I don't own anything. All characters and all rights belong to Ichiei Ishibumi*
M for mature topics. No children allowed. *
The Broken Boosted Gear
By Try Another Time
*Wars are filled with tragedies and even those that survived are bound to lose something in the end. Not even gods are safe from this.*
Ereshkigal found herself walking through the deepest level of what seemed to be a massive cave system. The cave was dark and gloomy but thanks to two different sources of light. One of those sources was several cages that hung from different walls. Each cage held a small blue flame that shone with different intensities when compared to each other. The other source of light was a field of shining flowers which was located in the deepest part of the cave.
Ereshkigal smiles while she traverses the field. Her eyes move around while looking at the flowers. "Sleep and enjoy the calm of this place my dear souls. This will be your home for all eternity or until you decide to reincarnate into a new being. There's no pain, there are no regrets, there's only peace for all of you."
Each one of the flowers in this field was a soul that had come into her realm after being judged by the gods of death. Souls of innocent devils, youkai, and even all of those that weren't admitted into any of the heavenly realms of the different pantheons came to this place due to lesser sins.
This cave was Ereshkigal's personal realm. A realm in which she takes care of them until the souls disappear or get reincarnated into new lives. Her fellow Sumerian gods couldn't understand why she worried about the fate of these souls but a goddess such as herself couldn't care less about what others can say about her actions.
All souls that came into her realm were worthy of her protection and she made sure that nobody of her pantheon could ever dare to oppose her actions. This was her realm, the main mission in her life and none of the other Sumerians could ever hope to stop her.
While Ereshkigal takes care of her garden of souls, someone reaches her realm.
A young man with brown hair descends into the garden with his auburn owl wings. His skin was tanned and his bright green eyes were the most charming part of his whole body. Eyes that showed some sense of innocence but also knowledge regarding things that no human could ever hope to understand. "Mother, we need to talk."
"Ninazu, my son. Give me a second, these kids need some attention." Ereshkigal replies with a calm and cheerful tone.
Ninazu approaches her with slow and careful steps. He knew that his mother was really protective when it came to these souls so anyone that came to her realm had to be careful when walking through the garden.
"Mom, I need you to hear me out," Ninazu says after putting his right hand on one of her shoulders.
"I know, just let me get up." Ereshkigal sighs and turns around before focusing her eyes on her son. "What's happening my child?"
"…. Lord Anu has decided to go to war. He has given the order that all gods in our pantheon should join the war." Ninazu explains with a nervous voice.
"…." Ereshkigal stays silent. Her previous smile was nowhere to be found. "No. I won't join him nor the others. You won't join them either. Anu is an idiot that is driven by fear and his desires. We have no reasons for joining the war. This whole war has gone out of control. We Sumerians have no reason to fight against heaven, the devils, or even the fallen angels. Nor do we need to fight the Asgardians, the Shinto gods, or any of the other pantheons who have joined the war. Ninazu, war has been the worst creation of us gods, there are no winners and only losers remain at the end. I taught you this from the very beginning."
"I know, mom but I can't ignore my fellow gods. Father is joining the war as well."
"Your father is the biggest idiot in all of our faction. He died once at the hands of Enkidu and Gilgamesh. He was given a new body and even then he hasn't learned anything. You know damn well why I decided to end our marriage and you should know that following him would mean your own death." Ereshkigal grabs both of her son's shoulders. "Ninazu, you're a healer. A god that heals and guides the souls of the elders into the afterlife alongside the reapers. You're not a warrior, you have never killed another being. There's no need for you to fight. Your wife, your son, they need you here and not on a battlefield."
"…" Ninazu grows quiet for a second before he talks once more. "They are also joining the war as healers just like me. Everyone is going to join Lord Anu's campaign against the other pantheons. We need you with us."
Ereshkigal grows more scared after hearing those words. Her hands tremble. "No. No! Ninazu, don't do this. Ninazu, if another god gets the chance of striking your soul with their powers I won't be able to save you or your family. I can't save broken souls; a broken soul means the end for anyone. There's no second chance after a soul is destroyed. You don't need to join this war, my child. Your family is going to be safe if you stay with me instead of following your father. Hear me out and ignore the rest of our faction."
Ereshkigal tries to convince her son. The fear of losing her only child was something that she feared with all of her soul.
"… I can't. The faction is our family and a family that stands together won't fall before any enemy." Ninazu smiles and grabs her hands. "Join us. Mom, we need you to fight alongside us."
