Inside the guest house, Luce lay on his bed, submerged in a short coma, confused voices buzzing in his head. Suddenly, he woke up terrified and gasping, panic filling his eyes. He screamed with all the strength his exhausted vocal cords allowed, only to find Argus beside him, saying mockingly: "Has the Sleeping Princess awakened?"
Luce ignored his sarcasm and shouted anxiously: "Where is Erold?"
Argus was startled and said: "Calm down, your fight is over."
Luce tried to stand, but his body betrayed him and he fell to the floor, shouting in a hoarse voice: "Is he okay?"
Argus helped him up, saying: "Take it easy, he's in the next room."
Luce stood up and began moving with fast, unsteady steps, panting. He approached Erold's room to find him lying on his bed, talking to Jasmin.
Luce shouted in a joyful tone, his body beginning to collapse: "Erold! I'm so happy you're okay." He leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, a bright laugh appearing on his face: "I was worried about you."
Luce almost fell again, if not for Erold jumping up quickly and catching him: "Are you okay, Luce?"
Luce laughed weakly: "After seeing you, I'm fine, buddy. Besides, that bastard is truly strong! My heart still hurts until now."
Erold carried him gratefully and placed him on the bed, saying: "You rest. I feel better. I think this is due to that bastard Dante."
Jasmin looked at Luce with suppressed anger and said: "Why did you do that, Luce?"
Luce frowned slightly and said: "I wanted him to bring out that power I saw with Ashura."
Jasmin shouted emotionally: "And why, you idiot? Didn't you see that the situation was going to get worse? And worse than that, Dante could have killed you, or Dante might not have intervened and let Erold die!"
Luce replied quietly: "Don't worry, I know that what is inside Erold is hungry for battle."
Erold asked him in amazement: "And how did you know that?"
Luce said in a quiet voice: "It was clear in his fight with Ashura."
Luce's features returned to joy and he said: "Erold, we are ready to go to the Jinn world."
Erold replied with enthusiasm and cheer: "We certainly are, buddy!"
Erold remembered something and asked curiously: "True, Luce, what was that form? And why haven't you used it before?"
Luce said quietly: "I call it the Manifestation. The reason I don't use it is that for every hour spent in that form, a week is drained from my lifespan. Therefore, I must only use it in decisive moments."
Erold was stunned by the horror of the information: "Why did you use it then?"
Luce smiled sincerely: "I told you that this fight would be real, and I keep my word."
Gilgamesh entered the room smiling: "Well done, guys! Your fight was wonderful. Get ready, we move tomorrow, and today the village will hold a celebration."
Jasmin asked: "How was Argus's test this morning?"
Gilgamesh exhaled in annoyance: "Not bad, but annoying! He chatters too much during the fight."
Erold laughed and said: "Yes, he is like that."
Gilgamesh added: "Also, he didn't use a Soul Realm!" He looked at them, and they were shocked.
Gilgamesh said in wonder: "What? Didn't you know he possesses a Soul Realm?"
Erold shouted angrily: "That bastard didn't tell us!"
At that moment, Richard entered to say: "Hello, you strong ones!" He was startled to find them all angry. Erold shouted: "Where is Argus?" Richard said in panic: "He's in the middle of the village!"
Erold carried Luce on his back and set off quickly, with Jasmin following them, sparks flying from their eyes in search of Argus.
In the village square, Argus was standing boastfully talking to Rebecca, Amalia's friend, while Amalia stood nearby watching in silence. Argus said in daze: "I didn't expect anyone to watch me while I killed Gilgamesh!" Rebecca laughed cheerfully and said: "I did! You put on a great performance, even though your opponent was Gilgamesh. True, your fight wasn't like your friends' fight, but you were amazing!"
Argus grew shy and said: "Stop the praise!" Suddenly, Argus felt a vibration in the ground behind him. Rebecca pointed in panic toward the back; he turned to see Erold, Luce, and Jasmin running toward him, sparks flying from their eyes.
He brightened and smiled a ridiculous smile, opening his arms and saying: "Ah, guys! Did you miss me that much? Come to the arms of..."
He didn't finish his sentence before Jasmin's punch landed in his face, followed by Erold with a kick that knocked him to the ground, while Luce, who was leaning on Erold's shoulder, shouted: "You bastard! You possess a Soul Realm and didn't tell us this?"
Argus shouted in pain while writhing: "Stop! Stop! Sorry!"
Rebecca looked at them in daze, while Amalia watched Erold with shining eyes. Rebecca intervened, saying: "Stop hitting him, he'll die this way!"
They finally stopped, looking at him with anger. Argus stood up, wiping his clothes and saying: "What's wrong with you guys? No one asked me!"
