*CLANG*

An ornate sword that had been set down on a flat stone table sparked as a hammer came down and smacked the flat of its blade. Failing to draw a crack or bend it out of shape, a calloused hand gently picked the blade up and placed it with all of the other finished products.

And by all the other finished products, it meant about the thousand or so weapons that had been organized around the room. Ranging from battle axes to various pole arms, the room contained nearly all assortments of weaponry imaginable. Each of them had been cared for and maintained, sparing them from any rust that could have formed from non-use. Though the assortments of weapons were numbered in the thousands, each of them had a unique design that set them all apart from each other. Like a snowflake, no two sets of weapons were the same.

So it was strange to think that only one person created all of this.

Shirou stood up over the table and sighed as he wiped the sweat off his face with his arm. He was shirtless and wore only a black leather pants that had been created from the remains of some sort of animal. His body glistened with sweat from working in his personal forge, showing off his physical physique in all of his glory. Doing nothing but creating weapons had done wonders to give him the ideal body all women desired.

He had just turned fifteen a few days ago, which marked the seventh year that he had been living with his newly adopted family. Ever since Ninsun and Lugalbanda had found and rescued him from dying from his injuries, they had taken him under their wing so to speak. It had been a surprising, but unusual turn of events for him. After all, it was not every day that one could stand next to a god.

They had treated him well. Ninsun in particular had dotted on him ever since she had let him into her abode. She had been the one who had tutored him in matters of value and household jobs. Things like cleaning the house and cooking were just several of the practices that she had taught him. While it was usually the job of the woman to take care of the house on a daily basis, he wanted to repay the two of them instead of just freeloading like a parasite. Ninsun was more than happy with the arrangement, since it lessened her workload by a considerable amount.

Lugalbanda on the other hand, was the one who taught him the ways of the men. His training consisted of a rigorous workout regime to build up his body, usually involving all kinds of weapons that the men of Uruk were supposed to use in the case of an enemy attack. While there haven't been any wars that had threatened their civilization greatly, it was something they still prepared for. Hunting was also another job they had focused on, but his favorite by far was working in the forges.

He would spend most of his days in the forges, creating weapons of his own design. Within several weeks, he had managed to gain a reputation as one of the best metalworkers in all of Uruk, with his weapons compared to priceless works of art. Lugalbanda had considered him a prodigy in the business, seeing how he was able to create such wonderful weapons with speed and skill.

It was only later that they figured out the reason why. Using her magecraft, Ninsun had declared that his spiritual origin was something along the lines of 'Someone who creates', meaning that he had a natural affinity for any job that involved creation or repurposing. It was certainly helpful to know, but he had always wondered why she never told him what his literal origin was. Her response was that she didn't want him to become too absorbed by his origin. After all, when one knew their origin, it made it extremely hard to deviate themselves from it.

And for the road that laid ahead, she wanted him to be as flexible as possible.

"Shirou!"

Shirou sighed, but a small smile wormed its way onto his face as the front doors to the room were thrown open and a golden blur burst flashed through. Stopping in front of him, Shirou glanced downwards at a young boy with golden hair and red eyes who smiled up at him with a playful smile. He wore a white and light blue cap on his head, and was donned in a small robe that was adorned with gold and several rare jewels.

He reached down with his free hand and gave the boy a pat on the head. "Hello, Gilgamesh. Back from your duties already?"

The boy nodded, his smile still present. "Yeah! There's nothing left for me to do! Um..." a thoughtful look formed on his face. "I solved our cattle problem... I started constructions to create roads to link all of our cities... and I sent our soldiers to wipe out the nearby nest of monsters who were eating our cattle. That's good enough for today, right?"

"Hahaha... Yes, of course. You've done excellent work today as usual." Shirou's heart fluttered as he saw how the young boy seemed to glow at his comment. It was an adorable sight, and he always enjoyed their little moments together.

After all, they were brothers. Not in blood, but in their bond.

