-bending.
Chapter 1: Becoming God.
"Well then, quite the predicament I found myself in." I whisper to nobody but myself.
My voice was met with nothing but silence, the utter blackness that encased my form remained muted, failing to even echo my words. Hearing no response from my imaginary audience, I laugh to myself. "Tough crowd."
"No, seriously, where the hell am I?" I twirl my head around to look at my surroundings, yet found nothing of note except the abyss I've somehow found myself inside of.
One moment, I was heading home from a long day at work, and in the next, I woke up in the middle of nowhere, quite literally.
"Did I die?" I mused while stroking my chin. Speaking of body parts, I can somehow still see myself despite having no light source to illuminate my form (Thankfully I still had clothes on).
To be honest, it wouldn't be a surprise to me if I had somehow collapsed out of nowhere. I've been overexerting myself for the past couple of years, and barely had time to take care of myself, so it was only a matter of time; which was now, apparenty.
"Now what?" Was I in the process of attaining eternal bliss or everlasting torment due to my sins?
I waited, and waited some more, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. I spun around, hopped on my toes, sung every song I've somehow memorized, and even danced in sheer boredom, but still, everything stayed the same.
"Am I in line at the DMV?" Were there too many souls waiting to be judged or something? Possibly, but my human psyche can't take anymore of this silence, I'd go mad before even reaching my turn at the council of Angels.
Like that, time whizzed by like a speeding bullet. After the first 48 hours (yes, I counted) I finally noticed that my bodily needs were nonexistent, nor did fatigue ever took its toll. There was only so many things you can to in a literal void, so I did my random activities at a much slower pace than usual to not lose my mind.
"—and that's ten thousand." Finishing my set of 10 thousand push-ups, I moved on to the next: a 60 minute full sprint. Which ended way too quickly than I realized. "This isn't working." My mind was beginning to numb, and panic slowly took its hold.
Another full set of 10 thousand push-ups later, I plopped down on the invisible ground and took my time to repair my toppling mindscape. My mental facilities were steadily failing me, my name was starting to become a blur, but I could still recall my first name, thankfully. "Leon… Leon…" I repeated it like a mantra in order to cement it in my brain.
"What the hell is even happening anymore." After days, months, years—I don't even know anymore, I finally took my first break from my never ending physical exercise. Perhaps I was looking at it the wrong way, maybe focusing on maintaining my state of mind is the better option instead of moving my body all the time. I'd still do my ten thousand push-ups every now and then, but my scattering mind takes priority.
"It'd be awesome if I can make stuff out of nowhere, it'll do my 21st century monkey brain a huge favour. Hell, I want this place gone, or at least changed to something more relaxing to be in." Nothing answered by ramblings—or so I thought.
After my words travelled across the empty plane, a splash of colour unexpectedly made its appearance. Red and orange coated the floor below me, yellow and green flew past the edge of my vision, blue and indigo covered the blank sky, and violet creeped into the horizon like the rising sun.
I briskly rose to my feet. But, before I could question what was happening, my mind was assaulted by a surge of pain coming in from all directions. However, before I could even release a grunt, the pain vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving me in a state of confusion.
While wondering what had just occured, my brain finally registered what my eyes were currently seeing; a seemingly infinite land covered in jagged rocks and enourmous craters. My mouth went agape upon taking in my newly found environment. "What… the hell is this place?"
Was I on the moon? Cause it sure does look like it. Lifting my gaze upward, I was even more surprised to see stars twinkling in the sky in contrast to the emptyness that surrounded them. Was I back on Earth? Glancing at my immediate surroundings, I concluded it to be Improbable judging from the fact that there wasn't any fauna laying about, only gray rocks and hazardous craters.
Taking a moment to adjust to my surroundings, I realized that the gravity of this place was similar to Earth, giving rise to a rather ridiculous theory into the forefront of my mind. 'Did I travel back in time?' It was laughable, but the evidence was - quite literally - right above me.
The moon orbiting the planet looked the exact same as the one on Earth, there were even some constellations I could recognize hovering over the night sky, and most important of all, other planetary bodies such as Saturn and Jupiter were visible to the naked eye. Since the moon was reflecting light, I can only assume there's a sun brightening the other side of the world.
"Now what?" Despite the unbelievable scenario I found myself in, I didn't let it overwhelm me and instead tried to think of what to do next.
My body remained invulnerable, as evident by the fact I didn't instantly perish upon entering this underdeveloped world, but I needed to find out whether or not I possess other powers apart from my supposed immortality, lest I encounter a problem way out of my capabilities.
But then again, what kind of problems can an infant planet give me? "Don't jinx it, Leon." I immediately berate myself for tempting fate.
After many days of trying, and avoiding any potential tragedies that could befell my pitiful self, I finally figured out the entire scope of my newfound powers; I possessed a grand total of three. An underwhelming amount, some might say, but each one of them was enough to turn even the weakest creature into a god.
The first one I've discovered was the ability to simply remove anything out of existence, whether material or conceptual. If I want it gone, it will be gone. Yep, you heard that right. I wasn't just erasing stuff, but removing entire aspects of the universe itself on a whim. How'd I figured that out? Well, to be honest, I've completely forgotten it for some odd reason.
Don't worry about it. I fixed everything with my second ability.
Speaking of, numero dos: the power to create anything out of nothing, again, whether material or conceptual. Everything I removed in the pursuit of knowledge was brought back by this very ability. If I wanted it to appear, it will appear, no matter the complexities of the summoned object or idea.
There was one time I had almost accidentally made myself a permanent fixture of the earth by spawning a gigantic Gundam over my head. Thankfully, I had managed to revoke its creation before being becoming one with the floor.
And finally, my third godly authority was the ability to augment, or alter how an existing object works. What it means is that I can turn even a mundane pebble into a mighty dragon if I just will it so. With all these combined, I might as well have created the universe (or was it the universe that created me?). Well anyways, the long-short of it was that I'm basically God, with a capital G.
Then, the words I had spoken before entering this primitive planet returned to me. "Are you serious?" I said in exasperation. Was the abyss just waiting for me to make a wish or something? My back slumped forward, before quickly picking itself back up. Well, no use mulling over it now that I'm free.
"Now then," Time to move on to my next agenda. "First up, plant-life." With nothing but a mental tug on my part, the world was immediately encased in a large variety of lush greenery, seas, and unique animals roaming the surface, underground, and even the depths of the ocean, completely skipping over millions of years' worth of evolution.
My next idea was to add creatures capable of manipulating the natural energy being pumped out by the planet itself, but placed that thought on hold for now in favour of something else.
"I need a place where these magical beings can roam free without worry of destroying the world." And so, I made just that. High above the clouds was an archipelago of floating landmass circling the entire planet like a natural satellite. It was completely invisible to the mundane, and only accessible to those who possess enough mastery over mana; the natural energy the world produces.
With that out of the way, I spawned just as many magical beings into the world without worrying about the consequences it might bring (not my problem). These creatures had an innate understanding on how to transport themselves into the "Reverse Side" - the name of the floating islands - of the world, so I didn't have to worry about them being unable to access it.
While contemplating my next actions, a dark shadow engulfed the area I was standing in. Pulling my gaze towards the source of the occurrence, my eyes were treated to the sight of not just one, but two big fuck-off dragons having a brawl in the sky, one covered in brilliant-golden scales, while the other draped in lustrous-purple.
"It hasn't even been a minute since you bloody came into existence." My internal clock hadn't even registered a full minute, yet two of the strongest species in the world were already vying for territory. 'Well, I guess it's only natural.' I dismiss any thought of intervening in their fight, they can do whatever they want.
The two flying reptiles resumed their assault at one another, paying no mind to their creator. They twisted and turned their bodies mid-air to gain better leverage over the other, yet it seemed the two were evenly matched. After a short while, the golden one managed to sink their claws into the other's wings, causing the victim to release an ear piercing screech that caused nearby trees to tremble like a frightened child.
Deprived of its ability to fly, the purple dragon unceremoniously barrelled towards the ground, while the other gracefully glided downward with its wings spread wide. The lustrous reptile collided with the earth with a loud boom, followed by tons of debris being juggled into the sky. A deep crater was formed with the fallen dragon in the center.
Taking advantage of its stunned state, the brilliant winged-lizard swooped in from above with its hind claws primed and ready. Claws met scales, and the former won; breaching through the scales like it was nothing, causing the defender's blood to spurt onto the ground, painting it red. Despite its ruined state however, it didn't back down and instead cracked its jaws wide to take in as much air as its lungs could before expelling it through its open mouth. A spark accompanied the beast's breath which quickly turned into a raging kindling of destruction.
"The fabled Dragon's Breath." I said to myself while observing the two. To be honest, it looked way cooler in real life.
Its mounter was quickly bathed in hellish flames that was hot enough to melt rocks in seconds. The sun-dyed lizard was quick to escape the heat by putting some distance between them, and only after properly orienting itself did the lustrous one halted its fiery breath. Smoke rose from the latter's mouth as it glared threateningly at their counterpart, the former on the other hand shook off the liquefied remains of its shiny scales like a wet dog, exposing their flesh to the elements.
In just one pivotal moment, the tables had turned in the other's favour, without the defense its scales provided, the golden dragon was greatly weakened. Deciding that enough was enough, it briskly propelled itself into the sky before dashing away in the opposite direction, leaving the purple one abandoned on the ground.
"And there you have it folks, purple dude wins." I announce the victor to my nonexistent audience.
The victor roared triumphantly, letting its superior prowess known to all. With that out of the way, the dragon rid itself of dirt and steadily climbed out of the crater, then weaved through the undisturbed forest.
I, on the other hand, was perched atop the tallest tree in the vacinity, watching the retreating beast with an amused expression. If not for my in-born invaulnerability, I wouldn't have observed the two fantastical creatures' destructive display from such a close distance. Every other animal in the area had already vacated their spot to avoid being killed by the dragons' fierce battle.
Following the lusterous dragon's retirement into the woods, I dropped down from my spot, picked a random direction, and walked forward without a second thought.
"Quite the predicament I've gotten myself." With a slight pull from my leg, the sturdy vines that entangled my legs came loose. All the while, short, green-skinned humanoid beings with pointy ears and rows of sharp teeth carefully strutted around my form. "Goblins, cool."
They were your streotypical goblins you'd find in any fantasy stories, except they were very much real and incredibly dangerous depending on who you're asking. Not to me, however.
"Well-well-well, quite the welcoming gifts you have in store for me." I spoke with unwavering confidence while scrutinizing my guests. They wore armour made of animal pelts, and held primitive tools made of sticks and stone. Their postures were hunched forward while brandishing their polearms, ready to pounce at their prey, in which case was me who was caught by their surprisingly competent trap (or was I the stupid one for falling into it?).
Anyways, after removing the thick vines off my person, I was immedietly assaulted by multiple sharpened rock-spears from four different diretions. However, instead of drawing blood, their state-of-art weaponry merely bounced off my tracksuit (yes, I'm wearing one. Fight me). Confusion swiftly washed over my assailant's ugly faces, before attempting to stab at me once again with renewed vigour.
"Yeah, how about a no." With but a flick of my wrist, the 4 goblins vanished from sight along with their equipment, the only proof of their existence being the crushed grass where they previously stood.
'Hm… maybe I should learn how to fight.' I thought my myself. To be honest, using my ability to remove stuff from existence gets boring after a while, perhaps I should try engaging in close combat? But before that, I should remove my invulnerability. Not fully, of course.
After brainstorming some ideas, my apparent immortality was modified to my liking. I made it so that if I were to be killed, my body would simply appear to the most recent bonfire I've lit; Dark Souls style, baby. With nothing but a thought, my body was immediately encased in full-plate metal armour with a torn blue scarf draped around my neck, along with a finely crafted sword and shield strapped to my back.
With a feral grin hidden behind my medieval helmet, I spoke with an almost predatory voice. "Time to go hunting."
"Gods… be… dammed." I spoke between heavy breaths. My armour crackled as the eccentric electrical currents covering my entire form gradually fizzled out, freeing me from its paralyzing effects. Right after, my dented armour slowly mended itself, returning its misshapen form to normal.
Heaving my torso upright, I glace to my right to find my latest prey; an enourmous eagle with the power to manipulate lightning. A longsword was plunged halfway through its skull, and countless slashes, made by said weapon, were strewn all across its feathered body.
It had been 6 months since my arrival in this planet, most of it was spent hunting down various magical creatures and dying over a hundred times along the way. It was not for naught however, for I became quickly adept at utilizing a vast array of weaponry, from bladed weapons, polearms, bows, and even my fists.
Now, I could've just added the knowledge on how to handle such armaments into my brain, but where's the fun in that? There was one time where I was, quite literally, snapped in two after being snatched by an enourmous crab's claw due to inexperience. It wasn't fun.
At the moment, I stood before the mystical bird, which had killed me a total of 5 times (the most I've had to a single entity yet) before being felled by yours truly. As my gauntlet-clad hand grasped the hilt, a jolt of electricity unexpectedly travelled across the length of the sword and into my arm, numbing it for a brief moment. Even after death, the beast still attempted to harm its slayer.
Shrugging off the weak current, I proceeded to pull the blade out of the avian's head before returning it back to its scabbard. After retrieving my equipment, an idea popped into my head.
"What if I leave a few artefact and some ruins?" As mentioned earlier, it had already been half a year, and there was nothing to see apart from the landscape untainted by human intervention. Though undoubtedly a gorgeous sight to behold, it could use some more landmarks, so my plan was to add some interesting stuff wherever I went; Items and structures for people of the future to find, explore, and speculate about.
"Kiln of the First Flame coming right up." With that, my first project was set.
After finding a suitable area, I began construction of the renowned Kiln. Rocks appeared from nothingness and seamlessly took on the desired shape. I wanted to create the one from the first game, instead of the decrepit and melted version from the third, since it was more interesting.
Soon after, the colossal structure was completed. Somehow, it had taken me more time to find a suitable place for it than actually making it. Oh well, no matter.
The Kiln of the First Flame appeared weathered, with countless rubble scattered all over the space, conveying its supposed age. Ash permeated the air, and sparks of ember popped in occasionally like fireflies to enhance the sombre atmosphere. The sight would no doubt enrapture those who lay eyes on it.
It was a one to one recreation, except for a single glaring difference. The enourmous structure that was supposed to house the First Flame in its center was instead accommodating a coiled sword that exuded a fiery aura.
It was no ordinary blade, of course. Because within it contained the First Flame itself, albeit a weakened one on the cusp of regaining its power. If a sufficiently powerful person were to empower the sword by feeding it their life force, the Flame will unleash its full might upon the world and kick-start the age of fire, also known as the Age of Gods.
Stroking my chin, I contemplated whether or not to add the 4 Lord Souls, which didn't take that long at all. "Sure, why not." With a mere thought on my part, the four fabled Lord Souls were created. I sent two of it, the Witch of Izalith's and Grave lord Nito's, some distance away from where the Kiln stood, and summoned the living corpse of Gywn, whom possessed the third Lord Soul, to endlessly roam the place.
Unlike the game however, this empty vessel wasn't a pushover that can be easily defeated (we can't have that). Though he lacks the intelligence to make complex decisions, he possessed supreme strength and immense skills to back up his title as the God of Sunlight. Essentially, I wanted him to be the final hurdle to anyone vying for the Coiled Sword's power.
The last of the bunch, the Furtive Pygmy's Dark Soul, was kept safely on my person. Why? Because I want to personally give it to the first human I find on this still developing world. With that out of the way, I immediately vanish from my position before being noticed by the waking hollowed god.
"To the victor o'er the inaugural Lord of Cinder, may thy newfound godhood guide the realm unto prosperity."
"What might you be, good sir?" I ask the serpentine creature before me, and it replied by brutally ramming itself into my chest. My armoured self was thrown into the distance, crashing and breaking a few dozen innocent trees along the way, skipping between points of contact with the ground like a rock being tossed across a body of water, before finally skidding to a halt.
A pained groan failed to even escape my lips before my consciousness ceased. I didn't die, I knew that much, but it certainly felt like it.
The damage to my equipment was minimal, but I couldn't say the same to my innards. A grand total of 36 bones were obliterated upon contact with my assailant, and an additional 9 were fractured during my less-than graceful flight through the dense forest. Don't worry though, the pain was already receding by the time I regained my consciousness.
Colour flared around various parts of my armour, glowing an iridescent orange that produced a tinge of heat. On the inside, it felt as if I was taking a warm, relaxing shower. The injuries I sustained healed at a visible pace, my bones snapped back in place with a gruesome crunch, and my torn flesh was quickly sewn back together.
Beyond the wreckedge of the trees, my eyes spotted a thick limb rushing in my direction with palpable hostility. I quickly drew my greatsword off my back just in time to deflect the incoming attempt at my life, the branch was thrown off-course and swiped at nothing but thin air before retreating where it originated.
Narrowing my gaze, I discerned that the wooden tendrils were connected to a nearby hollowed out tree.
As if stirred from a deep slumber, the hollow tree began to extricate itself from the ground, gradually revealing its full form. Its contorted body bore an eerie resemblance to skeletal appendages, stretching skyward and eclipsing the surrounding trees in height. Within the gaping hollow of its trunk, a maze of jagged, splintered wood awaited, reminiscent of a human ribcage that had been violently ripped open.
Scattered across its gnarled form lay the skeletal remains of various animals, as if the tree itself wore them as macabre garments. The sun's bright rays rested upon its twisted form, highlighting its ghastly appearance by ten-fold.
The looming figure's sheer size dominated the surrounding, and from within its gaping trunk, a shrill screech erupted. Its piercing cry caused the nearby trees to tremble like a terrified child.
A frown made its way to my lips, not because of the suffocating presence it exuded, but the amount of negative energy it was releasing into the wild, resulting in all fauna within its vacinity to wither in seconds. Whatever this thing is, it was not part of the natural world. Well, not like that information matters to me (Let the people of this world deal with it).
"You know, that's not how how you should greet people." I spoke like a parent reprimanding their child's rude behavior.
The gigantic beast ignored my words and paced forward, crushing everything that obstructed its path. With each step it took, the ground shook heavily in response, throwing me off balance for a brief moment. Its movements were inconceivably fast despite its massive size, quickly closing the gap between us.
Raising its leg high above, it cast ominous shadows over my figure before executing a resounding stomp.
Focusing inward, I will my heart to envelop my entire being with mana, granting me a momentary surge in physical strength. I bent my knees and crouched down before launching myself forward, evading its powerful stomp and landing right under the Living Tree's colossal figure.
Brandishing my trusted blade, I swiftly deliver an array of cuts and slashes at its planted leg. A tearing sound ensued as my greatsword shred its thick bark.
I quickly retreated and scrutinized the area I had targeted. My short probing inflicted minor damage to the giant beast's bark, but it was clear that, given sufficient time and effort, I could bring it down with my current strength.
The sentient tree retaliated quickly, lifting its limbs skyward before delivering a fierce downward swing at my small form below. I held my greatsword overhead to block the incoming attack. A loud clang echoed throughout the forest as its limbs struck my blade.
A suppressed grunt escaped my lips, and my legs folded due to its greater physical prowess. Exerting more strength into my arms, I push its limbs aside before executing a retaliatory strike. My bolstered physique was able to deal a modest amount of damage to it, but not enough to take it down.
The creature whipped and lashed with its animate branches, yet none had come close to grazing my body. Unfortunately for the beast, its massive size was but a hindrance in such an environment. Though its size might be seen as an advantage by the average person, for I who regularly dealt with monsters beyond my capabilities, it wasn't something to worry about.
I deftly maneuvered around the Living Tree's serpentine branches using the surrounding trees as cover, capitalizing on every opening I could find to deliver swift cuts and slashes.
As the creature thrashed, the impact of its flailing limbs sent dirt to erupt into the air. Using the billowing debris as cover, I rush towards the sentient tree's exposed legs, my blade arced through the air and sliced through its thick bark, servering its foot.
With one of its legs gone, it lost its balance and fell onto all fours with a loud crash, causing the ground beneath its fallen form to sink. With but a twist of my wrists, I guided my weapon towards my foe. Suddenly, an ear piercing screech abruptly erupted from within its hollow trunk.
A thick rootstock suddenly extricated itself from the ground and took hold of my arms, halting my ensuing attack. Seizing the opportunity, the beast moved one of its limbs and struck my rooted figure, flinging me deeper into the woods. While sliding across the ground, I stabbed my blade into the soil to halt my roll, and with a push of arms, I regain my footing.
From beneath the injured beast's form, countless robust roots began appearing and rapidly snaked towards my direction, their intentions clear as day.
Brandishing my greatsword, I cut and slice through the sea of serpentine roots while steadily narrowing the distance between the living tree and I. Though it had caught me by surprise, it would not work a second time.
I stomp a wooden tendril that burst from below and turned my attention back to the unnatural beast. Roots began attatching itself onto the tree's severed limb and a new leg slowly formed. Not wanting to give the creature a moment of respite, I bent my legs and leaped towards it.
Landing beside of the kneeling beast, I threw an overhead swing in attempt to slice its contorted head off, the tree quickly raised a limb and successfully intercepted it.
I swiftly withdrew my weapon and executed a flurry of heavy strikes at my opponent, and to my surprise, its injuries mended itself at a visible pace. The beast had unexpectedly gained an unparalleled amount of vitality, far outstripping the damage I could inflict, rendering my attacks ineffective after a short while.
All the while another problem arose, the Living Tree had started using the surrounding root system as its own, depriving me of the trees' protective cover and forcing me to exit the dense forest into an open field.
Being faced with a dilemma, I delve deep in thought, searching for ways to eliminate the beast. If this continued, my stamina would be completely drained before I could bring it down. In time, my mind pieced together a rather straightforward plan.
"Joseph Joestar special technique." I leaped backward to place some distance between us.
"RUN!" Then swiftly bolted towards the opposite direction without looking back, abandoning the raging beast to its own devices. It might be fast relative to its size, but it could never surpass the renowned Joestar family technique.
CH1 END.
—Status—
True name: Leon.
Aliases: The Creator.
Master (-)
Class: (-)
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral.
[Parameters]
Strength: B+
Endurance: C
Agility: A
Mana: B
Luck: E
[Class Skills]
Magic Resistance = C+
Bonfire's blessing = EX
[Personal Skill(s)]
Master combatant = A
Instinct = A
Mind's Eye (True) = B+
Mana burst = A+
[Noble Phantasm(s)]
True Destruction (Sealed) = (-)
True Creation (Sealed) = (-)
True Augmentation (Sealed) = (-)
FWG CH2
Dunno.
Dunno.
- Joined
- May 4, 2023
- Messages
- 44
- Likes received
- 3,647
Chapter 2: Around the world. (2/6/24)
"Oh boy," I smack my lips while glancing upwards into the night sky. "I sure hope that meteor doesn't hit me." I said jokingly. From beyond the stars, a decently sized asteroid fragmented into countless pieces upon breaking past the Earth's atmosphere, but a sizable chunk of it remained intact and resumed its descent from the heavens.
I stood dead in my tracks and watched in utter disbelief as the speeding space rock blatantly defies the laws of gravity to magically hurl itself towards my position as if to spite my prior words. The meteor quickly consumed the distance between us, but instead of running away or panicking, I merely let out a tired sigh in acceptance of my inevitable death.
"It was a bloody joke." I grumbled while pinching the bridge of my nose. It had been a while since my previous death, and I certainly didn't expect the next to be caused by a meteor of all things.
Utterly indifferent to my feelings, the deadly space rock crashed but a meter away from me (real convenient) with a resounding impact that greatly shook the entire continent. The shockwave alone completely disintegrated everything around its landing zone, including yours truly who got torn into particles near instantaneously.
Robbed of consciousness, my senses was thrown into a state of etherealness I usually enter shortly after dying. Do not fear, I have not perished (I never will), the darkness only lasted for about a second before my consciousness returned in full force.
My eyes quickly shot open to study the vacinity, expecting it to resemble an fiery apocalyptic vista due to the prior event—Instead, I found myself completely wrapped in pure white, which prevented my eyes from seeing more than a few meters ahead.
Snowflakes fell from the sky, transforming the entire area into a pristime canvas. How such scenery came to be, I do not know (don't worry about it). Amidst the endless expanse of a snow-covered landscape, the ever-present gale unleashed a chilling roar, causing my clothes to flutter around uncontrollably, much to my annoyance.
The sudden decline in temperature did little to bother me, but the rampant winds and rapidly accumulating snow certainly was. With a flick of my hand, I accessed my inventory (yes, I made one) and took out a sturdy fur coat to fully cover my figure, protecting me from the harsh snowstorm.
With each step I took, the snow beneath me sunk, and my destination grew ever closer (which was nowhere, I'm just going where my feet takes me). After hours of trudging through the frozen landscape, a certain game made its way to my head. God of War—more specifically, the corpse of a frost giant, Thamur, who died while fighting the God of Thunder, Thor.
Even after death, the colossal being's carcass exuded a perpetual frost that solidified the area where it had fallen. It was one of the most breathtaking sights I've ever witnessed in a videogame, and now I have the chance to see it in real life.
Excitement flashed though my eyes as I recalled the exact scene in which the player first discovers Thamur's corpse, who was half-burried under a mountain of snow with its hollow eyes gazing at nothing in particular and a gigantic nail going through the frost giant's head. Then, I recreated the entire thing with a thought, and made sure the colding carcass stayed as one in the foreseeable future (I don't want it rising from the dead).
Upon setting eyes on my latest creation, a wide smile etched itself onto my lips. Though my gaze failed to penetrate the thick veil of snow ahead of me - which blocked the majority of the giant's body - I was plenty satisfied. However, it was incomplete. Stretching my arm forward, a battle axe that exuded the distinct scent of frost appeared within my grasp; the Leviathan Axe, used by the Greek God of War himself throughout the fourth and fifth installment of the franchise.
I held the axe high above my head, then executed a swift ground smash using all my available strength, causing snow and dirt to bellow into the air and the earth hiding beneath to shatter like fragile glass. The axe created countless shards of ice around itself and remained stuck within the floor even after being freed from my hold. It was an immensely powerful weapon no doubt, but it wasn't mine to wield (not like I can't make more of it), It was to whoever finds this site in the future.
With all that said and done with, I resumed my journey through the endless icy plane.
---
"I don't know where I am, all I know is that there's snow everywhere." It had been a few weeks of non-stop walking, yet the ever-present biting gale was as strong as ever, showing no signs of receding. As if to answer my boredom, a shrill screech echoed from beyond the curtain of flakes, which parted right after to reveal a large, blue-feathered bird of prey swooping in at an incredible speed while brandishing its claws.
