Gilgamesh rose after his fall, his hollow eyes scanning his surroundings, realizing that his salvation lay within this world.
He began to penetrate the trees with heavy, calculated steps. The dark, luminous branches twisted above his head like a web of gloom, while a light mist descended between the trunks. He heard nothing but the sound of his boots treading the damp earth. As he advanced, the terrain began to rise gradually, revealing a scene that tore through the forest's silence.
The trees suddenly receded, and an awe-inspiring sight was revealed before him: a massive tower, neglected and broken, floating in the air as if it were a piece of another world torn from the sky. The tower consisted of ancient architectural layers, its long, arched windows dark, punctuated by deep gaps indicating ancient destruction.
Its summit was partially hidden among the heavy clouds that covered the horizon in dark blue and dying orange. The dark branches characteristic of the surrounding forest hung from the bases of the flying tower, attempting to cling to it, as if the environment itself were trying to drag this strange structure to the ground.
Directly beneath this hanging tower, and at the bottom of the rocky slope where Gilgamesh stood, was a roaring waterfall flowing violently. Its waters were dark, piercing the darkness to crash into the narrow valley below, producing a deep sound—the first of its kind to break the desolate silence of the forest.
Gilgamesh froze in place. He raised his head to look at the soaring tower, then at the flowing waterfall, whispering coldly, "Is this the place?"
Gilgamesh took a deep breath and said in a serious voice, "It is time."
Quickly, Gilgamesh vanished from his spot, heading with immense speed toward the floating tower. He headed to the cliff and jumped powerfully at the edge, his body swinging between heaven and earth before grabbing the edge of the floating tower. He began to climb until he reached a large stone door.
Gilgamesh looked at it and noticed engravings written on it: "Whoever has the audacity to face their weakness and the courage to defeat it, will obtain their desire."
The door began to open slowly before Gilgamesh. It was a dark place with only a faint light at the end. Gilgamesh sighed and said, "It is time to enter then." Gilgamesh entered and vanished into the darkness, and the doors closed very slowly behind him.
Jasmin began to regain consciousness slowly on the hard ground. She opened her eyes and sat up, pressing her head which pulsed with sharp pain, as if a rock had fallen on it. She muttered in a choked voice, "My God, what is this pain?"
At moment, a deep, cold voice broke the silence, carrying a mocking tone: "Good morning, little mouse."
She turned slowly and raised her gaze upward to find Ashura sitting on a massive stone throne, carved with terrifying precision, surrounded by a mountain of accumulated skulls extending as a horrific base for his throne. The skulls were of different sizes and shapes, suggesting they belonged to various creatures. Ashura was leaning on the throne, his hair falling over his shoulders, his eyes gleaming with the spark of evil.
Jasmin looked at him with a blank stare, her eyes following the lines of dried blood on the skulls for seconds, as if trying to grasp the immense death surrounding her. Then, with a strange coldness that transcended the limits of logic, a sudden smile formed on her lips and she asked in wonder, "Who are you, sir?"
Ashura looked at her from his throne in astonishment. "You... you don't know who I am?"
Jasmin held her head again. "No... did I fall on my head or something? Where are we?"
Ashura laughed a deep laugh that shook the cavern, then suddenly went silent and leaned his hand on his forehead. "You are in my cave, a human in the Jinn world. Who are you, little one?"
Jasmin replied with difficulty while trying to focus, "I don't remember who I am."
Ashura's gaze fell on her wrist, and he pointed with biting sarcasm, "A beautiful bracelet."
Jasmin looked at her hand, surprised by the presence of the bracelet, and cheered with childish joy, "My God! It's truly beautiful! Are you the one who gave it to me?"
Ashura looked down at her in wonder, possessed by an extremely strange feeling. He said to himself: Well, enough talk, farewell...
Ashura raised his two fingers toward her, intending to take her soul in the blink of an eye. But before he could finish, he saw Jasmin trying with all her effort to climb the pile of skulls to reach him.
Ashura slowed his movement, as if he had stopped time at his fingertips, and asked in wonder, "What are you doing?"
Jasmin replied as she continued climbing with difficulty, "I'm trying to reach you to thank you."
But her strength failed her; she slipped and fell, her head hitting everything. Ashura began to laugh hysterically. Jasmin looked at him; he rose from his throne and slid with terrifying lightness among the skulls to stand before her as she lay on the ground. He said, "I like you, little one. I shall let you live."
Jasmin wondered, "Were you planning to kill me?"
Ashura laughed, then went silent and said with sudden sharpness, "Is there a problem with that?"
Jasmin said quite calmly, "No... I appreciate your honesty."
Ashura stared at her in total surprise. "What a strange person you are!" He laughed and said, "But it pleases me, little one. You are something rare in the Jinn world, and I love collecting rarities."
