Verra's Close Encounter

'This morning, Gil told us that Eusia now belongs to us.'

'Logan and I were just about to have breakfast, thinking he was out somewhere, when he came into the room and gave us the news.'

'He had killed Pharaoh, made Princess Nailah into Eusia's new ruler, then demanded her subservience. I have no idea how he could have done it. For the past six years, Gilgamesh has maintained an air of mystery regarding his capabilities.'

'All we know for sure is that he can do things- amazing things. Imagine that. Us, ruling Eusia. Us? It still feels impossible.'

'After giving us the news, he told us that envoys should arrive from Eusia, then told us of his current plan. Gil wants to join Logan's advance party and leave the country with them. He says that, as the 'acting ambassador,' he must also go to the Shafra and represent us properly.'

'Logan and I have always been able to breathe easy when Gilgamesh was off on his little escapades, but they only became grander as more time passed. Now, despite everything, I cannot breathe easy.'

'I worry that he will push things too far. I look at him and see this confident little boy, and everything in me screams that I should protect him. Yet, what can I do?'

'I don't think anyone in this world can protect him. Not Logan and I, not Maximus and definitely not the Twelve.'

'But we will try. I will. Even if it kills me.'

|Angelica Dramaour's Thoughts As She Drinks Her Tea|

A frustrated grunt escaped Gilgamesh's throat as he opened his eyes. Not much could possibly frustrate the stoic lad, but as he came out of his session of meditation it was clear that something was doing just that.

His eyes flashed with annoyance, but just as quickly, that annoyance faded into calm acceptance.

"As hard as it is to believe, there seem to be some memories my spirit isn't allowed to regain. Perhaps this is also a part of the curse. It could also be a limitation that I've placed on myself... sigh."

He had been sitting, bareback, in intense meditation as he tried to force himself to remember the last of his elusive memories. Unfortunately, this was something he now knew to be impossible. He first had to figure out exactly why those memories in particular were out of reach, and that was not exactly an easy task.

Gilgamesh could only assume that the gods of his world were responsible for it, and he was very far away from there.

Standing up, he walked out of his room and glimpsed a familiar woman walking toward the staircase.

"Lara, have you seen my training tunic?"

Gilgamesh, barebacked and barefooted, walked out of his room in long, fitted black pants. Lara was just about to head downstairs, but she heard his question and stalled.

"Oh, yes, I think one of the girls was just about to bring it up along with the rest of your dried clothing."

"Thank you," Gilgamesh waved her off and returned to his room, leaving the door open. He walked to the balcony and looked out at the manor. Not only was it spruced up, but it was also much larger now. In the vicinity, the land had undergone serious development.

As far as the eye could see were simple abodes, small-scale shops and stalls, and even a few places to get something to munch on. Logan had long established relations with the travelling traders and caravans that frequented Eusia from distant lands.

With the promise of cheaper lodging, food and services that were only slightly lesser in quality that Eusia's, quite a few of these groups came to Dramaour City.

In the distance, the farmlands were filled with the tiny frames of the hard-working farmers and their workers, carrying on their backs the majority of Dramaour City's future. Gilgamesh smiled as he looked at the land. Despite the grandness and splendor of Eusia's capital, it could not compare to this land.

In the eyes of someone like Gilgamesh, a king, the potential of Dramaour City far surpassed that of Eusia's capital. Him and his parents would intricately shape its development, and turn it into something he could feel proud of.

By Gilgamesh's standards, it would likely become a city that no one in the world could ever dream of.

A woman he hadn't seen before soon entered the manor, driving a carriage. She left some of her people outside, who also had a bunch of horse carriages, filled with cargo. Gilgamesh saw a large number of armored men and women on horseback, all wearing black cloaks with matching insignias.

Gilgamesh guessed that this woman was Verra Earnes, Leader of the Shadowless Viper. Logan told him about her, and that she would help their relations with the Shafra. Logan also told him about what she had asked for, which intrigued Gilgamesh.

He could always appreciate someone with good sense. If this woman recognized the greatness of House Dramaour's future, then he would not disappoint her. However, this spoke to her own ambitions. If she would reject the great nations of the world for one she believed would surpass them all, it would not be too farfetched to assume she would want to be at the very top of it all.

Despite this, Gilgamesh did not care. Mere plots and schemes meant nothing to him; in the face of his power, only Heaven could hope to resist.

After glaring at the sky, he turned around and reentered his room, waiting for his clothes.

Once he finally went downstairs, he saw the woman kneeling before his father. Her brown hair was curly and wild, long enough to cover her entire face, but tucked behind her ears. Her skin was peachy, but her eyes were dark and the skin around them was almost just as dark.

Another thing that caught Gilgamesh's eye was the tiny white drawing of a snake under her left eye, ready to strike.

"Ms. Earnes, this is my son, Gilgamesh. He will act as House Dramaour's Ambassador to the Shafra, and will be responsible for delivering our message to them."

Verra's eyes briefly left Logan and looked to Gilgamesh. He was small, not even a teen, and barely muscular. She assumed that Logan was making some kind of joke. He had indeed told her that his son would be going with them to the Plains, but she had assumed he meant someone older. Granted, she did not know much about Logan and his family yet, but she did not believe that this child was who he intended to send.

