Chapter Twenty-One – The Weight of Ages
The descent from the mountain was quiet, though the atmosphere among the group had shifted. There was an unspoken tension, not of fear or discomfort, but of awe. Fern and Stark were still processing what they had just witnessed—echoes of the past bowing before Gilgamesh, the confirmation that their companion was not just an old elf, but a remnant of an age long before their own.
The sun hung low in the sky, casting golden light across the land. The path ahead was unfamiliar, yet somehow, it felt less daunting than before.
Stark, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, finally broke the silence. "So… you really were a king?"
Gilgamesh glanced at him, his expression unreadable. "I was."
Stark hesitated, then pressed on. "And your kingdom… it's just gone?"
Gilgamesh's golden eyes turned toward the horizon. "The kingdom I once ruled was not like the ones you know today. It was not built on cities or stone. It was a gathering of our kind, a place where the elves sought knowledge and power in equal measure."
He exhaled slowly, his voice carrying the weight of memories long buried. "But even the greatest of civilizations can crumble under their own arrogance. Ours did."
Fern watched him carefully, her sharp mind piecing things together. "Is that why you went to sleep? Because your people fell?"
Gilgamesh was silent for a moment. "Yes. But also no. I did not simply sleep out of grief or regret." His gaze met hers, steady and unwavering. "I had already seen too much. When you have walked through the endless march of time, when you have stood as both a creator and a destroyer, you begin to wonder if there is anything left to see at all."
His voice grew softer, almost distant. "So I chose to close my eyes… to let the world change without me."
The silence stretched between them again, deeper this time.
Stark frowned, running a hand through his hair. "So, now that you're awake, what are you gonna do?"
Gilgamesh didn't answer right away. He took a step forward, his cloak billowing slightly in the evening wind. "That," he said at last, "is something I will learn as we go."
Fern and Stark exchanged glances. He wasn't lying, but it was clear even he did not fully know the answer.
But for now, that was enough.