The Trees Tell Tales

'I once found a seashell in a metal bucket. I don't know what that means, but I know it's true.'

'I am an Oak, tall and proud. Yesterday I was an explorer- or was it the day before? I cannot tell anymore. I do not even remember what an explorer is, but that is surely what I was.'

'Days pass by so slowly, it feels like I'm living in sinking sand. I long for the day where I can return to life as it was. I wish to continue my journey, and see the rest of what this world has to offer.'

'Instead, I am stuck here. Held fast by the roots that are my lifeline- I can never escape them. Perhaps a chance will come for me, someday, to free myself from these shackles. I hold out hope, but it scatters just as my leaves do. I see no reason to hope any longer. All I can do now is dream and die. Still, it is a sweet dream.'

'A dream of sea shells and metal buckets.'

|Thoughts Of A Spirit Trapped Within A Random Tree|

"I've never seen such a large ant. I guess I should have paid more attention to The Collective. To think that there are worlds like this."

Ishtar marveled from afar at a giant leafcutter ant, going about its busy day. One of its legs alone were many hundreds of feet long, meaning its body was impossibly massive. Gilgamesh scoured the landscape, but could barely see past the trunk of one of the trees ahead of them.

"I suppose there are advantages to a large world like this. It should be easy to see a lot of things coming, at least." Gilgamesh, in his gold vest and black pants, walked ahead of Ishtar who was still in her spotless outfit. She still exuded an otherworldly aura, but it was suppressed to the point that Gilgamesh could barely even feel it- despite her being right next to him.

"Yeah, but how are you going to fight something that big?" Ishtar asked as they walked across a yellowish fallen leaf.

"I don't know if I can, but this sword and I have a little bit of an understanding. I think if I talk to it a bit, I can persuade it to submit to me."

"Ohh..." Ishtar trailed of as she spotted more distant ants.

They slowly approached the closest tree to them, which was not that far from the lake-sized pool. Even so, it had taken them a few hours to walk to it. Once they were close enough, an obscenely large amount of spiritual energy washed over them.

Fortunately, the energy wasn't all that powerful, nor was it hostile towards them.

Instead, it transferred thoughts to them through their own spirits. It appeared as though they had been reached out to as soon as they were close enough, just so that something could converse with them.

"It appears as though a new batch of young fleshlings have arrived in my patch of this Grate-Gut Wood." The voice was overly masculine, to the point where it sounded like the person speaking was trying way too hard.

Ishtar curiously looked at the tree ahead of them while Gilgamesh looked around. He couldn't yet place where the voice was coming from, and was looking for its source.

"I think it's that tree over there that's speaking," Ishtar pointed.

"The tree?" Gilgamesh looked at the humungous tree ahead of them, and as he eyes narrowed he realized that Ishtar was right. With his spirit back to level one, he could not have sensed it.

"Welcome, tiny ones. Fear not, for my soil is already saturated with the nutritious blood of your kin. I need no more, but I will not hesitate to add yours to the pile if you cross me."

Gilgamesh and Ishtar shared a look.

"Speechless, eh? It is understandable, not everyone can fathom my matchless maple might."

Gilgamesh wanted very badly to facepalm, but he held in the urge so he could, at least, see where the tree was going with this before he pissed him off. Ishtar chuckled and fiddled with her pouch, quietly observing.

"I quite like this disposition of yours. You seem to recognize true majesty. As such, I shall afford you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to listen to the story of my glorious life. You see I was not always a tree- I was a fleshling, just like you two. One day, my life was permanently altered by the ever-turning wheel of life, death, fate and destiny."

"On the morning of the eight day, in the year of our Great Lord Mellifera, smack in the middle of the forty-ninth century, I woke up with a most heinous toothache..."

The tree trailed off, and eventually Gilgamesh and Ishtar realized that it served them no purpose to wait here and listen. So, they continued walking away. It would take them a couple of hours to get out of the tree's spiritual range, so they continued to hear his story.

So engrossed was he in his storytelling that he did not even notice them leaving. The tree would continue transmitting his thoughts to them right up until the final second, only then would he realize they had left.

They walked until evening, and were now approaching another tree. Surprisingly, a similar scenario played out.

"You have trespassed on my royal grounds, skin-wearers. Fortunately I am in a good mood today, so I have no reason to slaughter you where you stand."

Once again, Ishtar and Gilgamesh shared a look.

"I know you must be terrified, but worry not. I am in a good mood today, and am willing to let you go. However, in place of the hellish punishment I would have given you, you shall be forced to stay here and listen to the grand history of this godly maple!"

And, much like the other tree, it started carrying on...

"It all started when I had a bowl of hot soup one night. It was very spicy, and the next day I could feel my bowels crying out. From the moment I relieved myself of that excrement, my life was forever changed."

Gilgamesh and Ishtar swiftly left, wanting to get as far away as possible from this tree.

Night had fallen when they were far enough away, and so they decided to stop and rest. Ishtar felt around in her pouch before pulling out a small-scale condo, greatly surprising Gilgamesh.