"Good one, milord, but we must hurry. If we want to get to the Shafra and avoid inspection, we need to leave within the hour."

Logan barely managed to stifle his snicker and Gilgamesh only smiled, saying nothing.

"Gilgamesh will go with you. The rest will be up to him."

Verra's left eye twitched, but she quickly regained her composure and nodded in agreement. If Logan was confident in sending the boy, then she would offer no words against it. "As you wish, milord."

With a flourish of her cloak and a quick turn, she walked out of the mansion, leading the way for Gilgamesh to follow. He heard Lara's voice as he was walking out, so he turned to smile at her.

"Take care, Young Master. Despite their insistence, I told the staff that you did not wish to have anything prepared for your departure. You will leave here with nothing but what you have on you."

"I am most grateful, Lara."

Finally, he waved and smiled at his father.

"See you later, Father."

"Have fun, Gil. I'll tell your mother you're gone."

Angelica had already heard from Gilgamesh that he wished to go. Though she would always worry about it, she was not afraid. She did not think it necessary to come see Gilgamesh off. This was just another one of his little trips. He would be back before they even knew he was gone, and surely shock them with his recount of the journey.

The doors closed, and Gilgamesh entered the carriage as Verra drove them out.

Once they were outside, Verra came into the carriage with him as one of her people took over. She looked at him once, then leaned over onto the window, closing her eyes.

"We'll be on the move for five hours straight. There's a compartment in the seat with water and smoked meat. If you eat or drink it all, you can't have more until we've stopped. Also, please try to keep quiet. I want to get some sleep before we get there. Sound good?"

Without looking at him, Verra spoke these words and sank further into her seat, relaxing. Gilgamesh tilted his head to the side, looking amused, and merely made a noise to indicate that he was listening.

By then, they were already quite some distance from the manor.

Gilgamesh was not really interested in taking in the sights. Instead, he got into a meditative position and slowly tuned out the world around him. Even the occasional bump and shake of the carriage was tuned out, and he entered the signature state of tranquility.

By now, he was so used to meditation that he was almost impossible to disturb. However, this did not mean that he was unaware of his surroundings, but that he could sense things around him and not be forced out of meditation. It was quite a fortunate development.

As he did this, Verra stirred and ended up glancing at him. At first, she thought that his sitting position looked familiar, so she looked again.

When she realized what he was doing, her brows shot upward in surprise. Immediately, she put her hand forward and closed her eyes.

'There's no way he's actually meditating, right? A child like him? I hope he doesn't notice me invading his spirit. He is a child, though, so he shouldn't know that much about his spirit to recognize that...'

Verra's extended consciousness then began to touch Gilgamesh, attempting to observe his spirit and see whether he was actually meditating or not. Sadly, she was playing with fire and did not know it.

The moment her meagre spirit touched Gilgamesh's, not only did he feel it, but his spirit instinctively lashed out at the invading force.

Verra could not even scream in pain. In fact, her body was not even a chance to move. Such was the intensity of this spiritual attack; it was instant and impossible to defend against.

Luckily for her, Gilgamesh's control over his spirit was, essentially, at the very peak. He ceased the natural response of his spirit and just barely managed to stop Verra's spirit from being completely wiped out.

Her eyes opened and she immediately fell onto the floor of the carriage, gasping for breath and struggling to see through her dull, blurred eyes. When she finally garnered enough strength to raise her head, Gilgamesh was staring down at her, still looking amused.

"What... what are... you?" Verra asked this, sounding parched. She would inevitably pass out after such an injury, so Gilgamesh was surprised that she could still speak before then.

"For now, I am House Dramaour's Ambassador. You may refer to me as 'Young Master' or 'Lord Gilgamesh.' As for what you just did..."

The atmosphere instantly became cold as Gilgamesh's amused look became filled with disdain and disgust. Under that gaze, Verra felt like she had wronged Heaven itself, and her spirit's lifeforce was almost extinguished.

Gilgamesh leaned forward a bit, placing his hand just in front of her face, his fingers ready to snap.

"Do not ever attempt to invade my spirit again. If you do, you will die."

He snapped his fingers, and she fell unconscious. His last words, a promise to end her life, would echo in her mind nonstop, even long after she woke.

She slept soundly on the floor as her body tried its best to begin recovering the spirit she had lost. With a few weeks of rest, food water and exercise, she would probably regain some of it.

Gilgamesh continued meditating with no real goal in particular, and time passed. It was evening when they stopped somewhere heavily forested to make camp for the night.

There was a knock on the carriage door, but Verra was still asleep, so Gilgamesh opened it himself and exited. The driver, a tall man in armor, saluted Gilgamesh. He had long been told of the boy's status, and knew that he was extremely important to the Captain. He then waited for Verra to exit after Gilgamesh, but when she didn't, he climbed up to the door and saw her unconscious body.

"She's sleeping, not dead."

The man turned around and saw the look that Gilgamesh gave him. He knew that, if he tried to make a scene, Gilgamesh would instantly kill him. The man felt, in that moment, like Gilgamesh could kill everyone there with ease. He froze, and could not even think until Gilgamesh spoke.

"Let her rest. She needs it."