"Fight for what? For Anu's insane claims? To erase his fears? We have no reasons to join the war!"
"We do! Whoever wins the war is going to stand at the top as the strongest pantheon and we know what's going to happen after that."
"Those are the claims and fears of the same idiot who joined his siblings and parents to slay the old ones (Abzu and the First Tiamat). Ninazu, are you hearing yourself? These are not your own ideas and beliefs. These are the insane ideas of Anu and the rest. My son, don't let yourself be dragged into a war that you don't believe in." She called out to him.
"I'm joining them, mom. That's my choice to make and I won't back down." Ninazu replies with determination behind his voice.
His cruel fate had been sealed right there. Experiencing true war would be his own undoing.
7 days after.
Ereshkigal sat in her garden of souls while praying for the safety of her son and grandchild. Her faction had joined the war without her and just like she expected many of her fellow Sumerians had died at the hands of other factions in just a few days. Be it Shiva, Susanoo, or any of the other pantheons gods, each one easily slew her fellow Sumerians without any regard to their genders, ages, or calls for mercy.
"Idiots, all of you were idiots and now you're paying the price." Her eyes traveled through the battlefields which allowed her to see the many deaths of her fellow gods. "Ninazu, oh my child. I'm so sorry. I told you that this was bound to happen." Her eyes focused on Ninazu who lays on the floor while holding the dead body of his father. The musculus golden body of the bull of heaven was filled with stabs and cuts caused by many different weapons and his soul was long gone.
Ereshkigal couldn't hear her child's cries but she could see the pain on his face as he held onto her ex-husband's body. "Gugalanna, I wish you had heard me more instead of just acting like an idiot without a brain. Goodbye, my idiot bull."
The pain in her words was noticeable but she had been ready for this event. He died once at the hands of two idiots and since her divorce, she had been prepared to see him die at the hands of another idiot which in this case had been Indra, the leader of the Hindu pantheon.
She felt sad but there was no anger towards Indra. She had let go of any deep feelings towards Gugalanna after their divorce. The memories remained within her but any feelings that she once held towards him were now gone. She only held onto the feelings towards her son at this point. "Please Ninazu, let me communicate with you. Don't push me away. I need to talk to you. There's still time to go back."
She tried to open a communication circle with the boy but Ninazu blocked any attempts. The boy didn't want to hear her voice at that point.
2 days after.
Ereshkigal was now crying after she watched the death of her daughter-in-law and grandchild. Both had been killed by Hachiman, the Shinto God of War.
Ninazu had lost any sense of reason after watching his wife and child being cut into pieces by the katana of the Shinto god. The child of Ereshkigald took a broken spearhead and threw himself at the god alongside Anu and other of his fellow gods while disregarding his own security.
The fight wasn't long but that didn't take away from its impact as in the end Anu and the others watched as Ninazu lay on top of Hachiman's body while he stabbed the body continuously while crying with an unmeasurable amount of anguish and pain.
"I'm sorry, my child. I told you, I tried to stop you but you chose to ignore me. Please come back to me, there's nothing else for you on that battlefield. Come back to me, my son. Please come back to your mother." Ereshkigal, pray for the salvation of her only remaining family member.
3 days after.
*One-Metallica*
Ninazu was walking through a battlefield that was filled with the corpses of many gods and supernatural beings. Alongside him, there were many of the remaining Sumerians gods.
The land of the dead, the different levels of the underworld besides the first ones were all in similar states. As the war continued, the deaths increased and the rage on all sides did as well. The reasons for their fights were slowly disappearing from their minds as rage and revenge became their main driving forces.
All pantheons were slowly being driven mad with revenge towards the rest of the sides of the war. Very few could actually remember why they even joined the war in the first place.
Ninazu wasn't different either at this point.
He was alive but was this a good thing? His hands were filled with the blood of his family. He tried to save them, to protect them but all was for nothing.
He had eyes and yet he didn't really want to see what was before him.
He had a mouth but he didn't have any appetite left.
He had legs and arms but they no longer moved with a clear purpose.
He had a soul but the only thing that it was allowing him to feel was pain.
He was broken and deeply hurt. The words of his mother were now like daggers that were making him feel even worse. A healer had become a killer, just another piece in the atrocious machine of war.