Gilgamesh was Ninsun's true son. A keystone of the gods who was meant to entwine both the human world and the world of the divine together. As such, he had an extremely large host of responsibilities that he would have to inevitably shoulder in the future. Thus, Ninsun had tasked him with being the young boy's older brother.

In her mind, an older brother would be a great thing for the young king to have. The younger will follow the older as the saying goes. Whenever he had a problem that not even he could solve, he could confide in him for answers. It was a lot more easier to talk to a family member instead of the numerous advisors which would serve him.

So when Gilgamesh had come of age to receive his title, Shirou went with him on behalf of his parents. Despite the fact that he was only seven years old, the people had received him as their king with joyous expressions. They hailed him as the son of their previous king, the one who will lead them all towards a new golden age, and so far he hasn't disappointed them.

"Anyway, lets hang out! The only thing you do all day is stay cooped up in here! You don't even visit me much anymore..." Gilgamesh added the last part in with a small pout, causing Shirou to roll his eyes.

"I live underneath the palace. You can visit me whenever you want." Shirou said before gesturing towards the mounds of weapons. "And besides... this is my job. Someone has to make the weapons around here, right? Your soldiers can't fight without weapons."

"Yes, but-" The king was abruptly cut off as Shirou gently pulled the cap down over his eyes. "H-hey! Cut that out!"

"Stop your complaining. A king should not complain so much about their personal problems." He gave him a toothy grin. "That being said, however, I cannot deny a request from the king. What would you like to do today?"


"Greetings, King Gilgamesh!"

"Good afternoon, King Gilgamesh!"

"Have a nice day, King Gilgamesh!"

Gilgamesh giggled as people passed by him with respectful greetings. If anything, this was what he loved most about his royal status. Everybody knew him, and they all loved him. For a child no older than seven, being respected and acknowledged was everything to him.

"The people of Uruk are all nice. Don't you think so too, brother?" He asked as he glanced up at Shirou, who was walking beside him.

"I agree, though you are the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh. It is only natural that respect would be directed towards you." Shirou pointed out with amusement as he nodded politely to a passing lady.

"Yeah! That's the sign of a good king, right? If everyone loves you, you must be a good king!"

Shirou couldn't help but chuckle at that childish way of thinking. If anything, the boy was wiser beyond his years, No doubt he had inherited his wisdom from his mother. Even so, his line of thinking outside of matters of politics and the affairs of Uruk were childish.

"Well, I can't deny that." He said as they approached the outer gates. As they did so, however, the two of them noticed a sight that was quite unusual for such a place. Right next to the gate was a stall where the guards were supposed to keep watch for any monsters that could attack the city. Instead, the sounds of snoring could be heard from nearly fifty feet away.

"ZzZ..."

The pair quietly approached the stall and blinked when they saw the pair of guards, who were supposed to be watching vigilantly, passed out with drool coming nearly halfway out of their mouths. It was quite the comedic sight, but Shirou noted the look of conflict in Gil's eyes.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Wake him up." Shirou said as he nudged him with his foot.

"Yes, but..." Gilgamesh began, staring at the guards with a scrutinizing gaze "How am I supposed to punish them?"

Shirou raised an eyebrow. "Punish?"

"Uh-huh. My advisors said that anyone caught disobeying orders or not doing a good job should be handed with a fitting punishment. If left unchecked, people will only continue to slack off and that will become a hinderance to our kingdom. The only problem is that they never gave me any examples." He pouted. "Maa... This is so troublesome."

"Hm... Fine. Then watch big brother closely." Shirou said as he reached an arm over the desk and gently grasped on of the man's shoulders and began shaking. "Oi... Wake up."

"Hubababa... Morning already?" The guard mumbled groggily as he was shaken awake. Rubbing his eyes, the man sat up and gently grasped a spear that had been laying beside him. "Um... You have reached the great city of Uruk. Home of our great king Gilgamesh. All weapons must be confiscated before ent-"

His face suddenly turned pale when he realized who exactly was in front of him.

