CHAPTER 31:

ENUMA ELISH: SING IN HARMONY, MY CHILDREN, FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORLD

As they flew around the battlefield, Quetzlcoatl pursed her lips. "I know this is a serious battle to save the world, but…Tiamat, she has little skill in hand-to-hand fighting, yes? I should have taught her some lucha libre moves."

One particularly hefty blow from Tiamat onto Beast II caused a blast of wind to whip at them, and Medusa said, "I don't think this is the time to discuss that! Even with the Grail, Tiamat doesn't seem to have an advantage over Beast II!"

Harry frowned as he watched the battle. "Actually, Tia does. Her attacks are more controlled and measured, whereas Beast II is considerably more feral. If this turns into a war of attrition, then Tia might have the advantage in that she would use her energy more sparingly, and with the Grail within her, she should have, if not an unlimited source of energy, then near enough as to make no odds."

"The problem is, Beast II knows that," Ishtar said. "Her attacks may be feral, but they're aimed mostly for Mother's chest, to try and get the Grail out by force. If that happens, Mother's in big trouble, along with the rest of us."

"And as much as I hate to say it, I doubt our Noble Phantasms will even scratch Beast II," Mordred muttered. "Quetzlcoatl's the only one who's strong enough, I reckon."

The blonde deity nodded. "Piedra del Sol and Xiuhcoatl, or rather, Ultimo Tope Patada are both potent. And with my divine authority, both can do substantial damage. But I am not sure it will be enough. Besides, Tiamat needs to do this. She needs to triumph against her original self in order to progress beyond her status as a Beast of Calamity, to move beyond that."

"…Quetzlcoatl, Tiamat was worried, that even if Beast II's physical form is destroyed, her consciousness might still try to take over," Harry said.

"True, that is a possibility…but have faith in your lover, Harry," Quetzlcoatl said, before a smirk came over her features. "I think Tiamat has something else in mind than a mere brawl."

"What do you mean?"

"You can't feel that. As a mortal, you can't. But Servants can sense them, and deities especially so, as we are attuned to spiritual powers. Something is happening…and Tiamat is causing it…"


Unseen by any others, but ever-vigilant, the form of the first Hassan-i Sabbah was also perched on one of Quetzlcoatl's familiars, near the goddess herself. With piercing blue eyes that seemed to be aflame, he watched Tiamat and Beast II clash, ready to act if need be. But he knew that the likelihood he would be needed was slim now.

Thou art acting entirely on bestial instinct. Befitting a Beast of Calamity, but not the Primordial Mother thou once was, King Hassan mused to himself. Thou art not even a fallen goddess anymore.

His eyes flicked over to Tiamat, who had backed away after a rather nasty swipe had left weeping wounds across her torso. And yet, thou art undertaking some gambit. As one who travels the abyss betwixt life and death, I can feel it. Primordial Mother, as a Beast, thou hast the ability of Nega-Genesis, to deny any form of life barring those that thou suffers. But…tied as thou art to all that lives, Nega-Genesis may have a logical inverse. That, I believe, is what I see from thee.

With the eyes of one used to seeing life and death, King Hassan could see it. Motes of energy, normally invisible, being drawn from everywhere. Minute amounts, but he knew it came from every living being in the area. Small amounts, but the world was teeming with life. Even the warped, corrupt life-force of the Laḫmu would give them up. And it was all adding up.

King Hassan nodded. I see. Nega-Genesis denies all creation but what thy desires dictate. But linked as thou art to the very concept of life, all life is linked to thee, and thus, instead of denying their existence, thou embraces it, absorbing minute power from them. In effect, 'tis the very inversion of Nega-Genesis. Is this by instinct or design? No matter. Beast II rejects all life but what she creates, as revenge for being rejected. But thou accept and embrace it. And thus, it makes thee stronger. The Grail is powerful indeed, but a mother's love for their children, when not twisted and distorted, is also a potent force. Use the power thy brood donates, Primordial Mother. Use it, and overcome thine own darkness!


Even as Beast II wailed at her in fury, even as Tiamat clutched at the wounds, she couldn't help the smile on her face. She knew this was a battle she could win now. Not that any victory was certain, but while this was a fight she had to win, certainty filled her song.

