'In the warm darkness, a silver light taunts me. It beckons to me, knowing that I cannot move.'
'Perhaps, long ago, my impetuous self would have been annoyed by the daring little light. As I am now, I pay it no heed. Instead, it comes to me, and I feel its comforting glow. I am being pulled toward it, yet I cannot begin to understand why. All I know is what I feel, and I feel an ever-increasing comfort spreading through me.'
'I can feel myself coming closer and closer to something that I am meant to arrive at. I know it.'
'I soon touch the silver light, and suddenly my vision becomes nothing but blinding silver. I lose myself in it for just a moment, and suddenly everything feels different. I no longer feel the same, nonetheless I know that I am the same.'
'I hear a thundering voice as it says all manner of things to which I am forced to listen. It says my name, and all is silent again. The silver light fades, and finally I see just where I am.'
'I see that I am no longer in darkness. For the first time in countless years...'
'I am free of the dark.'
Gilgamesh's Thoughts As His Spirit Leaves the Subconscious|
"Why is this happening, Sidha?" Logan asked, but he was almost certain she could not say.
"I don't know. The golden light is gone, which can only mean that the Naming Ceremony is taking place without the interference of the Twelve- but how is that even possible?"
Angelica gulped and Logan held her close, unsure of what to do. After a minute of just glowing, their son started levitating and his eyes opened, the same silver light filling them as if he had awoken for the very first time. It was only then that the golden light returned.
However, despite how bright the golden light was, it did nothing to dim the silver glow coming from the child's eyes. It was as though that light could not touch the child at all. Finally, the voice of the Twelve, a choir of sorts, filled the room.
"We Twelve do all these things. We Twelve govern this world."
"Nevertheless, We Twelve wash our hands of this! We Twelve reject this child, for we know him not!"
"We Twelve reject this child, for he has provoked the Ire of Myriad Gods!"
"We Twelve do not accept, and thus reject!"
"We reject this child! We reject Gilgamesh!"
Once that name was uttered, stillness became foreign to the world. A dreadful quake was birthed from the depths of the earth, of a scale so massive it seemed to them that the entire world was being battered by the Hands of the Twelve themselves.
In fear, Logan pushed himself, instantly, beyond his limits and ran to his son. His figure twisted as he leapt into the air, grabbing his son and crashing into the wall with both feet. Before he could fall, he propelled himself off of it, cradling his son as closely yet as gently as he could.
He landed near Angelica, and saw that Sidha was already preparing to leave the chamber. The golden glow on Gilgamesh's body had disappeared, and the silvery light in his eyes was dimmer, but they were still wide open. The child himself was silent, simply looking at the everything around him.
Still terrified by the quaking, they rushed out from under the Eye of the Twelve and started running toward the exit. Unfortunately, the quake was so devastating that it caused the far end of the corridor to collapse on itself, blocking off their route.
Sidha growled, then located a spot on the wall to their left, opposite the garden. She pounded down onto it, and a single panel of stone sunk into the wall, causing a hidden mechanism to spring to life. A way was opened into the wall, and she rushed them through it before entering herself.
The quaking never ceased, and in that dark and narrow passageway, Logan could not help worrying that the ceiling would collapse in here, sealing them off yet again.
"Blessed Light!" Sidha cast a spell and a stream of flowing light ran from her fingertips all the way to the end of passage.
"This passage is reinforced by powerful magic. Don't worry and keep running!"
The three ran along the way, finding themselves heading toward a dead end. From the back, Sidha could not open the exit fast enough. Even though it was reinforced, that quake was something she could not fathom. Even from within the walls, the noise of both temple and earth quivering was almost deafening. She feared that it would destroy the passage regardless, and thus resorted to another option.
"Logan! Use your magic and blast a hole through the wall!"
Logan hesitated for just a moment, worried that using his magic in such a narrow space would cause too much fire to come rushing back at them. In that moment, he looked to his wife and saw her reassuring nod, then he abandoned all worry.
"Final flame, holy rain, Meteor!"
Logan sent his palm forward and an illusory circle, glowing with spinning red and black runes, sparked to life. Cinders burned around it, growing in number in a split second before creating a meteor almost too large for the passage.
Powerful flames danced on that red hot rock, but before that heat could assail them, Angelica cast a spell of her own.
"Spirit Shield!"
In the space between the meteor and them, a magical membrane appeared that shielded them from the fire. At that moment, the meteor flew forward and smashed into the wall at the other end, utterly destroying it.
Once it broke through, the bright morning sun spilled through, but they were already dashing out of the hole. As for the meteor, its trajectory was only halted when it smashed into a nearby hill, causing a giant crater. The grass and nearby trees caught on fire, but Logan could not yet be bothered to put it out.
He looked down at the child in his arms, then found Angelica and Sidha. They had exited the temple from its eastern side, and were standing not too far from where they had entered initially. The quaking had ceased at some point, and Logan heard a soft sound coming from his son.
