“The boundless primeval sea swirled into a cosmic egg, as if drawn to his will, from which Anshar emerged in violent glory. He struck the broken egg and split it in two halves which formed into Amon and Tiamat, the Primordials of Order and Chaos.”

  “Amon and Tiamat began to fight the moment they were born, so Anshar pushed Amon above and Tiamat below. The forces of order and chaos found a balance as equals, and from their clashing energy rose the other five. Void. Time. Space. Dreams. And Fate.”

  “Anshar had companions now, but he was not satisfied. In the boundary of order and chaos, he envisioned the world. And brought his vision to life.”

  “From his body, he pulled the Four Heavenly Beasts to aid his work. The Behemoth. The Simurgh. The Ziz. The Leviathan. Embodiments of Gravity, Pulse, Magnetism, and Decay.”

  “And for the next 18,000 years, he built Heaven.”

  “He pushed up Amon to make the sky. He pushed down Tiamat to make the lands and seas. He filled them with mountains and trees and beasts and stars and all that brought him joy. He named it Eden. His garden.”

  “But the Four Beasts grew fearful of his almighty power, and resentful towards his ever growing whims. They rebelled against Anshar and destroyed him. Anshar’s body erupted, filling the world he had created with his mana and soul.”

  “From the influence of his lingering power and intent, the World Titans arose. 60 in total, each bound to a single concept of existence. The Titans resided in their home of Eden, clashing and joining as they willed under the rule of the Four Heavenly Beasts.”

  “But the four would not stay united for long. Each wanted to reign supreme over the others. Each wanted to succeed Anshar. In the end, they divided the world into four parts and ruled as tyrants.”

  “And rule as tyrants, they did. So much so that the Titans could no longer tolerate them. The World Titans banded together under the command of Anu, Titan of the Sky, who wielded the Tablet of Destinies.”

  “They overthrew the Four Heavenly Beasts one by one, none able to resist the might of the titans on their own. And in their victory, they named Anu the First King of Heaven, the supreme god of Eden, and successor to Anshar.”

  “In time, the Titans sired the first gods. The True Gods. Immortal in days but unlike the Titans, they could not return from death. And their power far inferior.”

  “Tiamat, witnessing it all, bore children of her own without a partner. Foul creatures that came to be known as monsters. Soon the threat of her Abyssal spawn threatened not just Amon’s home of Arkadia, but all of Eden.”

  “Anu ordered the gods to suppress and destroy these chaotic forces and incurred Tiamat’s wrath, leading to her first war against the Titans. It ended in her destruction, but it came at the cost of the lives of many gods. Even worse, she had stolen the Tablet of Destinies, and her monstrous spawn became a constant and irremovable threat.”

  “Enlil, the God of Weather. The first son of Anu and Urash, Titan of the Land. The first of the True Gods. Blamed his father Anu for this tragedy, and grew resentful of him.”

  “One day, he encountered the mortal race of Nephilim. Born from the blood of Amon and Tiamat that mixed in battle, they were unlike any that came before them.”

  “Enlil spoke with them. He lived among them, and taught them how to build and craft and survive the perils of Eden. And in return, they began to worship him. And Enlil learned of the power of faith.”

  “Enlil turned on the Nephilim. He enslaved them, made them multiply, and forced them to devote their lives only to worship. He revealed this secret to the other gods, and made the Nephilim worship them too.”

  “Meanwhile, without the Tablet of Destinies to guide him, Anu grew paranoid. Fearful of his own offspring who were quickly proving themselves the equals of the Titans and more. In his madness, he became too tyrannical, too unstable, and too cruel. So Enlil led the Gods against Anu in the First War of Heaven.”

  “The gods overthrew Anu. They crippled him and sealed him away. And Enlil claimed the throne of heaven for himself, ushering in the reign of the gods. One upheld by the fear and awe of countless Nephilim.”

  “For countless years, the Gods reigned supreme. With the World Titans living along them in peace, there were none to threaten them. None until Tiamat’s resurrection.”

  “But the wrathful Primordial of Chaos did not attack the gods. Instead, she bided her time in the depths of the Abyss and devoted all her power and effort to give birth to her greatest son.”

  “Kingu, God of Evil. She created the Eleven Adversaries to be his strongest servants, and bestowed upon him the Tablet of Destinies to lead the second invasion of the Abyss.”

  “It was a grueling war, worse than any the world had seen before. But Eden emerged victorious again. Marduk, God of Storms, slew Tiamat and then Kingu, retrieving the Tablet. But with the knowledge he gained of the future, he returned to Eden in rebellion against his father.”

  “He proclaimed himself the rightful king, and Enlil the harbinger of calamity. But Marduk’s rebellion failed, and the Tablet of Destinies fell into Enlil’s hands. The gods breathed a sigh of relief for the peace they had regained, but none forsaw what came next.”

  “Kingu had not been fully destroyed. And he took his vengeance upon the gods through the hands of their bitter servants, the Nephilim. Kingu stoked their resentment against the injustice they bore, and granted them power.”

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  “The Nephilim wrought vile devastation upon Eden. But in their mindless revenge, their bodies morphed to match the vices they indulged in. And they were reborn as demons.”

  “The Nephilim soon realized that they had been tricked. Kingu had not sought to aid them, but to bind them to the Abyss in an eternal servitude worse than they one they knew. And they had no choice but to follow him.”

  “Faced with the horrifying threat of Kingu’s infinitely spawning army, Enlil allowed Amon to transform the remaining nephilim into Angels, and bind them to Arkadia. To this day, the two forces clash in an eternal war.”

