They approached the city entrance. Luce stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath of the salty sea air that enveloped the city, and said in a calm tone: "Roderick City! It hasn't changed much."
Meanwhile, Gilgamesh didn't wait for anyone; he advanced with confident steps and a solid frame, piercing the city gate, ignoring the chatter, as if his destination was fixed in his mind and allowed no delay. Jasmin looked at Luce with her usual curiosity and asked: "How do you know about this city, Luce?"
Luce smiled and replied as he walked beside her: "Don't you know me yet, Jasmin? I like to be informed about everything, and I visited it a long time ago, well before you were born."
Amazed and curious, Jasmin asked: "Where are you from, Luce?"
Luce closed his eyes as if summoning an image: "From a very far place." Then he shut his eyes and said: "We won't be able to go there now."
Jasmin furrowed her brows and asked: "Why not?"
Luce turned to her, reminding her of reality: "Because we are heading to the Jinn world. Have you forgotten? After the Jinn world, I will take you there."
Excited, Jasmin said: "Do you promise me, Luce?"
Luce smiled sincerely and placed his hand on her head tenderly: "Of course, I promise you."
They looked at Gilgamesh as he spoke to one of the commoners. Jasmin ran toward Gilgamesh and asked: "Where to?"
He replied: "To the port."
Gilgamesh headed to the port followed by the others. He found an old man working there. Gilgamesh stood before the old man, a rare smile appearing on his face that the companions were not accustomed to, and said in a mocking tone mixed with affection: "Are you not dead yet, old man?"
The old man looked surprised and disgusted. Argus was startled and said: "Is Gilgamesh going to kill the old man?"
But the response was a shock to everyone; a loud, hoarse laugh erupted from the old man's chest, and he shouted with a voice full of joy: "Gamsh! You brat!" With a swift movement unbefitting his age, the old man lunged forward and hugged Gilgamesh tightly. The companions froze in their places.
Gilgamesh patted the old man's shoulder and said quietly: "It has been a long time, Lorn..."
Lorn chuckled as he wiped a tear that escaped his eye, saying: "Finally you've come out of your isolation, boy! Finally, you've come to see old Lorn before he dies."
Gilgamesh smiled, his features appearing softer: "Damn you, man. You were a soldier; you weren't weak, so you won't die easily."
Lorn shook his head delightedly: "This boy I know still has a tongue as sharp as a sword."
Then Lorn turned to see the companions standing behind Gilgamesh in shock, examining them with an expert eye: "Three boys... and a little girl... and a horse? Who are these people, Gamsh?"
Gilgamesh said with hesitation: "They are with me... we need a ship, Lorn."
Lorn began scratching his head as if the matter was difficult. He said: "Gamsh..."
Gilgamesh took a step forward, lowering his tone to become calm and dignified in a way that stunned his companions, looking directly into his old soldier's eyes: "Please, Mr. Lorn, I have found my way to the Jinn world."
Lorn jerked as if bitten by a snake, his eyes widening in shock, and he cried out in protest: "Stop! Don't call me 'Mr.'! It comes out of your mouth strangely! But are you truly heading to the Jinn world, Gamsh?"
Gilgamesh answered with one word: "Yes."
Lorn exhaled a long sigh, as if casting a heavy burden off his shoulders, then pointed toward a nearby shipyard and said: "Alright, there is a ship that will be finished in two days. Take it."
Gilgamesh smiled and said: "Thank you, Lorn."
Lorn shouted: "People of Roderick, these are our guests, take care of them!"
The residents gathered in circles, curiosity gleaming in their eyes. While their gazes examined the strangers, Argus felt the pressure of the crowds closing in on his chest. He shrank into himself and tried to hide his face under his hood, muttering to himself in irritation: "Do they see me as a freak? Damn, how I hate gatherings!"
Jasmin couldn't stand the sight of Argus trembling with shyness, so she rushed toward him, stomping the ground and shouting: "This idiot! They aren't afraid of you or anything like that!"
At that moment, with a swift move no one expected, Luce reached out and pulled the hood off Argus, exposing his entire face to the sun and the people. Argus screamed in panic as he tried to regain his cover: "Why did you do that, you bastard?"
But his scream faded when a young girl approached him, her features radiating vitality, looking directly into his eyes and saying sincerely: "Your eyes are beautiful."
Argus froze in his place, the words vanishing from his throat. His face turned a deep crimson, and he began rubbing his hands in a funny, nervous way, muttering with difficulty: "Th... Thank you... I... I was born with them..."
The girl burst out laughing at his spontaneous response and extended her hand, saying: "My name is Rosha. What is your name?"
Argus swallowed nervously: "My name is Argus."
Rosha smiled gently: "Nice to meet you, Argus. Tell me, where are you from?" The two began a side conversation, while Argus stood as if forgetting his hatred for gatherings for the first time in his life.
As for Jasmin, children gathered around her. They asked: "Are you really traveling with them?"
Jasmin said proudly: "Of course! Do you see them? None of them can do anything without me." The children shouted with amazing enthusiasm.