"Is this what it means to be a warrior? Is this what true war is supposed to be? What have I gained? What is left for me after losing everything? Why... I'm even alive?" As Ninazu continues to walk alongside his fellow gods he drowns more in his pain and sorrow.
He was just a puppet following those that were still able to fight.
"Lift your head up, Ninazu. As long as we're alive we can start again once more." The voice of Anu tried to inspire him to continue.
But what is left for someone who can't even be compared to his former self? A god that had never killed someone in the past was now just another killer in a meaningless war. His wife, his son, his father, his fellow gods, almost everyone else was gone now and only he remained.
His eyes were hollowed and no signs of his former brightness remained.
"Ninazu?" Anu tried to reach him but Ninazu didn't reply.
The god continues to walk forward while holding onto his broken spear.
Anu, who was a tall man with brown skin and green hair, shook his head as he found no way of helping Ninazu at this point. "Alright, let us continue boy. Maybe once we are back and you see your mother you'll be back to normal."
But fate had other plans for them that day.
A few hours after.
Red like the blood of many gods. Red like the flames of a hellish sun. A color he had seen many times since they had joined the war. Ninazu was laying on his knees right before a creature that many knew and feared due to his might on the battlefield.
The Welsh Dragon had appeared before the Sumerians and their adversaries alongside the Vanishing Dragon just before a fight broke out. It didn't take long for both dragons to eliminate all of those that tried to fight back against them.
The corpses of his fellow gods are now laid in pieces around both dragons. Their claws and teeth were stained with the blood of the gods that had the guts of facing them. It was a complete massacre and there was no way of sugar-coating it. Even Anu, who was their leader was nothing more than another pathetic adversary before both of these dragons.
Now, Ninazu found himself as the main focus of Ddraig's green draconic eyes. He was the only survivor and he lacked any way of fighting back.
Not even the powers of Anu were enough to face both emperors dragons at the same time.
"Ddraig, finish him off, and let's move on. We need to drive all of these bastards away from our battleground." Albion said as he cleaned his claws which were stained by the blood of the different gods he had killed.
"I know, give just a second." Ddraig got closer to the small figure of Ninazu. "What are you doing here, child of Ereshkigal? Your mother is not a fighter and I thought that you were just like her. Death gods shouldn't take sides when it comes to affairs between factions so tell me what is a healer and death god such as yourself doing here? War is no place for someone like you and this specific war is far from being righteous."
Ninazu stood silent as he looked into the eyes of the dragon before him. "…. I don't even know anymore." Ninazu releases his spear and looks at his hands. "I don't even know. I thought that I was doing the right thing by following the rest of the faction. I wanted to protect them but I wasn't able to change anything."
Ddraig watches as the tears start to roll down his eyes. "Idiot…. Just another misguided child that wasn't able to realize his own mistakes on time." Ddraig thinks for a second before he talks once more. "What are you going to do now? Ereshkigal should be alive and waiting for you. I won't hold your hand and drive you back to your mom. I can give you only one thing like any other god involved in this war, death. I can give you an end to your pain by killing you like the rest or I can just leave you here to your own luck."
Ninazu looks into his eyes. His mind couldn't understand why he was even talking to him. "Why are you asking me this?"
"Because you and the rest of the gods weren't supposed to be here. There was no need for all of you to come into this place to die while fighting for stupid reasons. I took you for a smarter god than the rest of your pantheon and not just another puppet that does as told by the rest but it seems that I was in the wrong. So now decide your fate, god of death Ninazu. Make your way back to your mom, die by my hand or die by the hand of another being. Choose now." Ddraig asks.
"Ddraig stop playing around with that child and let's go," Albion says while sounding really mad.
"Shut your mouth and let me take care of this, Vanishing Idiot. Ninazu, decide now!" Ddraig asks once more.
Ninazu is completely silent. His mind is filled with doubt and regret over his actions. Why couldn't he listen to Ereshkigal? Why didn't he keep his son and wife away? Why? Questions kept forming within his mind until one choice formed. "Kill me, end my pain. Let me rest and vanish into nothingness Welsh Dragon. I can't live like this so make sure that nothing remains of me. I ask this of you so please don't let my soul ever go back to mother. I can't face her; I can't do it." His eyes show no sense of sanity or any driving force. Just complete anguish remained in them.
Ddraig shows no emotion or reaction but deep inside him, he felt disappointed in the man before him. He wanted a different answer and yet he got a disappointing one instead. "Very well, Ninazu. I'll bear this sin and give you what you want. I'll face your mother when the time comes."
