Records of the underworld exist in myths across the world.
Due to ancient tribes' and cultures' reverence and fear of death, every mythology includes an underworld or realm of the dead, a place where souls rest.
Though descriptions vary slightly across myths, their purpose is largely the same: to house souls, manage the deceased, and judge their sins from life.
But one myth's underworld stands apart from the rest.
Ancient tablets and murals unearthed in the Middle East tell of a place beneath the Mesopotamian plains, deep in Kur, a region feared even by the Sumerian gods, the underworld ruled by its mistress, Ereshkigal.
One day, a sun rose there.
According to the tablets, Ishtar, the Mistress of Heaven in Sumerian myth, arrogantly trespassed into the underworld and was punished by Ereshkigal.
Stripped of her divine equipment and divinity, she was imprisoned in the underworld's depths.
To rescue this goddess, beloved by the Sumerian pantheon, an unknown deity descended into the underworld and, at the cost of raising a sun, redeemed the captive Ishtar from Ereshkigal's grasp.
This is the origin of the pure white sun in the Sumerian underworld.
But millennia of time have blurred the tablets' details, leaving the deity's identity unclear.
Some magus studying Sumerian mythology speculate this shadowy figure might be Enki, one of the four chief Sumerian gods.
However, his authority over water and wisdom has little connection to a white sun, so most magus remain skeptical.
Others propose the figure could be Shamash, the Sumerian sun god.
To this day, heated debates in academic circles continue, with no one certain of the identity of the deity who descended into the underworld and redeemed Ishtar with a sun.
Sumerian Myth: The Sun Rising in the Underworld
…
…
God said, "Let there be light," and the dark world was filled with light, birthing a sun in the underworld.
But that wasn't enough. Bringing light and warmth to the underworld was only the start, what came next was more vital: life.
A complete world needed not just a sun but life itself.
Under Ishtar's stunned, almost ghostly gaze, Roy knelt, picking up a strand of white sand from the ground.
He channeled mana, forming a colored halo in his palm. As he gently rubbed it, a strange radiance enveloped the sand, transforming it into shimmering, colorful seeds. With a soft breath, Roy released them.
The mana-nurtured white sand scattered like dandelion seeds, carried by the wind to every corner of the underworld.
"What's this?"
Ishtar looked on curiously. She sensed the uniqueness of the colorful particles but, unfamiliar with magecraft, couldn't grasp Roy's intent.
"Just watch, Ishtar. The moment of a miracle is coming." Roy said mysteriously.
"Miracle?"
Ishtar blinked, intrigued by his words.
"Grow."
Roy raised a finger, his toes lightly touching the ground like a dragonfly skimming water.
The colorful seeds, as if guided, began to swell, sprouting across the underworld.
From the ground beneath Roy, like ripples spreading outward, the effect expanded.
Tender green buds emerged from the underworld's soil, faint traces of life springing up like shoots after rain.
Roy didn't know what kind of flowers he'd sown, but seeing them take root, he smiled.
"That Merlin guy, lazy and usually useless, but when it comes to planting flowers, he's unmatched. This magecraft wasn't a waste to learn." Roy mused.
Seeing his spell work, he didn't hesitate. Forming hand seals, he amplified his mana output, enveloping all the scattered seeds.
The commotion left Ishtar dumbfounded.
Not just Ishtar, Ereshkigal, who'd just lit the sun and descended, still unable to thank Roy, froze at the sight of the underworld's transformation.
Life was sprouting everywhere.
"You… you… what's going on? How is this happening…"
Ishtar was utterly incoherent.
She glanced at the white sun overhead, then at the yellow flowers blooming at her feet, plunging into deep self-doubt.
This trip to the underworld had shocked her to her core.
A white sun rising in the dark underworld was one thing, but flowers growing here?
"Haha, looks like it worked well."
Roy turned to Ereshkigal, stunned behind him, and Ishtar, looking like she'd seen a ghost, smiling as he explained, "Just a little trick I learned from friends. It came in handy."
"Little trick? You call making a sun and planting flowers in the underworld a little trick? Who are your friends?!" Ishtar couldn't help but retort.
Well… Merlin, the provisional Grand Caster and Magus of Flowers, and Tezcatlipoca, the current Grand Berserker, chief god of Aztec myth and creator of the First Sun Age.
Merlin's Magus of Flowerscraft could bloom in any environment, and after hearing Roy's plan, Tezcatlipoca taught him how to create a sun.
The white sun above and the blooming flowers owed much to those two.
"The underworld… it's blooming?"
Ereshkigal, seeing the flowers still sprouting, was speechless.
She knelt in the rising flower field, gently touching the tender petals, tears streaming down her face.
"Alright, don't cry. I made the sun and flowers to make you happy. So smile, Eresh-chan."
"Now you can dance under warm sunlight in lush flowers, just as you've always dreamed."
"So, smile."
With his final words, the magecraft's last step completed under Roy's control.
Under Ereshkigal and Ishtar's astonished gazes, thicker stems and more abundant petals surged from the ground.