"S-sir Shirou? Lord Gilgamesh?!" The guard straightened up in his seat and beads of sweat began pouring down his forehead. His eyes were wide open, having been broken out of his stupor. "W-what brings you two out here, sirs?"

"We were planning on heading out to visit our parents." Shirou said as he leaned forward, causing the man's nervous sweating to intensify. "So imagine just how surprised we were to see that our gate, the front line of security for the people, was being so poorly manned by two sleeping guards."

"I... Uh..." The man stuttered, his feet starting to shake under Shirou's look. Finally, he fell to the ground and bowed as far as he physically could. "F-forgive us, King Gilgamesh, Lord Shirou! We were too busy celebrating at a party last night!"

Shirou frowned while Gilgamesh perked up with curiosity. "Party?"

"U-um... Yeah." The guard looked up from his position on the ground. "One of our captains hosted a party to celebrate the feast day of our protector goddess Ishtar. It's customary to celebrate and give offerings, right? That's what we were doing. I... I might have had a little bit too much to drink last night."

"Huh... That was yesterday?" Shirou frowned, wondering how he could have forgotten such an important day in their culture. Perhaps Gilgamesh was right. He did spend way too much time in the treasury. He glanced at the other guard who was still unconscious on the desk. He hadn't even stirred, sleeping like a rock. "And your friend?"

The man grimaced. "Same thing, sir. Though I don't really know much. He was partying at another district. I picked him up at the end of the night and collapsed here for our shift."

Shirou sighed and crossed his arms. "As much as we are glad that you indeed showed up for your shifts, you should have gotten someone else to do it for you. Passed out and drunk is no way to look after our gates, therefore we shall wake you up." He pointed to the outskirts of the wall. "I want you to run three laps around the entirety of Uruk."

The man turned pale once again. "T-three laps, sir? But-"

"No excuses. This is your punishment. Accept it and get it over with." He narrowed his eyes. "Or would you perhaps like me to raise the number to six?"

"N-no sir! Your kindness is appreciated! I will begin the punishment!" The soldier quickly grabbed his spear and took off running down the outskirts of the city wall.

"Don't forget to tell your friend to do the same!" Shirou yelled after the man before he could get too far away. Once the soldier disappeared around the wall, he turned to his younger brother with a small smile. "Did that help you at all?"

"Um... I think? Is that a justifiable punishment for him?" He asked, giving Shirou a questioning look.

"Well, from my perspective it is. It honestly depends on what you define as fair." Shirou lectured as he ruffled the boy's head. "Don't think too hard about it. You're still young Gil, you should enjoy your youth while you still can."

"But my advisors say that I should start learning the ropes early. I am their prophesied king, after all. If I cannot live up to their expectations, Uruk could suffer on a catastrophic scale... And I would fail as their chosen leader." Gilgamesh said with a sad look on his face.

If anything, the boy was absolutely afraid of his own future. He was blessed by the gods to be able to see into the future with clairvoyance several levels above the ordinary. Of course, fearing for her child's sanity, Ninsun had passively sealed this ability before he could see anything too major. He had since not been able to access this incredible power, but the temptation to peek into his own future and see what he would become was always there. He was a child, after all.

Though he was much smarter than the average child. Ninsun had always made him promise to never peek into his own future, hoping to make it so Gilgamesh would never have to worry about anything. Yet, it didn't work as it intended. He had worried that the future in store for him would end up with him becoming a leader who could never match up to the expectations of the people, or, much more worrisome, him becoming a tyrant who abused his position of power.

To Shirou, each of these futures were potentially possible. That was why he always stood by the boy's side. It was his job to make sure that his younger brother would always stay on the path of righteousness, and never on the path of evil.

Their relationship had always been like that of a master and student. To the young king, his older brother's words were meant to be listened to and regarded in the highest order of importance. Even so, that doesn't necessarily mean that Shirou forced his words onto him. He was meant to advise, not to control. Whatever piece of advice he gave would only be an opinion that the king could follow or not.