"Thank you, Welsh Dragon," Ninazu says before closing his eyes and lowering his face.
Ddraig opens his mouth up and bites down. He devours Ninazu while blood splatters the area. His draconic powers made it sure of absorbing Ninazu's soul until nothing remains of it. Not even a memory, not even a shard of his soul remained. "... Pathetic..."
Several gods' souls had been destroyed by him since they began to hunt down the gods that were interrupting their fight and Ninazu was just another one in the list but he felt annoyed at the fact that this child had chosen the easy way out instead of facing his actions.
After a few moments, the deal was done and Ddraig stood in silence.
"Why did you help that child Ddraig?" Albion asks.
"Shut your mouth and let's go. Other Gods need to be killed before you and I can continue with our fight." Ddraig opens his wings before he departs towards his next targets alongside Albion.
All of this was seen by Ereshkigal but she didn't get to hear a single word of what was said.
Back into the present.
Ereshkigal had her eyes focused on Ddraig while the rest of those present continued to discuss the treaty.
"The heaven faction should absorb the Himejima clan into the reformed church in case of being abandoned by the Shinto gods," Suzaku said.
"Are you sure about this? It would mean needing to accept a different religion and leaving the Shinto gods behind." Baraqiel asks.
"I know but the heaven faction is the one that would make more sense for us to follow in case of being abandoned by the Shinto Gods." Suzaku continues.
"It wouldn't be hard for the Order of Sacred Paladins (New order of exorcist within the reformed church; acts under direct orders of the angels and separately from the main reformed church) to accept former Shinto exorcists into their ranks. We accept the condition." Gabriel replies.
Ereshkigal could clearly hear the discussion and continue to write down what each side wanted in the treaty but her attention was slowly drawn towards the dragon behind the death of her child. She had his soul right at the tip of her fingers but she was keeping her cool for the sake of taking care of this treaty first.
Ddraig kept a calm expression but deep down he was anxious. He knew it was just a matter of time before she came looking for him and now he was at her mercy. Ereshkigal had a hold around both of the souls inside his body and each second going by was making him even more anxious. The sensation of having an invading hand inside your body was already troublesome but his situation was even worse.
"Dear?" Tiamat touches his shoulder.
"I'm alright." Ddraig replies.
Tiamat doesn't seem to believe him and turns her eyes towards Gabriel. "Gabriel, I think we can finish the treaty with what we have already discussed."
Gabriel looks around the table and notices the tension between Ereshkigal and Ddraig. "Right. Suzaku, Baraqiel, Ajuka, Serafall, I think we have what we need. We should move along into signing the treaty."
Ajuka nods. "I think so. Ereshkigal, could you read the conditions of the treaty?"
"If that's what you want." Ereshkigal puts the quill down and grabs the treaty in her hands. "The conditions of the treaty are the following"
"The clan Himejima and the Alliance won't fight, betray or do anything that could hurt the other side of the treaty. If other Shinto clans or even the Shinto gods choose to go against the alliance, the clan Himejima needs to take the side of the Alliance on each occasion. The Alliance should offer their help and resources if the clan ever needs them but the clan needs to communicate all information necessary before the alliance moves any resources to help the clan."
Everyone nods. The Alliance wanted this and Suzaku wasn't going to argue against it. They needed to be on the same page at all times and the clan was going to benefit from an ally such as the Alliance.
"If a member of any side ever breaks the first condition, the souls of those involved will be taken by Ereshkigal and be punished by her for all of eternity. This will affect all of those sharing the blood of the Himejima and any official member of the Alliance. No matter who they are."
The members of the Himejima clan tremble in fear after hearing the condition. The members of the Alliance were confident in this treaty because Ereshkigal's power was capable of making sure that everyone followed the conditions of the treaty or faced harsh consequences. They were putting their souls on the line just to make sure that nobody ever tried to stab each other in the back.
"In case of either side of the treaty finding themselves in trouble, the other side should offer their aid, be it war or any kind of mission, cooperation between each other should be possible."
Everyone wanted to make sure that each side could count on each other. Cooperation and firm relations with other factions was a goal that the Alliance wanted. The future needed to be much different than before and the fewer enemies they had around by the time Trihexa got out of its prison, the better it would be for everyone.
"If the Shinto Gods abandon the clan, the heaven faction will absorb the clan into their ranks. Are those all of the conditions that are going to be present in the treaty?" Ereshkigal asks.