Luce was strolling through the city, while Erold headed to Mr. Lorn who was working on making the boat. He was hammering nails professionally. Erold said: "You were a guard and now you work in boat-making. Is this a hobby?"
Lorn replied: "No. I found myself in boat-making after a while, and that is why I gave up being a guard."
Then Mr. Lorn said: "Tell me, boy, why are you heading to the Jinn world?"
Erold replied in a serious voice: "I seek to separate the worlds."
Mr. Lorn set down his hammer and said: "Then how do you intend to do this?"
Erold refused to answer Lorn, but deep inside, this was the plan he had to reach: The two worlds are not overlapping by chance, but they exchange energy through a connection point. To separate them, the shared energy must be redistributed or withdrawn, and then sealing that point requires a sacrifice.
Jasmin came to Mr. Lorn and Erold and said: "So you are Gilgamesh's friend since his childhood, right?"
Lorn replied: "I wasn't a friend to him, but a guard in the palace, though we talked a lot."
Jasmin asked: "So you know him well enough, right?"
Lorn replied: "Of course, he might hide some things, but I know him very well."
Jasmin climbed onto Erold's back and said: "Then tell us what his story is."
Erold grew annoyed and said: "Haven't you given up, Jasmin?"
Jasmin shouted: "I must know, of course, who is accompanying us, and not out of curiosity!"
Erold replied mockingly: "Of course, of course."
Mr. Lorn smiled and said: "Follow me to the front of the port."
While they were following Mr. Lorn, Erold said to Jasmin: "Don't expect much from him, it seems his story only concerns wars."
Jasmin replied: "We can't judge yet."
Mr. Lorn stopped at the front of the port and sat down. The waves played quietly beneath his feet and he said: "I don't know if he will be angry with me or not, but you should know this at least since you are heading to the Jinn world and perhaps you won't return."
Jasmin said mockingly: "What a ridiculous introduction!"
Mr. Lorn began explaining Gilgamesh's difficult childhood to them, then moved to the first time he left the Royal Palace.
Gilgamesh ran outside the palace for the first time in years, the free air slapping his small face. The streets of Uruk were bustling with life; vendors calling out their goods, children running and laughing, and music emanating from afar.
He stopped for a moment, his breath rapid, his eyes contemplating the scene with a wonder he had never known. He whispered to himself: "Is this the world...?"
He sat near a stone fountain watching children splashing each other with water and laughing. He wanted to join them, to run like them without worries, but he hesitated. He approached with shy steps, and the children stopped suddenly when they saw the Prince's luxurious clothes. Gilgamesh raised his hands smiling and said: "Can I play with you?"
Silence prevailed for a moment, then one of them laughed, saying: "Even the rich boy wants to play? Come on!"
And for the first time in his life, Gilgamesh played without restrictions. He ran, laughed, and fell into the water. He didn't care about the clothes that were torn, nor did he care about the wounds on his body; he simply surrendered to the moment of freedom.
But suddenly, a father shouted: "Kyu! Where are you?"
Then he turned to Gilgamesh, his eyes widening: "My Lord Prince...! Who did this to you?!"
Everyone bowed before him, and Gilgamesh was flustered; he didn't want anyone to know his true identity. The man approached him and said fearfully: "Don't worry, I am one of the palace guards. I will return you to the palace."
Tension intensified on Gilgamesh's face, and he decided to flee. He ran at a speed no one could match. The guard muttered in astonishment: "So... these are the results of the General's training."
Gilgamesh ran at full speed until he collided with a little girl, who fell to the ground clutching her head in pain. She muttered, moaning: "I hit a wall... ouch."
Gilgamesh looked down at her and saw a girl about his age, with curly brown hair and a face that shone like the sun. Possessing eyes like amber, he remained dazzled by the sight, while the girl raised her head slowly, suddenly shouting: "You idiot! Don't you see where you're going?!"
Before Gilgamesh could finish thinking, he heard the voices of men chasing her. The girl ran off quickly, while he remained standing in his place, frozen. The guards approached him and asked: "Boy! Have you seen a girl pass by here?"
Another shouted and hit his colleague: "You idiot! It's the Prince!"
The guards were flustered and bowed quickly: "Forgive us, My Lord Prince, we didn't recognize you."
Gilgamesh asked them coldly: "What did that girl do?"
One replied: "She stole potions from one of the shops."
Gilgamesh smiled and said: "Then... leave her. I will pay the price for what she took."
One of the guards objected: "But sir—"
Gilgamesh interrupted him sharply: "No buts. Do as I commanded you."
In a narrow, dark alley, the girl was hiding, breathing with difficulty while laughing: "Hehe... I escaped them."
She pulled the potions from her pocket, contemplating them: "Two healing potions... and one truth potion. This is enough... at least a little. I won't need the third; I'll return it stealthily."
She drank the first healing potion, and when she raised the second to her mouth, she heard a mocking voice behind her: "So... you are a thief."
She was terrified, and the potion fell from her hand. She turned to find Gilgamesh sitting on a wooden box. She shouted angrily: "You bastard! You made me drop it... My God, where will I get another?!"