A shout of pain escaped my lips when two sharp talons impaled itself through my chest. The bird brutally slammed my defenseless body into the snow-covered ground, denying me a moment of respite, before shooting upwards into the clouds. My vision blurred as the giant avian forged through the relentless blizzard without regard for my safety.
Weakened by the amount of blood pouring out of my wounds, my vision flickered in and out of consciousness. My attempts at escaping the creature's mighty hold all ended in failure due to my mounting delirium, so I was dragged across the sky like a broken kite without being able to do much.
Deciding it wasn't worth the effort, resistance slowly left my body, and my senses dulled a moment later. After an undetermined amount of time, my awareness gradually returned. Upon opening my eyes, I was greeted by the sun's morning rays filtering through the gaps in a tree's foliage, casting slivers of light upon my weary form.
'Hold on a second… the sun?' Shaking off my drowsiness, I quickly analyzed my immediate surroundings, causing my brows to crook slightly. Warm sunlight replaced the relentless snowfall, and lush greenery took over the muted environment I'd gotten used to in the past couple of weeks.
I was currently lying in the middle of a grassy plain with trees scarcely spread around. "How the hell did I get here?" I ask nobody in particular. To my surprise however, something did answer my words (why does this keep happening) in the form of a white ball suddenly colliding with my chest with enough force to crumple a car, yet all it did was push me a few meters backward.
Without saying a word, I firmly grasped the thing on my chest, tossed it some distance away, then held out my trusty greatsword in a defensive position in case of a follow up attack, but nothing came. Narrowing my gaze, I scrutinize my assailant's full form; it was an average sized rabbit with long droopy ears, impossibly pristine fur, and round ruby-like eyes that stared directly into my eyes.
"Huh." I lower my blade and relaxed my posture. The fluffy creature was strong, but not enough to seriously injure, or outright kill me. Letting go of my weapon, which vanished with a flicker of light (it entered my inventory), I wave my hand dismissively at the creature. "Shoo-shoo."
However, it seemed to take great offence at my gesture as it responded by curling its hind legs before pouncing forward with the ferocity of a car driven by a drunkard. Fully prepared for the incoming sphere of fur, I effortlessly deflect the animal with my arm. Upon landing on a patch of grass, the bunny glared threateningly at me, which I found adorable more than anything. Then, a certain famous rabbit with similar features crossed my mind.
The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. An amused smile appeared on my face. "You just got yourself a huge power-up, little bunny." With a simple mental command, said animal had its strength bolstered by many folds. Now the little creature can generate enough power to obliterate an entire building with very little effort.
And of course, how can I forget about crowd of skeletons… and the Holy Grail itself, cause why not. Well, not the genuine article since Jesus Christ has yet to exist (perhaps he never will, who knows), but a 'simple' golden chalice capable of infinitely producing clear water with incredible healing properties that can even regenerate lost limbs once consumed, was placed next to the white rabbit's burrow (which was apparently next to the tree I woke up under. What a funny coincidence, right?).
The fluffy creature immediately made use of its newfound strength by hunching over in preparation for a powerful leap, before launching itself in my direction at a speed that nearly broke past the sound barrier.
"Can't have that." Despite its heightened physical prowess however, my eyes could still track its movements and react accordingly. Raising my non-dominant (left) hand, I summoned a round shield from my storage space and parried the filthy casual upwards, sending it tumbling into the air like a leaf in the wind. While the beast of cuteness scrambled to correct its orientation, I employed the renowned Joestar technique, like many times in the past, and booked it to the opposite direction without looking back.
Only after escaping the serene meadow, or entire forest for that matter, did my sprint come to a halt, not due to an obstacle blocking my path ahead, but because of the smell of sand and salt assaulting my nostrils. I had somehow, someway, arrived at a sandy beach filled with all sorts of things, dried starfishes (for some reason), clams, and crabs scurrying along the banks. It was a breathtaking sight, magnified by the fact there weren't dumb humans loitering around.
The fresh ocean breeze brushed past my skin, causing my outfit, which consisted of a simple tunic and pants, to flutter gently. "Damn, I wanna live here." Well, there's nothing really stopping me from taking shop here, but there's still an entire world waiting to be explored, so maybe after my journey.
While gazing into the open horizon, an idea once again formed in my head (where are all of these coming from, eh?). My mind projected an image of a certain deep ocean structure under the sea to view how'd it look first before committing to the idea.
Upon finding the perfect area to place it, I used my ability of True Creation (yes, I named it that) to build it in the blink of an eye. An imposing structure emerged from the depths of the ocean, with a dark and weathered exterior built with worn bricks resembling the colours of the sea——It was none other than the Ocean Monument from Minecraft.
The monument is surrounded by rotund sea creatures with spiky appendages, and possessed the ability to shoot hurtful beams of light from their singular eye, called 'guardians', adding to the eerie atmosphere. Inside the central chamber lied a mountain of priceless treasure, guarded by an even bigger, more dangerous aquatic beast, named the Elder Guardian who can paralyze any living being within its line of sight.
Unlike the game, this monument isn't just filled with gold blocks for passing pirates to collect, but valueble equipment, ancient knowledge, and water-proof parchments containing clues about an item known as the "Heart of the Sea", are also hidden within the structure's weathered walls. As to what the final object could be… well, it is said that a god once used it to rule over the ocean's entirety, but had since been lost after their demise.
That's the lore I gave the Heart of the Sea before spawning it at an random location. While the object in question can certainly help one turn the whole ocean into their domain, only those with exceptional connection with the sea itself can bring out its true power to prevent people from abusing the thing and causing massive floods left and right.
While standing atop the water's surface like it's solid ground, I gave an approving nod at the Ocean Monument below (I have a feeling I'll be doing this a lot). With that out of the way, I made my way back to the calming beach to relax a bit.
---
"Making my way down town," I took a lengthy step forward while smiling widely. "Walking fast—" My cheery tune died off as the ground beneath me abrupty collapsed, opening a hole that lead into the depths of the Earth. "Oh." I let out a single syllable right before being swallowed by the chasm.
A few seconds later, my body collided with the unmoving ground at breakneck speed, producing a sickening crack that reverberated across the dark space I had the fortune of falling into upon impact. Worry not, dear viewers, as the unbearable pain jolting across my body only lasted for about a minute before disappearing altogether due to my enhanced natural regeneration.
This place is truly dangerous, one moment you're singing joyously, then falling to your demise in the next. I rose to my feet and replaced my bloodied clothing with a set of fresh ones tucked inside my [Inventory], then studied my surroundings. I had crash-landed into a rather large cave system (quite the luck I have), and there were no visible entrances apart from the very hole I fell into.
"I seem to have a knack for getting into places I shouldn't be." If this trend keeps up, I won't be surprised if I somehow end up in a different world just by stumbling to the ground.
The rocky walls were covered in sturdy looking vines and rootstock that protruded outward like outstretched arms, both could be used in combination to climb back out. With my escape route more-or-less secured, I decided to keep looking around. In the middle of the open cave was a small mound being illuminated by an ethereal beam of light coming from above like a spotlight. A beautiful sight to behold in itself, but felt incomplete in my eyes. Then, a light bulb went off in my head. "Of course!" I exclaimed.
A flash of light appeared atop my palm that quickly took the form of a majestic sword that radiated a powerful aura. The blade itself was teal in colour, and its purple guard was shaped like a "W" with a similar appearance to that of a bird's wings—it was the Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda. That's the missing piece needed to complete the general vibe of this place; a sword in the stone, waiting for its chosen wielder to arrive.
I strode towards the small mound and stood at its center, I held the weapon in reverse and raised it high, before swiftly plunging the sword halfway into the ground, turning the earth itself into its sheath. The floor groaned and shook in response to my actions, before settling down a moment later.
Nature hummed with power, lush grass and colourful flowers emerged, surrounding the Hero's sword, welcoming it like one of their own. Small specks of iridescent light swirled around the object in question like curious butterflies, they gave it an approving twinkle before becoming one with the blade, bestowing it their strength.
"Whosever draweth this sword shall bear the blood of the elves coursing within their veins, and be graced by the very blessings of nature." Upon finishing the sentence, the world itself shifted to carry out my words.
The contents of the command is as follows: If chosen by the Master Sword, the person who drew it would have their genetic make-up changed to that of an elf and gain the greatest level of affinity with nature one can possibly attain, said to only be achieved by the elves, who've long left the world.
With all that said and done with, I got off the makeshift pedestal and began climbing my way out of the ridiculously wide, brittle looking cave. It's no wonder why the floor beneath me easily crumbled when I stepped on it, however, with the sword's help it should be way sturdier now.
Emerging from the depths below onto the welcoming embrace of the soft, grassy ground, I quickly rose to my feet and instantly noticed something off. I clearly remembered it being daytime when I fell into that hole, how did it get so dark all of a sudden? Was that cave already special before I came along, did it have some sort of time-dilation ability?
No, night had not simply arrive, there was something else at play here, the mana around me was thicker, more dense than ever before, and became even harder to control. If one wasn't careful, they might just blow themselves up by handling more mana than their bodies possibly could (which doesn't really apply to me. I'm fucking invincible).
My gaze went up into the darkened sky, tracing the source of the strange occurrence, and quickly realized the reason for the change in scenery. Far out into the distance, hovering high above cloudy sky, was a ring of fire that shone like a second sun——The Dark Sign, which meant only one thing; Someone of immense strength had defeated the Lord of Sunlight and sacrificed a portion of their life to strengthen the flame trapped within the Coiled Sword, ushering in the Age of Gods.
"Well then," I stroke my chin, marveling at the Dark Sign's majestic appearance. "Things are bound to get interesting from now on." With the effectiveness of mana skyrocketing, the creatures of this planet would have to adapt in order to survive (dragons would have no problem, they're built different).
"I guess I'll have to step up my training regime to not fall into the bottom of the food chain." A predatory grin made its way to my lips. "Time to go hunting."
I crouch down to have a closer look at the small crustacean scurrying below me. "A small cowboy hat would look good on you." The small crab, indifferent to the world around it, continued on its merry way without paying much attention to my words.
Currently, I stood at a random beach with barely any wildlife out and about, as to why, I did not know, nor care. All that matters is that I'm here. Most of my time in this sandy space was spent building sandcastles, and digging holes like a true man. If there were other men around, they'd no doubt join me in my endeavor to the depths of the world.
Anyways, as I wrote random words into the sand's surface, my senses registered a sudden build up of magical energy far out into distance. My interest of the phenomenon peaked, making me wonder what could it possibly be. Throughout my uncountable years traversing the planet, I've yet to encounter such dense pocket of mana coalesce in one place, not even the Dark Sign's emergence a long time ago was this impactful.
With a burst of speed that easily broke through the speed of sound, I rush towards the strange event's origin in order to hopefully catch even a glimpse before it was over. The ground beneath me shattered with each stomp I executed to propel my body forward, resulting in my preceded path to be betrewed with destruction.
I crossed deep bodies of water and climbed over monumental mountains in minutes, before finally reaching my intended destination; an enourmous canyon that stretched out for many kilometers.
"What the hell is that?" I mutter in astonishment. My neck was forced to crane upward to comprehend the full size of the humanoid entity in the middle of the gorge, whom eclipsed the nearby mountainous peaks by many times.
Its body was made of malevolent light, but the air surrounding the colossal being was anything but. The aura it spewed was that of hostility and sheer hatred towards the world around it, sending my instincts to be on qui veve.
As I stared at it in awe, the beast of pure energy abruptly released an ear piercing screech that caused cracks to zipper across the surface of the ground it stood on. My organs came close to rupturing, but my innate endurance prevented such thing from happening, thankfully. I'm not sure how exploding from the inside out would feel as such occasion had yet to grace me.
Across the distant horizon, as if responding to the beast's maddened cry, a pillar of brilliant light shot skyward, bathing the entire landscape with an ethereal glow. The mana around me softened, before pulling me into a welcoming embrace. Happiness and longing bubbled from within my soul, yet the reason for such surging emotions eluded me. Without realizing, I wiped away a solitary tear that silently made its way down my cheek.
"What—" The beast of pure hatred roared in challenge, cutting my words short, then bursts forward at a speed that belied its massive proportions and quickly swallowed the distance between itself and the beam.
The pillar of true malevolent light answered by toppling over into the direction of the charging creature, colliding with it a moment later at full force. The shockwave created by the two's clash exploded outward in spectacular fashion, destroying anything and everything that obstructed its path, including the tree I was posted on top of.
I unceremoniously flew through the air like a broken kite before being mercilessly depressed into the side of a tall cliff. I emerge from the indent my crash created into the outiside world just in time to see the colossal being's form shatter into countless flickering fragments, bested by its adversary.
The fallen pillar, the sole cause for the beast's demise, gradually dissipated into motes of light soon after as if finished with its task, giving my eyes full view of the changed landscape. "Woah…" My mouth went agape in amazement. What greeted me wasn't the aftermath of a fierce battle, but a grassy meadow filled with all sorts of colourful flowers emerging from the ground.
I made my way across the calming plain while marveling at its beauty, wondering how such environment even came to be. Was it the beam of light that caused this, or the death of the enourmous creature? Well, that I might not find an answer to, and I refuse to employ my godly powers to inject information of the prior event into my head, as it would ruin the purpose of why I even started journeying across the world on foot in the first place; to discover everything with my own two eyes. If I cannot figure out what happened, so be it.
"Oh boy," I smack my lips while glancing upwards into the night sky. "I sure hope that meteor doesn't hit me." I said jokingly. From beyond the stars, a decently sized asteroid fragmented into countless pieces upon breaking past the Earth's atmosphere, but a sizable chunk of it remained intact and resumed its descent from the heavens.
I stood dead in my tracks and watched in utter disbelief as the speeding space rock blatantly defies the laws of gravity to magically hurl itself towards my position as if to spite my prior words. The meteor quickly consumed the distance between us, but instead of running away or panicking, I merely let out a tired sigh in acceptance of my inevitable death.
"It was a bloody joke." I grumbled while pinching the bridge of my nose. It had been a while since my previous death, and I certainly didn't expect the next to be caused by a meteor of all things.
Utterly indifferent to my feelings, the deadly space rock crashed but a meter away from me (real convenient) with a resounding impact that greatly shook the entire continent. The shockwave alone completely disintegrated everything around its landing zone, including yours truly who got torn into particles near instantaneously.
Robbed of consciousness, my senses was thrown into a state of etherealness I usually enter shortly after dying. Do not fear, I have not perished (I never will), the darkness only lasted for about a second before my consciousness returned in full force.
My eyes quickly shot open to study the vacinity, expecting it to resemble an fiery apocalyptic vista due to the prior event—Instead, I found myself completely wrapped in pure white, which prevented my eyes from seeing more than a few meters ahead.
Snowflakes fell from the sky, transforming the entire area into a pristime canvas. How such scenery came to be, I do not know (don't worry about it). Amidst the endless expanse of a snow-covered landscape, the ever-present gale unleashed a chilling roar, causing my clothes to flutter around uncontrollably, much to my annoyance.
The sudden decline in temperature did little to bother me, but the rampant winds and rapidly accumulating snow certainly was. With a flick of my hand, I accessed my inventory (yes, I made one) and took out a sturdy fur coat to fully cover my figure, protecting me from the harsh snowstorm.
With each step I took, the snow beneath me sunk, and my destination grew ever closer (which was nowhere, I'm just going where my feet takes me). After hours of trudging through the frozen landscape, a certain game made its way to my head. God of War—more specifically, the corpse of a frost giant, Thamur, who died while fighting the God of Thunder, Thor.
Even after death, the colossal being's carcass exuded a perpetual frost that solidified the area where it had fallen. It was one of the most breathtaking sights I've ever witnessed in a videogame, and now I have the chance to see it in real life.
Excitement flashed though my eyes as I recalled the exact scene in which the player first discovers Thamur's corpse, who was half-burried under a mountain of snow with its hollow eyes gazing at nothing in particular and a gigantic nail going through the frost giant's head. Then, I recreated the entire thing with a thought, and made sure the colding carcass stayed as one in the foreseeable future (I don't want it rising from the dead).
Upon setting eyes on my latest creation, a wide smile etched itself onto my lips. Though my gaze failed to penetrate the thick veil of snow ahead of me - which blocked the majority of the giant's body - I was plenty satisfied. However, it was incomplete. Stretching my arm forward, a battle axe that exuded the distinct scent of frost appeared within my grasp; the Leviathan Axe, used by the Greek God of War himself throughout the fourth and fifth installment of the franchise.
I held the axe high above my head, then executed a swift ground smash using all my available strength, causing snow and dirt to bellow into the air and the earth hiding beneath to shatter like fragile glass. The axe created countless shards of ice around itself and remained stuck within the floor even after being freed from my hold. It was an immensely powerful weapon no doubt, but it wasn't mine to wield (not like I can't make more of it), It was to whoever finds this site in the future.
With all that said and done with, I resumed my journey through the endless icy plane.
---
"I don't know where I am, all I know is that there's snow everywhere." It had been a few weeks of non-stop walking, yet the ever-present biting gale was as strong as ever, showing no signs of receding. As if to answer my boredom, a shrill screech echoed from beyond the curtain of flakes, which parted right after to reveal a large, blue-feathered bird of prey swooping in at an incredible speed while brandishing its claws.
A shout of pain escaped my lips when two sharp talons impaled itself through my chest. The bird brutally slammed my defenseless body into the snow-covered ground, denying me a moment of respite, before shooting upwards into the clouds. My vision blurred as the giant avian forged through the relentless blizzard without regard for my safety.
Weakened by the amount of blood pouring out of my wounds, my vision flickered in and out of consciousness. My attempts at escaping the creature's mighty hold all ended in failure due to my mounting delirium, so I was dragged across the sky like a broken kite without being able to do much.
Deciding it wasn't worth the effort, resistance slowly left my body, and my senses dulled a moment later. After an undetermined amount of time, my awareness gradually returned. Upon opening my eyes, I was greeted by the sun's morning rays filtering through the gaps in a tree's foliage, casting slivers of light upon my weary form.
'Hold on a second… the sun?' Shaking off my drowsiness, I quickly analyzed my immediate surroundings, causing my brows to crook slightly. Warm sunlight replaced the relentless snowfall, and lush greenery took over the muted environment I'd gotten used to in the past couple of weeks.
I was currently lying in the middle of a grassy plain with trees scarcely spread around. "How the hell did I get here?" I ask nobody in particular. To my surprise however, something did answer my words (why does this keep happening) in the form of a white ball suddenly colliding with my chest with enough force to crumple a car, yet all it did was push me a few meters backward.
Without saying a word, I firmly grasped the thing on my chest, tossed it some distance away, then held out my trusty greatsword in a defensive position in case of a follow up attack, but nothing came. Narrowing my gaze, I scrutinize my assailant's full form; it was an average sized rabbit with long droopy ears, impossibly pristine fur, and round ruby-like eyes that stared directly into my eyes.
"Huh." I lower my blade and relaxed my posture. The fluffy creature was strong, but not enough to seriously injure, or outright kill me. Letting go of my weapon, which vanished with a flicker of light (it entered my inventory), I wave my hand dismissively at the creature. "Shoo-shoo."
However, it seemed to take great offence at my gesture as it responded by curling its hind legs before pouncing forward with the ferocity of a car driven by a drunkard. Fully prepared for the incoming sphere of fur, I effortlessly deflect the animal with my arm. Upon landing on a patch of grass, the bunny glared threateningly at me, which I found adorable more than anything. Then, a certain famous rabbit with similar features crossed my mind.
The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. An amused smile appeared on my face. "You just got yourself a huge power-up, little bunny." With a simple mental command, said animal had its strength bolstered by many folds. Now the little creature can generate enough power to obliterate an entire building with very little effort.
And of course, how can I forget about crowd of skeletons… and the Holy Grail itself, cause why not. Well, not the genuine article since Jesus Christ has yet to exist (perhaps he never will, who knows), but a 'simple' golden chalice capable of infinitely producing clear water with incredible healing properties that can even regenerate lost limbs once consumed, was placed next to the white rabbit's burrow (which was apparently next to the tree I woke up under. What a funny coincidence, right?).
The fluffy creature immediately made use of its newfound strength by hunching over in preparation for a powerful leap, before launching itself in my direction at a speed that nearly broke past the sound barrier.
"Can't have that." Despite its heightened physical prowess however, my eyes could still track its movements and react accordingly. Raising my non-dominant (left) hand, I summoned a round shield from my storage space and parried the filthy casual upwards, sending it tumbling into the air like a leaf in the wind. While the beast of cuteness scrambled to correct its orientation, I employed the renowned Joestar technique, like many times in the past, and booked it to the opposite direction without looking back.
Only after escaping the serene meadow, or entire forest for that matter, did my sprint come to a halt, not due to an obstacle blocking my path ahead, but because of the smell of sand and salt assaulting my nostrils. I had somehow, someway, arrived at a sandy beach filled with all sorts of things, dried starfishes (for some reason), clams, and crabs scurrying along the banks. It was a breathtaking sight, magnified by the fact there weren't dumb humans loitering around.
The fresh ocean breeze brushed past my skin, causing my outfit, which consisted of a simple tunic and pants, to flutter gently. "Damn, I wanna live here." Well, there's nothing really stopping me from taking shop here, but there's still an entire world waiting to be explored, so maybe after my journey.
While gazing into the open horizon, an idea once again formed in my head (where are all of these coming from, eh?). My mind projected an image of a certain deep ocean structure under the sea to view how'd it look first before committing to the idea.
Upon finding the perfect area to place it, I used my ability of True Creation (yes, I named it that) to build it in the blink of an eye. An imposing structure emerged from the depths of the ocean, with a dark and weathered exterior built with worn bricks resembling the colours of the sea——It was none other than the Ocean Monument from Minecraft.
The monument is surrounded by rotund sea creatures with spiky appendages, and possessed the ability to shoot hurtful beams of light from their singular eye, called 'guardians', adding to the eerie atmosphere. Inside the central chamber lied a mountain of priceless treasure, guarded by an even bigger, more dangerous aquatic beast, named the Elder Guardian who can paralyze any living being within its line of sight.
Unlike the game, this monument isn't just filled with gold blocks for passing pirates to collect, but valueble equipment, ancient knowledge, and water-proof parchments containing clues about an item known as the "Heart of the Sea", are also hidden within the structure's weathered walls. As to what the final object could be… well, it is said that a god once used it to rule over the ocean's entirety, but had since been lost after their demise.
That's the lore I gave the Heart of the Sea before spawning it at an random location. While the object in question can certainly help one turn the whole ocean into their domain, only those with exceptional connection with the sea itself can bring out its true power to prevent people from abusing the thing and causing massive floods left and right.
While standing atop the water's surface like it's solid ground, I gave an approving nod at the Ocean Monument below (I have a feeling I'll be doing this a lot). With that out of the way, I made my way back to the calming beach to relax a bit.
---
"Making my way down town," I took a lengthy step forward while smiling widely. "Walking fast—" My cheery tune died off as the ground beneath me abrupty collapsed, opening a hole that lead into the depths of the Earth. "Oh." I let out a single syllable right before being swallowed by the chasm.
A few seconds later, my body collided with the unmoving ground at breakneck speed, producing a sickening crack that reverberated across the dark space I had the fortune of falling into upon impact. Worry not, dear viewers, as the unbearable pain jolting across my body only lasted for about a minute before disappearing altogether due to my enhanced natural regeneration.
This place is truly dangerous, one moment you're singing joyously, then falling to your demise in the next. I rose to my feet and replaced my bloodied clothing with a set of fresh ones tucked inside my [Inventory], then studied my surroundings. I had crash-landed into a rather large cave system (quite the luck I have), and there were no visible entrances apart from the very hole I fell into.
"I seem to have a knack for getting into places I shouldn't be." If this trend keeps up, I won't be surprised if I somehow end up in a different world just by stumbling to the ground.
The rocky walls were covered in sturdy looking vines and rootstock that protruded outward like outstretched arms, both could be used in combination to climb back out. With my escape route more-or-less secured, I decided to keep looking around. In the middle of the open cave was a small mound being illuminated by an ethereal beam of light coming from above like a spotlight. A beautiful sight to behold in itself, but felt incomplete in my eyes. Then, a light bulb went off in my head. "Of course!" I exclaimed.
A flash of light appeared atop my palm that quickly took the form of a majestic sword that radiated a powerful aura. The blade itself was teal in colour, and its purple guard was shaped like a "W" with a similar appearance to that of a bird's wings—it was the Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda. That's the missing piece needed to complete the general vibe of this place; a sword in the stone, waiting for its chosen wielder to arrive.
I strode towards the small mound and stood at its center, I held the weapon in reverse and raised it high, before swiftly plunging the sword halfway into the ground, turning the earth itself into its sheath. The floor groaned and shook in response to my actions, before settling down a moment later.
Nature hummed with power, lush grass and colourful flowers emerged, surrounding the Hero's sword, welcoming it like one of their own. Small specks of iridescent light swirled around the object in question like curious butterflies, they gave it an approving twinkle before becoming one with the blade, bestowing it their strength.
"Whosever draweth this sword shall bear the blood of the elves coursing within their veins, and be graced by the very blessings of nature." Upon finishing the sentence, the world itself shifted to carry out my words.
The contents of the command is as follows: If chosen by the Master Sword, the person who drew it would have their genetic make-up changed to that of an elf and gain the greatest level of affinity with nature one can possibly attain, said to only be achieved by the elves, who've long left the world.
With all that said and done with, I got off the makeshift pedestal and began climbing my way out of the ridiculously wide, brittle looking cave. It's no wonder why the floor beneath me easily crumbled when I stepped on it, however, with the sword's help it should be way sturdier now.
Emerging from the depths below onto the welcoming embrace of the soft, grassy ground, I quickly rose to my feet and instantly noticed something off. I clearly remembered it being daytime when I fell into that hole, how did it get so dark all of a sudden? Was that cave already special before I came along, did it have some sort of time-dilation ability?
No, night had not simply arrive, there was something else at play here, the mana around me was thicker, more dense than ever before, and became even harder to control. If one wasn't careful, they might just blow themselves up by handling more mana than their bodies possibly could (which doesn't really apply to me. I'm fucking invincible).
My gaze went up into the darkened sky, tracing the source of the strange occurrence, and quickly realized the reason for the change in scenery. Far out into the distance, hovering high above cloudy sky, was a ring of fire that shone like a second sun——The Dark Sign, which meant only one thing; Someone of immense strength had defeated the Lord of Sunlight and sacrificed a portion of their life to strengthen the flame trapped within the Coiled Sword, ushering in the Age of Gods.
