In his deathbed, feeling the spark of his soul abandon his body with every breath

  Enkidu held Gilgamesh’s hand and looked him in the eye.

  He lamented how, before, he feared death in battle.

  But now, wasting away from an illness, at his weakest and weariest

  he realized how a peaceful, uneventful death brought him no joy either.

  And so, it was the end for Enkidu…

  And Gilgamesh’ heart broke into pieces.

  Lucrece nodded quickly, eagerly. She wasn’t going to lie, Gabrielle’s start with her tale had been rather hectic and difficult to follow. The girl jumped from perspective to perspective too fast, trying to get too many details in at once. Sometimes it was the present, then it was the past; characters appeared and disappeared in quick succession., It was confusing, and the Lancer was no Storyteller to really tell her how to improve on that! But still, she was patient, like when Claude came running to tell her about a new animal in the manor grounds! She gave feedback, nodding, smiling, giggling at Gabrielle’s attempts at humor, encouraging her slowly…

  By the end of this part of the story, they were both legitimately invested in the tale of power, love and loss.

  When she finished the first half of the Tale of the Great Gilgamesh, Gabrielle felt a strange satisfaction deep within herself, a happiness she couldn’t really explain. A giddiness that pushed her to keep telling more of the tale but, at the same time, kept her from speaking another word, for the sake of drama.

  She didn’t even know she had a sense of drama at all!

  “So? What happened then? What happened to Gilgamesh?” Lucrece asked, half to encourage the girl, half out of honest curiosity. “Did the Ancient Spirits try to kill him next? Did he try to get back at them!?”

  “I can’t tell yet.” Gabi nodded softly. “I will tell you next time. Now, it is time to sleep.” She was channeling her inner Baraqiel here. It was customary to eat, tell a tale, and then sleep. “I will take the first guard.”

  “Are you sure? You were unconscious for a while now, that’s not resting at all.” The taller woman frowned.

  “I won’t fall asleep in a while, and you have been overworking yourself today. Rest, now.”

  “Okay, fine! Mes étoiles , you can be surprisingly pushy!”

  Lucrece sighed softly, getting a bit more comfortable against the cave’s wall, and covered her eye with her big hat. She was trying her best not to fall asleep immediately, but in a matter of seconds she was knocked out cold, snoring slightly, drifting into the land of dreams…

  Gabrielle looked at herself, half naked, covered in blood and mud, and sighed. She wished she could at least clean herself a little bit… She also wondered if she could take Lucrece’s magnificent hat while she slept, but a part of her was afraid the Lancer would just stab her for trying.

  —---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Lucrece’s dreams were always a mess of colour and emotion. In rapid succession she saw many things, she saw the skies, she saw the seas, she saw powerful men fighting each other for pride and love. She saw Gilgamesh and his beloved Enkidu having their adventures around the world, slaying creatures and making a name for themselves wherever they went. She followed them close in their adventures, as her brain remembered the tale once again.

  Then, came the part of the dreams that she loathed.

  The forests of the Ancient Lands were replaced by wooden walls; the fresh breeze of the forest disappeared, overtaken by the warmth of a flickering fire. She was far away from the world of Gilgamesh, and her own current life. She stood in the dining room of an old estate, watching how a family enjoyed the fruits of their hard work.

  Five children devoured their food quickly, hungrily, chuckling and burping without any manners, while two others tried their best to keep control of themselves. Their father watched with a calm smile. Monsieur Laurent was a lionish man: his face, elongated and wrinkly, was surrounded by a thick yet short beard and a flowing mane of black hair. Despite his intimidating, apparently serious features, Lucrece remembered her father as a rather affable man, always ready to laugh and share a joke with other people in the estate. Since the passing of his wife, Monsieur Laurent had become a bit of an enabler as a father, too…

  Not that the children complained much about it.

  Among the rambunctious lot, Lulu spotted a young girl sitting very close to her father, looking rather focused as she tried to carefully imitate the man’s manners. Thin, silly looking, with long and curly black hair growing up to her hips, the eldest child of the Daville estate wanted to give a good example to the child sitting right beside her, the quietest child among them.

  Claude had always been shy, even among his own siblings. Not that Lucrece blamed him: they were all around five or lower, while Claude and his bigger sister were around twelve or so. The age difference made it hard to relate to them! But there was something beyond that, something different about Claude. He avoided contact with most people, hated loud noises and was far more comfortable with the animals at the farm than with his siblings.

