Ninurta and Azag II

"I want to give them hope."

Azag, Chopper and I stood in a vast field of golden wheat, under the shade of the sole tree bent by time. Wind blew quite freely, making waves through the field, and a rhythm which made us forget this wasn't even real. I was astonished to find such a peaceful place spun around by Azag.

We weren't alone there. There was a man, with waist length dark hair and a gentle expression, wearing a long white coat. He didn't seem to take any notice of us. I later realized that this was a real memory. We were just onlookers in that world. Any action we took made no dent nor difference there.

"I want these people to take control. I can't help them much longer after all. I can't save them from their ultimate demise. And I certainly can't bring back the ones that die. No matter how good of a doctor I may be, I simply cannot accomplish a miracle."

At first I believed he was talking to himself out loud. As it turned out the tree was very much alive. Or perhaps, possessed by something in that moment. It answered to the man's musings.

"And how may I be of assistance to you?"

The voice that came from the tree was a grave, shallow one, almost blending with the wind.

"You must find me ridiculous, offering myself to you like this...but I find my life is going to come to an end soon. The villagers haven't the slightest and I still look youthful. But I know the signs, I'm a doctor after all. This isn't something that can be cured either, it slowly grips me from the inside and spreads death around it as it expands...eventually, it will engulf me. I might still have some years but I realized that when I'm gone, there would be no hope to cling to for all these poor people. I don't want to leave my life's work unattended like this...in despair."

"You are a grail for your people but how has that made them worth the effort? Are you not indulging in utter foolery by sacrificing your soul for those wretched minds?"

The man smiled gently, "If that is how you choose to see this...As for me, I have vowed to leave a legacy of hope for my people."

"And so you shall. But know that I shall prove to be a harbinger of sorrow for you. My armies will follow where I go. And though you are tolerant, your people will not find any pleasure in their presence."

We listened silently to the talking two. I understood that the man was Ninurta, the doctor Chopper had once told me about. As such, the one in the tree must have been Azag from when the two of them made a pact.

With that conversation over, the wheat fields crumbled and a new image sprouted. We were now in a village, ruined and on fire. It was a dark night this time and a rainy storm replaced the dancing wind from before. Even the rain couldn't put out the flames that engulfed the houses. Soon, we saw Ninurta, clad in armor this time. He carried a steel sword, drenched in blood, and wore a silver breastplate which glimmered among the flames. We couldn't see his face as his back was turned to us.

"Azag...", he spoke aloud, "Do your armies know that the one laying waste to them is the very master they followed?"

"Indeed", Azag spoke with the same voice as Ninurta, "Each that I cut down knows the tragedy that befell them. But loyalty isn't singular to just your people. Even in their demise, they have served me well."

Ninurta stood silent, as did we, watching him.

"You killed demons...for a human?", I asked Azag, or perhaps I should say Wolfe.

He remained silent, which was an answer in its own. He wasn't enjoying those memories either, I suppose.

Once again, the scene was stripped before our eyes and a new one presented itself. This time, we were on a cliff. The sun was sailing down but the clouds that spread across the vastness of the sky, made it a gray evening.

Ninurta stood alone, once more, more distraught than he'd been before.

"I cannot allow any more misery befall them. They believe in me, they worship me...I must not let any despair come near. Even though they don't lose their lives, their beloved homes are ripped apart over and over again. To kill the land I call home like this...I cannot let this war go on any longer. I must end this. Your companionship, Azag, has allowed me to live beyond my years but for all that is good in me, I must relieve this world of myself."

"You will not betray me, Ninurta. I have laid to rest all that which was mine, my army is lost. I have defeated it with my own hands. Your life does not belong to you alone, it is as much mine as it is yours. Ninurta! You shall not!!!"

The cliff crumbled away beneath our feet as Wolfe extended his hand and crumpled the world around us.

"Yet, he did. He betrayed me. He took his own life. I was abandoned by that damned human. My home, my loyal people, my power, my everything! I lost everything!", Wolfe exploded, "And to what end? Where was my...justice? The hero they hailed...the god Ninurta, you hypocrites haven't the slightest of idea what he was. Now you know the truth...will you choose to deny me? If so, I will make sure, your entire being is laid to waste. I shall spare no one!"

Truth be told, I wasn't sure if it was really right to kill Azag. He'd been taking his revenge, and it wasn't really uncalled for either. He couldn't return home, there had to be a place he could exist in. I knew at the core of my being, that he was right. Perhaps these sentiments were stemming from my sympathy for demons--Nasty II, to be precise--but I couldn't see us in the right anymore.

I looked over at Chopper, he took out a cigarette from some compartment of his clothes and lit it, placing it between his lips as he took a long puff and let it out calmly. In fact, I'd never seen him more composed. Although, it is strange that I don't particularly remember any other occasion when I saw him smoking, I can state for sure that he was an avid smoker.

He then calmly looked over at Azag and asked.

"Well, is that it?"