"Well then," I stroke my chin, marveling at the Dark Sign's majestic appearance. "Things are bound to get interesting from now on." With the effectiveness of mana skyrocketing, the creatures of this planet would have to adapt in order to survive (dragons would have no problem, they're built different).
"I guess I'll have to step up my training regime to not fall into the bottom of the food chain." A predatory grin made its way to my lips. "Time to go hunting."
I crouch down to have a closer look at the small crustacean scurrying below me. "A small cowboy hat would look good on you." The small crab, indifferent to the world around it, continued on its merry way without paying much attention to my words.
Currently, I stood at a random beach with barely any wildlife out and about, as to why, I did not know, nor care. All that matters is that I'm here. Most of my time in this sandy space was spent building sandcastles, and digging holes like a true man. If there were other men around, they'd no doubt join me in my endeavor to the depths of the world.
Anyways, as I wrote random words into the sand's surface, my senses registered a sudden build up of magical energy far out into distance. My interest of the phenomenon peaked, making me wonder what could it possibly be. Throughout my uncountable years traversing the planet, I've yet to encounter such dense pocket of mana coalesce in one place, not even the Dark Sign's emergence a long time ago was this impactful.
With a burst of speed that easily broke through the speed of sound, I rush towards the strange event's origin in order to hopefully catch even a glimpse before it was over. The ground beneath me shattered with each stomp I executed to propel my body forward, resulting in my preceded path to be betrewed with destruction.
I crossed deep bodies of water and climbed over monumental mountains in minutes, before finally reaching my intended destination; an enourmous canyon that stretched out for many kilometers.
"What the hell is that?" I mutter in astonishment. My neck was forced to crane upward to comprehend the full size of the humanoid entity in the middle of the gorge, whom eclipsed the nearby mountainous peaks by many times.
Its body was made of malevolent light, but the air surrounding the colossal being was anything but. The aura it spewed was that of hostility and sheer hatred towards the world around it, sending my instincts to be on qui veve.
As I stared at it in awe, the beast of pure energy abruptly released an ear piercing screech that caused cracks to zipper across the surface of the ground it stood on. My organs came close to rupturing, but my innate endurance prevented such thing from happening, thankfully. I'm not sure how exploding from the inside out would feel as such occasion had yet to grace me.
Across the distant horizon, as if responding to the beast's maddened cry, a pillar of brilliant light shot skyward, bathing the entire landscape with an ethereal glow. The mana around me softened, before pulling me into a welcoming embrace. Happiness and longing bubbled from within my soul, yet the reason for such surging emotions eluded me. Without realizing, I wiped away a solitary tear that silently made its way down my cheek.
"What—" The beast of pure hatred roared in challenge, cutting my words short, then bursts forward at a speed that belied its massive proportions and quickly swallowed the distance between itself and the beam.
The pillar of true malevolent light answered by toppling over into the direction of the charging creature, colliding with it a moment later at full force. The shockwave created by the two's clash exploded outward in spectacular fashion, destroying anything and everything that obstructed its path, including the tree I was posted on top of.
I unceremoniously flew through the air like a broken kite before being mercilessly depressed into the side of a tall cliff. I emerge from the indent my crash created into the outiside world just in time to see the colossal being's form shatter into countless flickering fragments, bested by its adversary.
The fallen pillar, the sole cause for the beast's demise, gradually dissipated into motes of light soon after as if finished with its task, giving my eyes full view of the changed landscape. "Woah…" My mouth went agape in amazement. What greeted me wasn't the aftermath of a fierce battle, but a grassy meadow filled with all sorts of colourful flowers emerging from the ground.
I made my way across the calming plain while marveling at its beauty, wondering how such environment even came to be. Was it the beam of light that caused this, or the death of the enourmous creature? Well, that I might not find an answer to, and I refuse to employ my godly powers to inject information of the prior event into my head, as it would ruin the purpose of why I even started journeying across the world on foot in the first place; to discover everything with my own two eyes. If I cannot figure out what happened, so be it.
FWG CH3
Dunno.
Dunno.
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Chapter 3: Humanity.
"Magnificent." I said while staring intensely at the water's surface below me. More specifically, at the reflection it was giving; it was of a young man, who's appearance exudes of femininity. He possessed long braided hair, black as the night itself, that gently flowed behind him, a pair of dreamy amethyst eyes that would no doubt capture those who gaze upon it, and a cute face one couldn't help but adore.
It was none other than my own new image reflecting off the calm body of water. A creepy, yet endearing smile appeared on my face. "I'm hella cute." Indeed I was. Don't judge me, I am a true man. With my level of cuteness, men would worship me like a deity.
What's more manlier than having other men admire your beauty and kneel before you, right between your legs, suc——anyways, for the first time in many centuries (or millennias, can't remember anymore), I've decided to change my appearance to something I like; an adorable little cinnamon roll that bore an uncanny resemblance to Astolfo from Fate/Apocrypha, except for the clothing and hair colour.
After shamelessly admiring my own appearance for dozens of minutes, I rose to my feet while dusting off my squishy bottom and took a look at my surroundings. What entered my sight was an open meadow crowded with bunnies frolicking across lush greenery, a place I somehow found while mindlessly walking wherever the wind took me.
Quite unbelievable that a place like this even exist in the first place. I mean, really? A grass plain filled with nothing but fluffy rabbits jumping around? That just sounds like Heaven to me.
I've probably spent the last few days doing nothing but interact with these bundles of cuteness (can't help it). I might be a nigh-omnipotent God, but even I need some time to relax, you know? Walking from one place to another without a goal in mind gets stale every now and then.
"Well, time to go." I tearfully bid my farewells to the crowd of rabbits, who stared curiously at my figure, before walking in a random direction, hoping to encounter something worthwhile.
And wouldn't you know it, something interesting did happen a while later (I didn't even have to use my powers, hurray!).
"Is that a village?" Far off into the distance lied what seemed to be a primitive human settlement filled with wooden huts, surrounded by a wall of sharpened sticks. However, something was clearly wrong with it. The walls of various homes were destroyed, torn down by something it couldn't handle, and a multitude of rotting corpses were strewn everywhere with blood painting the pathways like a canvas, a rather gruesome sight to behold.
'A monster attack.' I quickly concluded. If the bite marks, torn flesh, and eaten limbs weren't enough evidence, I don't know what is. Indifferent to the death and destruction, I silently entered the village, touring the place. Thankfully, no more beasts remained so I explored the place without much issue.
Suddenly, a strange noise caught my full attention; it was the sounds of a child's supressed sobs coming from within a small shack to my left. 'A survivor?' I entered the home and spotted a small girl with disheveled dark hair, no older than 7 or 8, shivering in the corner of the room, tears flowing out of her eyes like a broken faucet.
Hearing the disturbance, the little girl panicked, thinking the monsters had come back. She sat upright and hastily held her arms up defensively, she couldn't run as her legs were badly injured, and even if it wasn't, a little girl couldn't possibly escape those ruthless beasts.
So, she closed her eyes and waited for her inevitable end. Yet, the pain she was expecting never came. Unable to hold her curiosity, she creaked her eyes open. Instead of a bloodthirsty monster, she found a beautiful man wearing strange clothing, draping a smooth piece of fabric over her slumped form.
"It's okay." I spoke softly, hoping to calm the terrified child. "Everything would be fine." Though I preached about learning everything on my own, an entirely different language was a separate matter altogether, so I just willed the information into my head (who's gonna stop me?) so I could speak to the girl before me.
She lowered her arms, reluctantly accepting the blanket I've given, but still watched my every move with caution. Seeing this, my lips curved into a warm smile. "My name's Leon, what's yours?" I asked.
Her lips quivered, unsure whether or not to answer my question, I didn't force her and patiently waited. After a while, she pushed through her fears to deliver a shaky response. "Alaya…"
"I mean you no harm, little Alaya. I just want to help." I raised my hands to emphasize my point. Staring into her lustrous sky-blue eyes, I decided to rip the bad-aid off and spoke the truth. "Unfortunately, it seems you're the only one alive in this place."
She lowered her gaze, staring at the floor. "I… know." She croaked out in sadness, her body trembling slightly. Well, at least she's not denying the reality in front of her, which is good. For a child, she had a strong mental fortitude, or perhaps she was just good at hiding it.
"Well, Alaya, you have a choice here." I lowered myself to the ground. "You can either stay here, survive on your own, or follow me and I promise to take care of you."
"Can I… come with you?" She asks, a tinge desperation in her voice. Alaya's entire village had just been massacred by beings she cannot possibly triumph against, and she wanted to grab on to whatever help came her way.
"Of course," I nod. "Do you want to?" While hundreds of thousands of creatures were slain by my hands without hesitation, I wasn't cruel enough to abandon a terrified child on their own.
After a moment of consideration, she squeaked out her answer. "...yes."
"Okay. Before we go, I have to tell you something." I hovered my open hand over her wounded leg. "I'm a mage." An ethereal glow bathed her limb, healing it at a visible pace. Alaya's mouth went slightly agape, shocked by the unexplainable phenomenon happening before her eyes.
---
"There's more coming!" A man's desperate shout echoed across the field. A young woman, dressed in peculiar attire consisting of steel-plates and a sword that reflected the sun's bright rays, jumped down from a high fence and landed in front of the man just in time to block an incoming attack from a canine beast.
"Ah! Maiden of steel!" The man exclaimed. "We mustn't remain here for long, the monsters are about to overrun the—" His word abruptly halted as the 'Maiden of steel' raised her weapon aloft, her back stuck straight, and her eyes filled with unwavering determination.
With a shout, she brought her weapon to bear, swiftly swinging it downward to cleave a nearing monster in two perfect halves. She then executed a series of attacks at the following tide of beasts that came with the first, carving deep wounds into their bodies, resulting in a river of blood to flow underneath her feet.
She huffed while recovering her stance, the other people around her also doing the same. One of the men, dressed in armour made of thick animal hides, spoke as he pulled his stone spear out of a monster's corpse. "Maiden, the monsters had taken over the village center, we need to retreat."
The Maiden of steel - also known as Alaya, daughter of Leon - swiped her steel blade to rid it of filth before facing the man next to her. "Tell the others to gather at the second gate, we're crossing the river." A fire burned within her eyes as she spoke.
It had been over a decade since she'd been adopted by her oddly feminine father, and over two years since they separated due to her ambition to become a hero to shield the weak, much like Leon did during their time together. Though saddened by her decision to take up the sword and fight monsters, he begrudgingly let her go after much pestering from Alaya.
She was a big girl now, Alaya didn't need his protection anymore. So, she began her journey across the continent clad in equipment ahead of its time, she questioned her father where the items he kept pulling out of nowhere came from, and he responded with one word, "Magic", everytime she did.
Suddenly, a loud crash reverberated from beyond the forest near the village. She turned, facing the direction of the commotion, and saw a large monster that towered over the mountains looming in the distance. It was vaguely humanoid, with four arms instead of two. Gray hair, unruly as the devastated town around Alaya, covered its whole body like a cloak, preventing one from perceiving its true form.
"Where did that come from!?" A man nearest to the beast exclaimed in terror. How such a colossal monster bypassed their senses escaped them. The same person dropped to his knees and clasped his hands into a prayer. "Gods… Gods have mercy upon us."
Its head turned, gazing menacingly at the group of humans below. Its presence alone was overbearing, sending cold shivers down the Maiden of steel's spine. Alaya knew she was stronger than most, but not enough to take down such a powerful being akin to a god. "What are you doing? Pull back, now!" She screamed to her subordinates, breaking them out of their shocked states. They immediately acted, tuning around and running in the direction of the river she had spoken of earlier.
She soon followed after making sure there weren't any left behind. While rushing through the ruined landscape, she threw a swift glance behind and couldn't help but widen her eyes in shock. The enourmous beast was chasing their group at a speed that belied its size, quickly traversing the distance between them. Each stomp of its foot produced a loud rumble, causing the world around her to shake violently.
She pulled her gaze back to the people before her, whom had halted their sprint after seeing the sheer speed of the monster. A young girl with inky hair hugged her brother while sniffling. A man clad in robes blankly stared at the looming threat and dropped his staff to the ground, laughing to himself. At the pace it was going, there was no way for them to escape it.
Alaya clenched her teeth as she watched them drop in defeat, accepting their fate. She had a myriad of ways to escape, her father had taught her many things during their time together, but she would have to abandon the people she's trying to save.
She stopped and quickly thought of her options. These people must survive, that's been her whole purpose. Her happiness stemmed from watching others be happy, the child she'd made giggle, the old couple she'd attended to, the people she's helped, all gave her joy. A sense of dread washed over her, she couldn't bear to watch people die, so she resorted to something her father had given her long ago.
Alaya placed her hands over her chest and pulled her thoughts inward, searching inside her very soul. Upon pulling her hands back, a bright thread of fire manifested within her grasp, bathing the entire area with its warmth.
'The Dark Soul.' She recalled the flame's name. Leon, her ever-doting parent, had given it to her a day before her departure, claiming that it'll be her most powerful ally in her dearest time of need; granting her the power to overcome whatever situation she found herself in. And what better time to use it than now?
"I call upon thee, O' Flame of Beginning." She brought her arms up, displaying the Dark Soul for the world to behold. The flame hummed, as if listening to her words. "Let thy essence cleanse evil, let thine lost lambs find salvation." She spoke of her wish. "Prithee, Dark Soul. Let thine guiding light embrace humanity."
Suddenly, her form was enveloped by a blue wisp, a power she could not even begin to understand graced her entire being. A wave of foreign thoughts and different sets of memories belonging to a multitude of people assaulted her mind all at once, yet she understood them as if it were her own, never needing more than a thought to sift through them.
As the colossal beast neared, it released an ear piercing screech that rattled the trees. Almost instinctively, the Maiden of steel waved her hand in response. The gesture was simple, however the effect it carried was anything but. In her undying desire to protect the ones behind her, she unconsciously forced the world itself to act, bending causality itself in order to fulfill her wishes. She spoke, and the world answered. Without warning, the monster bursts into a smoke of magical energy that drifted aimlessly in the wind.
Alaya stared incredulously at her hands, wondering what kind of power she was given access to. Gradually, she realized the essence of what she'd become—the collective conciousness of humanity's desire to survive.
The gods roaming the planet gave varying reactions to her heightened state of existence. Some merely gave it a passing glance and moved on, while others beamed with anticipation. Some gods had grown rather bored of the lower world, and this new addition might just satiate their hunger for entertainment.
----
"Always a reckless girl aren't you, Alaya." I stare at the sky, noticing the world's sudden change. She's always been an odd one, throwing away her own safety in favour of securing others'.
My adopted daughter, Alaya, had left some time ago in order to pursue her heroic ideals, which I tried my hardest to dissuade. But alas, I let her do what she wanted, a father truly is weak against their daughters, huh. (I couldn't say 'no' to my adorable little cinnamon roll, now can I?)
"Didn't think she'd use the Dark Soul that quickly. I thought she'd use it a decade from now." The Flame within her wasn't even at its peak state. The Dark Soul grew stronger as the Age of Gods became weaker, yet she already manifested it, granting her only a fraction of what she's supposed to get. Well, to be fair, not like I told her the Flame's mechanics.
I don't know the full extent of her awakened power, as it depended on her wishes when activating the Flame, but I can only hope it'll keep my daughter safe from any harm that befell her.
----
The birds were chirping, flowers are blooming, on days like these— "Kids like you, should be burning in hell." I assumed a ridiculous pose, pointing my finger at the creature before me—a gorilla that can move at super sonic speed. The ground beneath it roused, quaking slightly, before suddenly bursting outward to reveal a dozen serrated femur rising up into the surface.
The bones swiftly impaled themselves into the speedy gorilla, who was about to deliver the meanest right hook of the century at my body. The monke let out a maddened scream as it attempted pull out the femurs, only for its hands to be shredded upon contact with it.
"It's no use, monkey." I spread my arms dramatically. "You just got dunked on." A rain of sharp femurs rained from above, stabbing and slicing through the creature's body. The super sonic gorilla perished soon after with a pitiful screech.
Out of the blue, a dark figure dropped from the sky and violently landed behind me, causing dirt and dust to be hurled into the air. I turned, facing my new guest. "Hm?" A confused noise left me. Before me was a young girl, no older that 19 or 20, with a head of red hair tied to one side, dressed in a form-fitting attire consisting of a white shirt with two belts strapped just above and below her chest, accentuating her modest breasts, a short dark skirt, and graphite black stockings that hugged her slender legs firmly. They looked too modern, sleek and clean, to be of this time, unless there's some secret human civilization out there. (Which was unlikely, but who knows.)
What surprised me however was her entire being; a human yet not, a mortal yet immortal. She was indestructible, but can wither. It was confusing, her existence was all over the place.
"Who might you be—" My following word remained unsaid as I shut my mouth and quickly moved to the side, avoiding a pebble the young lass had thrown. Unfortunately for the trees behind me, they weren't so lucky (having no ability to move and all). The small fist-sized rock penetrated over a dozen thick tree trunks before halting its momentum.
My brows furrowed. It was an incredible feat of strength for a human, to be able to turn a common pebble into a bullet, yet I remain unperturbed. I've personally seen smaller creatures with more power, so I wasn't really that surprised. However, I knew she possessed more power than that, she just wasn't showing it.
"Calm down now, I mean no harm." My dulcet voice echoed throughout the area. I raised my arms in surrender while putting on the friendliest smile I could muster.
The mysterious youth glared at me, her eyes swirling in recognition. Her previous hostile aura morphed to one of depression. "Astolfo…"
"What?" I blurted out, not expecting her to recognize the origin of my appearance. Who was this girl? Was she a reincarnator like me, perhaps? Or was there something else I'm not understanding?
"Bring me back." She spoke, desperation gripping her voice. The girl neared me and reached out, holding my shoulder with one hand. "Please… I'm sorry for what I did, I just wanted to make everyone happy… and do lewd things to Mash, she's so soft and squishy." The latter half of her sentence was said in a whisper, but my ears still caught it.
"Come again?" My confusion only grew further. What the hell was this lass talking about? It appears she's mistaken me for the real Astolfo (I don't know how) in her delirium. Now she's telling me to 'bring her back', to where?
"Please… I beg of you. I cannot live here for even a single second more without my Mash… please. I wanna fondle her so badly…" Tears slowly trickled down her youthful face, her grip on my shoulder tightening.
"You have some issues, and here I thought I was a lost cause with the ridiculously stuff I usually do." I gently pushed her hand off my shoulder.
The expression she made after I removed her hand was that of devastation, as if someone had kicked her pet. She suddenly dropped to her knees, smashing her forehead into the ground that sprouted fissures. The girl's figure quivered, as if an earthquake had accosted her body.
"Okay, okay. I have no idea what you're talking about, but it's not like I don't have a way to 'bring you back', as you say." The youth's head shot upward, her eyes shining a lustrous amber hue.
"Please… I'll be sure to give Gudao a few of my things for you two to play with…" She tearfully said. Again, the meaning of her words eluded me.
"Well, ba-bye." I wave my hand, tapping upon my nigh-omnipotent powers to send her to wherever she wanted to go. I didn't need to know where (or even when), all I had to do was throw her where she's thinking of.
----
Gudako, the last Master of humanity, studied her surroundings carefully. It was familiar, the muted halls, sterile lighting, and the relentless snowstorm happening outside the buildings, she had seen them before.
"Senpai? Are you alright?" A young girl's voice sounded to her left. Gudao nearly burst out in tears upon seeing the girl, whom possessed a head of lilac-coloured hair, wore a jacket over a dark uniform with a small red tie, and a skirt with black tights.
"It's bad to sleep on the floor, you might get sick." The girl, Mash Kyrielight, said. Gudako, to her credit, didn't immediately shot to her feet and began molesting her favorite girl. She immediately noticed the one in front of her wasn't the same Mash as she'd been doting on for the past few years, but a wholly separate one.
How she managed to figure that out, well, living with multiple different copies of the same person had forced her to develop an uncanny ability to spot the difference between them, even down to the minute details such as how they walked from place to place.
Gudako - also known as Ritsuka Fujimaru, the 48th Master candidate - steadily lifted herself off the floor, dusting her rear, then spoke in a soft voice. "Aha… It seems I fell asleep." She doesn't remember how she got here, all Gudako remember was seeing a black-haired Astolfo, but she wouldn't be making the same mistakes twice and leave Mash ever again.
'Must not act weird… don't act weird… Gah! This is too much, but I must…' Her thoughts ran rampant. She restrained the desire to lewd the Mash in front of her, throwing Gudako into a state of agony, and continued talking as if nothing was amiss.
As soon as the two turned a corner, Gudako froze in her tracks upon spotting a familiar feminine figure at the end of the corridor (who she's sure is a man. Trust her, she knows how to spot those creatures known as 'Traps')—the same dark-haired Astolfo she just met moments prior. His round gem-like eyes brightened upon seeing her.
"Heya! been a while." The mysterious fellow greeted Gudako as small wave.
----
"Weird kid." I turned around and began walking in a random direction, my encounter with that strange lass was… well, strange, but it ain't my problem. Whatever issue she has, that's for her to deal with.
Speaking of issues; "Another random thought came to mind." I've been getting ideas from time to time that I couldn't help but realize. Having nothing better to do, I created an abandoned facility filled with all sorts of mysterious creatures for people of the future to find. I didn't think much of it, really, I just made it and went on my way.
----
"Unknown activity, huh." A man with long black hair, dressed in a fine dark-blue suit, whispered to himself while gazing at the weathered structure before him.
"Yes sir, the Clock Tower noticed strange readings coming from inside this place." Another voice answered from behind him.
Evan Spiel, and 3 others magi affiliated with the organization known as the "Clock Tower", stood in front of an old building of unknown origin. Some claimed it had existed since the Age of Gods, and the evidence pointed to that conclusion, but many dismissed such claims as nothing more than a farce.
How can such a modern looking building appear during such time? Humans weren't even at the stage of creating a proper civilization, even the Kiln of the First Flame, a sacred place heavily protected my the Magus Association, wasn't so advanced. So, most people attuned to the supernatural thought nothing of it despite the clear signs.
"Bounded field set, the place shouldn't be bothered by normal people now." A woman part of their group made her appearance from around a corner. Evan nodded and neared the double door before him.
He placed his hand atop the cold door handle and pulled it open, producing piercing creak with each centimeter it moved, then entered the building. It appeared to be an abandoned facility of sort, metal contraptions were strewn all around, the halls were dimly lit, creating a creepy atmosphere.
The four of them weren't worried, they'd hunted down Dead Apostles, vamparic-like beings, before and emerged victorious, a dark space wouldn't be enough to scare them. The group, confident in their abilities, decided to split up to cover more ground quicker. Evan made his way through the structure, clearing room after room and jumping over random hazardous chasms the facility had for some reason, until he eventually looped back to the entrance, finding nothing wrong about the place.
The magical energy around here wasn't rife, nor was it acting odd in anyway. "Maybe the Clock Tower mistook something…" Evan sighed, it wasn't the first time a report had been wrong, even the all-powerful Clock Tower make mistakes at times, so he didn't make a big deal about it.
He waited for about 30 minutes outside the entrance until he decided to contact the other people that came with him. He grabbed a jewel tucked in his pocket, inserted a bit of mana into the object, then spoke to it. "Hey, it's been half an hour, unless you find something, go back, now."
Magi weren't the most technology adept bunch, mostly due to their disdain in using items of non-magical origin, so they struggle to even use the most basic of electronics such as a landline phone. However, they do have alternatives, such as the jewel Evan was holding, which acted like a 'walkie-talkie' in non-magi terms.
Noone replied to his words even after minutes had passed. Annoyed, Evan made his way back inside the abandoned facility and decided to search for them himself. The sound of his shoes hitting the metal floor repeated until suddenly, it changed to a wet, splashy noise.
He looked down, gazing at flowing liquid beneath him. His eyes widened slightly, recognizing the red substance—blood. Evan was immediately catapulted into a heightened state of alertness upon seeing it, his body tensed, and his mana hummed, ready to employ his family's magecraft.
He followed the trail, turning various corners and eventually entering a room with various mechanical pieces, the purpose of which escaped him.
"What the…" He shakily said. His pupils dilating upon seeing the corpses of his companions tucked in a random corner. Two had their lower half ripped apart, their entrails spilling all across the floor, and the woman who erected the bounded field was missing her head, as if it has violently burst apart.
A little creature with a rotund body, two large eyes on each side of its face, and had curved claws for hands, was standing over them, guarding the bodies by spreading its arms to appear larger. Evan's shock didn't last long, he immediately went into action and empowered himself with mana, quickly eliminating the monster with a single overhead slash of his dagger.
Before he could catch his breath however, two large hands covered the edges of his vision. Reacting swiftly, Evan turned around to deliver a deadly strike at his adversary, but the creature was faster; it tightly clasped his head and forcefully twisted it around, killing the magus near instantaneously. The blade left his hands, falling to the ground with a loud clank.
A pair of white eyes produced a slight glint as it stared at Evan's colding carcass. The creature's form was shrouded by darkness, the only signs of its presence being the light reflecting weakly off its emotionless eyes. It firmly held Evan's body and began dragging it to the deepest part of the facility, never to be found again.
Later, at the Clock Tower, reports of missing personel had reached their ears, resulting in them sending more people to investigate the issue, only for the same tragedy to occur again.
END.
"Magnificent." I said while staring intensely at the water's surface below me. More specifically, at the reflection it was giving; it was of a young man, who's appearance exudes of femininity. He possessed long braided hair, black as the night itself, that gently flowed behind him, a pair of dreamy amethyst eyes that would no doubt capture those who gaze upon it, and a cute face one couldn't help but adore.
It was none other than my own new image reflecting off the calm body of water. A creepy, yet endearing smile appeared on my face. "I'm hella cute." Indeed I was. Don't judge me, I am a true man. With my level of cuteness, men would worship me like a deity.
What's more manlier than having other men admire your beauty and kneel before you, right between your legs, suc——anyways, for the first time in many centuries (or millennias, can't remember anymore), I've decided to change my appearance to something I like; an adorable little cinnamon roll that bore an uncanny resemblance to Astolfo from Fate/Apocrypha, except for the clothing and hair colour.
After shamelessly admiring my own appearance for dozens of minutes, I rose to my feet while dusting off my squishy bottom and took a look at my surroundings. What entered my sight was an open meadow crowded with bunnies frolicking across lush greenery, a place I somehow found while mindlessly walking wherever the wind took me.