Whether he becomes a good and just leader, or a hedonistic tyrant, Shirou could only stay on the sidelines and offer his words to him. Whatever Gil choose to do... was up to him.

Eventually a time will come where such an event will be realized. Until then, Shirou will just have to play his role to the best of his abilities.

He slowly reached down and gently grasped the young king's hand, fitting it perfectly within own as they began walking along the road to the outside world.

"We can talk about this later... lets go and see mom and dad."


Lugalbanda roared with delight as he scooped up the young Gilgamesh in his arms, twirling him around the garden within the backyards of the palace. All trace of Gilgamesh's previous thoughts and worries had been replaced with a happy smile as he was swung around by his father.

Shirou simply watched them both with a small smile as he sat atop a nearby balcony with a cup of water in his hands. Alcohol was strictly a no-go in their household. Despite Lugalbanda claiming that it was okay for him to drink, Ninsun had adamantly refused to let any amount of alcohol touch his lips. Of course, it was something he agreed with. Alcohol dulled the senses, creating an opening of weakness that could be exploited by others.

"It's good to see that you take it seriously... unlike my husband."

His mother sat next to him, still looking the same even after all this time had passed. It was weird to think that she would still look the same for the next hundred years or so, but that's what happens when you have too much divinity.

"Well... I have to think straight to take care of him." Shirou joked as he took a sip of the water. "It has been getting quite troublesome without you, mother. He's starting to think more about his path to kingship, asking questions regarding his own decisions."

"He is still growing, Shirou. It is only natural that he will begin to become more mature as he gets older." She glanced at him with a slight amount of concern. "That being said... what about you? Your body, I mean."

Shirou grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. "There haven't been any complications that have hindered me. I believe that my body has acclimated to the divinity you have passed on to me."

Back when Ninsun had used that magical balm to heal him, it had turned out that the method she had used was something akin to a transfer of divinity. As such, when his body had managed to recover from his wounds, he had absorbed some amount of divinity. It was a small amount though, not enough to turn him into an immortal. Even so, it was an amount that made Ninsun worried a little. After all, this was the first time this had happened.

"I see, that's a relief." Ninsun muttered with a content look as she continued to watch Gilgamesh and her husband rolled around in the shrubbery. "The two of you have already grown into fine young men. It only feels like yesterday when you showed up in our backyard."

"We aren't that old, mother." Shirou deadpanned, earning a giggle from his adoptive mom.

"Perhaps, but it has been quite a while since the two of you have taken the time to visit us. The house has been quiet without you two, and your dear father missed throwing the two of you around like a rag doll."

"Yeah... I can see that."

"Honestly, the two of you could be a little bit more adamant on seeing us. When the two of you grow older, I fear that we will rarely be able to meet like this. My old heart breaks just thinking about it."

An uncomfortable look passed on Shirou's face. "Mom..."

"I'm just teasing you, Shirou." Ninsun cut in with a wave of her hand as she stood up. "Though you should know for a fact that this may be the last major time that we meet each other for a while. The job of king is an ordeal that never ends." She moved to the nearby wall and pressed her hand against it, muttering a few words under her breath. A second later, the wall suddenly shifted to reveal a staircase that descended down into a part of the house Shirou had never seen before.

Turning to him with a completely serious look, she gestured for him to follow.

"Come with me, Shirou. It is time the two of you received your final gifts."


Shirou remained silent in awe as he stood in front of what appeared to be a magic chest. It was a decorated box that was covered with golden jewelry and numerous protective runs that glowed yellow with power. There was no opening for a key to fit in, but it was clear that the box could be opened through other means.

"Mother..." Shirou breathed out in awe. "What is this?"

"It is your inheritance. Something special that has been prepared for Gilgamesh a long time ago. Now, it shall also include you." Ninsun declared as she placed her hands atop the chest. With a click and a hiss, the chest opened up as sounds resembling the turning of gears filled the room. Once Shirou could see the contents inside, he felt his breath die in his throat.