Gilgamesh yawned, and it was only then that stillness truly returned to them. They could calm themselves down now, and assess the situation properly.
Sidha fell to her knees and said a quick prayer, catching her breath only once she was finished. The parents tended to their child and made sure all was well with him; the silver light in his eyes was gone.
"I have not ran... in years..." Following an exasperated sigh, Sidha looked toward some cracks that had formed in the temple's eastside wall. She frowned, then looked to Gilgamesh who was being passed from mother to father.
Logan raised an open hand and slowly closed it, extinguishing the flames that were eating up the green hill.
Sidha knew they would come to her for answers soon enough, but she did not have them. The more she thought about it, the less certain she was that she understood even a single thing about what had happened. She felt like all her knowledge was useless.
That child... She looked at Gilgamesh's eyes. They were relaxed, curiously scouring the world around him. The temple was surrounding by greenery and flowering plants, nothing too interesting, and Sidha swore she saw the child grow bored of the sights and close his eyes.
She must have been imagining it, she thought.
Finally, before Angelica or Logan could question her, she spoke up.
"What happened here today... I have never heard of. In fact, I am fairly certain that it has never happened before. Not in the Western Province nor any province throughout the kingdom. It is a precedent."
"I do not know what it means, but I do know that the Twelve have rejected this child- this 'Gilgamesh.' That is his name, but I do not think it is one They have given him."
"Does this mean They wish our son harm." Logan's stern-faced look and Angelica's unease gave Sidha need for pause, and she shook her head.
"If that were so, They would have put an end to him there on the altar. I recall Them saying that They 'wash their hands of him,' which might mean that They wish to take no action for or against him. Alas, I cannot know."
Logan let out a breath and shook his head. Angelica placed a hand on his shoulder, and stood at his side. Sidha looked at them both, and something she had been hesitant to say earlier simply fell off her tongue.
"It must be because of the past you both share."
They both stiffened. In their minds, they could hear the warnings repeating, over and over again. Warnings they had previously ignored, carried away in their love.
Thinking of what had just occurred, Logan scoffed at that notion. Was their love worth incurring the wrath of the Twelve? Was it truly?
Even Angelica's eyes dimmed as she fell into deep thought, thoughts of regret already filling her mind. Had they doomed their innocent child to a life of suffering?
Sidha saw their expressions and, despite not wanting to say more, continued.
"There are only two options available to you. The first is that you keep all these matters close to your heart, and continue on to raise this child as you would. Twelve know that any other priestess would demand your child's head, but I was your friend before I served the Temple."
"The other option?" Logan asked, but both he and Angelica had an inkling of what it would be. Angelica was holding back tears already.
"Your only other option is to emulate the actions of the Twelve. Reject this child, abandon him, and let the world decide whether he lives or dies. It is the only way to save yourselves from the Twelve's Fury, if They should wish to bring it down upon your child."
Angelica clutched the child to her bosom and wept. The boy looked up at her, placidity on his face, but a light in his eyes as if he understood the situation. Logan pulled at his clothes so fiercely that he tore his shirt. He was unable to decide- unwilling to.
"So no matter what we do... our son's fate has already been decided by the Twelve?"
"I am afraid so."
"Is there no other way?" Logan wavered, almost stumbling.
"I can offer no other option." Sidha herself was battling sadness. It was not an easy thing to see her friends in such a state. Still, she had done all she could.
What could mere mortals do against the Twelve? Against the gods of their world?
There were no other choices.
Logan and Angelica looked at their son and saw the light in his eyes. To them, those were eyes that had never seen the world- never experienced even a sliver of life. They could not bear to abandon him, but fear of the Twelve was deeply set in their souls.
Then, they heard a sigh.
"How pious you all are. You've managed to make this moment even less exciting than eternity in Nether-Earth."
At first they looked at each other, but it was clear that not one of them was talking. It dawned on them and they all reeled from the shock.
Gilgamesh was speaking. That child, whom was literally born yesterday, was speaking to them in a loud, albeit squeaky, voice.
"I have another option for you, Logan and Angelica. Do listen."
Gilgamesh straightened and fought to get his arms out of the swaddling cloth. Once they were free, he folded them across his chest and shut his eyes, smiling innocently with his baby-face.
"I do not recognize this 'kingdom' that you speak of, nor do I recall hearing of these 'provinces.' So, help me learn about this strange land. Raise and teach me until I can fend for myself, if you wish, and I promise that no god, demigod, monster or mortal can ever cause any hardship to befall you."
His words and mannerisms rendered them speechless, but Logan eventually managed to find words to say. Even so, his wide-eyed shock betrayed how difficult it was for him to understand the situation.
"Just who are you?"
Gilgamesh smirked and raised one of his tiny fingers, speaking again in his squeaky, domineering voice.
"Did you not hear those narcissistic gods of yours? I am Gilgamesh."