Erold shouted in irritation: "Is this something we have to ask you about?"
Jasmin asked him sharply: "Since when have you had it?" Argus replied in a low voice: "A year ago."
Luce looked at Argus, narrowing his eyelids, and said: "Every time I think you've reached the peak of stupidity, you discover new horizons for me."
Suddenly, and without the slightest sound, Gilgamesh appeared in their midst as if he had split from the earth, and asked quietly: "What are you talking about?"
Jasmin jumped in fright and shouted: "Where did you come from?"
Gilgamesh laughed a light laugh: "Easy, little one, I didn't mean to scare you. We must go see the Gate."
Erold adjusted his stance and said: "That's right."
Gilgamesh said: "From what Richard said, the gate is divided into two gates. The first gate transports you to the location of the other gate to a world between the two worlds, and we will find another gate that transports us to the Jinn world."
Luce said, while still leaning on Erold: "Then let's go! Let's go, guys!"
Erold said enthusiastically: "Let's go!"
Argus started to move and said: "Are we on good terms now, friends?" Jasmin said to him with a cute angry face: "Please shut up, Argus."
Argus walked behind them, frustrated: "Sorry, guys."
Rebecca and Amalia remained standing, watching them depart. Rebecca turned toward her friend and asked her seriously: "When are you going to tell him your feelings for him?"
Amalia answered in frustration and brokenness: "I can't.... I am the one who pushed him away!"
Rebecca replied firmly: "And now you are crazy about him. You must take courage, for he may never return from there!"
Amalia exhaled in anger, clenching her fist: "Stop! Fine.... I will talk to him today."
Below the mountain of the King of Thieves, Richard sat. Erold and his companions arrived. Gilgamesh asked quietly: "So this is the place, Richard?"
Richard answered: "Yes, so I want to show it to you." Luce looked deeply: "Then from where do we enter?" Richard replied: "From here."
He stepped forward to push one of the rocks, opening a crack like a door in the mountain. Argus shouted enthusiastically: "This is great!"
They entered to find a waterfall falling from the top of the mountain into a bottom filled with water, surrounded by grass that filled the place with life. Jasmin: "This is exquisitely beautiful!"
They found a massive crack inside the mountain surrounded by large rocks. Richard said: "This is the Gate. Look at it."
The gate was a massive, winding stone structure, resembling a carved, eroded mountain peak. Its texture was rougher and older than the surrounding mountain. The central opening of the gate was vertical and terrifyingly narrow, dark as black charcoal, as if it were a void absorbing all light. This blackness was a deep, pitch black that reflected nothing, and resembled a narrow passage leading to a bottomless abyss. The rocks surrounding the entrance contained arches and were carved with drawings and incomprehensible words.
Directly in front of this majestic gate stood a massive stone table. The table was waist-high, made of dark gray, eroded stone smelling of the fragrance of time. In the center of the table, a circular slab was carved with an engraving of a Wide Eye, surrounded by four small circles connected to the edges of the eye by fine lines. The four circles were waiting to be filled.
Richard stepped forward to inspect the carvings until he stopped before an engraving, saying in a muffled voice: "This wasn't here the last time I came here."
Jasmin asked curiously: "And when did you come last?"
Richard said in shock: "20 years ago!"
Erold asked in amazement: "Did someone else do this?"
Richard shook his head hesitantly: "Impossible! No one can open this place unless the Eye of Mystery is near, and no one has moved the Eye of Mystery besides me. So, as my grandfather said about this place.... this place records the most important moments of history."
Erold, Jasmin, and Argus stepped forward, seeing a host of carvings, but their attention was drawn to a carving of a Balance and a person standing under it. Jasmin asked: "What does this mean?" At that moment, Gilgamesh's face was featureless.
Luce stepped forward quietly: "This is the Sumerian language." Jasmin's eyes widened in daze: "Sumerian? My God, it's ancient!" She looked at Richard with a firm voice: "Do you know someone who can read this?"
Richard replied in frustration: "No, unfortunately, I don't know. My grandfather mastered a little of it, but he died before he could teach me." Jasmin muttered in despair: "Damn."
But Luce stepped forward quietly and began tracing the lines with his finger, trying to read with difficulty. Jasmin looked at him mockingly: "What? Don't surprise me and say you know a little of it!"
Luce turned to her and said with quiet mockery: "To your misfortune, I do know a little of it."
Jasmin was stunned: "Where did you get all this time to learn?"
Luce smiled confidently: "That is what perfection requires, little one."
