Fate/Elysion

Chapter 2 - Memories

I wasn't hungry or thirsty, I didn't know why, but I knew it was weird. This was what my thoughts said. It was really hard to live with that feeling of alienation, but the last thing I wanted was to alarm Enkidu with these things that were probably nothing but minutiae.

I entered that cave with reticence; it was a dark and humid site, not exactly my ideal 'safe place'. I sat down on the ground and tried to illuminate the darkest corners of my memory, but without any success. I looked at the symbol on my hand: it resembled a kind of rose. My eyes passed over the sleeve of my black jacket and I noticed the clothes I was wearing. I realized I was wearing some clothes I didn't like: black jacket and pants, neutral tie and white shirt. I was as elegant as a corpse and for a moment I thought I was as adorned as the sacrificial victims of antiquity.

I took off my jacket and threw it to the ground. The same fate was reserved for that stupid tie. I unbuttoned the first three buttons of my shirt and raised the sleeves to the height of the forearm. It wasn't the perfect look, but it was better than being dressed for a funeral. It was then that I noticed some kind of code that had been written on my arm. It was written: '0SQR-no.23'. I didn't know what it meant or why it was there; that code didn't stimulate my memory in any way.

"I brought some food, Master." Enkidu arrived with a handful of berries.

"Are you sure there are no problems, right?" I asked skeptically.

"I would never risk poisoning you, Master."

I began to eat. I ate so as not to worry Enkidu, of course.

Enkidu sat down in front of me after lighting a fire. The night had risen and the only thing that kept us warm was that single bonfire. The lights of the flame illuminated Enkidu's blissful gaze, I was immediately captured; as soon as they turned, I looked the other way with an embarrassed manner. I knew it wasn't polite to stare at people, but it was hard to ignore such a creature. Their beauty became secondary to the subdued elegance worn by their movements, they were poetry in motion. When I looked at Enkidu, it seemed to me that I was in front of some kind of saint.

Enkidu began to look at the stars and then, taking a peek at their face, I noticed that a smile was forming on their lips; a nostalgic smile.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked cautiously.

"Mm? I'm... thinking about one person."

"Who?"

"My dearest friend." They took a short break. "Do you know my story, Master?"

I shook my head.

"I'm the creature who was meant to face the greatest king in history: Gilgamesh. My parents, Anu and Aruru, gave me the life so that I could compete with the arrogant and tyrannical King of Heroes."

"Where were you born?"

"I wasn't conceived, but created. I was created in the wild forests near the Uruk domain and grew up with the animals; I drank with herbivores and hunted with carnivores. Then, one day, things changed. It was a prostitute, the beautiful Shamhat, who introduced me to the civilization of humans and I fell in love with her indescribable beauty, so I decided to emulate her and took her appearance."

"You mean that..."

"I look like that prostitute, yes. With this aspect, I chose to present myself to the court of Gilgamesh and challenged him to a duel. Initially he didn't take me seriously, but then he confronted me and things changed."

"What happened next?" I was really interested in that story.

"After that three days and three nights battle, I realized that maybe it was wrong to kill Gilgamesh, maybe the best thing to do was to trust him and try to change him. I disobeyed the gods and sided with the King of Heroes and that was the beginning of our long friendship."