Gilgamesh bypassed the crowd and entered the hall through the front. The doors were open, and inside he could see the foot of the massive tower, ascending through the roof.
A long carpet ran from the entrance all the way through and around the tower. There was a door built into the side of the tower that was wide open, revealing a winding staircase; Gilgamesh could not see what was behind the tower in the hall.
He looked around and saw a number of shrines and monuments lining the walls, each of them having a painting as well as a number of lit candles. The paintings were of people, and each of them wore the robes of the sect.
Not any old robes though, they wore fancy and dazzling clothes that looked nothing like disciple's robes.
As he inspected the shrines, he saw plates with names on them, embedded in the wall just beneath the painting.
"Savior Guardian, Warrior Guardian, Fairy Guardian... So they're all Guardians of the Forest-Gate."
"They all were."
Gilgamesh turned to see a red-eyed man with unkempt stubble on his face. His red hair was tied, but horribly so; a large amount of it fell out.
This was the same man who had stepped in when Lord Cloud showed up: the one called Hunter.
Gilgamesh noticed that his clothes were actually the same as the others in the pictures, it was just hard to tell because of the way Hunter wore them. He exposed all of his tanned chest, and had the legs of his pants folded so his bare feet and lower legs were out in the open.
"Oh..." Gilgamesh looked again at the entirety of the shrine closest to him, and realized that it did look as though it was made in memory of the Guardian.
"That was the weirdest tribulation I've ever seen, and you're only at the First Level. No one gets a tribulation when they enter Condensation."
Gilgamesh furrowed his brows, "Condensation... I'm guessing that's the first stage of cultivation?"
Hunter paused and, for a moment, he regarded Gilgamesh as an imbecile.
"Condensation is the first realm of cultivation. The realm that follows it is called Formation. They are the basis of cultivation- the process through which a mortal truly becomes a cultivator."
Gilgamesh instantly absorbed the information.
"So has it never happened that someone experiences a tribulation when they enter the first level?"
"Never. At least to my knowledge." Hunter turned and started walking, motioning for Gilgamesh to follow.
"The tribulation comes when a cultivator is about to transcend their realm, and only then. Heaven provides tempering this way, while also using it as a way to separate the weak-willed from the strong-willed."
"How so?" Gilgamesh asked.
"After a tribulation like that, you should know. Just think about what allowed you to survive. It was your strength of will."
"The weaker willed cultivators die, and stronger willed ones survive. In the eyes of Heaven, strength is all that matters, and only the lives of the strong are valued."
Gilgamesh's eyes widened. This did not exactly match up with the idea of Heaven that he had, but it was not exactly far off either.
"That guy from before- Lord Cloud- was he a God of Heaven?"
Hearing this, Hunter suddenly put a hand on his stomach and laughed heartily.
"Ha! Him!? Hahaha! No, no, not at all!" Judging by his reaction, Gilgamesh felt like Hunter did not have a good opinion of Lord Cloud.
"Lord Cloud is just a Heavenly Immortal. It's a title given to strong Embryonic Soul stage cultivators- that's another realm- that are chosen through the Will of Heaven. They act as overseers, and are highly sensitive to the nature of Heaven-- or what they call the Heavenly Daos."
Gilgamesh's eyes sparked with interest at every word Hunter said. He was learning so much, which was exactly what he needed to do. The more he could learn about this world, the better off he would be in the long run.
"Embryonic Soul... How far away is that from the Establishment stage."
Hunter seemed distressed, "You really don't know anything, do you?"
Gilgamesh laughed bitterly.
"The Condensation Stage comes first, then the Establishment Stage, the Expansion Stage and the Embryonic Soul Stage comes fourth. Between you and that stage, there a basically three entire realms of cultivation, separated by twenty-four sub-levels."
"Sub-levels?" Gilgamesh inquired.
"There are ten levels to the Condensation Stage, ten levels to the Formation Stage, and four levels to the Expansion Stage," Hunter nonchalantly stated.
Smiling and nodding, Gilgamesh made mental notes of everything.
'So Lord Cloud is at the fourth level of cultivation, and I'm guessing Hunter is too. Wait, no, he didn't show much respect for Lord Cloud, did he? Hm... I wonder if the attitude toward Heaven's not that great in this world.'
"You're asking questions you should already know the answer to. Are you really Gilgamesh?" Hunter's eyes narrowed, and he eyed Gilgamesh with a trace of skepticism.
A hint of panic flashed in Gilgamesh's eyes and a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face.
"You entered the mystic realm a little over five years ago and never came out. There was a small-scale search for you, but you were never found and after a while were considered dead."
"I distinctly remember a young girl and an older woman being devastated by the news, and coming to this hall to beg us Guardians to go search for you."