Quite unbelievable that a place like this even exist in the first place. I mean, really? A grass plain filled with nothing but fluffy rabbits jumping around? That just sounds like Heaven to me.
I've probably spent the last few days doing nothing but interact with these bundles of cuteness (can't help it). I might be a nigh-omnipotent God, but even I need some time to relax, you know? Walking from one place to another without a goal in mind gets stale every now and then.
"Well, time to go." I tearfully bid my farewells to the crowd of rabbits, who stared curiously at my figure, before walking in a random direction, hoping to encounter something worthwhile.
And wouldn't you know it, something interesting did happen a while later (I didn't even have to use my powers, hurray!).
"Is that a village?" Far off into the distance lied what seemed to be a primitive human settlement filled with wooden huts, surrounded by a wall of sharpened sticks. However, something was clearly wrong with it. The walls of various homes were destroyed, torn down by something it couldn't handle, and a multitude of rotting corpses were strewn everywhere with blood painting the pathways like a canvas, a rather gruesome sight to behold.
'A monster attack.' I quickly concluded. If the bite marks, torn flesh, and eaten limbs weren't enough evidence, I don't know what is. Indifferent to the death and destruction, I silently entered the village, touring the place. Thankfully, no more beasts remained so I explored the place without much issue.
Suddenly, a strange noise caught my full attention; it was the sounds of a child's supressed sobs coming from within a small shack to my left. 'A survivor?' I entered the home and spotted a small girl with disheveled dark hair, no older than 7 or 8, shivering in the corner of the room, tears flowing out of her eyes like a broken faucet.
Hearing the disturbance, the little girl panicked, thinking the monsters had come back. She sat upright and hastily held her arms up defensively, she couldn't run as her legs were badly injured, and even if it wasn't, a little girl couldn't possibly escape those ruthless beasts.
So, she closed her eyes and waited for her inevitable end. Yet, the pain she was expecting never came. Unable to hold her curiosity, she creaked her eyes open. Instead of a bloodthirsty monster, she found a beautiful man wearing strange clothing, draping a smooth piece of fabric over her slumped form.
"It's okay." I spoke softly, hoping to calm the terrified child. "Everything would be fine." Though I preached about learning everything on my own, an entirely different language was a separate matter altogether, so I just willed the information into my head (who's gonna stop me?) so I could speak to the girl before me.
She lowered her arms, reluctantly accepting the blanket I've given, but still watched my every move with caution. Seeing this, my lips curved into a warm smile. "My name's Leon, what's yours?" I asked.
Her lips quivered, unsure whether or not to answer my question, I didn't force her and patiently waited. After a while, she pushed through her fears to deliver a shaky response. "Alaya…"
"I mean you no harm, little Alaya. I just want to help." I raised my hands to emphasize my point. Staring into her lustrous sky-blue eyes, I decided to rip the bad-aid off and spoke the truth. "Unfortunately, it seems you're the only one alive in this place."
She lowered her gaze, staring at the floor. "I… know." She croaked out in sadness, her body trembling slightly. Well, at least she's not denying the reality in front of her, which is good. For a child, she had a strong mental fortitude, or perhaps she was just good at hiding it.
"Well, Alaya, you have a choice here." I lowered myself to the ground. "You can either stay here, survive on your own, or follow me and I promise to take care of you."
"Can I… come with you?" She asks, a tinge desperation in her voice. Alaya's entire village had just been massacred by beings she cannot possibly triumph against, and she wanted to grab on to whatever help came her way.
"Of course," I nod. "Do you want to?" While hundreds of thousands of creatures were slain by my hands without hesitation, I wasn't cruel enough to abandon a terrified child on their own.
After a moment of consideration, she squeaked out her answer. "...yes."
"Okay. Before we go, I have to tell you something." I hovered my open hand over her wounded leg. "I'm a mage." An ethereal glow bathed her limb, healing it at a visible pace. Alaya's mouth went slightly agape, shocked by the unexplainable phenomenon happening before her eyes.
---
"There's more coming!" A man's desperate shout echoed across the field. A young woman, dressed in peculiar attire consisting of steel-plates and a sword that reflected the sun's bright rays, jumped down from a high fence and landed in front of the man just in time to block an incoming attack from a canine beast.
"Ah! Maiden of steel!" The man exclaimed. "We mustn't remain here for long, the monsters are about to overrun the—" His word abruptly halted as the 'Maiden of steel' raised her weapon aloft, her back stuck straight, and her eyes filled with unwavering determination.
With a shout, she brought her weapon to bear, swiftly swinging it downward to cleave a nearing monster in two perfect halves. She then executed a series of attacks at the following tide of beasts that came with the first, carving deep wounds into their bodies, resulting in a river of blood to flow underneath her feet.
She huffed while recovering her stance, the other people around her also doing the same. One of the men, dressed in armour made of thick animal hides, spoke as he pulled his stone spear out of a monster's corpse. "Maiden, the monsters had taken over the village center, we need to retreat."
The Maiden of steel - also known as Alaya, daughter of Leon - swiped her steel blade to rid it of filth before facing the man next to her. "Tell the others to gather at the second gate, we're crossing the river." A fire burned within her eyes as she spoke.
It had been over a decade since she'd been adopted by her oddly feminine father, and over two years since they separated due to her ambition to become a hero to shield the weak, much like Leon did during their time together. Though saddened by her decision to take up the sword and fight monsters, he begrudgingly let her go after much pestering from Alaya.
She was a big girl now, Alaya didn't need his protection anymore. So, she began her journey across the continent clad in equipment ahead of its time, she questioned her father where the items he kept pulling out of nowhere came from, and he responded with one word, "Magic", everytime she did.
Suddenly, a loud crash reverberated from beyond the forest near the village. She turned, facing the direction of the commotion, and saw a large monster that towered over the mountains looming in the distance. It was vaguely humanoid, with four arms instead of two. Gray hair, unruly as the devastated town around Alaya, covered its whole body like a cloak, preventing one from perceiving its true form.
"Where did that come from!?" A man nearest to the beast exclaimed in terror. How such a colossal monster bypassed their senses escaped them. The same person dropped to his knees and clasped his hands into a prayer. "Gods… Gods have mercy upon us."
Its head turned, gazing menacingly at the group of humans below. Its presence alone was overbearing, sending cold shivers down the Maiden of steel's spine. Alaya knew she was stronger than most, but not enough to take down such a powerful being akin to a god. "What are you doing? Pull back, now!" She screamed to her subordinates, breaking them out of their shocked states. They immediately acted, tuning around and running in the direction of the river she had spoken of earlier.
She soon followed after making sure there weren't any left behind. While rushing through the ruined landscape, she threw a swift glance behind and couldn't help but widen her eyes in shock. The enourmous beast was chasing their group at a speed that belied its size, quickly traversing the distance between them. Each stomp of its foot produced a loud rumble, causing the world around her to shake violently.
She pulled her gaze back to the people before her, whom had halted their sprint after seeing the sheer speed of the monster. A young girl with inky hair hugged her brother while sniffling. A man clad in robes blankly stared at the looming threat and dropped his staff to the ground, laughing to himself. At the pace it was going, there was no way for them to escape it.
Alaya clenched her teeth as she watched them drop in defeat, accepting their fate. She had a myriad of ways to escape, her father had taught her many things during their time together, but she would have to abandon the people she's trying to save.
She stopped and quickly thought of her options. These people must survive, that's been her whole purpose. Her happiness stemmed from watching others be happy, the child she'd made giggle, the old couple she'd attended to, the people she's helped, all gave her joy. A sense of dread washed over her, she couldn't bear to watch people die, so she resorted to something her father had given her long ago.
Alaya placed her hands over her chest and pulled her thoughts inward, searching inside her very soul. Upon pulling her hands back, a bright thread of fire manifested within her grasp, bathing the entire area with its warmth.
'The Dark Soul.' She recalled the flame's name. Leon, her ever-doting parent, had given it to her a day before her departure, claiming that it'll be her most powerful ally in her dearest time of need; granting her the power to overcome whatever situation she found herself in. And what better time to use it than now?
"I call upon thee, O' Flame of Beginning." She brought her arms up, displaying the Dark Soul for the world to behold. The flame hummed, as if listening to her words. "Let thy essence cleanse evil, let thine lost lambs find salvation." She spoke of her wish. "Prithee, Dark Soul. Let thine guiding light embrace humanity."
Suddenly, her form was enveloped by a blue wisp, a power she could not even begin to understand graced her entire being. A wave of foreign thoughts and different sets of memories belonging to a multitude of people assaulted her mind all at once, yet she understood them as if it were her own, never needing more than a thought to sift through them.
As the colossal beast neared, it released an ear piercing screech that rattled the trees. Almost instinctively, the Maiden of steel waved her hand in response. The gesture was simple, however the effect it carried was anything but. In her undying desire to protect the ones behind her, she unconsciously forced the world itself to act, bending causality itself in order to fulfill her wishes. She spoke, and the world answered. Without warning, the monster bursts into a smoke of magical energy that drifted aimlessly in the wind.
Alaya stared incredulously at her hands, wondering what kind of power she was given access to. Gradually, she realized the essence of what she'd become—the collective conciousness of humanity's desire to survive.
The gods roaming the planet gave varying reactions to her heightened state of existence. Some merely gave it a passing glance and moved on, while others beamed with anticipation. Some gods had grown rather bored of the lower world, and this new addition might just satiate their hunger for entertainment.
----
"Always a reckless girl aren't you, Alaya." I stare at the sky, noticing the world's sudden change. She's always been an odd one, throwing away her own safety in favour of securing others'.
My adopted daughter, Alaya, had left some time ago in order to pursue her heroic ideals, which I tried my hardest to dissuade. But alas, I let her do what she wanted, a father truly is weak against their daughters, huh. (I couldn't say 'no' to my adorable little cinnamon roll, now can I?)
"Didn't think she'd use the Dark Soul that quickly. I thought she'd use it a decade from now." The Flame within her wasn't even at its peak state. The Dark Soul grew stronger as the Age of Gods became weaker, yet she already manifested it, granting her only a fraction of what she's supposed to get. Well, to be fair, not like I told her the Flame's mechanics.
I don't know the full extent of her awakened power, as it depended on her wishes when activating the Flame, but I can only hope it'll keep my daughter safe from any harm that befell her.
----
The birds were chirping, flowers are blooming, on days like these— "Kids like you, should be burning in hell." I assumed a ridiculous pose, pointing my finger at the creature before me—a gorilla that can move at super sonic speed. The ground beneath it roused, quaking slightly, before suddenly bursting outward to reveal a dozen serrated femur rising up into the surface.
The bones swiftly impaled themselves into the speedy gorilla, who was about to deliver the meanest right hook of the century at my body. The monke let out a maddened scream as it attempted pull out the femurs, only for its hands to be shredded upon contact with it.
"It's no use, monkey." I spread my arms dramatically. "You just got dunked on." A rain of sharp femurs rained from above, stabbing and slicing through the creature's body. The super sonic gorilla perished soon after with a pitiful screech.
Out of the blue, a dark figure dropped from the sky and violently landed behind me, causing dirt and dust to be hurled into the air. I turned, facing my new guest. "Hm?" A confused noise left me. Before me was a young girl, no older that 19 or 20, with a head of red hair tied to one side, dressed in a form-fitting attire consisting of a white shirt with two belts strapped just above and below her chest, accentuating her modest breasts, a short dark skirt, and graphite black stockings that hugged her slender legs firmly. They looked too modern, sleek and clean, to be of this time, unless there's some secret human civilization out there. (Which was unlikely, but who knows.)
What surprised me however was her entire being; a human yet not, a mortal yet immortal. She was indestructible, but can wither. It was confusing, her existence was all over the place.
"Who might you be—" My following word remained unsaid as I shut my mouth and quickly moved to the side, avoiding a pebble the young lass had thrown. Unfortunately for the trees behind me, they weren't so lucky (having no ability to move and all). The small fist-sized rock penetrated over a dozen thick tree trunks before halting its momentum.
My brows furrowed. It was an incredible feat of strength for a human, to be able to turn a common pebble into a bullet, yet I remain unperturbed. I've personally seen smaller creatures with more power, so I wasn't really that surprised. However, I knew she possessed more power than that, she just wasn't showing it.
"Calm down now, I mean no harm." My dulcet voice echoed throughout the area. I raised my arms in surrender while putting on the friendliest smile I could muster.
The mysterious youth glared at me, her eyes swirling in recognition. Her previous hostile aura morphed to one of depression. "Astolfo…"
"What?" I blurted out, not expecting her to recognize the origin of my appearance. Who was this girl? Was she a reincarnator like me, perhaps? Or was there something else I'm not understanding?
"Bring me back." She spoke, desperation gripping her voice. The girl neared me and reached out, holding my shoulder with one hand. "Please… I'm sorry for what I did, I just wanted to make everyone happy… and do lewd things to Mash, she's so soft and squishy." The latter half of her sentence was said in a whisper, but my ears still caught it.
"Come again?" My confusion only grew further. What the hell was this lass talking about? It appears she's mistaken me for the real Astolfo (I don't know how) in her delirium. Now she's telling me to 'bring her back', to where?
"Please… I beg of you. I cannot live here for even a single second more without my Mash… please. I wanna fondle her so badly…" Tears slowly trickled down her youthful face, her grip on my shoulder tightening.
"You have some issues, and here I thought I was a lost cause with the ridiculously stuff I usually do." I gently pushed her hand off my shoulder.
The expression she made after I removed her hand was that of devastation, as if someone had kicked her pet. She suddenly dropped to her knees, smashing her forehead into the ground that sprouted fissures. The girl's figure quivered, as if an earthquake had accosted her body.
"Okay, okay. I have no idea what you're talking about, but it's not like I don't have a way to 'bring you back', as you say." The youth's head shot upward, her eyes shining a lustrous amber hue.
"Please… I'll be sure to give Gudao a few of my things for you two to play with…" She tearfully said. Again, the meaning of her words eluded me.
"Well, ba-bye." I wave my hand, tapping upon my nigh-omnipotent powers to send her to wherever she wanted to go. I didn't need to know where (or even when), all I had to do was throw her where she's thinking of.
----
Gudako, the last Master of humanity, studied her surroundings carefully. It was familiar, the muted halls, sterile lighting, and the relentless snowstorm happening outside the buildings, she had seen them before.
"Senpai? Are you alright?" A young girl's voice sounded to her left. Gudao nearly burst out in tears upon seeing the girl, whom possessed a head of lilac-coloured hair, wore a jacket over a dark uniform with a small red tie, and a skirt with black tights.
"It's bad to sleep on the floor, you might get sick." The girl, Mash Kyrielight, said. Gudako, to her credit, didn't immediately shot to her feet and began molesting her favorite girl. She immediately noticed the one in front of her wasn't the same Mash as she'd been doting on for the past few years, but a wholly separate one.
How she managed to figure that out, well, living with multiple different copies of the same person had forced her to develop an uncanny ability to spot the difference between them, even down to the minute details such as how they walked from place to place.
Gudako - also known as Ritsuka Fujimaru, the 48th Master candidate - steadily lifted herself off the floor, dusting her rear, then spoke in a soft voice. "Aha… It seems I fell asleep." She doesn't remember how she got here, all Gudako remember was seeing a black-haired Astolfo, but she wouldn't be making the same mistakes twice and leave Mash ever again.
'Must not act weird… don't act weird… Gah! This is too much, but I must…' Her thoughts ran rampant. She restrained the desire to lewd the Mash in front of her, throwing Gudako into a state of agony, and continued talking as if nothing was amiss.
As soon as the two turned a corner, Gudako froze in her tracks upon spotting a familiar feminine figure at the end of the corridor (who she's sure is a man. Trust her, she knows how to spot those creatures known as 'Traps')—the same dark-haired Astolfo she just met moments prior. His round gem-like eyes brightened upon seeing her.
"Heya! been a while." The mysterious fellow greeted Gudako as small wave.
----
"Weird kid." I turned around and began walking in a random direction, my encounter with that strange lass was… well, strange, but it ain't my problem. Whatever issue she has, that's for her to deal with.
Speaking of issues; "Another random thought came to mind." I've been getting ideas from time to time that I couldn't help but realize. Having nothing better to do, I created an abandoned facility filled with all sorts of mysterious creatures for people of the future to find. I didn't think much of it, really, I just made it and went on my way.
----
"Unknown activity, huh." A man with long black hair, dressed in a fine dark-blue suit, whispered to himself while gazing at the weathered structure before him.
"Yes sir, the Clock Tower noticed strange readings coming from inside this place." Another voice answered from behind him.
Evan Spiel, and 3 others magi affiliated with the organization known as the "Clock Tower", stood in front of an old building of unknown origin. Some claimed it had existed since the Age of Gods, and the evidence pointed to that conclusion, but many dismissed such claims as nothing more than a farce.
How can such a modern looking building appear during such time? Humans weren't even at the stage of creating a proper civilization, even the Kiln of the First Flame, a sacred place heavily protected my the Magus Association, wasn't so advanced. So, most people attuned to the supernatural thought nothing of it despite the clear signs.
"Bounded field set, the place shouldn't be bothered by normal people now." A woman part of their group made her appearance from around a corner. Evan nodded and neared the double door before him.
He placed his hand atop the cold door handle and pulled it open, producing piercing creak with each centimeter it moved, then entered the building. It appeared to be an abandoned facility of sort, metal contraptions were strewn all around, the halls were dimly lit, creating a creepy atmosphere.
The four of them weren't worried, they'd hunted down Dead Apostles, vamparic-like beings, before and emerged victorious, a dark space wouldn't be enough to scare them. The group, confident in their abilities, decided to split up to cover more ground quicker. Evan made his way through the structure, clearing room after room and jumping over random hazardous chasms the facility had for some reason, until he eventually looped back to the entrance, finding nothing wrong about the place.
The magical energy around here wasn't rife, nor was it acting odd in anyway. "Maybe the Clock Tower mistook something…" Evan sighed, it wasn't the first time a report had been wrong, even the all-powerful Clock Tower make mistakes at times, so he didn't make a big deal about it.
He waited for about 30 minutes outside the entrance until he decided to contact the other people that came with him. He grabbed a jewel tucked in his pocket, inserted a bit of mana into the object, then spoke to it. "Hey, it's been half an hour, unless you find something, go back, now."
Magi weren't the most technology adept bunch, mostly due to their disdain in using items of non-magical origin, so they struggle to even use the most basic of electronics such as a landline phone. However, they do have alternatives, such as the jewel Evan was holding, which acted like a 'walkie-talkie' in non-magi terms.
Noone replied to his words even after minutes had passed. Annoyed, Evan made his way back inside the abandoned facility and decided to search for them himself. The sound of his shoes hitting the metal floor repeated until suddenly, it changed to a wet, splashy noise.
He looked down, gazing at flowing liquid beneath him. His eyes widened slightly, recognizing the red substance—blood. Evan was immediately catapulted into a heightened state of alertness upon seeing it, his body tensed, and his mana hummed, ready to employ his family's magecraft.
He followed the trail, turning various corners and eventually entering a room with various mechanical pieces, the purpose of which escaped him.
"What the…" He shakily said. His pupils dilating upon seeing the corpses of his companions tucked in a random corner. Two had their lower half ripped apart, their entrails spilling all across the floor, and the woman who erected the bounded field was missing her head, as if it has violently burst apart.
A little creature with a rotund body, two large eyes on each side of its face, and had curved claws for hands, was standing over them, guarding the bodies by spreading its arms to appear larger. Evan's shock didn't last long, he immediately went into action and empowered himself with mana, quickly eliminating the monster with a single overhead slash of his dagger.
Before he could catch his breath however, two large hands covered the edges of his vision. Reacting swiftly, Evan turned around to deliver a deadly strike at his adversary, but the creature was faster; it tightly clasped his head and forcefully twisted it around, killing the magus near instantaneously. The blade left his hands, falling to the ground with a loud clank.
A pair of white eyes produced a slight glint as it stared at Evan's colding carcass. The creature's form was shrouded by darkness, the only signs of its presence being the light reflecting weakly off its emotionless eyes. It firmly held Evan's body and began dragging it to the deepest part of the facility, never to be found again.
Later, at the Clock Tower, reports of missing personel had reached their ears, resulting in them sending more people to investigate the issue, only for the same tragedy to occur again.
END.
FWG CH4
Dunno.
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Chapter 4: Uruk.
"Excuse me… are you alright?" A child-like voice entered my ears, jolting my mind awake.
Stirred from my slumber, I opened my eyes and caught sight of a rather adorable young man, no older than 16, with silky grass-hued hair that fell just below his shoulders, looking over me with concern in their eyes.
"Ah, good—" I gazed upwards to check the position of the sun, "—morning, lad. Anything you need?" I sat upright and faced the boy, scrutinizing his appearance. He wore what seemed to be a white blanket with little to no details, and was barefoot despite the grassy environment.
"Nothing… It's just that you've been sleeping here for the past week or so." He stood up from his seated position and was bathed with warm light coming from above, highlighting his features.
"Ah, I was merely taking a break my from escapades." To be honest, I don't remember what I was doing before this, but me taking a break was no lie.
"By going into hibernation?" He said incuriously.
"Indeed, young one." I nodded. "You'll understand when you're old enough."
Strange, my senses did not register him as a human, nor a magical entity. He felt artificial, given form by some higher power, a god most likely as wisps of divinity could be felt on him. I don't know which god(s) created this fella, but they better not have sent him to mess with me or they'll get the most brutal ass-whooping they'll ever get.
Gods of this world were the same, or at least close enough, to the ones from Earth's mythology, such as the Zeus and the Greek Pantheon, who were gigantic douche bags as expected. Well, most of them at least, Hades is cool. I even toured the entirety of the Underworld when I somehow ended up there (silly me).
"Why do you look like you're talking bad about someone?" The green-haired boy spoke, glaring at me. I gasped, putting a hand on my mouth, was he some sort of mind reader? Seeing my changing expression, he continued. "From what it looks like, I'm correct. It's not good to bad-mouth people behind their back, you know?"
"Who are you kid? Did the IRS send you? I said it once and I'll say it again, I'm not paying taxes." I shot up to my feet while putting my arms forward defensively.
His ocean-blue eyes sharpened slightly. "IRS? I don't know what that is, and you're not paying your due, you said? Are you a criminal on the run?"
Huh, were taxes already a thing during this far back in history? (The horror) Or did my magical language translator warp my words in a way he could understand? Well, doesn't matter.
"Uh, no. I was just joking. I don't even own a house, nor belong to any country. I'm merely a homeless guy going from place to place." I spoke truthfully. If this kid really possessed some semblance of divinity, he for sure could separate lies from truths.
I mean, not that I can't bypass it, but doing so would need me to use my godly powers. The only way for me to gain immunity to such ability was getting divinity myself, which involved bathing in copious amount of ichor, or being worshipped by countless humans.
The boy's eyes softened after finding no falsehood within my words. "Oh… well, there's a city nearby where you can take shelter, I can take you there if you want."
"Oh, you will?" He nodded in affirmation. "If you wouldn't mind, I'll have to trouble you, young man. Name's Leon, by the way, you are?"
"I am," He paused, appearing hesitant for a brief moment, "Enkidu."
My mind instantly flashed in recognition. Enkidu? The one from the Epic of Gilgamesh? Wasn't he supposed to be a big, muscular guy? Funnily enough, he did appear similar to Fate's rendition of the character. Huh, I guess works of fiction can sometimes be correct.
After our short introduction, Enkidu lead me through the forest, crossing some obstacles such as rivers and hills along the way, then emerged into a grassy expanse that stretched out as far as my eyes could see.
In the distance a cityscape could be seen, its ramparts were tall, but not enough to block the breathtaking structures within. Countless buildings could be seen crowding the city, and even more people could be found roaming inside it, going about their everyday lives.
"Well, there it is. The city of Uruk." He pushed his arm aloft, pointing at the city on the horizon.
I took a step forward before stopping, noticing the green-haired child's unmoving self. "What's wrong? Are you not coming as well? Or are you supposed to do something here? If so, I could lend a hand."
"Ah, no." He shook his head. "You can go ahead, I'll stay here. It's just that… I'm not supposed to be there."
"Oh?" My brows furrowed. Was he not supposed Gilgamesh's only friend? I placed a hand on my chin, recalling the Epic of Gilgamesh. It seems their fight, which led to them being the greatest of friends, hasn't happened yet.
Making up my mind, I scooped Enkidu off his feet, gently carrying him in my arms like how a groom would to their wives. He let out an startled yelp as he instinctively wrapped his arms around my neck. But before he could utter a single word, the two of us vanished from our previous position and appeared in the heart of Uruk undetected in courtesy of my magic (I've learned a lot throughout the years).
Enkidu's lips curved into a frown, and his body quivered slightly as he took in the city's bustling streets. He appeared apprehensive to even be here, I wonder why, wasn't he created for the sole purpose of putting Gilgamesh in line with the gods' desires? Shouldn't he be here to interact with the demi-god?
As I placed the silent young man on the ground, letting him stand on his own, a youthful voice sounded from behind us, snapping Enkidu out of his thoughts. "Oh? Who might you be?"
I turned to face the speaker and spotted a golden-haired child with ruby-like eyes, wearing a blue shirt with gold accents and a pair of colourful shorts. He was veiled in a kingly aura, his presence alone forced anyone before him to kneel. Not me though, I'm not weak willed enough to fold to such things.
The young man beside me stiffened upon seeing the 10 year old child, I too stared at the boy in bewilderment, but for a completely different reason. I shifted by gaze between the smiling kid and Enkidu, finally realizing why they looked so familiar.
'I'm in Fate?' The revelation pinned on the spot. My mind froze, rendering me unable to speak.
"Well? You mustn't keep this king from waiting, you know?" The child, Gilgamesh, said with a bright smile while leaning forward, placing his hands behind his back.
A small shiver down my spine. I was susceptible to cuteness, and goddamn was he the most adorable looking thing I've ever seen. His puffy cheeks, huggable figure, and delicate features—okay, now I'm just sounding like a creep. Though, I noticed he looked more girly than I remembered, probably my imagination.
"Oh, don't mind us. We're just going sight seeing." I resisted the urge to burst forward and pat him on the head, which was killing me on the inside. Maybe I can get away with it? Well, what's there to lose?
With renewed confidence, I strode forward, stood before the King of Uruk, then ruffled the top of his head with my hand, causing the golden child to let out a confused noise as I continued to gently caress his hair. A surge of dopamine washed over my mind, causing me to drop to the ground like a stringless puppet. 'Ah… now I can die in peace.'