The interior wasn't as decorated as the outside, but the inner walls were plated in shining gold. What captivated his attention, however, was what laid at the bottom of the chest.

It was some sort of weapon. His first thought jumped towards the sword, but then he realized that it couldn't be one. Even if the handle was the same, the similarities ended there. Instead of a sharp blade, there were three cylinders with engraved lines that pulsed red with power. It was incredibly foreign to him, like something that was never created by human hands.

"Captivating, is it not? It is a weapon created by a divine being, but no god has ever held this weapon. It was handed down to me by the god Ea so that I could hand it down to my son when he became king. It would become the symbol of his royal power, a divine wrath that would be enforced by the human hand." She said with a grim look on her face.

"Ea? The primordial god?" Shirou's eyes widened in awe as he stared at the weapon.

"Indeed. I know not how he created this weapon, but he has given it to me to keep." She gently pulled out the weapon and handed it to Shirou, letting him weigh it in his hands. "It is not as heavy as it looks, nor is it a proper sword, but it carries an ability that can certainly destroy anything. Do you see those three cylinders?"

"Yes?"

"Those are meant to rotate upon the user's command, creating a gust of wind that is not unlike that of the winds that created the world. It shatters space with the power of 'truth' to destroy its targets. It is a weapon that could even kill a god."

"And you want me to give this to Gilgamesh?" Shirou asked incredulously as he held the weapon, wondering why giving his younger brother a weapon of mass destruction would be a good idea.

"Like I said, it is to symbolize his status as king." Ninsun said before she shook her head. "It also is meant for his own protection. I have no doubt in my mind that he will attract the attention of the other deities. Most of the gods will not attempt to mess with him, but I fear that the younger gods will do so. A god-killing weapon is the only thing that will keep them at bay."

Shirou bit his lips nervously. The gods were known for being quite unusual and sporadic with their views on mortals. While most of them protected Uruk with blessings, others loved to prey on them for fun. Once Gilgamesh grew older there was no chance for him to go unnoticed, and he will have to confront those who come for him.

"I see... Is that all?"

A small smile flickered across Ninsun's face. "I still have to give you your own gift. You are my son as well, Shirou. It wouldn't be right of me to leave you out."

She reached back into the chest and retrieved weapons that he was definitely more familiar with. Cradled within her arms were two golden swords, each slightly longer than his outstretched arms. They were both clearly meant to be used in conjunction with each other in each hand as twin swords, overwhelming the enemy from both sides.

Ninsun chuckled as his expression flickered back to dumbstruck. "Yes, I had a feeling you would show me that expression. Well... Prepare to show me more. Behold!"

The reversed one of the blades in her hands and smacked the butt of their grips against each other. A small whirring sound could be heard as the grips clicked into place, connecting to each other. As they did so, the blades arched back a little and a thin gold light extended from the tips of the blade, connecting with each other in a manner similar to a...

"It's a bow?" Shirou gaped as he stared at the weapon. Damn... why hadn't he thought about that before? A bow that also worked as a pair of swords... brilliant! He'd have to file that idea away for later. Perhaps he could make something similar later.

"Indeed. A very special bow! It has no name, but I think it is fitting. It is your weapon now, so I believe that it is your duty to give it a name." Ninsun said with a smile. "As a bow, it is unmatched. Simply pull back on the string and it will release arrows of light to strike your target! Of course, you'll still have to practice with it like any normal bow. There is also one function that makes it unique from any other bow..."

She detached the blades and gently handed them to Shirou, who quickly put Gil's new weapon down and grasped his own gift.

"These blades were crafted during the Great Flood. Or rather, you could say that it was the weapon that started one of the factors of the flood."

"One of the factors?" Shirou questioned with raised eyebrows, breaking his gaze from the weapons. "Weren't the gods the ones who created the flood?"

