sig-neg, DEATH!11, FOR MY REFERENCE LATER!1

[familiarized]

– Once upon a time, there was a man.

He was a foolish and ridiculous fellow whom, despite having a body made of mud and soil, set his heart to stand shoulder to shoulder with gods.

Of course, his hubris and disrespectful arrogance offended the gods in heaven. The man suffered divine retribution and lost his life.

Even to this day, the King of Heroes still couldn’t forget the way that he passed away with tears streaming down his face.

Why are you crying? The King of Heroes had asked. Could it be that, only now, you are regretting having taken my side?

It’s not that –

He had answered.

“Who would understand you after I die? Who else would march forward by your side? My friend… when I think that you will live on all alone henceforth, I can’t help but shed tears…”

Like so, when he saw that man taking his last breath, the incomparable king realized – the way that this man, who was human but wanted to surpass humanity, had lived, was even more precious and more brilliant than all the treasures he had collected.

“You fool who stretch your hand towards realms not of men… There is only one person in heaven or earth who’s worthy of appreciating your destruction, and that is none other than I, Gilgamesh.

Sink into my embrace, oh you glorious and illusionary men. That is my decision.”

The golden majestic brilliance disappeared in the night mist, leaving only an evil laughter echoing long after.

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This is our last story.
A story about the rift between Gilgamesh and Ishtar,
About our battle with the Bull of Heaven that Ishtar released,
About my final moments.

At Gilgamesh's side, the Bull of Heaven was driven off with that weapon,
The dark clouds that enveloped the world parted, and the earth was saved from a great flood.

As punishment for opposing the gods, I would be returned to a lump of clay.
Gilgamesh collapsed and clung to me desperately.

"I won't allow it! Why must you die?
If retribution must be handed down, then it is I who should be punished!
Everything is mine, and mine alone!"

Again, the heavens wept.
I could not see, but I counseled him.

"There is no need to mourn. I am but a weapon.
I'm nothing but one of your treasures.
From now on, countless treasures will appear that surpass my strength.
So there is no reason or worth in your to wetting your cheeks for me."

Indeed. I was a weapon. A tool.
I was different from him.
Gilgamesh was a child of the gods, and a hero who defied them.

Unlike me, he had "real" life.
I was disposable. Unlike me, he was a star of infinite worth.

...I had always longed for such a purpose. Detested it.

If we were made by the same father, why were we such different creatures?

"You have worth. An incomparable worth.
Here, I will declare it.
In this world, I have but one companion.
Because of that... your worth is eternal. Unchanging."

I was a weapon.
But more than a weapon, I was one that could, surely, be replaced by the next era's weapons.
My worth and mystique were for this era alone.

I thought myself different from him.
Different from he, whose compensation was to be alone for eternity.

...I remember his words from that time.
I remember him from the moment I declared myself a tool.

"Fool.

We live together, speak together, fight together.
That does not make you a person, nor a weapon. Enkidu, I call you 'friend.'"

.........ah.
Such grave sin.

While knowing the weak, he did not reflect on the weak.
While knowing the strong, he did not acknowledge the strong.

There were none whom he acknowledged.
To continue on as a solitary king was his greatest belief.

I had inflicted an eternal wound on his pride.

Gradually, the rain weakened.
I had returned to my former shape, a lump of the wasteland's earth.

After that, all that was left were the king's howls, so great one would think they were thunder.

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form: awesome...skull ring... 4/4 uses