Jasmin looked at him. "What? Wait, who are you?"
Ashura snapped his fingers, and Jasmin rose into the air by gravity magic. He said, "You asked who I am..."
In a deep voice that shook her very being, he continued: "In this world there are many laws, and I am the one born to rewrite them. In my absence, the world speaks of good and evil; in my presence, I hear only strength and weakness. I am the one who considers morals a lie repeated by the weak to comfort themselves."
Jasmin replied while in the air, "My God! Words without feelings!"
Ashura smiled coldly, reflecting deep pride. "Feelings are chains... and I broke them long ago. So that I realize the world appreciates only the strongest. Strength is what made me what I am today... I am the one who found limits for the world, but found no limits for my greatness!"
He opened his arms and shouted: "I am the Lord of Destruction, Ashura!"
Jasmin began clapping with extreme enthusiasm, her eyes wide with astonishment, floating in the air as she said excitedly, "Your words gave me chills, Ashura!"
While Jasmin was floating, Ashura glimpsed something protruding from her pocket. He approached her and snatched the paper that was hidden there. Jasmin wondered and cried out curiously, "What? What did you find? Tell me!"
Ashura looked at the paper coldly and said, "Nothing important but your name, Jasmin."
Jasmin grumbled with resentment, "What? Jasmin! What kind of name is that? And what does it even mean?"
Ashura approached her as she floated, pushing her in the air so she drifted away from him, and said, "It is the name of a flower, you idiot!"
Jasmin was amazed. "My God! What a beautiful name." Then she quickly got angry and said, "Who are you calling an idiot?"
Ashura looked at her calmly. "You know you can live without a tongue, right?"
Jasmin became flustered and terrified, saying, "No! No! Sorry!"
Ashura snapped his fingers, and the gravity magic vanished. She fell, groaning, "Can't you be kinder than this?"
Ashura smiled and headed toward the cave exit with confident steps. "There is no kindness in my dictionary, little one."
Jasmin followed him insistently, asking, "Where are we going?"
Ashura replied, "I have some matters to attend to."
Jasmin wondered, "What? What? Tell me!"
Ashura ignored her. Jasmin continued pursuing him and clinging to him, saying, "Tell me, come on! I promise you won't regret it!"
Ashura walked while she was clinging to him, replying with a suspicious calmness, "I have never regretted anything in my life, little one."
Then, with cold features, Ashura looked at her and said, "Do you want to see the Lord of Destruction?"
Ashura smiled and said, "Little one, this day has come for you to witness, to realize, and to boast about seeing the Lord of Destruction."
Jasmin, on Ashura's shoulder, asked, "What does that mean?"
He replied with a demonic smile, "Today you shall realize the meaning of this name."
In front of a castle, Luce was lying unconscious from extreme exhaustion, unable to grasp his surroundings. A caravan began approaching the castle while Luce was sprawled in the middle of the road. The caravan advanced and stopped. A person emerged who looked much like a human, with brown eyes, thick hair, and a light wheat-colored skin tone topped with a soft tan suggesting calm authority. He wore a velvet robe the color of dark agate, embroidered with golden threads on the shoulders and the high collar. As for his face, it combined handsomeness and sobriety; his features were sharp and defined by a strong jaw, and his eye expressions were devoid of excessive emotion, instead carrying a piercing and confident look fitting for one accustomed to issuing orders.
The person began speaking to the guards leading the horses quietly: "Why have we stopped, guards?"
One of the guards answered with reverence: "We apologize, Prince Rigby, but there is someone in the middle of the road."
Prince Rigby looked to find Luce. He got down from the carriage and approached him cautiously, then began asking: "Are you okay, boy?"
The guards ran toward the Prince; one of them grabbed him and said, "Do not do this, Prince! It is dangerous!"
One of the guards stepped forward, gripping his weapon, and approached Luce, only for it to be revealed that Luce is human. The guard shouted: "He's human!"
All the guards drew their weapons. The Prince shouted: "Lower your weapons! You know we do not consider humans enemies in this kingdom!"
The guards retreated regretfully, sheathing their swords. "We apologize, Your Highness."
Prince Rigby approached Luce once more and placed his hand on his forehead, finding him dripping with sweat and his temperature frighteningly high. The Prince sensed the danger of death surrounding the young man, so he shouted to his guards with a decisive command: "Take him quickly to the Medical Wing! Now!"
The guards hesitated, saying: "The general wing, Your Highness..."
But the Prince replied with an indisputable sharpness: "The Royal Wing, quickly!"
Everyone shouted: "Yes, Your Highness." Everyone bowed in obedience to his command and carried Luce, heading with him into the depths of the castle.