  “But while he had prevented their immediate demise, this still left the gods without their precious supply of faith. Thus why Enlil ordered the creation of the Seven Races of Mankind from the only one capable of such a feat. His brother Enki, God of Magic.”

  “Enlil looked out upon this new world, and saw the growing threats of demons, and monsters, and jealous gods. And he became tyrannical.”

  “Under this burden of tyranny, Adapa voiced his woes to Enki who in turn sought the help of Nabu, God of Knowledge. Together, the two gods created the miraculous art of Cultivation. And for the first time, mortals could reach the height of gods.”

  “Fearing this potential, Enlil tried to eliminate Mankind again and again. He brought drought and famine and plague. And when all else failed, he brought a great flood to Eden. A Deluge so powerful it could even threaten the gods.”

  “But Enki interfered. He was warned of the approaching disaster, and created the Ark. A massive ship that sheltered 10,000 mortals of each of the races from certain doom.”

  “Enlil was forced to end the great flood, by the complaints and threats of the gods and titans. So instead he carved off a piece of Eden and separated it from the rest, creating the mortal realm of Akkad, which he trapped the survivors from the Ark within.”

  “And Enki interfered again. He built this great Tower to serve as a means for mortal to return to Heaven. He enlisted the help of Ninurta, God of Hunting, to kill and plunder the souls of the Eleven Adversaries. Enki used them to empower the Tower. To render it indestructible and immune from the tampering of the gods.”

  “In revenge for these acts against him, Enlil killed Ninurta. He banished Nabu, and forced Enki to retreat into his magical fortress of Eridu under threat of death. But Enlil only grew more paranoid, and in time he became as tyrannical as his father.”

  “And just as he had done to Anu, Enlil’s tyranny would be brought to an end, by his mortal born son. Gilgamesh.”

  “The first to ascend the Tower. The greatest hero. And the Third King of Heaven. Gilgamesh withstood and overcame all trials in his journey, with Enki’s greatest creation by his side. Enkidu, the Wild Man.”

  Eres went quiet for a few moments as her gaze settled on Banda. She took in a breath, and closed her eyes. Her intensity started to settle and her presence calmed as she opened them back on Banda with a soft smile.

  “If the gods are are the greatest beasts in Cedar Forest, then we are ants. And Anshar is above even them.”

  There was a lot to process from this long story she had told him. Banda had trouble imagining there were beings out there that powerful, but Eres did not seem like she was tricking him.

  “But Anshar is dead.” Eres spoke bluntly. “The Throne of Heaven is not absolute. And neither is fate. Ah, by the way, your dear Monga is one of the Eleven Adversaries. The only one who escaped Ninurta.”

  Banda’s eyes widened. It was the most reaction he had shown thus far, as this was the only part he felt personally to him. Monga was the strongest he knew besides himself. Humbaba had shaken that belief but Banda would not for a moment believe defeat was certain.

  And yet now he was told that someone had defeated him. Someone who was slain by another, who was not even the strongest of the world. For the first time he felt the weight of the danger that lay ahead in Eden, and his urge for power grew.

  Eres giggled with amusement at Banda’s transparent thoughts. “The only way out of the tower is through Humbaba. And the only way to Humbaba now is to kill the Ten Guardians. Even if we rush to the third floor now, there’s not the slightest chance we can defeat them. Besides… only fools squander opportunities right in front of them.”

  Banda stared at the woman he was bound to, who knew so much he didn’t.

  “Worried about facing ten beings as strong as the King of Cedar Forest?” Eres smiled.

  “Monga is not king. I am king.” It was Banda’s turn to correct her.

  “Really?” Eres asked with trace of genuine surprise. “Then why did you go to see him before we left?”

  “...Monga taught me how to survive when I was young.” Banda felt like he had more to say, but didn’t want to say it.

  “Oh, so he’s something like a father.” Eres reasoned bluntly.

  “I don’t have a father.”

  “Of course you do.” Eres said with a tone that annoyed Banda a little.

  “Monga said I came from a stone. I don’t have parents like beasts or humans.” He asserted. Eres had many stories but that did not mean she knew everything.

  Banda was expecting more words, likely ones that would annoy him. But he did not expect the reaction she gave. A stunned silence.

  “Your trance…” Eres said with an air of seriousness after many moments. “Does it feel like your own? Or does it feel like someone is fighting against you?”

  “The second.” Banda wondered why she asked. His power was great. So great that he had never been able to control it.

  Eres fell into deep thought once again. She had assumed he was Gugal’s reincarnation. It was the explanation that made the most sense. She had thought that Banda’s lack of control was because the power of a primordial was far too great for a mortal. But now she thought of a different explanation.

  A primordial had never truly died before. That was an aspect of her theory she was still unsure about, but Gugal’s absence for over a hundred thousand years had led most to believe he had somehow been granted a true death at the hands of Gilgamesh and Enkidu.

  Enkidu was said to be able to devour souls. And his lover Shamhat was said to have given birth to a stone after his death out of grief. A stone she sealed away in a place unnamed.

  What if, she thought, that place was Cedar Forest. What if Gugal’s soul had not been destroyed, but taken by Enkidu. And what if it now resided within Banda.

  Eres’ face flushed with fanatical elation as her imagination ran rampant. If all that was true, then the savage she had chosen as her champion was the only known son of Enkidu.

  Eres burst into laughter at the crooked humor of fate, to Banda’s further confusion. She had expected her journey to bring as much surprise and shock as this world could offer, but she never expected it would bring together the son of Enkidu and the daughter of Gilgamesh. The children of the strongest duo in history.

  “What…?” Banda finally asked, wondering if the mad woman had finally gone mad for good.

  Eres smiled teasingly at him with eyes golden once more. “It’s a secret~”