Yesteryear

Immortality

Wooyoung usually gave himself two days for jobs. His current one deserved a week since he researched a major human source of interest. But once he had the information that he needed, Wooyoung should leave before his presence influenced his mentality or the Babylonians.

"Perfect! In that case, let's get to work." With a huff, Mingi hauled the topmost stone tablet of an entire stack of them over. Once Wooyoung had pushed their bowls aside to snack on, Mingi laid the heavy stone down between them. Respectfully, his fingers brushed over the small cuneiform carved into it in hours of detail work.

"Not all of these are mine. These records come from three generations of historians working on the findings of prolonged life. Some of these may sound ridiculous to you, but please bear with me until I explained all the background information."

The plea in Mingi's warm eyes told the story of one who had been ridiculed for his work before. Sympathetic, Wooyoung motioned him to go on. As a time traveller, he knew to believe ridiculous stories.

"The first story we tell of immortality is that of Bilgames, the 5th king of Uruk in the southeast long before Babylon existed. He was the son of a human king and the goddess Ninsun." With his finger in the middle of the stone tablet that even Wooyoung had trouble reading from how ancient the scripture looked, Mingi looked up meekly. He looked like a student with his dishevelled locks and flickering eyes.

"She, uh, we don't have a lot of records on her, so I can't tell you much about her alleged tasks. Here, it's only important that her descend was godly, so Bilgames was half man half deity."

Wooyoung nodded along and got more comfortable next to Mingi. With strained eyes, the man continued to read.

"Blessed by the gods, Bilgames used his supernatural might to aid man and the gods. The first record we have of him is the story of how he saved Ishtar, our precious goddess of love and war, from a snake that had festered inside her chair. His might was regarded highly even among the deities we worship today."

Mingi had to pause there. With a grunt, he shoved the stone tablet away and pulled the next one from his stack. Wooyoung smoothly slinked around him while he continued reading so he could do the heavy lifting, at least for today.

"A different tale depicts him as Ishtar's brother. Then there are others, who paint him as a savage with a mouth too big for his godly siblings and half-siblings, so they try to get rid of him. He wins every fight either in honour or to the chagrin of our gods. However-"

When Mingi reached for the next stone, Wooyoung was there to supply it for him. With a smile, the historian took it from him to settle it down on the ground.

"His best friend dies for helping him in a battle against the gods and getting executed for it. For the first time, Bilgames questions his existence and shows this very mortal and human notion. In his search to defeat death, he faces two quests that offer him immortality. First, to stay awake for six days and six nights. Second, to protect a magic plant. He fails both of them by needing to sleep."

The next tablet was composed in a different writing, likely an exchange of authors.

"Bilgames is the first hero who questioned life and left these wonders open for us to delve into. While we have found no counter yet and some blame it on his ability as a demi-god, the query leaves many possibilities open. We tell his tales like a myth for our children, but we know he has existed. My master always liked to oppose a godly descend on us humans. Not taking that into question, we have only Bilgames' records as a king left. And these state that he lived for over 126 years, since that was the time of his reign alone. We never found a grave grand enough to be his, but my master suggested he must have lived at least three-hundred years to fulfil all the tales we have on him."

Mingi peered at Wooyoung when they exchanged tablets. He looked shy, as if he just waited for Wooyoung to laugh at him. When he gathered only a neutral expression, he continued. Another modest brown clay stone found its place in front of him.

Meanwhile, Wooyoung's brain ran at lightning speed. Bilgames was the Sumerian name for Gilgamesh, he knew the tales. They were told as legends, even in modern times. He had never heard another take but the godly route before, but Bilgames' questioning death was new to him. Only those who knew death would await them would challenge it. How had he lived so long if death had him on its list? His prolonged life might have more hidden factors than just his notorious heritage as a deity.

"These are mine, so... They are quite unfinished. Please excuse my carving technique, it's horrible," Mingi muttered under his breath. His timid fingers brushed invisible dust from the corners of the tablet. Intrigued, Wooyoung leaned closer to read along when Mingi breathed in to continue.

"I thought about that some more and watched more recent developments in these myths. Immortality is a common concept among the Babylonians that they pray for. Every day, the priests in our temples offer gifts to the gods to prolong the king's and our lives. We have no records of a god granting a mere human trials to gain immortality, but our kings are blessed by their voices. With the words of my master, I wondered if the concept of immortality that Bilgames proved to us may have a different source."

Mingi's approach was more theoretical than those before. Baseless and without proof. For a historian digging, it would be worthless. But Wooyoung was here to collect theories. Nobody in the past had found the full truth, so reading between the lines of the life work of the people that could never exist at the same time to solve the common mystery was Wooyoung's best bet.

"Bilgames challenged death, so he must have known more about it than we did. I travelled to Uruk once to find out more, but his story gets told as an epic tale, not as a hint of something more. I was about to give it up, but then I found this!" With a dramatic point of his finger, Mingi gestured at the next tablet. Wooyoung handed it to him gingerly. He was intrigued by Mingi's theories that had never found a footing in historical research.

"This is a record not of a magical substance or some weed that grows where nobody can find it. I believe gods can grant immortality. And I also believe that the only way to acquire it is when an immortal dies. That way, the nearest object can inherit their might because it needs a place to go. Which, in turn, makes the next person gathering that object immortal. It explains why it's granted so rarely and why Bilgames isn't around anymore. A new person must have been struck with the curse."

"The curse, hm?" Wooyoung hummed. Society in modern times was still split on immortality. While it granted a long life and peace to people, it also meant a loss of purpose and aimless wandering to others. Even if the possibility were open to everyone, not all humans would wish for immortality. And it would likely be only granted to individuals who deserved it. However, waiting for an immortal to die each time didn't sound like an achievable goal. Not a single immortal had outed themselves to date.

"Yes. What do you think?" Excitement had Mingi sway back and forth nervously. His fingers trembled when he took a pear and busied his mouth with it.

"I think it's genius. Of course, you have no proof, but that doesn't mean it's wrong either. Why else would the gods deny us of immortality if it didn't lead to such dilemmas? There could be countless cursed objects strewn all over the world."

"Right, I think the same! I think somewhere out there is the person who inherited Bilgames' immortality, potentially the only immortal we will ever have. And from him, the concept of eternal life branches off. If I could prove his existence, I could study the phenomenon closer!"

Mingi's glee filled the air with a delighted mood. Wooyoung wanted to ruffle his hair.

"I agree. I believe you should continue searching. I will tell you about the Philosopher's Stone, our take on immortality. But now that I think about your approach, it seems to make a lot more sense."

Mingi didn't stop glowing the entire day as they sat in his room to discuss their proposals. Until late at night, their conversation filled Mingi's room with excitement and laughter.

And even if Wooyoung had found only theoretical proof that wouldn't withstand the tides of destruction and the desert, he felt prepared to catch up on these steps later.