  Lucrece was the only one who had patience for him, really… Maybe because they had grown up together, maybe because she kind of understood, at her young age, that her brother saw the world through other eyes.

  “Even Father didn’t have him in great consideration…”

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  Claude was, technically, the eldest male child in the family. It was his birthright to inherit the estate! But Lucrece could easily remember how his father had taken her aside one night, and gave her a stern talk… a promise that she’d need to fulfill.

  I worked hard through all my life to provide for you all.

  Finally, at the twilight of my life, I can say with a smile that it was all worth it.

  You shall take over the Estate, Lucy. But on one condition.

  I trust that you will always watch over your brother, even when he’s an adult.

  Father had always been a firm believer that hard work brought in all the rewards in the world, and he was convinced that with the difficulties that Claude had for social interaction, he’d never be able to work hard enough… so, Lucrece would have to work a little harder, for the both of them.

  Not that she really minded. Back in the day, she was more than ready to follow her father’s footsteps. She would work hard, secure her position in society, and be happy with her brother! Simple enough!

  She had no idea of what was coming to her…

  —---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  With loud grunts and a sudden gasp, Lucrece managed to stir herself awake. She sat up, looking around herself while fixing the hat on her head. Things were much clearer now, even as the fire of their pyre was dying; the Sun didn’t reach them but one could still feel its presence far above the Fog. Daylight? But, wouldn’t that mean…?

  “Gabrielle!” The Lancer glared at the swordswoman sitting on the other side of the waning flames. “You didn’t wake me up for my guard!”

  “It wasn’t necessary.” The swordswoman shrugged. “I am still very awake and you were very tired. I decided to let you sleep.”

  “You promised you’d let me take a guard!” Even if she was a bit thankful for the rest, the taller girl couldn’t help but feel a little indignant.

  “I promised nothing. I just said ‘Yes’. That is not a promise.”

  “ Mes étoiles! Promise me that next time, if there is a next time, you will wake me up so you can sleep!” Lucrece’s one eye was glaring fiercely.

  “Why?” Gabrielle crossed her arms.

  “Because, if you are tired, you won’t be able to help me fight at all. Is that understood!?”

  It was a battle of wills, and neither of them was willing to back down. They glared at each other for a while, growling a little bit and trying to make themselves look bigger and more menacing. It was like seeing two dogs trying to intimidate each other. But eventually, Gabi saw the logic behind Lucrece’s words, and despite her own stubborn pride, she sighed and nodded.

  “Fine. I promise.”

  “Good!” The Lancer smiled brightly. “Now, let’s continue on. We shouldn’t be too far from the edge of the Fog anyways.

  Gabrielle nodded, stepping on what was left of their pyre to extinguish it. As they walked out of their cave, she couldn’t help but wonder… What now?

  What would happen when she arrived at the other side of the Fog?

  She had escaped, forsaken all her responsibilities and ran away… she could always find a way to walk around the Fog and reunite with the Saint’s Army, but at the same time, did she really want to? After leaving without a word? She had no money to survive on her own but that wasn’t a real problem. She would be able to hunt for food and pelts to sell as soon as they left the fog behind, so things should be fine even if she was alone.

  But what sort of life could she live after this? Alone again?

  Things had been rather auspicious last time she found herself alone! Now there was no guarantee she’d find another purpose to follow like that.

  Perhaps she could look for her Instructor once again? No idea if she’d take her in but, at least she could ask for some advice…

  “What are you thinking about?” Lucrece suddenly asked, interrupting the girl’s train of ideas.

  “Huh?” Gabrielle blinked softly.

  “You were very quiet and looked focused. You’re not remembering things, are you?”

  “No…” Gabi lied. That was kind of what she was doing. “I’m just thinking about stuff.”

  “Stuff you don’t want to share?”

  “Yes.”

  “I see…”

  The taller girl sighed. She thought they had gotten over these awkward silences, but apparently they still had a long way to go in that regard.

  Time passed at a snail’s pace in the thick forest, and they threaded through the Fog. There was no clear way among those tall oaks, just grassy floors and the occasional rock in their way. They walked in complete silence while, at the same time, trying to keep their minds from wandering too far into their own memories. Sometimes they stopped in their way, choosing to avoid unnecessary fighting and hiding at the sight of a wretch, only to continue following the trail as soon as the things disappeared in the mist. But as they went, Lucrece couldn’t help but notice how long it was taking…

  The town shouldn’t be that far away… had the fog advanced this much in so little time?

