Elias had always felt like he didn't belong.
Now, he wasn't sure he ever would.
He walked through the halls of the Ancestrals' hidden stronghold, feeling their eyes on him—some curious, some wary, and some openly hostile. They had gathered because of him, but he wasn't sure if that made him important or just another problem.
Not that he blamed them.
Even he wasn't sure if he was supposed to be here.
The Weight of a Name
"You've barely spoken a word since yesterday," Lillian Karras noted, pushing her glasses up as they walked together.
Elias sighed.
"I don't know what to say," he muttered. "A few days ago, I was just a guy struggling to survive office life. Now everyone expects me to be some great leader."
Lillian studied him for a moment.
"You don't believe it?"
"I believe it," Elias admitted. "The Codex confirmed it, right? But what does that actually mean?"
Lillian crossed her arms.
"Gilgamesh was a king, but before that, he was a warrior. He conquered, built, destroyed, and searched for meaning."
She gave him a sidelong glance.
"You've been given a second life. Maybe the real question isn't whether you're Gilgamesh, but what you'll do with it."
Elias exhaled sharply.
"No pressure, huh?"
Lillian smiled faintly.
"History tends to have high expectations."
The Ancestrals in Chaos
The meeting hall of the Ancestrals was in absolute disorder.
Dozens of figures—reincarnated rulers, warriors, philosophers, and strategists—filled the chamber, their voices rising in heated debate.
"This is reckless!" someone snapped. "We cannot allow a figure like Gilgamesh to rise unchecked!"
"And what do you propose? That we ignore the Codex?" another countered.
Arguments erupted from all sides. Some Ancestrals feared what Elias's return could mean. Others saw opportunity in his presence.
At the head of the room, Nathaniel Graves sat in silence, observing.
He let the chaos unfold.
Let them fight.
Let them tear each other apart.
Because in the end, the one who controls the aftermath controls the world.
A sharp voice finally cut through the clamor.
"Enough."
The room quieted as Magnus Caldwell rose from his seat.
A stern-faced, authoritative man, Magnus carried himself like the commander he once was—because in his past life, he had been Scipio Africanus, the Roman general who defeated Hannibal.
"We are not some squabbling court of politicians," Magnus said. "We are the Ancestrals. We have ruled empires, shaped history, and fought wars that changed the course of civilization. And yet—here we stand, arguing like frightened children."
His sharp gaze swept across the room.
"We are not the ones who will decide what becomes of Gilgamesh's return."
Silence.
And then he turned to Nathaniel.
"Summon the Paragon Circle!"
Murmurs spread through the chamber.
The Paragon Circle—a group of reincarnated figures who governed the balance of power among the Ancestrals.
They did not intervene lightly.
But if Gilgamesh had truly returned, then this was no ordinary moment in history.
Nathaniel smiled faintly.
"As you wish."
A Divided Council
By the time the noise died down, Elias could feel the weight of it all pressing on him.
They weren't debating if he was Gilgamesh.
They were debating what to do about him.
Magnus had made the call, and now the Paragon Circle would decide.
"I don't like this," Elias muttered to Lillian as they left the hall.
"You were always going to face opposition," Lillian said.
Elias ran a hand through his hair.
"Yeah, but I didn't expect them to be at each other's throats."
Lillian gave him a knowing look.
"Great men always divide the world, Elias."
He didn't like the way she said that.
Because deep down, he wondered—
Would he be a force that unites? Or one that destroys?
A Quiet Conversation
Later that night, Elias sat alone in his chambers, staring at his hands.
"They're never going to see me as just Elias, are they?"
A voice cut through the quiet.
"No."
Elias turned to see Nathaniel standing in the doorway.
He hadn't heard him enter.
Nathaniel stepped inside, calm and composed as always.
"You will always be Gilgamesh to them," he said smoothly. "Whether that is a burden or a gift… is up to you."
Elias sighed.
"I never asked for any of this."
Nathaniel chuckled.
"Neither did I."
Elias glanced at him.
"You make it look easy."
Nathaniel smirked.
"That's because I've learned something important, Elias."
He stepped closer, his voice lowering slightly.
"The world isn't shaped by those who ask for power."
His gaze sharpened.
"It is shaped by those who take it."
Elias shivered.
But he couldn't deny it.
He was right.