While lying on the floor, I threw a glance at his face, which showed that of befuddlement mixed with slight curiosity. Apart from his parents, this was most likely the first time he received such treatment from a stranger as the future king of Uruk.
"Is he okay?" Gilgamesh inquired worriedly and glanced at my companion, who was still as a statue, providing him no answer.
"No worries." I swiftly lifted myself off the floor and dusted my clothes before going on the defensive. "My apologies, you're too adorable for me to resist."
"Oh? You find this king adorable?" He tilted his head cutely before nodding to himself. "Indeed, only a being such as myself can be called as such."
Enkidu and I watched as the King of Uruk twirled around in place, happily humming while sporting a bright smile that could blind even the sun itself. My legs threatened to collapse once again as Gilgamesh halted his spin to stare at me with his ruby-hued eyes, thankfully I pulled through and remained standing.
"Cherish this moment, mortal! For you are before my adorable self. I am Gilgamesh, speak your name." He demanded while propping his hands on his hips, donning an air of confidence that bordered on arrogance.
"I am Leon," I introduced myself before turning to my companion, "And this is Enkidu, pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Umu," he said in approval, "Follow me, your devotion would do wonders in my home." He turned around - not even waiting for a reply, fully expecting us to agree - and walked away in the direction of his abode.
Enkidu's mouth opened, about to say something to the child, but my words flowed out first, cutting him off. "We would love to." I accepted with a smile, ignoring the clay-construct's sharp glare that bore a hole into my back. If looks could kill, I would've died a few dozen times already.
He smacked my back repeatedly in annoyance, but I merely grabbed his wrists in response before pulling him into a tight hug, leaving him greatly flustered, then trailed behind the future king with an upset Enkidu in my grasp. I couldn't help but smile at the clay-construct as he quietly complained with an angry expression, which I found cute more than anything.
The three of us weaved throught the busy streets, turning various corners until we arrived in front of a large building that could only belong to those who possessed enourmous wealth. The golden boy flung the wooden doors open, entering the home without a care in the world.
"Mother! I have returned!" Gilgamesh exclaimed excitedly, his voice bouncing around the house.
"Gil!" A woman's voice sounded from another room. "How many times have I told you not to open doors like that."
From around the corner, a woman of impeccable beauty wearing multiple layers of fabric made her appearance. The divine feel she casted didn't go unnoticed by the grass-haired kid in my hold, causing him to stare at her with wide eyes.
'A goddess.' I quickly concluded upon seeing her figure, whom I can only assume to be Ninsun, goddess of cows, and mother of Gilgamesh. My eyes shone with curiosity, the Age of Gods had been on the decline some time ago, forcing gods to retreat into the Reverse Side of the world, yet she remained in the lower world, possibly weakening herself, just to spend more time with her child.
She quickly cupped Gilgamesh's cheeks with her hands and begun reprimanding him. On the corners of her vision, she spotted two more individuals standing at the door while looking at them.
Upon letting go of her child, Gilgamesh immediately bolted it into the kitchen to grab something to eat. Seeing his behavior, she let out sigh and inquired. "You two are?"
"Gilgamesh invited us over." I placed my chin atop Enkidu's head, much to his chagrin (he's bloody adorable), and introduced ourselves. "I am Leon, and this one is Enkidu."
She placed a hand over her mouth and faced Gilgamesh. "You've invited your friends over? You should've told me so I could prepare some treats. Ah, where are my manners, I am Ninsun, Gilgamesh's mother. Sorry about her, I'm sure my daughter caused you some troubles."
"I have not!" Gilgamesh's voice reverberated from another room, to which Ninsun ignored in favour of ushering us inside her home. Enkidu smacked my arms off his person and begrudgingly entered on his own, while I followed shortly behind.
Suddenly, Ninsun's prior words finally registered in my mind, causing me to freeze in my tracks. "I think I misheard something, did you say daughter?"
"Hm? Oh yes, I know she can be a bit haughty a times, but Gilgamesh is one of the purest girls out there, she can barely even talk to a boy without stuttering, you know." She laughed, letting Gilgamesh's embarrassed squeals go from one ear to another.
Her baby girl was a tad socially inept due to position as the future ruler of Uruk, and barely had interactions with anyone apart from government officials. So Ninsun was plently happy at the fact that Gil finally built up the courage to invite people over to her home.
After the sudden revelation, I quickly recovered, chucking it up Fate's machinations. If King Arthur, Minamoto-no-Raikou, and many more figures of legend known to be male were actually the opposite gender, so be it, not like I had a problem with it.
Enkidu and I joined Gilgamesh and Ninsun in the living room, talking about various things, especially how her child and we met, which greatly surprised the goddess for a completely different reason.
"Oh my, who knew my little Gil has enough heart to give strangers shelter for the night. You truly are my girl, you'll be a great ruler one day." I had explained that we were from the outside, practically homeless. She threw Gilgamesh a glance, making her a bit uncomfortable while snacking on a loaf of bread.
"She sure will, miss." I face my companion, noticing the not-so subtle glare he's giving the golden child. "And you, stop staring at her like that."
The clay-construct broke from his reverie and in turn stared at me with a complicated expression. His entire purpose was to rein and punish the demi-god, yet he could not bring himself to harm such an innocent child. Enkidu originally wanted to observe from a distance, waiting for her to grow into adulthood to enact the wrath of the gods, but Leon made that impossible now.
"I know it might sound rude, but may I ask what you are, Enkidu?" Ninsun suddenly asked, causing the grass-haired construct to quiver. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to. It's just that… I feel the presence of divinity inside of you."
"Its…okay," Enkidu shakily said, before straightening his back and staring right into the goddess' eyes, "I… was made to chain the keystone… Gilgamesh, back under the control of the gods."
He was a being born from mud, given shape by the "King of Gods", Anu, and the "Goddess of Creation", Aruru. While genderless, Enkidu took the form of Shamhat, the divine harlot - whom he copulated with for six days and seven nights - out of respect.
He was bestowed upon the simple task of enacting their will, to put the 'arrogant demi-god' in place, reminding her of their position as a puppet. But Enkidu, upon finding out that the person they're supposed to punish was but a child, decided to wait and spectate. He slowly grew to realize that Gilgamesh was nothing more than an innocent child, wanting to spend their days ignorant bliss.
'I'll be damned.' To be frank, I didn't expect him to reveal it himself, surprising me somewhat.
"I can leave if you want me to…" The aloof aura surrounding Enkidu shifted to that of depression. Surprisingly, instead of telling him to get away from her child, Ninsun chose to pull him into a motherly embrace, placing a hand atop his head and gently caressing it.
"It's okay, there's no need to be scared, I'm not mad at you." Ninsun spoke softly. As Enkidu was about to speak again, she opened her mouth first. "Hush, child. The circumstances of your birth doesn't matter, it is what you do with it that does, remember that."
The green-haired child could do nothing but accept the goddess' one sided assault, closing his eyes and letting calmness take over his entire being.
Gilgamesh and I on the other hand stayed quiet on the sidelines. Well, she was happily stuffing her face with some delicious food Ninsun had prepared earlier, keeping her pretty occupied. I thought I've gotten over it, but the fact Gilgamesh of all people turned into a girl still bounced around my head.
----
"Well, that was certainly interesting." I stroke my chin while gazing at the endless expanse before me. Gilgamesh, who's wearing nothing more than a shawl to hide her voluptuous figure, stored the golden axe in her grasp inside an equally blinding portal that appeared behind her—the Gate of Babylon.
It had been over 8 years since Enkidu and I intruded into her life, and the two grew on me. Gilgamesh was no longer the shy, yet assertive young lass I met all those years ago. Well, she's still very much assertive, some might say dominant, but shy no more.
Her appearance has had a drastic change over the years, her previously short stature now a respectable 182 centimeters tall, only 3 cm shorter than me, her beauty matching those of goddesses, possessing a bountiful chest, slim waist, and rotund rear no man or woman could resist. Her golden hair that fell behind her back was tied into twin-tails after much coercion (begging) from yours truly, and the style only increased her cuteness factor by a whole level.
Currently, Gilgamesh and I were on an expedition to the south to eliminate a certain wind bird that's been terrorizing the place for some time. Well, I say "we" but it was Gilgamesh who did all the work. She'd used her Gates to bombard the poor avian off its playing field—the sky, then finished it off via decapitation with her great axe. Her treasury wasn't filled to the brim with Noble Phantasms yet, possibly due to my intervention, but the things I've made and gifted her more or less made up for it (which contained many items from various video games).
"Good job, Gil." I applaud her feat. She merely extended her open hand towards me in response, causing me to tilt my head slightly in confusion. "What?"
Her eyes turned sharp, the air surrounding her becoming more heavy. She then clicked her tongue, appearing more annoyed. "Towel, give it to me. And don't even start with your jokes, Leon."
"No." I firmly declared as if to challenge her authoritative tone.
"I liked you better when you adhered to my every word." Gilgamesh sent me a glare that promised violence. True, but that was only when she was - still very much is - an adorable little cinnamon roll. I've spoiled her with many things, and given her everything she ask when she was still a child, but I never allowed her ego to balloon by occasionally reprimanding her.
"And I liked you better when you were cute and shy." I returned without missing a beat. "Oh, where had my little Gil go to? Where was the girl who kept pestering me to teach her magic, read her stories as she fell asleep, hm? I remember you liking the Dark Souls stories more than anything else. Where'd she go—"
"Enough!" She shouted in anger, turning around to prevent me from seeing her reddening cheeks, which didn't work of course. Gods, I really want to pamper her, but couldn't lest she throws a tantrum, saying that she no longer needed my protection unlike then, which caused cracks to form in my heart.
That's right, I became what some might call the "Big Brother" of none other than the King of Heroes herself! Throughout my stay in Uruk, I spent most of it taking care of Gil after her mother's unfortunate departure to the Reverse Side of the world, and her father's untimely demise, leaving Gil to take over the throne. Though she still possessed that arrogance the King of Uruk is was known to have, it was more demure, and was completely non-existant whenever she's alone with me or Enkidu.
And, speaking of—Enkidu, after being accepted into the family, has learned how to deal with administrative work as my little sister refused to do them for she thought it was a waste of time, becoming the Golden King's pseudo-secretary, so he stayed behind to do whatever it is Gil was supposed to do.
A tinge of guilt pressed over my shoulders, I could've helped him, but that kind of job just wasn't for me. Paper wasn't even invented yet, making administrative tasks even harder. 'Sorry Enki, I'll be sure to cook your favorite meal when we return.' I promised in my heart.
I broke free from my thoughts after sensing Gilgamesh's glare, who still had her arm up, waiting for the towel she asked for. As much as I wanted to continue to tease her, we better finish our task here, so I gave her the towel to clean herself. I have more opportunities to play with her at home, after all.
After that, we left the wind bird's colding carcass behind and returned to Uruk via teleportation and was greeted by none other than Enkidu himself, who took some time-off from his post. Enkidu's appearance didn't change that much, only that his evergreen hair now reached his shins and a necklace now hung on his neck which was gifted to him by Gilgamesh.
"Welcome back," He frowned after seeing my ruffled clothing, "Leon, how many times do I have to tell you not to cause trouble for Gil?"
My brows quirked at his accusatory tone. "Whoa-whoa, why am I the one getting blamed? Can't you see I'm the one who got assaulted here?" I point at the tears in my tunic, then extended my arms towards the perpetrator, Gilgamesh, who walked past the two of us, ignoring our banter as if it wasn't happening.
"Uh-huh." Little Enki crossed his arms, saying nothing more while giving me the meanest look he could possibly muster. "Gah!" The clay-construct exclaimed as I pulled him into a tight hug, unable to resist his adorable charm.
"Come one, Enkidu, you can't do this to me. I thought you were on my side." I sadly spoke. Instead of resisting my embrace, he fondly wrapped his arms around me, having grown used of my odd antics.
"Now, now," His voice softened, "Go clean yourself up, I'm getting hungry." Another crack threatened to appear across my fragile heart after hearing his words.
"Is that how you view me? Nothing more than your personal chef?" I release him from my hold before pinching his soft cheeks in annoyance.
"Your fault for spoiling us." Enkidu replied after pushing my hands away. Well, I suppose it's my fault, I've been providing the two of them the best home-cooked meal one can possible make since I started taking care of them, but goddamn was it worth watching them melt while they took a bite of my food.
Seeing the usually stoic Enkidu express himself and watching Gilgamesh who ruled with an iron fist plead for second servings is one of my favorite past times. Dare I say my skills in the kitchen contends even the likes of a certain Hero of Justice's.
After giving him one last pat on the head, I left to replace my clothes with new ones. The fashion in Uruk wasn't that great, mostly consisting of multiple layers of fabric, shawls, simple tunics, and robes, so I took it upon myself to introduce various other types of garments using the resources they currently had access to.
Suddenly, I stilled before swiftly snapping my head to the left in the direction of Gilgamesh's throne room, sensing the arrival of something; it was of divine origin akin to a god's, no doubt, but the gods had all been kicked out of the greater world, so what could it possibly be?
I quickly finished switching clothes and rushed towards the intruder's presence. My mana hummed to life, preparing itself in case of an altercation. After turning a few corners, I was inside the royal hall within seconds to find a Gilgamesh and Enkidu standing at the end of the room, and across from them was a woman with a youthful appearance wearing nothing more than undergarments outlined with shimmering gold with a crown planted atop her silky black hair.
"What's going on here?" The atmosphere between the trio was tense, as if a fight could break out at any moment. With but a mental command, a barrier was briskly formed around the building.
"Nothing, Leon." Gilgamesh cooly replied while glaring at divine being before her in disdain. "My answer remains the same. Leave, lest you incur my wrath, goddess."
"You have the audacity reject me? I gave you the chance to be betrothed to me, yet you throw it away…" The delicate goddess huffed, ignoring the recent addition to their conversation, and placed her hands on her hips while slightly tilting her head upwards, flooding the room with her divine status, causing the Golden King's face to contort in disgust.
"Ishtar?" I blurted out, finally recognizing the intruder. So, it's finally time for this to happen, huh. It appears I have to find a way to sever Enkidu's connection with the gods so he could stay in the mortal realm. So what if I'm changing things? Nothing is stopping me from doing so (more like nothing can). I'll take responsibility for once in my long second life.
"Excuse me… are you alright?" A child-like voice entered my ears, jolting my mind awake.
Stirred from my slumber, I opened my eyes and caught sight of a rather adorable young man, no older than 16, with silky grass-hued hair that fell just below his shoulders, looking over me with concern in their eyes.
"Ah, good—" I gazed upwards to check the position of the sun, "—morning, lad. Anything you need?" I sat upright and faced the boy, scrutinizing his appearance. He wore what seemed to be a white blanket with little to no details, and was barefoot despite the grassy environment.
"Nothing… It's just that you've been sleeping here for the past week or so." He stood up from his seated position and was bathed with warm light coming from above, highlighting his features.
"Ah, I was merely taking a break my from escapades." To be honest, I don't remember what I was doing before this, but me taking a break was no lie.
"By going into hibernation?" He said incuriously.
"Indeed, young one." I nodded. "You'll understand when you're old enough."
Strange, my senses did not register him as a human, nor a magical entity. He felt artificial, given form by some higher power, a god most likely as wisps of divinity could be felt on him. I don't know which god(s) created this fella, but they better not have sent him to mess with me or they'll get the most brutal ass-whooping they'll ever get.
Gods of this world were the same, or at least close enough, to the ones from Earth's mythology, such as the Zeus and the Greek Pantheon, who were gigantic douche bags as expected. Well, most of them at least, Hades is cool. I even toured the entirety of the Underworld when I somehow ended up there (silly me).
"Why do you look like you're talking bad about someone?" The green-haired boy spoke, glaring at me. I gasped, putting a hand on my mouth, was he some sort of mind reader? Seeing my changing expression, he continued. "From what it looks like, I'm correct. It's not good to bad-mouth people behind their back, you know?"
"Who are you kid? Did the IRS send you? I said it once and I'll say it again, I'm not paying taxes." I shot up to my feet while putting my arms forward defensively.
His ocean-blue eyes sharpened slightly. "IRS? I don't know what that is, and you're not paying your due, you said? Are you a criminal on the run?"
Huh, were taxes already a thing during this far back in history? (The horror) Or did my magical language translator warp my words in a way he could understand? Well, doesn't matter.
"Uh, no. I was just joking. I don't even own a house, nor belong to any country. I'm merely a homeless guy going from place to place." I spoke truthfully. If this kid really possessed some semblance of divinity, he for sure could separate lies from truths.
I mean, not that I can't bypass it, but doing so would need me to use my godly powers. The only way for me to gain immunity to such ability was getting divinity myself, which involved bathing in copious amount of ichor, or being worshipped by countless humans.
The boy's eyes softened after finding no falsehood within my words. "Oh… well, there's a city nearby where you can take shelter, I can take you there if you want."
"Oh, you will?" He nodded in affirmation. "If you wouldn't mind, I'll have to trouble you, young man. Name's Leon, by the way, you are?"
"I am," He paused, appearing hesitant for a brief moment, "Enkidu."
My mind instantly flashed in recognition. Enkidu? The one from the Epic of Gilgamesh? Wasn't he supposed to be a big, muscular guy? Funnily enough, he did appear similar to Fate's rendition of the character. Huh, I guess works of fiction can sometimes be correct.
After our short introduction, Enkidu lead me through the forest, crossing some obstacles such as rivers and hills along the way, then emerged into a grassy expanse that stretched out as far as my eyes could see.
In the distance a cityscape could be seen, its ramparts were tall, but not enough to block the breathtaking structures within. Countless buildings could be seen crowding the city, and even more people could be found roaming inside it, going about their everyday lives.
"Well, there it is. The city of Uruk." He pushed his arm aloft, pointing at the city on the horizon.
I took a step forward before stopping, noticing the green-haired child's unmoving self. "What's wrong? Are you not coming as well? Or are you supposed to do something here? If so, I could lend a hand."
"Ah, no." He shook his head. "You can go ahead, I'll stay here. It's just that… I'm not supposed to be there."
"Oh?" My brows furrowed. Was he not supposed Gilgamesh's only friend? I placed a hand on my chin, recalling the Epic of Gilgamesh. It seems their fight, which led to them being the greatest of friends, hasn't happened yet.
Making up my mind, I scooped Enkidu off his feet, gently carrying him in my arms like how a groom would to their wives. He let out an startled yelp as he instinctively wrapped his arms around my neck. But before he could utter a single word, the two of us vanished from our previous position and appeared in the heart of Uruk undetected in courtesy of my magic (I've learned a lot throughout the years).
Enkidu's lips curved into a frown, and his body quivered slightly as he took in the city's bustling streets. He appeared apprehensive to even be here, I wonder why, wasn't he created for the sole purpose of putting Gilgamesh in line with the gods' desires? Shouldn't he be here to interact with the demi-god?
As I placed the silent young man on the ground, letting him stand on his own, a youthful voice sounded from behind us, snapping Enkidu out of his thoughts. "Oh? Who might you be?"
I turned to face the speaker and spotted a golden-haired child with ruby-like eyes, wearing a blue shirt with gold accents and a pair of colourful shorts. He was veiled in a kingly aura, his presence alone forced anyone before him to kneel. Not me though, I'm not weak willed enough to fold to such things.
The young man beside me stiffened upon seeing the 10 year old child, I too stared at the boy in bewilderment, but for a completely different reason. I shifted by gaze between the smiling kid and Enkidu, finally realizing why they looked so familiar.
'I'm in Fate?' The revelation pinned on the spot. My mind froze, rendering me unable to speak.
"Well? You mustn't keep this king from waiting, you know?" The child, Gilgamesh, said with a bright smile while leaning forward, placing his hands behind his back.
A small shiver down my spine. I was susceptible to cuteness, and goddamn was he the most adorable looking thing I've ever seen. His puffy cheeks, huggable figure, and delicate features—okay, now I'm just sounding like a creep. Though, I noticed he looked more girly than I remembered, probably my imagination.
"Oh, don't mind us. We're just going sight seeing." I resisted the urge to burst forward and pat him on the head, which was killing me on the inside. Maybe I can get away with it? Well, what's there to lose?
With renewed confidence, I strode forward, stood before the King of Uruk, then ruffled the top of his head with my hand, causing the golden child to let out a confused noise as I continued to gently caress his hair. A surge of dopamine washed over my mind, causing me to drop to the ground like a stringless puppet. 'Ah… now I can die in peace.'
While lying on the floor, I threw a glance at his face, which showed that of befuddlement mixed with slight curiosity. Apart from his parents, this was most likely the first time he received such treatment from a stranger as the future king of Uruk.
"Is he okay?" Gilgamesh inquired worriedly and glanced at my companion, who was still as a statue, providing him no answer.
"No worries." I swiftly lifted myself off the floor and dusted my clothes before going on the defensive. "My apologies, you're too adorable for me to resist."
"Oh? You find this king adorable?" He tilted his head cutely before nodding to himself. "Indeed, only a being such as myself can be called as such."
Enkidu and I watched as the King of Uruk twirled around in place, happily humming while sporting a bright smile that could blind even the sun itself. My legs threatened to collapse once again as Gilgamesh halted his spin to stare at me with his ruby-hued eyes, thankfully I pulled through and remained standing.
"Cherish this moment, mortal! For you are before my adorable self. I am Gilgamesh, speak your name." He demanded while propping his hands on his hips, donning an air of confidence that bordered on arrogance.
"I am Leon," I introduced myself before turning to my companion, "And this is Enkidu, pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Umu," he said in approval, "Follow me, your devotion would do wonders in my home." He turned around - not even waiting for a reply, fully expecting us to agree - and walked away in the direction of his abode.
Enkidu's mouth opened, about to say something to the child, but my words flowed out first, cutting him off. "We would love to." I accepted with a smile, ignoring the clay-construct's sharp glare that bore a hole into my back. If looks could kill, I would've died a few dozen times already.
He smacked my back repeatedly in annoyance, but I merely grabbed his wrists in response before pulling him into a tight hug, leaving him greatly flustered, then trailed behind the future king with an upset Enkidu in my grasp. I couldn't help but smile at the clay-construct as he quietly complained with an angry expression, which I found cute more than anything.
The three of us weaved throught the busy streets, turning various corners until we arrived in front of a large building that could only belong to those who possessed enourmous wealth. The golden boy flung the wooden doors open, entering the home without a care in the world.
"Mother! I have returned!" Gilgamesh exclaimed excitedly, his voice bouncing around the house.
"Gil!" A woman's voice sounded from another room. "How many times have I told you not to open doors like that."
From around the corner, a woman of impeccable beauty wearing multiple layers of fabric made her appearance. The divine feel she casted didn't go unnoticed by the grass-haired kid in my hold, causing him to stare at her with wide eyes.
'A goddess.' I quickly concluded upon seeing her figure, whom I can only assume to be Ninsun, goddess of cows, and mother of Gilgamesh. My eyes shone with curiosity, the Age of Gods had been on the decline some time ago, forcing gods to retreat into the Reverse Side of the world, yet she remained in the lower world, possibly weakening herself, just to spend more time with her child.
She quickly cupped Gilgamesh's cheeks with her hands and begun reprimanding him. On the corners of her vision, she spotted two more individuals standing at the door while looking at them.
Upon letting go of her child, Gilgamesh immediately bolted it into the kitchen to grab something to eat. Seeing his behavior, she let out sigh and inquired. "You two are?"
"Gilgamesh invited us over." I placed my chin atop Enkidu's head, much to his chagrin (he's bloody adorable), and introduced ourselves. "I am Leon, and this one is Enkidu."
She placed a hand over her mouth and faced Gilgamesh. "You've invited your friends over? You should've told me so I could prepare some treats. Ah, where are my manners, I am Ninsun, Gilgamesh's mother. Sorry about her, I'm sure my daughter caused you some troubles."
"I have not!" Gilgamesh's voice reverberated from another room, to which Ninsun ignored in favour of ushering us inside her home. Enkidu smacked my arms off his person and begrudgingly entered on his own, while I followed shortly behind.
Suddenly, Ninsun's prior words finally registered in my mind, causing me to freeze in my tracks. "I think I misheard something, did you say daughter?"
"Hm? Oh yes, I know she can be a bit haughty a times, but Gilgamesh is one of the purest girls out there, she can barely even talk to a boy without stuttering, you know." She laughed, letting Gilgamesh's embarrassed squeals go from one ear to another.
Her baby girl was a tad socially inept due to position as the future ruler of Uruk, and barely had interactions with anyone apart from government officials. So Ninsun was plently happy at the fact that Gil finally built up the courage to invite people over to her home.
After the sudden revelation, I quickly recovered, chucking it up Fate's machinations. If King Arthur, Minamoto-no-Raikou, and many more figures of legend known to be male were actually the opposite gender, so be it, not like I had a problem with it.
Enkidu and I joined Gilgamesh and Ninsun in the living room, talking about various things, especially how her child and we met, which greatly surprised the goddess for a completely different reason.
"Oh my, who knew my little Gil has enough heart to give strangers shelter for the night. You truly are my girl, you'll be a great ruler one day." I had explained that we were from the outside, practically homeless. She threw Gilgamesh a glance, making her a bit uncomfortable while snacking on a loaf of bread.
"She sure will, miss." I face my companion, noticing the not-so subtle glare he's giving the golden child. "And you, stop staring at her like that."
The clay-construct broke from his reverie and in turn stared at me with a complicated expression. His entire purpose was to rein and punish the demi-god, yet he could not bring himself to harm such an innocent child. Enkidu originally wanted to observe from a distance, waiting for her to grow into adulthood to enact the wrath of the gods, but Leon made that impossible now.
"I know it might sound rude, but may I ask what you are, Enkidu?" Ninsun suddenly asked, causing the grass-haired construct to quiver. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to. It's just that… I feel the presence of divinity inside of you."
"Its…okay," Enkidu shakily said, before straightening his back and staring right into the goddess' eyes, "I… was made to chain the keystone… Gilgamesh, back under the control of the gods."
He was a being born from mud, given shape by the "King of Gods", Anu, and the "Goddess of Creation", Aruru. While genderless, Enkidu took the form of Shamhat, the divine harlot - whom he copulated with for six days and seven nights - out of respect.
He was bestowed upon the simple task of enacting their will, to put the 'arrogant demi-god' in place, reminding her of their position as a puppet. But Enkidu, upon finding out that the person they're supposed to punish was but a child, decided to wait and spectate. He slowly grew to realize that Gilgamesh was nothing more than an innocent child, wanting to spend their days ignorant bliss.