"Those are all of them at least for now," Serafall says.
"Very well. If you ever decide to add new conditions you'll need to meet once more with representatives of each side. Now, each representative present needs to sign the treaty with their blood. Just remember this, once your blood is in the contract, everyone involved with your faction is going to be subjected to the conditions. Anyone who breaks any of them is going to have their soul taken by me automatically." Ereshkigal looks around while everyone nods. "Go ahead."
The quill and treaty start to float before it moves from one side of the table to the other.
Suzaku is the first one to get a hold of the quill. As soon as the quill reaches her hand, several spikes grow out of the quill before they pierce her hand and suck a small amount of her blood. Suzaku flinches for a second but doesn't let go of the quill.
"For the future of the clan." Suzaku signs the treaty. As soon as her blood touched the document all of the other members of the clan started to feel the same dark hands reaching deep into their bodies.
The power of Ereshkigal was in full motion now.
The quill and document continue to move around the table until it goes back to Ereshkigal's hands. "The treaty has been sealed. You're now bound under my power. Don't try to find any loopholes or push your luck by being stupid. I will get your soul and I'll make sure that you regret ever signing the treaty. You can get up now."
Everyone starts to get but Ereshkigal points her finger towards Ddraig. "Stop right there, you bastard. You're going nowhere. It's time for you to pay."
Ddraig feels the dark hands around his two souls which makes it dangerous for him to move away. The dragon is forced to sit down in the chair once more.
"Ereshkigal, this is not the time," Tiamat argues.
"Tiamat, you won't take this away from me." Ereshkigal starts to drag Ddraig into the inside of her shadow alongside the table.
Everyone moves away from the area except for Tiamat, Serafall, and Gabriel. Akeno who's looking from the sidelines alongside Tobio and the rest can't believe what she sees.
"Ereshkigal, release him now!" Serafall says while trying to free Ddraig from the chair.
The other girls try to approach the goddess but Ereshkigal sinks into her shadow before anyone can touch her.
"If you want him, then come for him," Ereshkigal calls out to them from within the inside of her shadow.
"Ddraig get up of the chair. You know what can happen down there." Gabriel says.
"I can't. Get out of here and let me take care of the rest. I promise to come back. This was bound to happen at some point." Ddraig says.
"Oh no, you don't. Get up, you idiot. She might kill you if I leave you on your own." Tiamat says as she sinks alongside Ddraig. "Gabriel, Serafall, get out of here and let the other ones know."
Both girls look at each other and shake their heads.
"You're not going into her domain on your own Tiamat," Serafall says.
"We need her and the two of you. So, we're going to figure this out together." Gabriel turns her sight towards the remaining members of the alliance. "We're going to be back. Just let the other ones know what happened."
Ajuka nods. "Be careful."
"Don't kill her and find a way of calming her down. Leave Uriel and the rest to us." Baraqiel tells them.
Ddraig hangs his head in defeat. "I'll see you on the other side." Ddraig then completely sinks into the shadow.
The trio looks at each other before sinking as well.
All of them have disappeared into the deepness of Ereshkigal's shadow. The shadow also disappears after a few moments.
Location: Ereshkigal's personal realm.
The girls began to open their eyes and began to look around only to find themselves in a dark cavern that was barely illuminated. They found no signs of Ddraig.
"Is this her realm?" Serafall asks.
"It is. Welcome to the personal realm of Ereshkigal. Her shadow is a completely separate dimension that she completely controls." Gabriel explains.
"And how do you know that?" Serafall says while touching a wall to make sure it is real.
"Pantheons are usually secretive about their affairs but a few things do get out once in a while. When Nergal was finally released from this place he described his whole experience and that information reached other pantheons. Time moves differently in here and depending on what she wants we might be here for much longer. We need to make our way down to the deepest level and talk to her or we might be trapped in here for years without realizing it." Gabriel creates a lantern with her powers and begins to walk into the darkness. "Let's move."
"Let's hope that he is alright. We can't let him die." Serafall begins to follow Gabriel. "I won't let him die. No here and not after I got so close to him."
"…. Dear… don't die on me a second time." Tiamat joins the rest. "Please be safe."
Nobody really knew what awaited them in this place.
*Note of the author: And we're back. I'm trying to write as much as I can but my job takes a lot of my time. I hope to have another chapter by next week. I'll see you later. *