Her counterpart, her fragment, kept going for the Grail. Even now, her wail, while wordless, held the air of an angry demand, like an infant demanding feeding. She wanted the Grail, and Tiamat's demise, and the order in which it was done was loose at best. Beast II was now embodying her sin in her song, that of regression, unable to do more than act on instinct and desire.

Not that Tiamat herself didn't value instinct in her song. As she had grown, the power of the Grail had unlocked something that she used, a hidden melody in her song that had been there all the time. She knew it to be both like, and yet utterly unlike the Nega-Genesis trait that she possessed as the Beast of Regression. And so, she used it…and knew what it meant.

Life. All the life in the world, connected to her, to her song. Her children, in concept if nothing else, all connected to her. It was overwhelming, humbling even, for though she was the Primordial Mother, it felt so much greater than her. All songs joined together in harmony.

And then, she began to gather that energy to her.

Beast II chose that moment to lunge, lashing out with her claws once more, only for Tiamat to evade, and rake her own claws across Beast II's throat. She felt a sadistic surge of satisfaction at having replicated Marduk's own attack on her counterpart's form, and a massive gout of blood sprayed into the air. Beast II clutched at her throat in shock, only for Tiamat to fire a blast of energy into her abdomen as a follow-up. It didn't pierce through thanks to the shields Beast II hastily erected, but a charred crater was dug into Beast II's body.

Beast II, even as she clutched her wounds, glared at her in fury and hatred, before she collapsed, enveloped by the Chaos Tide. Tiamat knew what she was doing. She was reshaping her song, changing forms, regressing. Tiamat knew that Beast II was becoming more powerful, and if she didn't act, she might end up overwhelmed.

So, Tiamat reached deep within, allowing the Grail and the gathered energy to become a catalyst. First, she would regress, so that she would progress and evolve herself…


"Beast II's Spirit Origin is transforming!" Roman yelled in a panic over the communicator as the dome of Chaos Tide covering Beast II writhed like a living thing. A similar dome was just covering Tiamat, though the ensuing change seemed more peaceful. "Shit, it's…it's reverting back to…is this correct? It seems like it's something from the Jurassic era!"

As Beast II emerged from the dome of Chaos Tide, Harry said, "Roman, I don't think they had huge dragons with tits in Jurassic times!"

Which did sum up Beast II's new form. She looked not even remotely human, being mostly a massive dragon-like creature with vast wings and a massive tail that lashed with barely-restrained fury. Pendulous breasts hung from her underside. Her face was bestial, draconic, the mouth a gash of a maw filled with massive, sharp teeth. Her eyes were almost entirely obscured by the cross-like lights, whose points actually shone across her face, outside her sclerae.

Beast II wailed once more, but it was a mixture of discordant song and bestial roar, now. Very little vestige of the deity that Harry loved remained now, even in this aspect of her. As much as he was afraid, he also pitied Beast II.

The dome of mud covering Tiamat receded, showing almost the same creature. But she was glowing with more energy than her counterpart. She had to raise a hasty shield, though, to block a blast of energy.

"Oi, Harry?" Mordred said. "Remind me to never piss off Tiamat. I mean, I've fought dragons in my time, but this is something else. Still…can she keep this up?"

As Beast II charged at Tiamat, trying to bite at her throat, Harry said, "She'll keep this up for as long as she can."

Before they could comment on this, there was a blinding flare of light from Tiamat. "I think she's ready," Quetzlcoatl said.

"What do you mean?" Harry demanded, trying to blink the afterimage from his eyes. Only to stop and stare. Tiamat had changed once more.

It was still her. Her features were mostly similar to that which she had in her first form, and her size was that of a human, but…they glowed from within with a radiant light. But the scales were no longer aqua in colour, but golden, glimmering with the colour of sunlight. Her hair was still azure, but it looked like a clear sky. Her horns were as golden as her scales. Wings, draconic wings of light, unfurled behind her, spreading far beyond her relatively small frame.

She looked, without any hyperbole whatsoever, like the goddess she was.

And then, her voice came. It was gentle, soft, and yet reached them, touching them with its melody. "Childhood and motherhood reaches an end. But true love does not. I learned this, but you did not." Energy began to gather in front of Tiamat. "My song is tainted with sadness that I cannot love as I wished to, but I have found new ways to love. And for that, the songs of all that live give my own strength. Beast II…I will end your sorrow, and make it my own. Perhaps you will know the peace and love you truly desire as part of me. Sing in harmony, my children, for the sake of the world."