It had a single bedroom, a living room, washroom and kitchen, as well as one of those holographic screens that Gilgamesh had fallen in love with. Throughout the night, they relaxed in comfort and washed away the memory of those annoying trees.

Ishtar fell asleep with her head in his lap, and only once she was asleep did Gilgamesh reach for the sword at the bedside. He meditated and tried to use his meager spirit to get in touch with the sword's spirit, but he did not succeed.

The next morning, they got started early.

"Say, don't you think I should just teleport us to the edge of the forest? There's nothing here but trees and deer- I checked."

Gilgamesh considered it, but in the end he shook his head, "If I can't teleport myself, then I'm not gonna teleport at all. I know you're here with me, and this is probably boring for you, but I'm not gonna rely on anyone this time. I need to build a foundation of power that is entirely my own. Something that no god can take away."

Ishtar's eyes lit up, "So is that why you said you would study this world's system of laws? You're not trying to adapt to it; you're trying to use it!"

Gilgamesh smirked but said nothing, he just kept walking.

"Who dares trample my holy grass? Beware, foul ones, for I do not take such disrespect lightly. You are fortunate that you have caught me on a good day, so I shall not abuse your tiny selves. Instead, I charge you with the task of recording and spreading this detailed epic of my life up to this point!"

"I was alone in the ocean, just me, my boat, and my faithful fishing rod..."

Gilgamesh frowned all the way past that tree, then another and another.

"Ishtar..."

"Hm?"

"Teleport us away from here."

With that, a tiny speck of gold materialized in the space between them, and transported them to the edge of the maple forest, far enough away from the closest tree that they were out of its spiritual range. Gilgamesh released an exasperated sigh and looked at the area outside of the forest.

There were trees here as well, but they were less in number, far smaller, and spread out a lot further apart. The land was overgrown with tall grass, and separated by a large flowing stream that travelled as far as the eye could see.

On the most distant horizon that Gilgamesh could see, there appeared to be some sort of man-made structure.

"Hopefully we don't run into anything like that again."

"One can only hope," Ishtar chuckled.

They walked until nightfall and Ishtar took the condo out of the pouch once again. Gilgamesh asked her how it was able to fit in there, which alerted her to his ignorance of the power of laws.

"Oh right! You were never permitted to touch any kind of magic, and thus were never able to command the laws. That explains why you don't even know such basic things." Ishtar said this matter-of-factly, and Gilgamesh gave her a sideways glance.

She laughed at that, and he sighed; he knew she was just teasing.

"Spatial manipulation requires- as I'm sure you know- some command of the laws of space. With it, you can mimic space's functions and forcibly extrapolate the effects, regardless of where or how its applied."

"So, in theory," Gilgamesh started, "I could give the palm of my hand enough surface area to grab and throw a star? And I don't have to alter its size at all?"

Ishtar nodded, "In theory, as long as you have enough power of the laws of space, you can do all that and more. I don't really care for space much, but it is useful for things like this," Ishtar ended while pointing at her pouch with a proud smile.

"I see."

Gilgamesh looked over at the Demiurge Blade that was leaning against the bed. He recalled how Ku had used it, and thought about what Ishtar had just said.

"I think this sword may be attuned to those very laws."

Once again, they relaxed together until Ishtar fell asleep, then Gilgamesh meditated with the sword in hand once again. This time, he was not trying to reach out to the sword, but was just solely focused on meditating and sorting through his thoughts and memories.

Then, another surge of memories slipped through the seal and returned to him.

In them, he saw himself as a youngster, sitting on a beautiful woman's lap. This was his mother, Ninsun. They sat at a fireplace together and spoke of all manner of things; Lugalbana, Gilgamesh's father, was no where to be seen.

He realized that this memory was from a time where his father had already been taken from them.

"The fire sure is pretty, Mother." Gilgamesh's red eyes glistened with the glow of the flames he was staring into, and his mother was staring into them.

"Yes, it is very pretty." Ninsun smiled, her own smile matching the fire's warmth.

"Where does it come from?"

"The fire?"

"Mhm." Gilgamesh looked up at his mother and patiently awaited her answer.

"The fire is a inexplicable thing. For one to understand how it works is a simple enough matter- even grasping how it works is not too difficult. But as for what it is and where it came from, there are none who know the whole truth."

"But Mother, you said that just because the truth is hidden, doesn't mean it can't be observed."

Ninsun's smile brightened, and she gave Gilgamesh a gentle poke, "Clever boy. You remembered."

"Mhm," Gilgamesh smirked, though it was not tinged with arrogance or pride, just pure innocence.

"Think about this. Mortals cannot command the seas, nor can they summon the rain right?"

"Mm-mm."

"They cannot call forth lightning when they wish, nor can they shift the earth on a whim to suit their needs. However, fire is something than any mortal can create and utilize. It is not limited to any one group of people."

"I have told you before that the Elder Gods crafted what we know as the elements from magic's source. Everything that they created, they kept for themselves to further ensure that their position as gods could never be contested. They alone possess all control over them.

"Any element that a mortal can control, they can only do so because the gods allow them to."

Gilgamesh's tiny face twisted as he frowned, "So how can mortals create fire?"