'I'll be damned.' To be frank, I didn't expect him to reveal it himself, surprising me somewhat.
"I can leave if you want me to…" The aloof aura surrounding Enkidu shifted to that of depression. Surprisingly, instead of telling him to get away from her child, Ninsun chose to pull him into a motherly embrace, placing a hand atop his head and gently caressing it.
"It's okay, there's no need to be scared, I'm not mad at you." Ninsun spoke softly. As Enkidu was about to speak again, she opened her mouth first. "Hush, child. The circumstances of your birth doesn't matter, it is what you do with it that does, remember that."
The green-haired child could do nothing but accept the goddess' one sided assault, closing his eyes and letting calmness take over his entire being.
Gilgamesh and I on the other hand stayed quiet on the sidelines. Well, she was happily stuffing her face with some delicious food Ninsun had prepared earlier, keeping her pretty occupied. I thought I've gotten over it, but the fact Gilgamesh of all people turned into a girl still bounced around my head.
----
"Well, that was certainly interesting." I stroke my chin while gazing at the endless expanse before me. Gilgamesh, who's wearing nothing more than a shawl to hide her voluptuous figure, stored the golden axe in her grasp inside an equally blinding portal that appeared behind her—the Gate of Babylon.
It had been over 8 years since Enkidu and I intruded into her life, and the two grew on me. Gilgamesh was no longer the shy, yet assertive young lass I met all those years ago. Well, she's still very much assertive, some might say dominant, but shy no more.
Her appearance has had a drastic change over the years, her previously short stature now a respectable 182 centimeters tall, only 3 cm shorter than me, her beauty matching those of goddesses, possessing a bountiful chest, slim waist, and rotund rear no man or woman could resist. Her golden hair that fell behind her back was tied into twin-tails after much coercion (begging) from yours truly, and the style only increased her cuteness factor by a whole level.
Currently, Gilgamesh and I were on an expedition to the south to eliminate a certain wind bird that's been terrorizing the place for some time. Well, I say "we" but it was Gilgamesh who did all the work. She'd used her Gates to bombard the poor avian off its playing field—the sky, then finished it off via decapitation with her great axe. Her treasury wasn't filled to the brim with Noble Phantasms yet, possibly due to my intervention, but the things I've made and gifted her more or less made up for it (which contained many items from various video games).
"Good job, Gil." I applaud her feat. She merely extended her open hand towards me in response, causing me to tilt my head slightly in confusion. "What?"
Her eyes turned sharp, the air surrounding her becoming more heavy. She then clicked her tongue, appearing more annoyed. "Towel, give it to me. And don't even start with your jokes, Leon."
"No." I firmly declared as if to challenge her authoritative tone.
"I liked you better when you adhered to my every word." Gilgamesh sent me a glare that promised violence. True, but that was only when she was - still very much is - an adorable little cinnamon roll. I've spoiled her with many things, and given her everything she ask when she was still a child, but I never allowed her ego to balloon by occasionally reprimanding her.
"And I liked you better when you were cute and shy." I returned without missing a beat. "Oh, where had my little Gil go to? Where was the girl who kept pestering me to teach her magic, read her stories as she fell asleep, hm? I remember you liking the Dark Souls stories more than anything else. Where'd she go—"
"Enough!" She shouted in anger, turning around to prevent me from seeing her reddening cheeks, which didn't work of course. Gods, I really want to pamper her, but couldn't lest she throws a tantrum, saying that she no longer needed my protection unlike then, which caused cracks to form in my heart.
That's right, I became what some might call the "Big Brother" of none other than the King of Heroes herself! Throughout my stay in Uruk, I spent most of it taking care of Gil after her mother's unfortunate departure to the Reverse Side of the world, and her father's untimely demise, leaving Gil to take over the throne. Though she still possessed that arrogance the King of Uruk is was known to have, it was more demure, and was completely non-existant whenever she's alone with me or Enkidu.
And, speaking of—Enkidu, after being accepted into the family, has learned how to deal with administrative work as my little sister refused to do them for she thought it was a waste of time, becoming the Golden King's pseudo-secretary, so he stayed behind to do whatever it is Gil was supposed to do.
A tinge of guilt pressed over my shoulders, I could've helped him, but that kind of job just wasn't for me. Paper wasn't even invented yet, making administrative tasks even harder. 'Sorry Enki, I'll be sure to cook your favorite meal when we return.' I promised in my heart.
I broke free from my thoughts after sensing Gilgamesh's glare, who still had her arm up, waiting for the towel she asked for. As much as I wanted to continue to tease her, we better finish our task here, so I gave her the towel to clean herself. I have more opportunities to play with her at home, after all.
After that, we left the wind bird's colding carcass behind and returned to Uruk via teleportation and was greeted by none other than Enkidu himself, who took some time-off from his post. Enkidu's appearance didn't change that much, only that his evergreen hair now reached his shins and a necklace now hung on his neck which was gifted to him by Gilgamesh.
"Welcome back," He frowned after seeing my ruffled clothing, "Leon, how many times do I have to tell you not to cause trouble for Gil?"
My brows quirked at his accusatory tone. "Whoa-whoa, why am I the one getting blamed? Can't you see I'm the one who got assaulted here?" I point at the tears in my tunic, then extended my arms towards the perpetrator, Gilgamesh, who walked past the two of us, ignoring our banter as if it wasn't happening.
"Uh-huh." Little Enki crossed his arms, saying nothing more while giving me the meanest look he could possibly muster. "Gah!" The clay-construct exclaimed as I pulled him into a tight hug, unable to resist his adorable charm.
"Come one, Enkidu, you can't do this to me. I thought you were on my side." I sadly spoke. Instead of resisting my embrace, he fondly wrapped his arms around me, having grown used of my odd antics.
"Now, now," His voice softened, "Go clean yourself up, I'm getting hungry." Another crack threatened to appear across my fragile heart after hearing his words.
"Is that how you view me? Nothing more than your personal chef?" I release him from my hold before pinching his soft cheeks in annoyance.
"Your fault for spoiling us." Enkidu replied after pushing my hands away. Well, I suppose it's my fault, I've been providing the two of them the best home-cooked meal one can possible make since I started taking care of them, but goddamn was it worth watching them melt while they took a bite of my food.
Seeing the usually stoic Enkidu express himself and watching Gilgamesh who ruled with an iron fist plead for second servings is one of my favorite past times. Dare I say my skills in the kitchen contends even the likes of a certain Hero of Justice's.
After giving him one last pat on the head, I left to replace my clothes with new ones. The fashion in Uruk wasn't that great, mostly consisting of multiple layers of fabric, shawls, simple tunics, and robes, so I took it upon myself to introduce various other types of garments using the resources they currently had access to.
Suddenly, I stilled before swiftly snapping my head to the left in the direction of Gilgamesh's throne room, sensing the arrival of something; it was of divine origin akin to a god's, no doubt, but the gods had all been kicked out of the greater world, so what could it possibly be?
I quickly finished switching clothes and rushed towards the intruder's presence. My mana hummed to life, preparing itself in case of an altercation. After turning a few corners, I was inside the royal hall within seconds to find a Gilgamesh and Enkidu standing at the end of the room, and across from them was a woman with a youthful appearance wearing nothing more than undergarments outlined with shimmering gold with a crown planted atop her silky black hair.
"What's going on here?" The atmosphere between the trio was tense, as if a fight could break out at any moment. With but a mental command, a barrier was briskly formed around the building.
"Nothing, Leon." Gilgamesh cooly replied while glaring at divine being before her in disdain. "My answer remains the same. Leave, lest you incur my wrath, goddess."
"You have the audacity reject me? I gave you the chance to be betrothed to me, yet you throw it away…" The delicate goddess huffed, ignoring the recent addition to their conversation, and placed her hands on her hips while slightly tilting her head upwards, flooding the room with her divine status, causing the Golden King's face to contort in disgust.
"Ishtar?" I blurted out, finally recognizing the intruder. So, it's finally time for this to happen, huh. It appears I have to find a way to sever Enkidu's connection with the gods so he could stay in the mortal realm. So what if I'm changing things? Nothing is stopping me from doing so (more like nothing can). I'll take responsibility for once in my long second life.
FWG CH5
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Chapter 5: Welcome to the family.
"That escalated quickly," I chuckled while gazing beyond the horizon. Bathed under the soft rays of sunlight, a burnished metallic mass in the form of a majestic bull with two ocean-blue horns strutted forward, producing a loud boom that shook the earth with each step—the Bull of Heaven, Gugalanna, sent to the lower world to punish Gilgamesh for rejecting a goddess of love and beauty. Well, it was more like Ishtar complained like a distraught child until the owners of the construct gave it to her——semantics.
I knew most gods were petty, but holy shit. Sending a beast that could wrought destruction on a continental scale with its sheer size alone because you got rejected? Talk about overreacting, yikes. Well, I guess equating a deity to a normal human being isn't a fair comparison on any scale, my bad.
"Are you sure you don't need help?" I asked my companions, Gilgamesh and Enkidu, who stood before me with their backs stuck straight, not feeling even the slightest of fear from the beast in the distance, "that thing looks like it could deliver a mean stomp."
"We appreciate the thought, but no thanks. Gil and I can handle this," Enkidu responds with a reassuring smile that melted my heart.
"Hm," Gilgamesh scoffed, "an uncouth beast is no match for my treasures." Uruk's ruler extended her hand to the side, holding a prismatic greatsword that emerged from a golden portal. With its appearance, the air suddenly quivered under its presence, causing the area around her to become rife with magical energy.
Next, Enkidu took out a brilliant spear from a magical purple-dyed pouch tied on his waist. The weapon shone like a second sun, yet no heat could be felt from it due to Enkidu's interference. Had he wished to raze the area into a molten slag, all it took was a thought from him and the spear would accomplish just that in a span of a few seconds.
'The Zenith and Daybreak, never thought I'd see the day they'd use it simultaneously,' I recalled their weapons' names. They were objects of untold power, capable of taking down the Moon Lord, a being akin to an Outer God. Why and how do these two have them? Well, I gave it to them 'cause why not.
"Alright, I'll wait for you two back home." I turned around, not even bothering to spectate their battle, that's how confident I was in their ability. Well, more like I have an unruly guest to entertain back home.
Upon entering a secluded abode behind the royal palace, a yell that's both melodic and grating assaulted my ears.
"Unshackle me this instant, you insolent swine!" the voice bounced across the room. I turned to look at the noise's origin and found the goddess of love and beauty, Ishtar, who was enfolded by a series of golden chains atop a wooden stool, preventing her from moving.
I've got to say, Enkidu's skills with the… uh, rope, was entirely unexpected. The way the chains wrapped around her chest and lower half only accentuated the deity's charm from all angles imaginable, especially with how little clothing she was endowed with. How did he even know how to do this? Was Enki getting freaky behind closed doors? Actually, now that I think about it, that was probably be my fault one way or another. I had most likely taught him the art of bondage back in the past but can't remember it. Oh well, no matter.
"No," I cooly replied. "Unless you promise not to ruin my bloody house, you're staying strapped on that chair."
She growled, "You! I am Ishtar! Goddess of—" her next words failed to appear as I spoke over her.
"Yeah, yeah. I know who you are. You've said it a dozen times already." I wave my hand, causing the goddess' eye to sharpen in frustration.
Her voice lowered to a dangerous octave, "You will not escape unscathed, mortal. Free me at once unless you want to—" Once again, I halt her words before it finished.
"Alright, here. If you behave properly you'll get some spaghetti and meatballs." With a snap of my fingers, a dish appeared in my hands and placed it on the table, stealing her full attention. (You are watching a master at work. Food can help solve everything.)
"W-what is this concoction you're showing me!?" Ishtar glanced at the object, then back at the strange feminine man with an unreadable expression. She has never seen such oddity like this until today. The delectable scent it was producing made her mouth water, was it enchanted by some form spell to gain her attentiveness this much?
"It's just food, nothing else," I said with a shrug. Then, an explosion resounded from outside, signaling the start of my two adorable friends' fight against their foe, yet not a tinge of worry marred my face.
"Hah! You fools, the Bull of Heaven cannot be felled by the likes of them. They are nothing more than tools for the gods to utilize, puppets to be played with," she announced with a hint of arrogance in her tone.
"Ishtar," I started, intentionally ignoring her prior statement, "promise me you won't cause any trouble or you'll be kicked out of my home, got it?"
"You dare impose your measly—" she paused, feeling a sudden change occurring from the man before her. The weight of his existence was magnified by a dozen times, followed by the sense of foreboding crawling across her back. He began to emit a divine feel, something she was all too familiar with.
"Y-you… you are a god!?" she exclaimed in utter disbelief, "But-but it shouldn't be possible for a god to fully manifest into the lower world anymore, the First Flame had dried out long ago!"
"Aren't you here right now? What's the difference?" I casually responded, not seeing the problem. I mean yeah, a being of my stature shouldn't be able to remain in the world due to the decline in mana quality, but I'm an exception. Perhaps the only exception. Still, I don't see the issue here.
"This vessel of mine is nothing more than an avatar created to enact my will! You on the other hand, you're somehow here with a body made of ether without the aid of a mortal shell," the goddess explained. Oh, I see, that's why her essence felt awkward or incomplete when I first saw her.
"I'm just built different," I said pompously, "anyways, what's your answer? The food's going to get cold, you know."
"A trade," she offered while shuffling in her seat in slight discomfort, completely forgetting about the poor spaghetti's existence.
My brows quirked at her response, "You know you're not in a position to demand anything, right?"
"I just want to know how you remain here without being forced to the Reverse Side of the World!" Ishtar huffed, her eyes rapidly switching from the floor to my face, "In exhange, I'll... b-behave, okay?"
"Oh? How about this," I crossed my slender arms and stared directly into her eyes, "I'll help you stay in the mortal realm if you live with us and treat Gilgamesh and Enkidu like family, and no fighting anywhere in Uruk, especially in the palace, alright?"
It wasn't a fair trade by any measure, I was giving her the secrets to live in the mortal realm for an extended period of time just for her to act proper, but I can handle her if she ever does act out of line.
Ishtar blinked, seemingly taken aback by my proposition to have her live in with the ruler of Uruk. "You're not asking me to recall the Bull of Heaven? What if they lose?" the goddess speculated.
From her point of view, such outcome was an inevitability for the almighty bull cannot possibly be slain by a demi-god and a construct made from earth alone. Of course, that's not taking into account the weapons I've given to the pair throughout the years. Terraria's endgame weapons weren't something to be casually brushed off.
"Nah, they'll win," I proclaimed with a confident grin.
A few hours later, the thunderous booms in the distance had ceased, announcing the end of the battle. Unsurprisingly, the Bull of Heaven had been felled by the combined efforts of Gilgamesh and Enkidu with the help of their world shattering tools that Leon had bestowed upon them.
On their way back to the palace, they heard a commotion by the entrance of Leon's home. The pair immediately went into action and arrived in front of the eccentric man's abode carrying differing expressions on their faces.
"What is this piece of garment? And why are you making me wear this!?" a familiar woman with silky raven hair tied on both sides complained to her company, who was presenting a pair of black leg coverings adorned with colourful cat paws.
"Do not disrespect the thigh-highs! I'll have you know that thick thighs had saved millions of lives!" he yelled back, appearing offended by the woman's comment.
"Why do you even have this?" she asked, confused as to why a man would be in possession of such clothing that is clearly targeted for younger girls. "And don't even get me started with those skirts of yours!"
"God forbid a man has hobbies," the man rolled his eyes, refusing to elaborate further.
The two figures bickered some more until the man noticed Gilgamesh and Enkidu's appearance. The man in question, Leon, beamed a radiant smile and waved at them, while the woman, Ishtar, threw the leggings on the table while doing her best to hide the slight blush tinting her cheeks.
"Oh, hey Gil, Enki. Come in-come in," he ushered the two inside, while the goddess tottered away as if embarrassed to be seen with him. With a hint of confusion, the two entered Leon's house side by side while staring at the bashful goddess sulking in the corner.
"Stupid human emotions, muddling my sense of judgment…" the goddess complained while sitting atop Leon's plush bed with her knees pulled to her chest.
"Leon, do I even want to ask what happened here?" Enkidu started, a frown marring his otherwise cute face. They left him alone for a few hours, and he's already back to his streak of unusual happenings.
"Now-now, let's not arrive to conclusions and—" Leon tried to explain himself, but was interrupted by the blonde known as Gilgamesh, who wore a stoic mask that sprouted from the unfiltered rage bubbling within her.
"Fear not, Leon. I shall get rid of this blight from our home, it'll only take a moment," the ruler of Uruk interjected, a tinge of madness enveloping her voice.
Another woman dared to step into her and Leon's home then proceeded to get chummy with him, it was a crime deserving of a thousand deaths. The blonde gave Leon nothing more than cursory glance, he would receive his share of punishment for letting a random female into their living space without her permission. Nobody gets to trek into her territory and leave unscathed, goddess or not. Ishtar suddenly felt a cold shiver run down her spine for unknown reasons, sending her senses into high alert.
"Woah woah!" Leon moved in between the twin-tailed individuals with his arm spread out defensively. "No need for hostilities, she just wanted to be part of our family, that's all."
"I said no such thing! It is you who forced me into this, you perverted buffoon!" Ishtar corrected. Gilgamesh scowled upon hearing her words, in her mind she had already decided to chain Leon inside her sleeping quarters for the following months to make sure he doesn't leave her sight.
"Do you want to stay here or no?" Leon sent a glare her way, silencing the goddess. "Good, from now on you'll be part of this family whether you like it or not. You'll get your daily dose of hugs and kisses next morning."
Enkidu on the other hand let out a sigh while massaging his temples. Leon's bizzare antics was getting out of hand real quick, asking a goddess as notorious as her to live amongst humans like family, really? The grass-haired entity had no doubt that it'll work somehow, as it always does whenever it involves Leon, but that doesn't discount that magnitude of what he has done. Enkidu's deep affection towards Leon prevented him from reprimanding the man, but he knew Gilgamesh didn't possess even a sliver of patience as him. She might just do something stupid in order to keep Leon, her most prized treasure as she called him, from being taken by anyone else.
"Gil, calm down, I'm sure Leon knows what he's doing," the only sane minded person in the group placated the Golden King of Uruk. "Stop reaching for the Zenith, bad Gil," Enkidu slapped her hand away from said weapon's hilt, "you can have your time with Leon later, okay?"
Following the construct's words, the blonde woman's temper cooled. She then crossed her arms below her bountiful chest while glaring at the goddess, causing Ishtar's eye to twitch for a brief moment. She didn't know why, but that small action of Gilgamesh's irked her more that she had thought.
And so for the next few weeks, Leon wasn't allowed to leave Gilgamesh's sight for more than a minute lest she brings a decade of drought upon the land in order to find him. Fortunately, he managed to lower the duration of his punishment to a measly 4 weeks by pampering her (a lot) and was free from the blonde's watchful gaze, but was still kept under intense supervision by Enkidu just in case he did something out of the ordinary.
Ishtar on the other hand was having the time of her life. Freed from the constraints of the lower world and retaining her full form once more, she began to spread her influence across the world and attained worship from all—well, that was the plan if not for a certain someone who always kept her at arm's length, literally.
"Let go of me, Leon!" the goddess pleaded to the enigma known as Leon, who had her locked in a loving embrace that suppressed her authority as a deity for some odd reason, "I have offerings to collect by the temples, unhand me this instant!"
"No," he answered dryly. Leon secured his hold over her petite figure, preventing the goddess from escaping. Ishtar lets out a sigh of acceptance and deflated into his arms with a sour expression, not even bothering to rebel against the man's clutches.
It had already been many months since the goddess of beauty's incarnation, and she had gotten intimately familiar with Leon's personality over that time. She knew he was an oddball from the start, but she didn't expect him to be completely out of his mind the more she got to know him. Oh Heavens above, how many times had she almost took his head off his shoulders for being a bother, but the man would simply laugh it off while saying "It's just her way of showing love", or something along those lines.
His obsession with hugs and cute things was well known around Uruk, earning him some rather endearing names. No matter who it was, the moment you caught even a hint of his attention, you'd be pulled into his embraces, whether you liked it or not. Ishtar could not have expected herself to be Leon's target of affection for many moons straight, greatly restricting her range of activities. But she had grown accustomed to his sporadic shows of love in the form of cuddles and forehead kisses, and it also frustrated the living daylights out of the Golden King, which brought her nothing but joy.
"We've been at this since sunrise, am I free to go now?" she inquired, her voice soft as she rested against his chest for stability, his arms gently wrapped around her neck. She waited, but received no answer. "Leon?" She raised her head and found the man dozing off into his dreamscape.
The morning breeze blew, brushing past his face and ruffling his braided hair and revealing his tranquil face. As she was about to free herself, an imposing figure appeared from behind a corner, showered by the sun's warm rays. The ruler of Uruk looked down upon the goddess with her signature penetrating gaze, as if judging Ishtar's very existence.
"Do not think of yourself as my equal, goddess," the blonde sent a sharp glare at the deity, "you're only permitted to touch my most prized possession so long as you do not tarnish it with your filth." She then lowered herself to the floor, getting comfortable next to Leon's sleeping form. Gilgamesh grabbed one of his arms and coiled it around herself before snuggling closer to him.
"What are you talking about?" Ishtar questioned, not really understanding what she's on about.
"Hmph," Gilgamesh responded with nothing more than a huff. She relaxed her head above the man's chest next to Ishtar's and closed her eyes, gradually slipping into a peaceful slumber.
"Haah," a sigh escaped Ishtar's lips, "maybe a short nap wouldn't hurt." The goddess decided to join the Golden King and nestled deeper into Leon's embrace, feeling the warmth and comfort of his presence. The offerings could wait, nobody had the nerve to steal from her shrine after all (excluding Leon).
"Your majesty," a woman of darker complexion wearing a thin veil over her face spoke, "Lord Gilgamesh seeks your presence by the dining area."
"Okay. Also, enough of that, why doesn't anyone refer to me by my name?" I let out a drawn out sigh, "Come on, Siduri, can't you call me by my name for once? and why do people keep calling me that? I'm not even part of the royal family."
"I'll put that into consideration," she replied with a slight bow, utterly ignoring the latter half of his sentence. 'Every single person in this palace knows about your eccentric personality and not one of them wants to be part of whatever weird idea that pops up in your head,' Siduri's thoughts drifted, explaining why people keep their distance from the man known as Leon, the self-proclaimed God of Hugs.
"Well alright." I pulled her into a tender hold which she showed no reaction to, then walked to the royal palace's dining hall and saw a familiar trio already occupying the space.
"How many times do I have to tell you that no, I have not been 'snooping around' Leon's sleeping chambers, you wild cow! Where did this even come from?" Ishtar's voice boomed across the hall.
"There were a pair of rubies hidden under his bed, Leon does not carry around any type of jewelry on his person so it could only mean you," Gilgamesh accused with a straight face.
A chaotic scene ensued as the two exhanged some colourful words, vying to gain some form advantage over the other, Enkidu meanwhile simply watched from the side while taking a sip of his drink, seemingly unbothered by their bickering. Seeing this, my mind stirred, 'What the hell is happening here?'
"They could've been yours, I'm not the only one walking around in clothing adorned with pretty gems, you know," the goddess shot back in an annoyed tone, "and who's the one that keeps sneaking into his room every night to sleep next to him—you!"
"My jewels are kept safely within my treasury, and I require no permission to enter his quarters for it is rightfully mine," she confirmed the claim without a lick of embarrassment, "and when I said hidden, I meant it wasn't supposed to be found by the tenant," the Golden King elaborated.
"Then ask him, not me. Maybe he hid it there, you don't know everything about him!" Ishtar puffed her cheeks, seemingly at her wit's end. She might actually explode if this continues.
"There is no one on this world that knows him better than I, do not suggest otherwise, you unruly goddess," she declared with pride, causing me to suddenly choke on my breath.
Hearing the disturbance, the pair turned at the same time as if they agreed to do so prior and stared directly into the windows of my soul. Enkidu took a loaf of bread off the table and began nibbling on it adorably (god I wanna pinch his cheeks so badly!), his eyes sparkling with a mixture of interest and reluctance, probably because he's the one who has to clean whatever mess we (me specifically) make.
"Uh… hi?" I greeted with a small wave. Honestly, I don't know what to do at this moment.
"Leon, I demand an explanation on why these pair of rubellite ores are tucked under your bed. I do not recall you being interested in such things," Gilgamesh started, her arms folded beneath her sizeable bust, a frown capturing her lips.
"Yeah, why do you have these and who did you get these from? Are my collection not enough for you?" Ishtar joined in an equally commanding note, pointing at the pair of rubies on the desk. Her posture slightly leaned forward, eyes reflecting a dangerous glint.
Both of them gave me a look that promised violence if I didn't answer truthfully, preventing me from taking the easy way out of just walking away. And what is up with their tone of voice, it's as if my partner for life had just found out about my mistress due to a random piece of undergarment strewn across the bedroom that the latter had forgotten to take with them.
"Why are you two on the same side all of the sudden?" I took a step back, overwhelmed by the duo's combined assertiveness. They were at each other's throats not a minute ago, but the moment I cross the picture they suddenly become allies? "And I don't know where those came from."
Perhaps it was me to put it there and just forgot about it the next day. Goodness me, there seems to be a lot of things my mind just decided to throw away for no apparent reason (silly me).
"I dunno. Maybe it's mine," I drew out my thoughts with a casual shrug.
"Hoh? Since when were you allowd to keep things hidden from me, Leon?" Hearing my words, Gilgamesh's lips thinned into a fine line. "Have you forgotten I own everything in my domain?"
A jolt of electricity spread across my body accompanied by the weight of a mountain suddenly pressing itself on my shoulders. Since when did this girl have such side on her? I didn't raise you like this, little Gil! Where's the adorable gal I've spoiled since she was small? The girl who'd ask me to tell her bedtime stories every night!? (That last part might be false, but I like to think it's true)
Before I could speak a word out, Ishtar immediately followed up, giving her current thoughts about me a voice for the world to hear.
"Unbelievable, you have the gall to replace my gems that I've graciously granted you for these inferiors?" The goddess clicked her tongue and bit her lower lip.
"I already told you two that I can't recall anything about it. Stop looking at me like I'm some pest on the side of the road that needs to be squashed, my heart cannot take this!" I clutch my chest, sobbing in indignation.
Enkidu continued to watch the drama unfold while stuffing another snack into his mouth. While Leon's antics had lessened in intensity for the past few months it still occasionally happened, leaving it up to the clay construct to drag the man back to fix whatever problem he, himself created—like that one time where he threw a "bath bomb", whatever that thing was, at the communal natatorium and causing panic amongst the people in the waters.