Beast II wailed, and energy blasts smashed at Tiamat, but to no avail. The energy in front of Tiamat coalesced and constricted into a sphere of pure energy. And then, Tiamat spoke. It was as soft as a whisper, and yet, it hit reality with the force of a sledgehammer. Two simple words from an ancient tongue.

Enuma Elish.

The pure light lanced out with a sound closer to a musical note than anything deadly, like a chime drawn out. The shields Beast II hastily erected were no obstacle, smashing into her form with no resistance. Once more, blinding light bloomed…


And then, Harry was elsewhere. A vast white void, stretching out into infinity. Featureless and bleak. He was reminded of the limbo he had visited during the Battle of Hogwarts, before it became Platform 9 ¾.

Facing each other were two Tiamats. Identical in appearance, and yet, not in demeanour. Both had mournful demeanours, but one of them was sobbing, long and loud.

"…Why? Why can't we keep creating?" the sobbing one asked.

"Because it's not necessary. We can find the song of love with the children we already have," said the other one, presumably his Tiamat, who then approached the sobbing one, presumably Beast II. "We knew this, even before Goetia split our song in two. He gave you the most power…but in the end, you were only a small part of me, once my song began changing."

"…But I don't want to change. I want my children to be with me forever."

Tiamat merely approached Beast II, and hugged her. "…I know. But perhaps it's a matter of perspective in our song. Instead of wanting our children to be with us forever, it's a matter of being with them, watching over them with a song in our hearts of joy as they move to greater heights."

"…I don't want to die."

"…You won't. You're still a part of my song, Beast II. But…this is childhood's end…and with it, motherhood. But it's not the end of us. Our children may leave us, but they will love us again…"

"…But change…it frightens me…"

"I know. It frightens me too. But…we can't regress anymore. Our song will be that of progression. This isn't just the end. As one song ends, another begins in its place."

Beast II began to sob again, but there was a resignation, even acceptance, as she began to dissolve into motes of light. Tiamat merely smiled, gently, warmly, sadly, as she comforted her other fragment, as the mental landscape dissolved into light…


And then, it was over. Harry was shaking his head. He looked at the others, who pointed down at the ocean. So he followed their gestures, and saw what he had hoped to see, but feared he wouldn't.

The pterosaurs swooped down closer to sea level, the Chaos Tide gone now. No Laḫmu seemed to lurk beneath the surface. The only thing present was a familiar figure, lying on her back in gentle repose, spreadeagled on the water, her hair gently waving freely in the water like pale blue seaweed. She was back to her original self, and, in a perverse manner, in her original element, for she was associated with the sea.

Still, Harry was somewhat concerned. Tiamat had given it her all, and even with assistance from the Grail and the lifeforce she had siphoned from the surrounding area, it must've been exhausting. And despite knowing better, he couldn't help the nagging worry that she might be in a very bad way.

So, once the pterosaur got close enough, he inched over to the side of it, and carefully reached down and grasped her clawed hand. Only, it suddenly grabbed on tight and dragged him down into the surf. He surfaced, spluttering and paddling, trying to tread water, and found himself face-to-face with Tiamat wearing an impish smirk. She sang out a gleeful note that he knew more or less meant, "Gotcha!"

"Tia, it's not funny!" Harry snapped, though in hindsight, it was. But everyone present laughed, and Tiamat merely continued smirking, before she paddled through the water, and hugged him.

"It's all right, Harry. It's over. We've won," she said.

And yes, they had. They had prevailed against everything that the Singularity had to pit against them. And now, it had been resolved. This part of history, at least, was safe for now…

CHAPTER 31 ANNOTATIONS:

So, there you have it. I always thought of Tiamat's version of Enuma Elish as basically being a Spirit Bomb, if only because, well, she's linked to all life, so, why not? Plus, the final 'goddess' transformation of Tiamat was something I'd considered for the final battle too. And after watching the anime adaptation, I couldn't resist a variation on the scene where Ritsuka and Tiamat have a little chat.

No numbered annotations this time.