Gilgamesh jumped off the box and said: "Why do you steal potions?"
She eyed him sharply and replied: "What business is it of yours?!"
He smiled and said quietly: "I might be able to help you."
She looked at him with surprise, her eyes moving between his torn clothes and messy hair: "Help yourself first... you look like a hobo."
Gilgamesh laughed: "Just tell me."
She sighed then said: "I am sick. I need two potions every month for my condition to stabilize."
He moved closer and asked her: "What sickness is this?"
She shook her head sadly: "I don't know... that's what my father told me."
Gilgamesh, examining her face with his eyes: "And where is your father now?"
She lowered her eyes to the ground and said in a broken voice: "Dead."
Gilgamesh was silent for a bit, then said firmly: "Stay here. I'll be back."
She said in a worried voice: "Where to? Are you going to snitch on me...?"
But before she could finish, he disappeared from before her. She searched for him with her eyes, then sighed, muttering: "Where did that brat go...?"
She looked at the spilled potion on the ground sadly: "How many weeks will the potion I took last me?"
Suddenly she heard his voice from behind her: "I am here."
Her heart jumped from its place as she shouted: "Stop doing that!"
He laughed as he extended his hand to her with a new potion: "Here... drink it."
She stepped back surprised: "Why are you helping me?"
He raised his hand to his head hesitantly and said: "I don't know... but I want to."
She asked him in wonder: "What is your name?"
He was flustered for a moment then replied: "My name is... Gamsh."
She smiled lightly: "Gamsh? Heh... a nice name. My name is Elia."
The sunlight reflected from behind her onto her innocent features, and time stopped for a moment for Gilgamesh. He felt as if the hope he lacked in the palace hell had been reborn.
Gilgamesh shouted while running in the alley: "Damn... the sun is setting! I must return."
He turned toward Elia, who was still holding the potion in her hand. He said while panting: "Will... will I see you tomorrow?"
The girl smiled lightly and replied: "Of course, here... if you want."
Gilgamesh shouted with childish enthusiasm: "Agreed!"
Jasmin interrupted emotionally: "Waaah! What a romantic story—the Prince and the Thief! It's impossible for anyone seeing him now to think this was his nature since birth."
Mr. Lorn replied: "No, something happened to him that made him change. In his childhood, he hated wine and loathed anyone who drank wine." Jasmin said: "And now he's a drunkard." Mr. Lorn replied: "I will tell you why he drinks after I finish the story, little one."
Mr. Lorn continued:
Gilgamesh set off running at an amazing speed, disappearing among the alleys until he reached the palace walls. General Mandul was standing above watching him, his eyes gleaming with malice. He muttered in a low voice: "Since your birth, I have known that you would become the strongest... but you need a catalyst, boy."
He turned his face toward one of the guards and ordered him in a stern voice: "Send out forty mercenaries. Have them head to that alley during the Prince's rest time. Let them pretend they want to hurt that girl a week from now."
The guard bowed quickly and said: "Yes, General."
Mandul smiled a cold smile as he whispered: "Let's see... how Gilgamesh will act when his heart is tested for the first time."
Gilgamesh reached the palace gates, dripping with sweat and his clothes torn from playing and running. He was surprised to see the sage Herald standing at the entrance. Gilgamesh jumped toward him and hugged him tightly, saying: "Thank you, Herald!"
The sage smiled while patting the boy's shoulder: "Did you enjoy your time, little one?"
Gilgamesh answered enthusiastically: "Yes... very much!"
Herald eyed him with a scrutinizing look, contemplated his torn clothes and messy hair, then said smiling: "Of course you did. Come on, hurry to bathe, for the meeting will start soon. Don't make the King wait for you."
Gilgamesh laughed and replied enthusiastically: "Yes!"
Then he disappeared with quick steps as if the wind carried him, leaving Herald frozen for a moment, stunned by his speed. He muttered to himself: "He is this strong... he never showed it before. I told you, Lugal, with your way you will extinguish the boy's flame." The sage sighed and headed inside.
After he bathed and changed his clothes, Gilgamesh entered the meeting hall. Herald was waiting for him and whispered to him: "You arrived at the right time, boy. Come on, let's start."
Gilgamesh sat beside him, and the ministers were presenting issues before the King. One of them stepped forward and complained: "Your Majesty, bandits are attacking caravans heading to the kingdom... then their tracks disappear."
Gilgamesh raised his hand unusually, and silence fell in the hall. The King tilted his head slightly as a sign of permission for him to speak.
Gilgamesh said steadily: "We can send three men instead of soldiers. If we send an army, the bandits will know we are heading for them. But if we send only three, carrying cheap goods, they won't arouse suspicion. Then we can uncover their location and plans. I suggest that I go with the General... and one guard with us. This mission will also be a training for me."
Silence prevailed for a moment, then Herald began clapping for him, followed by the ministers one after another. Even the King himself had a rare slight smile on his lips, then he said in a calm tone: "Alright... nine days from now you will move. But don't expect me to tell you to rest during this week... you will complete your usual routine."
Gilgamesh stood up, bowed in respect, and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty."