The peak

Hessian POV

"AAAAAARRRRRRGGGG"

Everything hurts. Why does this hurt so much? No seriously I am honestly curious, the researcher inside of me would like to know the reason. Leaving my desire to find out the reason for this aside, I might be in quite the pickle. The runes that Eresh placed on Onyx all those years ago are restraining my soul. I can't seem to pump out any mana and any energy that I make with denial of nothingness is being absorbed by the runes the moment I make it.

CRACK*

Oh shit that was the sound of my physical body being broken down by the divinity coming off the runes. If I die here, I won't actually be able to go against Eresh as a soul. Okay, let's calm down and think. I think to myself as I continue to scream out from the increasing pain. Okay, it is really hard to think like this. Fuck, let's see. I can manipulate souls but it's pointless against a literal goddess of death. My magecraft is unusable with my soul being restrained. If I make anything too large inside this cage, it might just speed up the process of my death by squishing me in the cage.

What the hell, this is bullshit! How am I supposed to win against this!? I think as I freeze for a moment. Hang on.... I take a moment to look around and notice that everything seems frozen. The pain is gone and I'm not screaming anymore. I turn my gaze to Eresh on the other side of this oversized cage. Completely still with a smile on her face. Since when can I stop time!?

Holy shit, did I just unlock some kinda BS time stopping power!? I hear footsteps from behind the goddess. My eyes narrow as I see someone I didn't expect to see. The man stopped right behind the goddess as he looks over her shoulder towards me.

"Tell me, are you content like this?" the Zanpakuto spirit asked as his eyes seemed to become sharper. "Do you truly feel nothing from this imprisonment?"

Well, I'm definitely pretty pissed. But I'm generally cool-headed and plus it's Eresh. Kind of hard for me to be mad at her. I see him shake his head as if he could read my thoughts.

"It is one thing to be cut down, but to accept a fate such as this..." The feeling of powerlessness washed over me again as pressure seemed to descend on me. This feeling, I could never understand what it was at first. But I think I get it now, this pressure. It's the sheer weight of his will. This is not the will of a king or sovereign. No. This is the will of someone who stands at the apex, looking down on all the insignificance of the world.

Is this guy truly part of me?

"I am." he responds to me. "I will ask you one more time. Are you truly content like this?"

"...No.." My voice rasps out. Unsurprising considering the amount of screaming I just did.

"Then what do you want? Do you want to win? Do you want to live? Or do you want to escape?"

This guy is ripping off Zangetsu right now. He really has been watching too much Bleach while sittin around in my world I guess. But that's fine, if he wants to rip off Zangetsu then who am I to complain?

"..I want...to win..." Ah dam I can't yell it out due to my throat hurting.

"I can't hear you" This asshole...

"I want to win.... I never had much to fight for... But I told her I would beat her, I refuse to lose against her! I WANT TO WIN"

He nods in approval as the world fades to black.

"Very well, then let's see where you stand"

∞

The next time Hessian opened his eyes, he found himself back within the world of water.

"Well this is the first time having someone else bring me here." he noted as he looked around at the familiar view.

However he found himself stunned as he noticed something that wasn't supposed to be there. A mountain. A mountain that stretched for miles around the world.

"It went above the clouds!" The young magician said as he tried to see the top, only to be blocked by clouds.

"Climb." The familiar voice of the Nameless sword spirit sounded from the top "Climb and allow me to see where you stand."

"Heh, I'll just fly up there." Hessian smirked as he tried to will his power to send him upwards but to no avail.

"You are powerless here. No magic, no memories, no tools, only your body." Hessian heard his Zanpakuto's voice again

Hessian found that his Zanpakuto was right. He had no access to any of his True Magics. He had no energy to manipulate. He was incapable of willing the memories beneath the waters to move for him. He felt... vulnerable.

"Climb and show me where you stand." His sword spirit broke him out of his small moment of panic as he looked up towards the invisible peak.

"Fine, just you wait. I'll get to the top!" he yelled as he began his trek to the top.

∞

Hessian POV

How long has it been? Days? Weeks? Months? No matter how much I climb, I can't seem to get to the top. Luckily I don't need to eat or drink. The higher I go, the more this insane pressure increases. I drop to the ledge panting as I look at my hands. Dirty, after so long without a shower I bet I stink.

I gaze down to see how far I've come. I can't even see the ground anymore. I went above the clouds, yet I still can't see the top. When will this end? I don't know, but I can't stop. I hate it. I hate this feeling of recognizing how small I am compared to everything. I haven't felt this way in a long time since I got magic. Which is why, I'll keep climbing this god-forsaken mountain. I want to stand at the peak. Although I enjoy doing nothing most of the time. That complacency was due to the amount of power I had.

There was never any need to reach the peak, for I was the peak. At least in my mind anyway. This emotion deep within me that pushes me to stand above everything. It's an urge that I always ignored because.... what's the point? To stand at the top? What then? Why do people suffer so much to obtain the power needed to stand above others?

Perhaps I'll never know the true answer. But it doesn't matter, I will continue to climb. That Zanpakuto's words annoyed me. See where I stand? He can see all he likes the moment I get to that peak. This is my world! I refuse to feel insignificant in my own world!

I nearly collapsed there. My hands are bloody now. How the hell am I bleeding in this world anyway? It doesn't matter, I can see the end. Dragging my body onto the peak, I lay there.

"heh...hehaHAHAHAHAHA!" My reason for laughter isn't because of joy for reaching the top. No, in fact I don't even know how to describe the emotion I'm feeling right now.

Staring at the view behind the seated sword spirit. There was an even higher mountain.

"You truly understand now. That there is always another peak above the highest peak." he says as he opened his eyes

"Then what was the point? What was the point of any of this!?" I ask a little annoyed that I actually put effort into something, only for it to be insignificant.

"The point was, to see if you had the will to climb." He got up and began walking to me "No matter what, you must always stand at the peak. It matters not which peak you stand on, so long as you have the will to continue forward."

"If not, then I would have cut you down as you were caged up." he says as he stopped a meter before me. "I refuse to accept someone willing to be so easily restrained."

I shakily stand up against the pressure. I've grown used to it after all this time.

"You can now stand before me." A half grin appears on his face "Now, I believe you are worth climbing with." he extends his hand

I look at his bandaged arm. I see, so all this was to see if I was worth fighting with. I can dig it. I extend my own hand towards his.

The world faded back to black

∞

"I've waited a long time for this, Hessian" Ereshkigal spoke as the demi-servant shakily stood up from her injuries

"...Master..." she tried to call out to the magician

King Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes as he noticed a change. Hessian stopped screaming.

"Hoh? Well isn't that interesting."

"Fou!" the tiny beast cried out as Ishtar road ontop of it

"Hey! Hessian! hold on we'll get you out of there!"

"No need..." Hessian opened his eyes as he looked straight at the Goddess of Death

"I've waited a long time for this too." he spoke as she noticed his eyes seemed to glow

"How are you...?"

"Stand at the zenith.... Nanashi! (Nameless)"

The underworld trembled.