This back and forth went on for a while until the two were finally convinced that I had nothing to do with the peculiar objects (or at least I think) and left me alone, well Gilgamesh kept me under her watch for a while until Enkidu came to the rescue and pried her off me, stating the she had some things to look over. Ishtar went out of the castle, not without giving me a look of suspicion however, and attended some ceremonies around the city—and by that I meant receiving offerings from her followers, usually in the shape of jewels or regal ornaments.
Soon enough, the sun dipped into the horizon, blanketing the sky in utter darkness. I retired into my bedroom not long after with a slouched back, caused by the crushing weight of being rejected a hug from Enkidu. He said he was busy with things, but it certainly appeared more like he was avoiding me. Damn, he just knew how to strike directly into my soul, didn't he?
Well, at least Ishtar and Gilgamesh were there for me—well, mostly. They were still miffed by the whole jewels thing and didn't return the same level of affection they usually gave me to show their displeasure. A fissure broke across my fragile heart remembering those particular moments, what did I do to deserve such torment!?
I crashed into my bed and instantly lost conciousness, only to be stirred awake by the sound of a rock crashing onto the ground. Snapping my eyes open, I heaved my upper body upright and immediately noticed something amiss.
"This isn't my house." I was all of the sudden inside some sort of cave system with blue flames flickering out and about like grass in the wind. The air in this place was frigid like the winter gales, making me shiver.
"Uhm, hello? Are you Leon of Uruk?" an ever calming voice echoed from behind, making me turn around.
I spotted a young girl that sported a similar appearance to Ishtar except for her hair colour—hers were bright as a wheat field ready for harvest. And the most damning difference between the two was the fact that this person wore a red cloak over a beautiful dark dress, unlike Ishtar who donned nothing more than her gold-laced undies underneath a robe that I practically forced her to wear.
Instead of panicking at the predicament I've found myself in, I delivered a calm reply, "Indeed I am, you are?"
I had zero idea to where this place was, apart from it looks like a kid-friendly version of Hell. Had my sins of being cringe finally caught up with me after all these years? Well, at least there's this cute girl to accompany me to the afterlife.
"Oh, yes! Let me introduce m-myself," she exclaimed, her voice quivering slightly at every word, "I am Ereshkigal, Goddess of the Underworld. I've been wanting to meet you for a while now! But-but the gems kept malfunctioning for some reason," her voice lowered for a moment before picking back up, "w-well! You're here now, and that's all that matters!"
"What?" I blinked, caught off guard by the reveal of her identity.
CH5 END.
Author's notes: I fixed it. Yay.
"That escalated quickly," I chuckled while gazing beyond the horizon. Bathed under the soft rays of sunlight, a burnished metallic mass in the form of a majestic bull with two ocean-blue horns strutted forward, producing a loud boom that shook the earth with each step—the Bull of Heaven, Gugalanna, sent to the lower world to punish Gilgamesh for rejecting a goddess of love and beauty. Well, it was more like Ishtar complained like a distraught child until the owners of the construct gave it to her——semantics.
I knew most gods were petty, but holy shit. Sending a beast that could wrought destruction on a continental scale with its sheer size alone because you got rejected? Talk about overreacting, yikes. Well, I guess equating a deity to a normal human being isn't a fair comparison on any scale, my bad.
"Are you sure you don't need help?" I asked my companions, Gilgamesh and Enkidu, who stood before me with their backs stuck straight, not feeling even the slightest of fear from the beast in the distance, "that thing looks like it could deliver a mean stomp."
"We appreciate the thought, but no thanks. Gil and I can handle this," Enkidu responds with a reassuring smile that melted my heart.
"Hm," Gilgamesh scoffed, "an uncouth beast is no match for my treasures." Uruk's ruler extended her hand to the side, holding a prismatic greatsword that emerged from a golden portal. With its appearance, the air suddenly quivered under its presence, causing the area around her to become rife with magical energy.
Next, Enkidu took out a brilliant spear from a magical purple-dyed pouch tied on his waist. The weapon shone like a second sun, yet no heat could be felt from it due to Enkidu's interference. Had he wished to raze the area into a molten slag, all it took was a thought from him and the spear would accomplish just that in a span of a few seconds.
'The Zenith and Daybreak, never thought I'd see the day they'd use it simultaneously,' I recalled their weapons' names. They were objects of untold power, capable of taking down the Moon Lord, a being akin to an Outer God. Why and how do these two have them? Well, I gave it to them 'cause why not.
"Alright, I'll wait for you two back home." I turned around, not even bothering to spectate their battle, that's how confident I was in their ability. Well, more like I have an unruly guest to entertain back home.
Upon entering a secluded abode behind the royal palace, a yell that's both melodic and grating assaulted my ears.
"Unshackle me this instant, you insolent swine!" the voice bounced across the room. I turned to look at the noise's origin and found the goddess of love and beauty, Ishtar, who was enfolded by a series of golden chains atop a wooden stool, preventing her from moving.
I've got to say, Enkidu's skills with the… uh, rope, was entirely unexpected. The way the chains wrapped around her chest and lower half only accentuated the deity's charm from all angles imaginable, especially with how little clothing she was endowed with. How did he even know how to do this? Was Enki getting freaky behind closed doors? Actually, now that I think about it, that was probably be my fault one way or another. I had most likely taught him the art of bondage back in the past but can't remember it. Oh well, no matter.
"No," I cooly replied. "Unless you promise not to ruin my bloody house, you're staying strapped on that chair."
She growled, "You! I am Ishtar! Goddess of—" her next words failed to appear as I spoke over her.
"Yeah, yeah. I know who you are. You've said it a dozen times already." I wave my hand, causing the goddess' eye to sharpen in frustration.
Her voice lowered to a dangerous octave, "You will not escape unscathed, mortal. Free me at once unless you want to—" Once again, I halt her words before it finished.
"Alright, here. If you behave properly you'll get some spaghetti and meatballs." With a snap of my fingers, a dish appeared in my hands and placed it on the table, stealing her full attention. (You are watching a master at work. Food can help solve everything.)
"W-what is this concoction you're showing me!?" Ishtar glanced at the object, then back at the strange feminine man with an unreadable expression. She has never seen such oddity like this until today. The delectable scent it was producing made her mouth water, was it enchanted by some form spell to gain her attentiveness this much?
"It's just food, nothing else," I said with a shrug. Then, an explosion resounded from outside, signaling the start of my two adorable friends' fight against their foe, yet not a tinge of worry marred my face.
"Hah! You fools, the Bull of Heaven cannot be felled by the likes of them. They are nothing more than tools for the gods to utilize, puppets to be played with," she announced with a hint of arrogance in her tone.
"Ishtar," I started, intentionally ignoring her prior statement, "promise me you won't cause any trouble or you'll be kicked out of my home, got it?"
"You dare impose your measly—" she paused, feeling a sudden change occurring from the man before her. The weight of his existence was magnified by a dozen times, followed by the sense of foreboding crawling across her back. He began to emit a divine feel, something she was all too familiar with.
"Y-you… you are a god!?" she exclaimed in utter disbelief, "But-but it shouldn't be possible for a god to fully manifest into the lower world anymore, the First Flame had dried out long ago!"
"Aren't you here right now? What's the difference?" I casually responded, not seeing the problem. I mean yeah, a being of my stature shouldn't be able to remain in the world due to the decline in mana quality, but I'm an exception. Perhaps the only exception. Still, I don't see the issue here.
"This vessel of mine is nothing more than an avatar created to enact my will! You on the other hand, you're somehow here with a body made of ether without the aid of a mortal shell," the goddess explained. Oh, I see, that's why her essence felt awkward or incomplete when I first saw her.
"I'm just built different," I said pompously, "anyways, what's your answer? The food's going to get cold, you know."
"A trade," she offered while shuffling in her seat in slight discomfort, completely forgetting about the poor spaghetti's existence.
My brows quirked at her response, "You know you're not in a position to demand anything, right?"
"I just want to know how you remain here without being forced to the Reverse Side of the World!" Ishtar huffed, her eyes rapidly switching from the floor to my face, "In exhange, I'll... b-behave, okay?"
"Oh? How about this," I crossed my slender arms and stared directly into her eyes, "I'll help you stay in the mortal realm if you live with us and treat Gilgamesh and Enkidu like family, and no fighting anywhere in Uruk, especially in the palace, alright?"
It wasn't a fair trade by any measure, I was giving her the secrets to live in the mortal realm for an extended period of time just for her to act proper, but I can handle her if she ever does act out of line.
Ishtar blinked, seemingly taken aback by my proposition to have her live in with the ruler of Uruk. "You're not asking me to recall the Bull of Heaven? What if they lose?" the goddess speculated.
From her point of view, such outcome was an inevitability for the almighty bull cannot possibly be slain by a demi-god and a construct made from earth alone. Of course, that's not taking into account the weapons I've given to the pair throughout the years. Terraria's endgame weapons weren't something to be casually brushed off.
"Nah, they'll win," I proclaimed with a confident grin.
A few hours later, the thunderous booms in the distance had ceased, announcing the end of the battle. Unsurprisingly, the Bull of Heaven had been felled by the combined efforts of Gilgamesh and Enkidu with the help of their world shattering tools that Leon had bestowed upon them.
On their way back to the palace, they heard a commotion by the entrance of Leon's home. The pair immediately went into action and arrived in front of the eccentric man's abode carrying differing expressions on their faces.
"What is this piece of garment? And why are you making me wear this!?" a familiar woman with silky raven hair tied on both sides complained to her company, who was presenting a pair of black leg coverings adorned with colourful cat paws.
"Do not disrespect the thigh-highs! I'll have you know that thick thighs had saved millions of lives!" he yelled back, appearing offended by the woman's comment.
"Why do you even have this?" she asked, confused as to why a man would be in possession of such clothing that is clearly targeted for younger girls. "And don't even get me started with those skirts of yours!"
"God forbid a man has hobbies," the man rolled his eyes, refusing to elaborate further.
The two figures bickered some more until the man noticed Gilgamesh and Enkidu's appearance. The man in question, Leon, beamed a radiant smile and waved at them, while the woman, Ishtar, threw the leggings on the table while doing her best to hide the slight blush tinting her cheeks.
"Oh, hey Gil, Enki. Come in-come in," he ushered the two inside, while the goddess tottered away as if embarrassed to be seen with him. With a hint of confusion, the two entered Leon's house side by side while staring at the bashful goddess sulking in the corner.
"Stupid human emotions, muddling my sense of judgment…" the goddess complained while sitting atop Leon's plush bed with her knees pulled to her chest.
"Leon, do I even want to ask what happened here?" Enkidu started, a frown marring his otherwise cute face. They left him alone for a few hours, and he's already back to his streak of unusual happenings.
"Now-now, let's not arrive to conclusions and—" Leon tried to explain himself, but was interrupted by the blonde known as Gilgamesh, who wore a stoic mask that sprouted from the unfiltered rage bubbling within her.
"Fear not, Leon. I shall get rid of this blight from our home, it'll only take a moment," the ruler of Uruk interjected, a tinge of madness enveloping her voice.
Another woman dared to step into her and Leon's home then proceeded to get chummy with him, it was a crime deserving of a thousand deaths. The blonde gave Leon nothing more than cursory glance, he would receive his share of punishment for letting a random female into their living space without her permission. Nobody gets to trek into her territory and leave unscathed, goddess or not. Ishtar suddenly felt a cold shiver run down her spine for unknown reasons, sending her senses into high alert.
"Woah woah!" Leon moved in between the twin-tailed individuals with his arm spread out defensively. "No need for hostilities, she just wanted to be part of our family, that's all."
"I said no such thing! It is you who forced me into this, you perverted buffoon!" Ishtar corrected. Gilgamesh scowled upon hearing her words, in her mind she had already decided to chain Leon inside her sleeping quarters for the following months to make sure he doesn't leave her sight.
"Do you want to stay here or no?" Leon sent a glare her way, silencing the goddess. "Good, from now on you'll be part of this family whether you like it or not. You'll get your daily dose of hugs and kisses next morning."
Enkidu on the other hand let out a sigh while massaging his temples. Leon's bizzare antics was getting out of hand real quick, asking a goddess as notorious as her to live amongst humans like family, really? The grass-haired entity had no doubt that it'll work somehow, as it always does whenever it involves Leon, but that doesn't discount that magnitude of what he has done. Enkidu's deep affection towards Leon prevented him from reprimanding the man, but he knew Gilgamesh didn't possess even a sliver of patience as him. She might just do something stupid in order to keep Leon, her most prized treasure as she called him, from being taken by anyone else.
"Gil, calm down, I'm sure Leon knows what he's doing," the only sane minded person in the group placated the Golden King of Uruk. "Stop reaching for the Zenith, bad Gil," Enkidu slapped her hand away from said weapon's hilt, "you can have your time with Leon later, okay?"
Following the construct's words, the blonde woman's temper cooled. She then crossed her arms below her bountiful chest while glaring at the goddess, causing Ishtar's eye to twitch for a brief moment. She didn't know why, but that small action of Gilgamesh's irked her more that she had thought.
And so for the next few weeks, Leon wasn't allowed to leave Gilgamesh's sight for more than a minute lest she brings a decade of drought upon the land in order to find him. Fortunately, he managed to lower the duration of his punishment to a measly 4 weeks by pampering her (a lot) and was free from the blonde's watchful gaze, but was still kept under intense supervision by Enkidu just in case he did something out of the ordinary.
Ishtar on the other hand was having the time of her life. Freed from the constraints of the lower world and retaining her full form once more, she began to spread her influence across the world and attained worship from all—well, that was the plan if not for a certain someone who always kept her at arm's length, literally.
"Let go of me, Leon!" the goddess pleaded to the enigma known as Leon, who had her locked in a loving embrace that suppressed her authority as a deity for some odd reason, "I have offerings to collect by the temples, unhand me this instant!"
"No," he answered dryly. Leon secured his hold over her petite figure, preventing the goddess from escaping. Ishtar lets out a sigh of acceptance and deflated into his arms with a sour expression, not even bothering to rebel against the man's clutches.
It had already been many months since the goddess of beauty's incarnation, and she had gotten intimately familiar with Leon's personality over that time. She knew he was an oddball from the start, but she didn't expect him to be completely out of his mind the more she got to know him. Oh Heavens above, how many times had she almost took his head off his shoulders for being a bother, but the man would simply laugh it off while saying "It's just her way of showing love", or something along those lines.
His obsession with hugs and cute things was well known around Uruk, earning him some rather endearing names. No matter who it was, the moment you caught even a hint of his attention, you'd be pulled into his embraces, whether you liked it or not. Ishtar could not have expected herself to be Leon's target of affection for many moons straight, greatly restricting her range of activities. But she had grown accustomed to his sporadic shows of love in the form of cuddles and forehead kisses, and it also frustrated the living daylights out of the Golden King, which brought her nothing but joy.
"We've been at this since sunrise, am I free to go now?" she inquired, her voice soft as she rested against his chest for stability, his arms gently wrapped around her neck. She waited, but received no answer. "Leon?" She raised her head and found the man dozing off into his dreamscape.
The morning breeze blew, brushing past his face and ruffling his braided hair and revealing his tranquil face. As she was about to free herself, an imposing figure appeared from behind a corner, showered by the sun's warm rays. The ruler of Uruk looked down upon the goddess with her signature penetrating gaze, as if judging Ishtar's very existence.
"Do not think of yourself as my equal, goddess," the blonde sent a sharp glare at the deity, "you're only permitted to touch my most prized possession so long as you do not tarnish it with your filth." She then lowered herself to the floor, getting comfortable next to Leon's sleeping form. Gilgamesh grabbed one of his arms and coiled it around herself before snuggling closer to him.
"What are you talking about?" Ishtar questioned, not really understanding what she's on about.
"Hmph," Gilgamesh responded with nothing more than a huff. She relaxed her head above the man's chest next to Ishtar's and closed her eyes, gradually slipping into a peaceful slumber.
"Haah," a sigh escaped Ishtar's lips, "maybe a short nap wouldn't hurt." The goddess decided to join the Golden King and nestled deeper into Leon's embrace, feeling the warmth and comfort of his presence. The offerings could wait, nobody had the nerve to steal from her shrine after all (excluding Leon).
"Your majesty," a woman of darker complexion wearing a thin veil over her face spoke, "Lord Gilgamesh seeks your presence by the dining area."
"Okay. Also, enough of that, why doesn't anyone refer to me by my name?" I let out a drawn out sigh, "Come on, Siduri, can't you call me by my name for once? and why do people keep calling me that? I'm not even part of the royal family."
"I'll put that into consideration," she replied with a slight bow, utterly ignoring the latter half of his sentence. 'Every single person in this palace knows about your eccentric personality and not one of them wants to be part of whatever weird idea that pops up in your head,' Siduri's thoughts drifted, explaining why people keep their distance from the man known as Leon, the self-proclaimed God of Hugs.
"Well alright." I pulled her into a tender hold which she showed no reaction to, then walked to the royal palace's dining hall and saw a familiar trio already occupying the space.
"How many times do I have to tell you that no, I have not been 'snooping around' Leon's sleeping chambers, you wild cow! Where did this even come from?" Ishtar's voice boomed across the hall.
"There were a pair of rubies hidden under his bed, Leon does not carry around any type of jewelry on his person so it could only mean you," Gilgamesh accused with a straight face.
A chaotic scene ensued as the two exhanged some colourful words, vying to gain some form advantage over the other, Enkidu meanwhile simply watched from the side while taking a sip of his drink, seemingly unbothered by their bickering. Seeing this, my mind stirred, 'What the hell is happening here?'
"They could've been yours, I'm not the only one walking around in clothing adorned with pretty gems, you know," the goddess shot back in an annoyed tone, "and who's the one that keeps sneaking into his room every night to sleep next to him—you!"
"My jewels are kept safely within my treasury, and I require no permission to enter his quarters for it is rightfully mine," she confirmed the claim without a lick of embarrassment, "and when I said hidden, I meant it wasn't supposed to be found by the tenant," the Golden King elaborated.
"Then ask him, not me. Maybe he hid it there, you don't know everything about him!" Ishtar puffed her cheeks, seemingly at her wit's end. She might actually explode if this continues.
"There is no one on this world that knows him better than I, do not suggest otherwise, you unruly goddess," she declared with pride, causing me to suddenly choke on my breath.
Hearing the disturbance, the pair turned at the same time as if they agreed to do so prior and stared directly into the windows of my soul. Enkidu took a loaf of bread off the table and began nibbling on it adorably (god I wanna pinch his cheeks so badly!), his eyes sparkling with a mixture of interest and reluctance, probably because he's the one who has to clean whatever mess we (me specifically) make.
"Uh… hi?" I greeted with a small wave. Honestly, I don't know what to do at this moment.
"Leon, I demand an explanation on why these pair of rubellite ores are tucked under your bed. I do not recall you being interested in such things," Gilgamesh started, her arms folded beneath her sizeable bust, a frown capturing her lips.
"Yeah, why do you have these and who did you get these from? Are my collection not enough for you?" Ishtar joined in an equally commanding note, pointing at the pair of rubies on the desk. Her posture slightly leaned forward, eyes reflecting a dangerous glint.
Both of them gave me a look that promised violence if I didn't answer truthfully, preventing me from taking the easy way out of just walking away. And what is up with their tone of voice, it's as if my partner for life had just found out about my mistress due to a random piece of undergarment strewn across the bedroom that the latter had forgotten to take with them.
"Why are you two on the same side all of the sudden?" I took a step back, overwhelmed by the duo's combined assertiveness. They were at each other's throats not a minute ago, but the moment I cross the picture they suddenly become allies? "And I don't know where those came from."
Perhaps it was me to put it there and just forgot about it the next day. Goodness me, there seems to be a lot of things my mind just decided to throw away for no apparent reason (silly me).
"I dunno. Maybe it's mine," I drew out my thoughts with a casual shrug.
"Hoh? Since when were you allowd to keep things hidden from me, Leon?" Hearing my words, Gilgamesh's lips thinned into a fine line. "Have you forgotten I own everything in my domain?"
A jolt of electricity spread across my body accompanied by the weight of a mountain suddenly pressing itself on my shoulders. Since when did this girl have such side on her? I didn't raise you like this, little Gil! Where's the adorable gal I've spoiled since she was small? The girl who'd ask me to tell her bedtime stories every night!? (That last part might be false, but I like to think it's true)
Before I could speak a word out, Ishtar immediately followed up, giving her current thoughts about me a voice for the world to hear.
"Unbelievable, you have the gall to replace my gems that I've graciously granted you for these inferiors?" The goddess clicked her tongue and bit her lower lip.
"I already told you two that I can't recall anything about it. Stop looking at me like I'm some pest on the side of the road that needs to be squashed, my heart cannot take this!" I clutch my chest, sobbing in indignation.
Enkidu continued to watch the drama unfold while stuffing another snack into his mouth. While Leon's antics had lessened in intensity for the past few months it still occasionally happened, leaving it up to the clay construct to drag the man back to fix whatever problem he, himself created—like that one time where he threw a "bath bomb", whatever that thing was, at the communal natatorium and causing panic amongst the people in the waters.
This back and forth went on for a while until the two were finally convinced that I had nothing to do with the peculiar objects (or at least I think) and left me alone, well Gilgamesh kept me under her watch for a while until Enkidu came to the rescue and pried her off me, stating the she had some things to look over. Ishtar went out of the castle, not without giving me a look of suspicion however, and attended some ceremonies around the city—and by that I meant receiving offerings from her followers, usually in the shape of jewels or regal ornaments.
Soon enough, the sun dipped into the horizon, blanketing the sky in utter darkness. I retired into my bedroom not long after with a slouched back, caused by the crushing weight of being rejected a hug from Enkidu. He said he was busy with things, but it certainly appeared more like he was avoiding me. Damn, he just knew how to strike directly into my soul, didn't he?
Well, at least Ishtar and Gilgamesh were there for me—well, mostly. They were still miffed by the whole jewels thing and didn't return the same level of affection they usually gave me to show their displeasure. A fissure broke across my fragile heart remembering those particular moments, what did I do to deserve such torment!?
I crashed into my bed and instantly lost conciousness, only to be stirred awake by the sound of a rock crashing onto the ground. Snapping my eyes open, I heaved my upper body upright and immediately noticed something amiss.
"This isn't my house." I was all of the sudden inside some sort of cave system with blue flames flickering out and about like grass in the wind. The air in this place was frigid like the winter gales, making me shiver.
"Uhm, hello? Are you Leon of Uruk?" an ever calming voice echoed from behind, making me turn around.
I spotted a young girl that sported a similar appearance to Ishtar except for her hair colour—hers were bright as a wheat field ready for harvest. And the most damning difference between the two was the fact that this person wore a red cloak over a beautiful dark dress, unlike Ishtar who donned nothing more than her gold-laced undies underneath a robe that I practically forced her to wear.
Instead of panicking at the predicament I've found myself in, I delivered a calm reply, "Indeed I am, you are?"
I had zero idea to where this place was, apart from it looks like a kid-friendly version of Hell. Had my sins of being cringe finally caught up with me after all these years? Well, at least there's this cute girl to accompany me to the afterlife.
"Oh, yes! Let me introduce m-myself," she exclaimed, her voice quivering slightly at every word, "I am Ereshkigal, Goddess of the Underworld. I've been wanting to meet you for a while now! But-but the gems kept malfunctioning for some reason," her voice lowered for a moment before picking back up, "w-well! You're here now, and that's all that matters!"
"What?" I blinked, caught off guard by the reveal of her identity.
CH5 END.
Author's notes: I fixed it. Yay.
FWG CH6
Dunno.
Dunno.
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Disclaimer: Not a lick of planning went into the making of this piece of fan fiction. I'm just writing down what my little noodle up here had thought of on the spot.
Chapter 6: A normal day.
"Leon?" Enkidu gave him a cold stare that would've bore a hole through Leon's head had he carried such an ability.
"Yes?" he answered, his voice casual and composed.
"Who is this?" The clay construct gestured at their guest—a blonde girl who was sitting at a stool right next to Leon, perhaps a little too close to the point where their shoulders were pressed against each other.
She projected an aura of oppression that usually forced most to drop to their knees, a power only attained by those of higher authority. But her current demeanor and actions showed anything but; her knees were buckled, her fingers fiddled nervously, and her expression resembled that of a maiden in love instead of the cold exterior of a ruler.
"Ah, let me introduce her to you." He coughed, clearing his throat. "This is Ishtar's sister, Ereshkigal—Goddess of the Underworld."
A few hours had passed since their meeting in her home, the two talked for a while and came into a agreement that allowed Ereshkigal to roam Mother Earth while retaining her full authority as a goddess, while also supressing the bad things that came with said authority.
"And what exactly is the goddess known to rule over the depths of the afterlife doing here? Was it a wise decision to bring a being like her inside the walls of Uruk?" Enkidu spelled out in a monotone voice, his emotions had fully left him by this point.
First it was the goddess of Venus, now the Underworld? He basically attained both the sky and earth with those two. Gilgamesh might be on the right path; maybe chaining Leon down and occasionally letting him go would be the correct decision to make.
"Hey, don't be like that. I'll have you know she's wonderful to be around with. She's nothing like what people say about her, she's just a little shy and wants to have a talk." Leon caressed the top of the goddess' head, his motions slow and tender. "And can you blame me? Look at her, she's adorable! How can I refuse!?"
Ereshkigal yelped, surprised by his sudden touch, but made no move to stop him. She kept her head low, accepting his show of endearment. Since their meeting in her domain, the Underworld, Leon had been nothing but kind to her—perhaps a little clingy, but she didn't mind it one bit and returned it in kind. Due to her nature, nothing was allowed to touch her, or they would have their life literally siphoned out of them in a matter of seconds. This was the first time in many millennia she had ever made physical contact with anyone and wanted nothing more than to experience it for a little longer.
"You can't just bring in goddesses left and right like they're stray puppies, Leon." Enkidu pinched the bridge of his nose at the sheer absurdity of it. Gods weren't something one could take under their wing willy-nilly and expect nothing to happen.
The fact that not a single god had yet to approach him to demand the same privilege was baffling, shouldn't they have taken notice of this anomaly by now? Perhaps the self-proclaimed God of Hugs had done something to hide from their sight. Not that he wanted to see Leon hurt, he just couldn't wrap his head around the idea of adopting beings of supreme power as family.