Erold and Argus exchanged looks of pride in their companion, and Erold whispered: "How much harder would our journey have become without him?" Argus replied in affirmation: "You're right."
Luce looked at the engraving to say: "This engraving talks about a trial that happened recently in the Kingdom of Uruk. This trial was called the 'Invalid Trial'. The trial attended by the Faceless."
Luce's voice trembled as he muttered: "The Faceless?!" Then everyone instinctively turned toward Gilgamesh.
Jasmin asked in a shaky tone: "In Uruk? Gilgamesh, do you know anything about this?"
Gilgamesh sighed deeply and said with majestic solemnity: "Approach, all of you..." Argus said: "So you know about it?"
Gilgamesh replied, his eyes looking into the void: "Yes. The Invalid Trial… was my trial"
Argus cried out in shock: "Wait, wait! I've heard about this. It was said you attacked a kingdom allied to you, and that thousands of your soldiers and their soldiers died in a horrific massacre."
Gilgamesh replied with a terrifying calmness: "Everything you heard is pure lie.... there was no army with me."
Jasmin stopped breathing for a moment and asked: "Wait, what do you mean?"
Gilgamesh replied stolidly: "I was completely alone."
Argus, trying to grasp what he was saying: "Fine, you destroyed parts of their kingdom."
Gilgamesh looked at him with a voice hollow of life, a regretful voice: "I annihilated the kingdom."
Everyone went pale, and Jasmin rushed toward Gilgamesh with anger mixed with terror: "Wait, wait! Are you telling me that you annihilated an entire kingdom, and you are now free, you lunatic?"
Gilgamesh didn't blink, but whispered bitterly: "Little one, I was not in my right mind." He clutched his head in his grief and said in a voice possessed by regret: "Unfortunately, I was controlled at that time by a strange magic. After I returned to my senses in the middle of the kingdom's ruins, Lorn took me from my prison for my trial."
Luce internally looked at Gilgamesh and said: This is not what happened.
Luce wondered and said: "What is this voice?" At that moment, Luce felt a sudden headache, and a strange voice rang in his mind: "This is not what happened... he is lying." Luce clutched his head and closed his eyes quietly to return to normal and said in shock: Someone is using Sound magic here.
Gilgamesh began to tell the details of that ill-fated day: "On the day of my trial, an entity named the Faceless attended, a friend of my family whose face is featureless; he attended that day."
In the Kingdom of Uruk, inside the court, Gilgamesh was unshackled, his handcuff chains swinging as if they had been broken. His clothes were full of blood; he walked with dead eyes, with guards by his side.
The Judge stood up, addressing King Lugal: "Your Majesty, this trial will lift the immunity. Today's trial will be for a member of the Royal Family, which is Gilgamesh, or as described by the commoners: the Mad Prince Gilgamesh."
Gilgamesh stepped forward. The Judge said quietly: "We will not ask for witnesses because the entire Kingdom of Uruk will testify against you, or for defense because no one wants to defend you. Therefore, you have the right to defend yourself, boy."
While the Judge was speaking, the court door opened with steady steps. The one called Faceless entered, making everyone—including the Judge—go silent for some time. The Judge said respectfully: "Please, enter, O Entity." Faceless sat beside King Lugal.
The Judge began and said: "So Gilgamesh, begin and defend yourself against the charges presented to you, which are: the annihilation of the people of the Kingdom of Bulgaros—at the very least, pure savagery—attempting a coup against the throne, stealing kingdom resources, and lifting sentences for dangerous criminals by threat."
The attendees began whispering: "My God, the nobles paid tons of gold to bribe the Judge to execute Gilgamesh." Another replied angrily: "He deserves execution." Another person intervened and said: "The least he should be punished for is what he did; we all know he committed nothing but that savage annihilation." Faceless listened to them.
The Judge said: "So speak, boy." Gilgamesh, with dead eyes, did not answer.
Then Faceless stood up and said in a quiet voice: "I am the one who will defend him." All the attendees were amazed.
The Judge objected: "But Your Excellency..."
Faceless replied: "I do not want an objection, if you please."
The Judge sighed: "Alright, Your Excellency, but you are under the floor of my court. Your immunity must be lifted, and you will be treated like the commoners."
Faceless said quietly: "Thank you, Judge."
Faceless stepped forward to grab Gilgamesh's shoulder: "You sit, Gilgamesh." He stood up and said in a quiet voice: "Honorable Judge and attendees, I stand today before your great presence and demand your justice, and your justice is nothing but mercy. The one standing before you is a person who possessed power and lost it at the same time."
Faceless continued: "He possessed something that exceeded his power, which is his heart. A while ago, this young man, as you all know, had his heart tied to his late wife Elia. After her departure, he fell into a void, which made controlling his mind a refuge for everyone."