This news reminded Gilgamesh of someone Little Feather had mentioned, 'Miss Nightshade.' He had no idea who she was, but apparently they used to be close.
"The Ancient Forest-Gate Realm is a wasteland, ruined by the passage of time across innumerable years. Though there are lingering dangers and hazardous spatial conditions, no disciple of this sect would fall in that mystic realm."
Gilgamesh stroked his face as he listened.
"I once thought that you were killed by some other disciples-- it would take at least two of them to kill you when you were at the peak of Condensation. I see that your cultivation has regressed, so I'm guessing you came quite close to death and managed to escape."
"However," Hunter straightened up and, for the first time, his demeanor that lacked energy seemed to come to life, "that's just my theory. It doesn't exactly explain why you were missing for five years, or why no one could find you. It also does not help me understand why you were greeted by a tribulation when you arrived."
Gilgamesh realized that this was turning into an inquisition, and he quickly recalled the story he had told Little Feather. He would have to regurgitate that story for Hunter.
"Pacifist Guardian and Aerial Guardian have already been informed; they were also intrigued by your tribulation. They're waiting for us on the first floor of the Forest Master's Tower. Follow me."
Hunter turned and headed straight for the winding staircase that led up into the tower. There were lights along the staircase that glowed only when he passed by them, attracting Gilgamesh's attention for a second.
Gilgamesh hurried to follow behind, while also thinking about whether or not he should reveal the whole truth.
If he was in the presence of three Guardians, each just as strong as Hunter, he felt as though they might see through any omissions of truth.
While he was thinking about this, Hunter was having his own conversation with himself.
'I'm certain he did not possess any true energy whatsoever when I saw him earlier. Did he have to pass through a tribulation in order to rise in cultivation? Doesn't Master have to go through the same thing?'
Before long, the stairs brought them to a landing, and there was a wide open doorway. The stairs continued upward, but Hunter wasn't going any higher.
Hunter walked onto the first floor, and his clothes were instantly blown by a strong wind.
"Finally," a gruff male voice echoed, reaching Gilgamesh.
When he walked through the doorway, he saw green flooring like a lawn, and two individuals sitting on blankets with baskets and hand towels. A number of servants, all young girls and boys, sat nearby to refill their drinks and clean up after them.
"So this is him? Didn't you say he has no true energy, Hunter?" A soft and tranquil female then spoke, providing a stark contrast to the first person that had spoken.
Gilgamesh looked to his left and saw a muscular, green haired man with folded wings made of foliage protruding from his back. His arms were folded and his finger constantly tapped against his arms.
He stared at Gilgamesh with a look of confusion.
On the right, a slender woman with dark-gold hair was gripping a wooden staff while feeding herself fruit from a bowl. She smiled at Gilgamesh and welcomed him with her eyes, not even looking at Hunter as he came over and sat between them.
There were tiny marks just beneath her eyes that glittered whenever she blinked, providing a magical air to her countenance.
Gilgamesh perused them both and then looked to Hunter, who had just sat down facing Gilgamesh.
"Please, leave us for now."
At his behest, the servants placed the objects in their hands on the floor and stepped off the grassy flooring. They each made a motion to grab the bracelets they were all wearing-- Gilgamesh hadn't even noticed them before.
When they activated those bracelets, they all shifted into mist before vanishing. Gilgamesh was in awe.
"Now then," Hunter made himself comfortable and grabbed a cup and a jar of wine, pouring himself a cup.
"To my right, Aerial Guardian, and this is Pacifist Guardian. Our master left the sect with the other Guardians, so we are currently in charge of the sect until he returns, which is why you are speaking to us about this and not him."
Gilgamesh swallowed hard and stepped forward. Hunter gestured for him to sit, and he did.
"So, let's start from the beginning. What is your name?" Pacifist Guardian started the questioning.
"My name is Gilgamesh."
"What about your surname?"
Gilgamesh froze and his mind crashed.
'Fuck!'
He did not know anything about a surname! What was he supposed to say?
Realizing that there was no way for him to answer, he sighed and said, "I do not know."
They each had varying reactions to this. Pacifist Guardian's head tilted as she gave him a puzzled look, Hunter nodded almost knowingly and sipped his wine with an unsurprised expression, and Aerial Guardian unfolded his arms and placed them on his legs, leaning forward with interest.
"You are the same Gilgamesh that went missing five years ago," Aerial Guardian asked.
"I am."
"What happened to you?" Hunter asked, looking straight into Gilgamesh's eyes.
"Tell us everything, and spare no detail. We wish to understand why you have been missing for five years, why your cultivation has regressed, why you can't remember your surname and why you faced a tribulation as soon as you came out of the mystic realm."
Hearing Hunter's words, the others nodded and looked to Gilgamesh expectantly, awaiting his explanation.