One day—he left him alone for one day and he brings another deity home like it's the most normal thing to do. This was getting out of hand real quick. What's next? Adopting the Goddess of Beginning, Tiamat, as his daughter? With that, Enkidu's train of thought crashed into a fiery explosion. He immediately banished the idea into the deepest crevices of his mindscape, never to be seen again. Surely Leon wouldn't do that, right?
Seeing his blank expression, Leon took advantage of the momentary lapse in attention and vanished in place, reappearing just behind the green-haired construct with his arms extended. In one swift motion, he pulled Enkidu into an affectionate cuddle and sat on the edge of his bed, forcing Enkidu on his lap.
Enkidu didn't react much and began to position himself better, settling comfortably within his arms. He didn't even attempt to escape Leon's clutches and simply rested his body against the man. At least by letting Leon do this, he would keep to himself and wouldn't cause any trouble for a while. Enkidu knew just how starved Leon was for his affection, so the clay construct decided to indulge him just for a little bit.
"Let me guess, you offered her the same thing as Ishtar in exchange for her staying on this side of the world?" The man offered nothing more than a "Yup" as a response, making the grass-haired entity sigh. "Gilgamesh is going to tie you down in her bedroom and I won't be there to help you, just know that."
Enkidu glanced at the goddess across the room who was shuffling on her seat, a tinge of jealousy could be seen brewing within her topaz-like eyes whenever it was directed at him. While studying her form, Enkidu took notice of a certain feature she possessed that both Ishtar and Gilgamesh had as well.
"You know, I'm starting to see a pattern here. Want to take a guess what it is?" The cozy construct spoke, a small amount of vigour returning to his voice.
"Did you finally take notice of my undying love for you?" He lightly blew into the back of Enkidu's ear, causing a blush to capture the sentient clay's soft features. "Though, can you at least give me a hint? I don't really see what you're talking about," he asked.
"Do you you remember—" he was interrupted before he could speak another word.
"The twenty-first night of September?" Leon sang in a jolly tune, recalling a certain popular song in his past life.
It had been quite a while since a memory of his previous life had resurfaced, and most of it had already been lost in the sea of memories that came after his reincarnation. Leon doesn't know how old he truly is, but he'd wager a few million years at a minimum, which was insane now that he think about it. 'It's been that long, huh?' he thought with a hint of gloom.
"What?" Enkidu turned his head, peeking at Leon's face firmly planted on his slender shoulder.
"Nothing, go on." The enigmatic man snapped out of his trance and gently nuzzled his victim, earning him a light slap on the thigh. It was times like these that he truly enjoy; just hanging out and enjoying each other's company.
"You know, back when we were teenagers? You practically begged Gil and I to wear it. She still does even today while I don't, and you keep pestering me about it." the autonomous piece of earth resumed, hoping to jog Leon's memories.
"To be completely honest, I don't remember a thing," came his response not a beat later. Enkidu and Gilgamesh's teenage years was nothing more than blip, a flash compared to the time he'd spent walking around the soils of a juvenile Earth. While the remembrance he had with them certainly existed, they've already been burried deeply into his mind.
Enkidu lifted a hand and reached back, taking hold of Leon's cherub cheeks. "Twin-tails, you idiot. Remember now?"
"Ah," he uttered in realization, unbothered by the fingers pinching his face. Yeah, now that he thought about it, there was quite a lot of times when he basically begged Enkidu to tie his hair into twin-tails. Huh, he didn't realize he had a preference for the style until now.
"Now go attend our new family over there, she looks like she's about to explode." Enkidu let go of his cheeks and motioned towards the blonde goddess, who was showing signs of restlessness while sitting on her chair.
An air of menace was swirling around her form, brought forth by her jealously over the amount of physical intimacy the two were sharing, right in front of her no-less. If not for her demure personality, she would've already jumped and took firm hold of Leon.
"Okie." Leon begrudgingly loosened his clasp, placed Enkidu beside him, and stood up. Not before giving the sentient clay a smooch on the cheek however. "You're probably pretty busy, so I'll go play with Eresh for a while."
The chain of the gods countered in kind, reciprocating with his own. Its recipient donned gleeful smile on his face like a child on Christmas eve about to unwrap their present.
"You promise you won't cause any trouble?" Enkidu spoke, his eyes narrowing in a vain attempt to look intimidating, which Leon found adorable more than anything. "You'll be sleeping alone tonight, without me or Gil for you to hug, if you break it. And maybe, just maybe, I'll put on a pair of scrunchies if you behave, alright?" he spoke like a devil whispering in Leon's ear.
Leon felt a cold hand grasp his heart hearing his words, followed by a sense of elation from imagining Enkidu with twin-tails. "I promise, okay? Please wear them, I haven't seen you in one in a long time," he answered, almost pleading.
"Good," Enkidu nodded in approval, then turned towards the goddess. "Watch over him, and if he ever acts out of line, just tell him you won't hug him for the rest of the day," he advised.
Leon's least favorite thing in the world was being refused an embrace from the people he cared about—Gilgamesh, Enkidu, Ishtar—and now Ereshkigal was added to that list. Enkidu had been using this tactic for a long time to keep him in line, and it was certainly effective. Leon would instantly melt the second he heard "no" whenever he asked for a hug.
"Hey, this isn't fair! You're giving away my weakness!" Leon complained with a outraged expression. Betrayed by the people he trusted the most! How could this be!?
"Make sure he doesn't bring any more goddesses home; he's developing a habit of adopting every cute goddess he meets," Enkidu continued, ignoring the man's ramblings. "A piece of advice: you might want to get used to sleeping with someone, since Leon over here," he pointed at the man in question, "won't leave you alone for a while."
Ereshkigal's face turned cherry pink, unable to form a response. She shot a yearning glance at Leon before burying her face into her palms, slightly embarrassed by the thoughts sprouting in her mind. If she were to delve into wishful thinking, she wished Leon would treat her like how he treated Enkidu earlier, and enjoy each other's presence from dawn to dusk.
"I am developing no such habit!" his exclamation went through deaf ears.
Grumbling, Leon made his way back beside Ereshkigal, her awkwardness swiftly morphing into one of anticipation the closer he got. Without hesitation, Leon immediately went on the attack and took her into a loving embrace. She returned it with equal force, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest.
"Hah," the sentient clay let out a sigh, "you two are a match made in heaven." With one last look, he gave his farewells and left the two to their devices. They'll probably be still interlocked with one another by nightfall.
'Why couldn't Ishtar be more honest like her sister?' he shook his head at the thought. The goddess of beauty had been showing signs of a maiden in the midst of courtship, yet she refused to take the next move despite Gilgamesh graciously giving her the opportunity to do so many times, and even outright told her that the ruler was fine with it as long as Ishtar doesn't betray their trust, or she would search the ends of the world to enact judgement. It's a bloody miracle that none of them had fought each other to lay their claim over Leon, probably because the two knew it would sadden him had they done so.
"Your sister is going to get ahead of you if you keep at this, Ishtar." Even Enkidu himself had a chance of entering a relationship with Leon if he simply asked. That's literally all it takes; a simple confession and Leon would immediately accept it without a doubt.
Later that night, just as Enkidu had predicted, the two remained in each other's arms until the sky darkened, the atmosphere around them never once turning awkward.
As they silently slumbered atop a bed, the door to the room was violently flung open, revealing a pair of curvaceous figures standing right behind it. The King of Uruk stood with her back straight, one hand snapped onto the goddess of Venus' right ear.
"Ow! Gil, please let go!" Ishtar begged as droplets of tears formed in her eyes. It was an amusing sight watching a demigod pull the ear of a fully fledged goddess as if they were an uncooperative child.
"Hmph," she let out a grunt, "you should know better than to refuse this King's offer, goddess." She released Ishtar's ear and pushed her inside Leon's room before locking the door behind her.
Hearing the commotion, Leon was stirred from his peaceful slumber and looked towards the door, finding both Gilgamesh and Ishtar standing there wearing nothing but their nightwear underneath a thin robe. A sight no man or woman could resist, but Leon is no ordinary man and was more interested in sleep.
"Gil? Ish?" he drawled, "good evening, here to sleep?" While uncommon, there were times when both the goddess and demigod would go into his room at the same time to have a sleep over, so he wasn't all that surprised by their presence and was rather welcoming.
"Indeed. But this wench had wasted much of my time with her unholy screeches," she motioned at the black-haired goddess. "Worry not, her piercing cries would no longer be a problem now that she's here."
Gilgamesh removed the shawl covering her body and threw it at the coat hanger by the entrance without a care. Ishtar did much the same after a bit of hesitation, but more mindful of her actions.
"Okay…" Leon settled back down, immediately losing conciousness the second his head made contact with the fluffy pillow. Quite an impressive feat; to be able to just knock yourself out anytime.
"You dragged me here, of course I'll give you a piece of my mind!" She placed both of her hands on her hips, glaring sharply at her abductor, whom gave a cocky smirk that irked the goddess more than she expected.
Prior to this, the two had met at the entrance, made some small talk, and found out that both of them were planning on heading into Leon's room. Ishtar, in her ever indecisive self, decided to abandon her plans and leave, but Gilgamesh grabbed her by the ear and forced her to come, all the while Ishtar voiced out her displeasure.
"Then feel free to leave," Gilgamesh suggested, stretching her arm towards the door.
Ishtar stilled, having no intention to actually leave. But before she could return with a rebuttal, a familiar voice erupted from within the sheets.
"Sis?" The goddess of the afterlife emerged from beneath the mound of fabric blanketing the bed, beside Leon's drowsy form.
"E-Ereshkigal!?" Ishtar called out in surprise, her words tripping over themselves as her mind spun. "What are you doing here? Wasn't there already a room assigned to you?" she asked, her tone accusatory.
"I… um, I was sleeping," Ereshkigal replied, glancing at Leon's face. "Do you want to join?" she asked softly, wearing a face of unspoken innocence that prevented Ishtar from responding harshly.
Their relationship wasn't the greatest, but Ishtar would occasionally visit Ereshkigal's domain to chat, even if just for a little bit, and she had even told her about the time she spent with Leon, which led the blonde goddess to reach out to him using the rubies she hid as a catalyst.
"I—" the black-haired goddess' next words failed to leave her lips as Gilgamesh brushed past her and crawled into Leon's bed without hesitation.
"Move aside, mongrel," Gilgamesh interrupted, swiftly shoving the blonde goddess away and making space for herself next to the man.
"H-hey, that's my spot!" Ereshkigal quickly recovered and demanded justice, only for Gilgamesh to ignore her and pull Leon deeper into her embrace, wrapping her arms around him possessively, causing the goddess of the Underworld to pout.
"Don't even bother, Eresh, she'll throw a tantrum if you do," Ishtar said with a defeated sigh, then went to her sister's side and rubbed her head, a habit she had caught from Leon. "Besides, you look like you've been with him for the whole day," she pointed out.
"But-but!" she squeaked out, pointing at Gilgamesh, who had buried Leon's head into her bosom. "I was there first!" she reasoned, her voice filled with protest.
"Shush," Ishtar placed a finger on her lips, silencing her. "You'll have your time with Leon. Trust me, he's more than eager to give you a hug if you ask him." She knew just how much the man loved the act of embracing someone, and she's grown rather fond of it, resulting in her heart to be rife with ardor. However, she's never gone through it, unable to convey her feelings.
Ishtar then gently dragged her sister atop the bed and settled her right behind Leon, directly facing Gilgamesh's serene face. The goddess of Venus lay behind her sister and coiled her arm around the latter's waist, the feeling of her smooth skin against her stomach slightly startling Ereshkigal.
"I-is this okay?" the blonde goddess asked nervously, a little worried that she was making her sibling uncomfortable.
"Yes, yes. Now sleep," Ishtar calmly assured, closing her eyes and gradually falling asleep herself.
Ereshkigal hesitated for a moment before tentatively resting her head on Leon's shoulder, her gaze flickering between him and Gilgamesh, who held him tightly. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, she soon found herself drifting off into a deep slumber, encased by the warmth of her sister, a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time.
END.
Author's notes: I had an hour worth of sleep when I wrote this. I can hear God directly speaking to me.
Chapter 6: A normal day.
"Leon?" Enkidu gave him a cold stare that would've bore a hole through Leon's head had he carried such an ability.
"Yes?" he answered, his voice casual and composed.
"Who is this?" The clay construct gestured at their guest—a blonde girl who was sitting at a stool right next to Leon, perhaps a little too close to the point where their shoulders were pressed against each other.
She projected an aura of oppression that usually forced most to drop to their knees, a power only attained by those of higher authority. But her current demeanor and actions showed anything but; her knees were buckled, her fingers fiddled nervously, and her expression resembled that of a maiden in love instead of the cold exterior of a ruler.
"Ah, let me introduce her to you." He coughed, clearing his throat. "This is Ishtar's sister, Ereshkigal—Goddess of the Underworld."
A few hours had passed since their meeting in her home, the two talked for a while and came into a agreement that allowed Ereshkigal to roam Mother Earth while retaining her full authority as a goddess, while also supressing the bad things that came with said authority.
"And what exactly is the goddess known to rule over the depths of the afterlife doing here? Was it a wise decision to bring a being like her inside the walls of Uruk?" Enkidu spelled out in a monotone voice, his emotions had fully left him by this point.
First it was the goddess of Venus, now the Underworld? He basically attained both the sky and earth with those two. Gilgamesh might be on the right path; maybe chaining Leon down and occasionally letting him go would be the correct decision to make.
"Hey, don't be like that. I'll have you know she's wonderful to be around with. She's nothing like what people say about her, she's just a little shy and wants to have a talk." Leon caressed the top of the goddess' head, his motions slow and tender. "And can you blame me? Look at her, she's adorable! How can I refuse!?"
Ereshkigal yelped, surprised by his sudden touch, but made no move to stop him. She kept her head low, accepting his show of endearment. Since their meeting in her domain, the Underworld, Leon had been nothing but kind to her—perhaps a little clingy, but she didn't mind it one bit and returned it in kind. Due to her nature, nothing was allowed to touch her, or they would have their life literally siphoned out of them in a matter of seconds. This was the first time in many millennia she had ever made physical contact with anyone and wanted nothing more than to experience it for a little longer.
"You can't just bring in goddesses left and right like they're stray puppies, Leon." Enkidu pinched the bridge of his nose at the sheer absurdity of it. Gods weren't something one could take under their wing willy-nilly and expect nothing to happen.
The fact that not a single god had yet to approach him to demand the same privilege was baffling, shouldn't they have taken notice of this anomaly by now? Perhaps the self-proclaimed God of Hugs had done something to hide from their sight. Not that he wanted to see Leon hurt, he just couldn't wrap his head around the idea of adopting beings of supreme power as family.
One day—he left him alone for one day and he brings another deity home like it's the most normal thing to do. This was getting out of hand real quick. What's next? Adopting the Goddess of Beginning, Tiamat, as his daughter? With that, Enkidu's train of thought crashed into a fiery explosion. He immediately banished the idea into the deepest crevices of his mindscape, never to be seen again. Surely Leon wouldn't do that, right?
Seeing his blank expression, Leon took advantage of the momentary lapse in attention and vanished in place, reappearing just behind the green-haired construct with his arms extended. In one swift motion, he pulled Enkidu into an affectionate cuddle and sat on the edge of his bed, forcing Enkidu on his lap.
Enkidu didn't react much and began to position himself better, settling comfortably within his arms. He didn't even attempt to escape Leon's clutches and simply rested his body against the man. At least by letting Leon do this, he would keep to himself and wouldn't cause any trouble for a while. Enkidu knew just how starved Leon was for his affection, so the clay construct decided to indulge him just for a little bit.
"Let me guess, you offered her the same thing as Ishtar in exchange for her staying on this side of the world?" The man offered nothing more than a "Yup" as a response, making the grass-haired entity sigh. "Gilgamesh is going to tie you down in her bedroom and I won't be there to help you, just know that."
Enkidu glanced at the goddess across the room who was shuffling on her seat, a tinge of jealousy could be seen brewing within her topaz-like eyes whenever it was directed at him. While studying her form, Enkidu took notice of a certain feature she possessed that both Ishtar and Gilgamesh had as well.
"You know, I'm starting to see a pattern here. Want to take a guess what it is?" The cozy construct spoke, a small amount of vigour returning to his voice.
"Did you finally take notice of my undying love for you?" He lightly blew into the back of Enkidu's ear, causing a blush to capture the sentient clay's soft features. "Though, can you at least give me a hint? I don't really see what you're talking about," he asked.
"Do you you remember—" he was interrupted before he could speak another word.
"The twenty-first night of September?" Leon sang in a jolly tune, recalling a certain popular song in his past life.
It had been quite a while since a memory of his previous life had resurfaced, and most of it had already been lost in the sea of memories that came after his reincarnation. Leon doesn't know how old he truly is, but he'd wager a few million years at a minimum, which was insane now that he think about it. 'It's been that long, huh?' he thought with a hint of gloom.
"What?" Enkidu turned his head, peeking at Leon's face firmly planted on his slender shoulder.
"Nothing, go on." The enigmatic man snapped out of his trance and gently nuzzled his victim, earning him a light slap on the thigh. It was times like these that he truly enjoy; just hanging out and enjoying each other's company.
"You know, back when we were teenagers? You practically begged Gil and I to wear it. She still does even today while I don't, and you keep pestering me about it." the autonomous piece of earth resumed, hoping to jog Leon's memories.
"To be completely honest, I don't remember a thing," came his response not a beat later. Enkidu and Gilgamesh's teenage years was nothing more than blip, a flash compared to the time he'd spent walking around the soils of a juvenile Earth. While the remembrance he had with them certainly existed, they've already been burried deeply into his mind.
Enkidu lifted a hand and reached back, taking hold of Leon's cherub cheeks. "Twin-tails, you idiot. Remember now?"
"Ah," he uttered in realization, unbothered by the fingers pinching his face. Yeah, now that he thought about it, there was quite a lot of times when he basically begged Enkidu to tie his hair into twin-tails. Huh, he didn't realize he had a preference for the style until now.
"Now go attend our new family over there, she looks like she's about to explode." Enkidu let go of his cheeks and motioned towards the blonde goddess, who was showing signs of restlessness while sitting on her chair.
An air of menace was swirling around her form, brought forth by her jealously over the amount of physical intimacy the two were sharing, right in front of her no-less. If not for her demure personality, she would've already jumped and took firm hold of Leon.
"Okie." Leon begrudgingly loosened his clasp, placed Enkidu beside him, and stood up. Not before giving the sentient clay a smooch on the cheek however. "You're probably pretty busy, so I'll go play with Eresh for a while."
The chain of the gods countered in kind, reciprocating with his own. Its recipient donned gleeful smile on his face like a child on Christmas eve about to unwrap their present.
"You promise you won't cause any trouble?" Enkidu spoke, his eyes narrowing in a vain attempt to look intimidating, which Leon found adorable more than anything. "You'll be sleeping alone tonight, without me or Gil for you to hug, if you break it. And maybe, just maybe, I'll put on a pair of scrunchies if you behave, alright?" he spoke like a devil whispering in Leon's ear.
Leon felt a cold hand grasp his heart hearing his words, followed by a sense of elation from imagining Enkidu with twin-tails. "I promise, okay? Please wear them, I haven't seen you in one in a long time," he answered, almost pleading.
"Good," Enkidu nodded in approval, then turned towards the goddess. "Watch over him, and if he ever acts out of line, just tell him you won't hug him for the rest of the day," he advised.
Leon's least favorite thing in the world was being refused an embrace from the people he cared about—Gilgamesh, Enkidu, Ishtar—and now Ereshkigal was added to that list. Enkidu had been using this tactic for a long time to keep him in line, and it was certainly effective. Leon would instantly melt the second he heard "no" whenever he asked for a hug.
"Hey, this isn't fair! You're giving away my weakness!" Leon complained with a outraged expression. Betrayed by the people he trusted the most! How could this be!?
"Make sure he doesn't bring any more goddesses home; he's developing a habit of adopting every cute goddess he meets," Enkidu continued, ignoring the man's ramblings. "A piece of advice: you might want to get used to sleeping with someone, since Leon over here," he pointed at the man in question, "won't leave you alone for a while."
Ereshkigal's face turned cherry pink, unable to form a response. She shot a yearning glance at Leon before burying her face into her palms, slightly embarrassed by the thoughts sprouting in her mind. If she were to delve into wishful thinking, she wished Leon would treat her like how he treated Enkidu earlier, and enjoy each other's presence from dawn to dusk.
"I am developing no such habit!" his exclamation went through deaf ears.
Grumbling, Leon made his way back beside Ereshkigal, her awkwardness swiftly morphing into one of anticipation the closer he got. Without hesitation, Leon immediately went on the attack and took her into a loving embrace. She returned it with equal force, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest.
"Hah," the sentient clay let out a sigh, "you two are a match made in heaven." With one last look, he gave his farewells and left the two to their devices. They'll probably be still interlocked with one another by nightfall.
'Why couldn't Ishtar be more honest like her sister?' he shook his head at the thought. The goddess of beauty had been showing signs of a maiden in the midst of courtship, yet she refused to take the next move despite Gilgamesh graciously giving her the opportunity to do so many times, and even outright told her that the ruler was fine with it as long as Ishtar doesn't betray their trust, or she would search the ends of the world to enact judgement. It's a bloody miracle that none of them had fought each other to lay their claim over Leon, probably because the two knew it would sadden him had they done so.
"Your sister is going to get ahead of you if you keep at this, Ishtar." Even Enkidu himself had a chance of entering a relationship with Leon if he simply asked. That's literally all it takes; a simple confession and Leon would immediately accept it without a doubt.
Later that night, just as Enkidu had predicted, the two remained in each other's arms until the sky darkened, the atmosphere around them never once turning awkward.
As they silently slumbered atop a bed, the door to the room was violently flung open, revealing a pair of curvaceous figures standing right behind it. The King of Uruk stood with her back straight, one hand snapped onto the goddess of Venus' right ear.
"Ow! Gil, please let go!" Ishtar begged as droplets of tears formed in her eyes. It was an amusing sight watching a demigod pull the ear of a fully fledged goddess as if they were an uncooperative child.
"Hmph," she let out a grunt, "you should know better than to refuse this King's offer, goddess." She released Ishtar's ear and pushed her inside Leon's room before locking the door behind her.
Hearing the commotion, Leon was stirred from his peaceful slumber and looked towards the door, finding both Gilgamesh and Ishtar standing there wearing nothing but their nightwear underneath a thin robe. A sight no man or woman could resist, but Leon is no ordinary man and was more interested in sleep.
"Gil? Ish?" he drawled, "good evening, here to sleep?" While uncommon, there were times when both the goddess and demigod would go into his room at the same time to have a sleep over, so he wasn't all that surprised by their presence and was rather welcoming.
"Indeed. But this wench had wasted much of my time with her unholy screeches," she motioned at the black-haired goddess. "Worry not, her piercing cries would no longer be a problem now that she's here."
Gilgamesh removed the shawl covering her body and threw it at the coat hanger by the entrance without a care. Ishtar did much the same after a bit of hesitation, but more mindful of her actions.
"Okay…" Leon settled back down, immediately losing conciousness the second his head made contact with the fluffy pillow. Quite an impressive feat; to be able to just knock yourself out anytime.
"You dragged me here, of course I'll give you a piece of my mind!" She placed both of her hands on her hips, glaring sharply at her abductor, whom gave a cocky smirk that irked the goddess more than she expected.
Prior to this, the two had met at the entrance, made some small talk, and found out that both of them were planning on heading into Leon's room. Ishtar, in her ever indecisive self, decided to abandon her plans and leave, but Gilgamesh grabbed her by the ear and forced her to come, all the while Ishtar voiced out her displeasure.
"Then feel free to leave," Gilgamesh suggested, stretching her arm towards the door.
Ishtar stilled, having no intention to actually leave. But before she could return with a rebuttal, a familiar voice erupted from within the sheets.
"Sis?" The goddess of the afterlife emerged from beneath the mound of fabric blanketing the bed, beside Leon's drowsy form.
"E-Ereshkigal!?" Ishtar called out in surprise, her words tripping over themselves as her mind spun. "What are you doing here? Wasn't there already a room assigned to you?" she asked, her tone accusatory.
"I… um, I was sleeping," Ereshkigal replied, glancing at Leon's face. "Do you want to join?" she asked softly, wearing a face of unspoken innocence that prevented Ishtar from responding harshly.
Their relationship wasn't the greatest, but Ishtar would occasionally visit Ereshkigal's domain to chat, even if just for a little bit, and she had even told her about the time she spent with Leon, which led the blonde goddess to reach out to him using the rubies she hid as a catalyst.
"I—" the black-haired goddess' next words failed to leave her lips as Gilgamesh brushed past her and crawled into Leon's bed without hesitation.
"Move aside, mongrel," Gilgamesh interrupted, swiftly shoving the blonde goddess away and making space for herself next to the man.
"H-hey, that's my spot!" Ereshkigal quickly recovered and demanded justice, only for Gilgamesh to ignore her and pull Leon deeper into her embrace, wrapping her arms around him possessively, causing the goddess of the Underworld to pout.
"Don't even bother, Eresh, she'll throw a tantrum if you do," Ishtar said with a defeated sigh, then went to her sister's side and rubbed her head, a habit she had caught from Leon. "Besides, you look like you've been with him for the whole day," she pointed out.
"But-but!" she squeaked out, pointing at Gilgamesh, who had buried Leon's head into her bosom. "I was there first!" she reasoned, her voice filled with protest.
"Shush," Ishtar placed a finger on her lips, silencing her. "You'll have your time with Leon. Trust me, he's more than eager to give you a hug if you ask him." She knew just how much the man loved the act of embracing someone, and she's grown rather fond of it, resulting in her heart to be rife with ardor. However, she's never gone through it, unable to convey her feelings.
Ishtar then gently dragged her sister atop the bed and settled her right behind Leon, directly facing Gilgamesh's serene face. The goddess of Venus lay behind her sister and coiled her arm around the latter's waist, the feeling of her smooth skin against her stomach slightly startling Ereshkigal.
"I-is this okay?" the blonde goddess asked nervously, a little worried that she was making her sibling uncomfortable.
"Yes, yes. Now sleep," Ishtar calmly assured, closing her eyes and gradually falling asleep herself.
Ereshkigal hesitated for a moment before tentatively resting her head on Leon's shoulder, her gaze flickering between him and Gilgamesh, who held him tightly. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, she soon found herself drifting off into a deep slumber, encased by the warmth of her sister, a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time.
END.
Author's notes: I had an hour worth of sleep when I wrote this. I can hear God directly speaking to me.