  Eventually, after much walking, they arrived at the walls of Forsia: a very tall rock edification upon which vines had just started trying to climb up. Beyond that, a sleepy town with no castle in its center, just wooden houses of increasing complexity and nobility the closer you get to the center.

  This was it, this was supposed to be their resting point, the safe space. And yet, they still were surrounded by Fog. The Lancer felt her blood freeze in her neck. Gabrielle looked at her, tilting her head softly.

  “Another town? Is this one of the places you loot?”

  “No…” Lucrece didn’t even look at her. She was too shaken to even acknowledge the insinuation. “This… this is the town I came from. The one that was outside.”

  “Oh.”

  Gabrielle didn’t look like she reacted much at this revelation, but deep down, this was shaking her plans quite a bit. Soon, both women were shaking a little bit, assaulted by the realization that despite their best efforts, they were completely lost.

  With a deep breath, Lucrece tried to focus. She leaned against the closed city gates and tried to listen on to the other side. Nothing. Another empty city… Her mind was racing. With this, she’d have a chance to check for abandoned goods and stuff, so it wasn’t a big loss. For sure, it was a shame that this had happened, poor people and all that, but it was also an opportunity.

  If I can make it out of here alive , she mumbled to herself.

  Gabrielle, in the meantime, was starting to worry about the people she had left behind. Would they be okay with her in the fog? It had been a day already, maybe they had come looking for her? Not very probable but, still, there was a possibility.

  … No. No there wasn’t. Not after what she did. After her failure…

  There was a sudden burst of light coming from the forest. Both women turned around, just to see a horde of burning, groaning wretches running towards them.

  “Gabrielle!?” Lucrece turned to look at her companion in shock.

  “I’m sorry!” The redhead rubbed her left forearm again. “I will fix it, just give me a moment!”

  She needed to focus again, and summon forth strength from deep within. There wasn’t time for preparation, so this would hurt a lot . Usually she was able to just ignore the pain, but using Witchcraft always hurt her deeper than most things: it burned her from the inside out, made her body go stiff like a rock, and her vision blur and shift around like crazy. All and all, not a good time.

  Lucrece watched in fear as Gabrielle took another deep, shaky breath, and the air seemed to warm up noticeably around them. The strange mark on Gabi’s left arm lit up once again, and her body spasmed both violently and uncontrollably. The Lancer reached out to hold the Witch still, but she jerked away immediately, before suddenly locking into a wide stance and pointing her left hand at the approaching horde.

  Magic was on display, and energy flowed from Gabrielle’s every pore, sparking and crackling, turning the air warm and tingly, forcing Lucrece to stand back.

  “I need… to focus…!” The Witch screamed, her eyes barely able to keep locked on her target, trembling very violently.

  Electricity is such a mysterious force. Even more back in the dark days of the Age of Silence, where Magic had been forgotten and Science was still a long way from coming. No one understood it, people barely even knew how to describe it. Same thing with Magic, really.

  In a world where things that are not understood are feared, both Electricity and Magic had been branded ‘Witchcraft’... and as such, there weren’t real ways to learn it unless you knew someone already ‘in the know’.

  As such, Gabrielle had to learn on her own for most of her life.

  ‘ Focus on the rune, let nothing distract you ’ she thought to herself, as time itself felt like slowing down around her. She heard the voices on her head screaming in pain, she heard herself screaming outside of her head. She felt a light on the back of her mind, a whisper, the blowing of wind… something cold reaching out for her, in the midst of suffocating heat.

  She ignored it all. She needed to focus. This was the way Baraqiel had taught her, and this was the only way she knew.

  ‘ Now, say its name. Say its name! ’ She urged herself, taking a sharp breath and then screaming as loud as she was able.

  N E V E R A G A I N

  The light was blinding. Lucrece felt the force of a falling lightning pushing her back and slamming her against Forsia’s walls. She barely managed to keep conscious, opening her eye once again to see a literal smoking crater. There was black ichor splattered everywhere, a few pieces of it still burning. Gabrielle had fallen unconscious again, her body still spasming from all that electricity.

  The Lancer took a deep breath, slowly getting back up and rubbing her eye a little bit.

  Things just couldn’t stop getting worse, could they?