Ninsun frowned for a second before shaking her head. "The entire situation was... complicated. Though if anything was true about that event, multiple parties were indeed involved. Though for us, these blades were given supreme control over the waters. If the user so wished it, within seven days, one could reenact the flood." Upon seeing his face, she held her hands up. "Of course, I trust that you won't do that. You're a smart boy."

"I can't begin to speak of the many problems that could arise from this..." Shirou muttered, though he was secretly giddy that he got something like this. His brother always got the coolest items for his birthday while he never got anything. Granted, he never really asked for gifts, but he still expected something for heavens sake!

"The two of you have common sense. I trust the both of you enough to entrust you with these gifts. After all, I no doubt believe that you will both need them in the future."

The two of them cringed at that thought.


"Wow... so mother is giving this to me, huh?"

Gilgamesh stared in wonder at his new weapon as he swung it back and forth like it was a toy sword, and not an ultimate weapon that could possibly end the entire world as they knew it.

"Yes, so don't treat it like a sword. That thing is danger- Hey!" Shirou ducked away as the tip of the weapon flew way too close for comfort. He reached his hand out and quickly grasped his brother's arm. "Stop swinging it around. You might poke my eye out!"

Gil pouted. "You'd be fine... We could always fix you with the help of our priestesses! They do know a lot of magic..."

"I do not doubt their abilities, but getting your eye poked out isn't exactly painless." Shirou muttered as he let go of his brother before sighing. "When we get back, I'm going to confusticate your weapon and throw it into your vault. It's clear to me that you're still too young to use it."

"What?!" Gil gaped at him in shock. "B-but... you've never taken anything away from me before!"

"Then clearly, I haven't been a better brother." Shirou grumbled as he snatched the weapon from Gil before react, ignoring his cry of despair. "Once you're an adult, I'll allow you to wield it. Until then, stick to regular blades. You've barely mastered those anyways."

"That's unfair, big brother!" Gil whined, his eyes starting to tear up. "That's mother's gift! She gave it to me because she thinks I'm ready!"

"No, she gave it to me. Only I decide when you are ready." Shirou retorted, though he hid his growing amusement. "And look at you... You're almost as tall as the weapon itself! Gain a couple more inches, brother. You will look weird if you try to swing that around. Maybe if you drank your milk, you wouldn't be this short."

Gil turned his head away, a small blush on his face. "I don't like it... Why make the king drink something he doesn't want?"

"You don't eat for satisfaction, you eat to survive. The taste is just a luxury."

"Well I'd rather eat your food than the ones that my cooks serve me. They have nothing on your cooking!" Gil declared, his face morphing into a grin. It was so cute, it almost stopped Shirou from uttering his next words.

"Then perhaps I should stop cooking for you until you drink your milk. That's where all the height comes from." Shirou said with a sly smile.

And just like that, Gil's face reverted back into a panicked look.

"No! Don't do that, big brother! I'll do it! I'll drink my milk, just don't stop cooking for meeeee!" Gil pleaded as he latched onto Shirou and began flailing about as he threw a temper tantrum.

"Ahahaha! Then you better stay true to that!"

Shirou laughed as he ruffled Gil's hair, even as he continued to flail around with disappointment. If anyone were to have seen the pair as they walked down the road, they would have been hard pressed to believe that the two of them were a part of the royal hierarchy.

There were very few moments that the two of them could act like this. With Gil's duty as the king of Uruk, and his duty as his older brother, they each had a public image to maintain. It was hard, especially on Gilgamesh. For a kid who actually wanted to act his age, he never got many chances to do so. That's why he always tried to sneak off with Shirou all the time. He was the only one who understood him, the only one who could sympathized him.

His innocence was very clear, and it was something that could not be present in a king. A king must know all to properly rule his kingdom. Eventually, Gilgamesh would grow into a young man and leave all of his childish tendencies behind.

Even so... Shirou wished that he could keep Gil's innocence intact for as long as possible. Because moments like these were the ones he cherished the most. In his heart, he silently hoped that his younger brother would never change, even as they got older together.

...Of course, Fate had different plans.