The Judge asked curiously: "What do you mean by this?"
Faceless said: "Your Honor, Gilgamesh was under the influence of Control Magic, which exists in this world as rare as your injustice! This is what makes the one controlling his mind the criminal, not my client."
The Judge said quietly: "Faceless, there is no evidence for what you say."
With a deadly calmness, Faceless said: "What are you saying? Do you not realize that the word of Faceless is the evidence?"
The King stood up and said: "Your Honor, you know that Faceless has been certified for 150 years by this kingdom. What Faceless is famous for is truthfulness since my ancestors' time."
The Judge replied quietly: "Please Lugal, we judge here by evidence."
Quietly, Faceless said: "I apologize, Judge."
The Judge replied: "Continue, Faceless."
Faceless said: "Your Honor, and who said I don't possess evidence?" Faceless materialized a scene in the court with his magic.
Judge Marsh interrupted Faceless's attempt to materialize the scene, and said in a cold tone: "Faceless, I apologize, but materialization magic is uncertified evidence. We do not know if this is what happened or if it is your invention."
King Lugal struck the table with his fist until the hall shook, and shouted in a raging anger: "You have exceeded your manners with Faceless, Judge Marsh!"
The Judge did not back down, but stood firmly and said: "Do not interfere in this, King Lugal! You know that this trial must be precise; even if it is Faceless, there must be tangible evidence."
Faceless eyed the Judge with a mysterious look and said to himself: So, no matter the size of the evidence I place in your hands, your heart will not be quenched except by seeing his head cut off... you bribed fool!
Then Faceless said quietly: "Your Honor, I possess evidence, but it is not with me now. Will you grant this trial some time?"
The Judge agreed with noticeable tension: "Fine, I will give you an hour."
Faceless nodded his head: "Thank you." While looking at Gilgamesh, who showed no interest in his fate, he whispered to him: "No matter, boy, I am by your side."
Judge Marsh withdrew to his private room behind the platform, and as soon as he closed the door, he sighed in distress: "Damn the nobles! With the presence of the 'Faceless' entity, the mission will be harder than I thought." Suddenly, the blood froze in his veins when he heard a rustling behind him.. he turned quickly toward the darkness.
After an hour, Faceless returned with an ancient stone radiating magical auras that proved the occurrence of control. He entered the hall walking quietly, and sat beside the King waiting for the Judge, but the Judge did not appear.
After fifteen minutes, the Judge didn't come. Even after half an hour, one of the guards went to call the Judge. The door was closed; the guards broke his room door.. only for a scream to echo, shaking the court foundations.
The attendees, the King, and Faceless headed to the Judge's room. The sight was hair-raising. The Judge was hung by five spears. His eyes were covered and swollen, and he held a balance. His heart and tongue were in the heavier scale and surrounded by gold, and his mind was on the opposite side.
One of the guards lifted his eye covering, and gold pieces fell from his eyes; everyone was terrified and shrieked: "What happened?"
Someone raised his head in fear to the ceiling and said: "Look up!"
They found words written on the ceiling in blood: "He who blinds his heart with money, and takes his tongue to speak falsehood, and sees injustice and remains silent..... his trial is voided. This trial is invalid, and the one who invalidated it is the Star of Wisdom, 'Arost'."
Amidst the terror that paralyzed everyone, Faceless stood and said solemnly: "I, then, am the one who will judge Gilgamesh, and if I wrong him, I hope what happened to Judge Marsh happens to me. Does everyone agree to what I am going to say?"
Heads bowed in silent agreement filled with panic. King Lugal agreed and said: "Then you are the Judge, O Faceless."
Then Faceless announced his verdict: "Therefore, I acquit Gilgamesh of all charges, but he erred in something."
Everyone wondered eagerly: "Then what did he do?"
Faceless said his final word while eyeing Gilgamesh with a look dominated by sorrow: "You made yourself weak, boy, and weakness in your rank is not just a flaw, but an abominable crime. Therefore, I sentence you to four months in prison.. perhaps in them you will regain your senses."
Gilgamesh did not answer, for his eyes were hollow of life all that time, and he didn't pay any attention. The attendees left the hall whispering in awe: "Arost agreed to this verdict; we cannot object."
Only Lorn, King Lugal, and Faceless remained. The King thanked Faceless for his attendance, for Lorn to step forward and whisper in the King's ear; his features changed to overwhelming joy. Lugal looked at his son Gilgamesh and said in a strange tone: "How happy I am for you, boy. Will you remember me after 100 years?"
Then he turned to Lorn and ordered him: "Take him to his cell."
Gilgamesh returned to the present before the Gate, muttering as he recalled those memories: "While Faceless was looking at me, all that occupied my mind when I remember this event is: Why did he help me?"
Luce thought in his depths, analyzing: He followed the approach that destruction is considered a ladder; if you don't seize your opportunities in the stages of destruction, it will be hard for you to attain them later. He is extremely smart.
Jasmin stepped forward with regretful steps and hugged Gilgamesh, saying in a shaky voice: "I'm sorry Gilgamesh, I wronged you."
Gilgamesh patted her head with fatherly tenderness and said in a quiet voice: " Do not worry, little one. I have heard much worse."
Argus asked curiously: "So, what is this 'Faceless'?"
Gilgamesh replied cautiously: "All I know is that it is an ancient entity. Even though he helped me, I could sense something strange from him, something that made my senses alert."
Luce asked with interest: "Is he strong?"
Gilgamesh answered: "I think so. Why do you ask?"
Luce replied while thinking: "I only have some doubts." Luce thought to himself: The Star of Wisdom died a long time ago. It's impossible for him to be the doer.
Erold clapped his hands, trying to break the atmosphere of gloom: "Let's stop this sadness and get ready, guys!"
Jasmin cheered enthusiastically: "True, tomorrow is our appointment to bid farewell to the human world."
Erold held her head gently: "Why are you excited, girl?"
Jasmin: "Are you kidding me? I'll be the youngest human to go to the Jinn world!"
Argus mocked her, laughing: "No, it's not like that, little one; you'll be the shortest human to go to the Jinn world! Hahahaha! Then he wiped his tears and said: "Ah, pathetic!"
Jasmin shrieked in irritation: "You scoundrel!"
Suddenly, Arthur emerged with features covered in anxiety, and hugged Erold, crying out: "My God, how nervous I was! And Dante? Dante promised me he would help you. I didn't know he would do this."
Erold asked him suspiciously: "What did you do, Arthur?"
Arthur bowed his head in frustration: "I allowed him to control your body."
Shocked, Erold said: "What?"
Arthur said in frustration: "I didn't have a choice. My powers were no longer working, and if I didn't step aside for him, he would have controlled it by force and wouldn't have been able to heal your lethal wounds."
Erold asked in daze: "Did you lose your power, Arthur?"
Arthur answered in a voice full of brokenness: "Yes, I tried when you were stabbed to stop time, but it didn't respond, and even after your healing I tried repeatedly. Nothing changed. My powers were stripped, Erold, but I appreciate what Dante did."
Erold patted his shoulder and said sincerely: "No matter, Arthur, we will find a solution for your powers. Sorry for your worry about me. Also, Dante is strange; I don't know what he is—is he a monster protecting us, or an enemy waiting for the right moment to prey on us?"
Suddenly, Dante's voice pierced the depths of his consciousness: "I am you. How can I be your friend or your enemy?"
Erold replied in wonder: "What the hell are you talking about? What kind of riddles are these?"
Argus looked with a cunning smile toward Arthur and said: "Heey! You bastard! Do you think I've forgotten what you did?"
Arthur didn't wait but rushed off to fade into Erold's body, while Argus shouted in frustration: "Daaaaamn! He escaped!"
At that moment, something unexpected happened; Gilgamesh began trying to stifle a laugh that almost escaped him, and said, trying to regain his composure: "I'm going to the village." He then departed with solemn steps.
Argus asked in daze: "Since when has he started acting like a human?"
Erold replied: "I think he's starting to get used to us. Contrary to what he shows, there is a heart behind that coldness."
Jasmin commented, saying: "According to what I heard from Mr. Lorn, Gilgamesh has a kind personality, but he doesn't prefer merging with anyone."
Arthur added from within: "The truth is, when he was in the drunken stage, he was amusing."
Erold smiled: "You're right. Do you think that is his real personality?"
Arthur: "I hope so. Also, he can see me, so we will spend an amusing time, unlike the other idiot."
Richard interrupted their dialogue with a cheerful shout: "Come on, let's go back, it's time to celebrate, guuuyyys!"
Jasmin looked at him mockingly and said: "An old man acting childishly! Do you see this, Argus?"
Argus supported her, waving his hands indifferently: "Yes! Aren't you ashamed of yourself, old man?"
Richard exhaled in feigned annoyance and said as he was leaving the cave: "The youngsters of this generation truly don't know what manners are!"
Jasmin and Argus followed him, laughing: "Come on, Richard, we're only joking with you!" Richard shouted without turning back: "Get out of my sight! I don't want to see your irritating faces now!"