In moments, the underworld bloomed.
"So itchy."
Ishtar, barefoot, giggled as the tender flowers tickled her feet.
Ereshkigal, surrounded by flowers, stood frozen.
She caressed the blooms, tears in her eyes, her gaze toward Roy filled with gratitude.
"Thank you, Roy. You've done so much for me."
"Your power, your resolve, I've seen it all. I believe in you. If it's you, you can defeat the final calamity and save this world."
Ereshkigal rose from the flower field, her voice fervent. "This isn't a trade or repayment. As a goddess, I choose to trust you, to help you, to stand with you and humanity against the coming calamity."
"So, let's form a contract. I'll fight not just as a goddess but as your partner, your Servant."
Ereshkigal looked at Roy, her tone earnest. "Maybe it's repayment, or maybe it's my heart's desire, I want to stay by your side forever, to protect you."
Protect me…
"If you're willing to help, that's wonderful."
Roy nodded, gently taking Ereshkigal's outstretched hand. "I swear, I'll fight alongside you, Ereshkigal, and never back down."
"I trust you."
Seeing Roy's solemn oath, Ereshkigal smiled warmly and gently hugged him, returning his earlier embrace.
"Hey, it actually worked." Tezcatlipoca grinned.
"As expected of my Master, charming three goddesses at once. Impressive…"
But…
"What are you two doing, ignoring me? I was here first!"
Ishtar couldn't stand it anymore.
If she let this continue, these two might actually become a couple, something she'd never allow.
So, at the perfect moment, she barged in as the mood-killer, disrupting the serene contract ceremony.
"Ishtar? What are you up to now?"
Her intrusion cut off the rest of Ereshkigal's unspoken words, her tone tinged with annoyance.
"Nothing… just… I can't let you two hog the spotlight."
"As a goddess, how could protecting humanity exclude me?" Ishtar, cowed by Ereshkigal's glare, scrambled for a flimsy excuse.
"So… you want to form a contract with me too, Ishtar?" Roy asked suddenly.
"Eh…?! N-No… well, maybe…"
"Fine, I'll grudgingly agree. Without my help, you'd struggle with what's coming. So be grateful for Lady Ishtar's mercy. Plus, your mana's monstrous, forming a contract lets us share it, which will help us defeat Mother of Genesis."
Ishtar flicked her hair, smugly extending her pale hand. "I know you're shy about kissing my feet, so let's change the ceremony to kissing my hand… Wait, Ereshkigal, what are you doing? Put the spear down! It was a joke, a joke! I'm your sister, don't side with this outsider!!"
Amid the sisters' antics, Roy successfully formed contracts with the Sumerian sisters, finalizing preparations for facing Tiamat.
Looking at the single red stroke left on his Command Seals, Roy focused, and with a flash of three red lights, they restored to their original number.
With a Grand Servant, infinite-mana Ishtar, Quetzalcoatl, and Ereshkigal's underworld, everything was ready to face Tiamat.
The next step: assault the Blood Fort Andromeda, eliminate the Demon God Pillars and Gorgon, and enter the Singularity's final phase.
Thus, the underworld journey ended amid the sisters' bickering.
Later, they argued again over whether Roy was a scumbag and who he "belonged" To.
But this time, it was just sisterly squabbling, not the full-on underworld clash from before.
When they tired out, Roy sat with Ereshkigal to explain his next plan.
He hoped she could swiftly move the underworld beneath Uruk, creating a separate space to deal with Tiamat.
This would prevent the newly built underworld from being destroyed in the coming battle.
Hearing Roy's plan to let Tiamat fall into her underworld, Ereshkigal froze.
If the Mother of Genesis fell, wouldn't everything, her new flowers included, be ruined? Her underworld had just been reborn; its destruction so soon would be too cruel.
After Roy's persistent persuasion, she reluctantly agreed to separate a portion of the underworld as a cage for Tiamat.
But she absolutely refused to let her flower-filled temple become the final battlefield.
Roy, though exasperated by her stubbornness, agreed.
Even he'd feel pained destroying something he'd worked so hard to create.
Fortunately, the goal was only to have Tiamat fall into the underworld, not necessarily Ereshkigal's temple.
The underworld's concept would strip Tiamat of her status as the Goddess of Beginning and Mother of Life in Mesopotamia.
The rest was up to him.
Under Ereshkigal's reluctant gaze, Roy left the underworld to prepare for what came next.
He promised to return and help rebuild her shattered temple into one a hundred times more beautiful, set in her flower sea.
Ereshkigal looked forward to it.
Bound by their respective duties, neither could linger.
Roy had to prepare to defeat Tiamat and save the Singularity.
Ereshkigal had to fulfill her role as underworld goddess, standing as Roy's support when the final battle came.
They each had their tasks and a bright future ahead.
Even if they couldn't stay together, their shared resolve was enough.
As for Ishtar?
She was just a useful fighter. Expecting her to handle any plan or task alone would, without fail, lead to disaster.
So Roy decided to keep her close for supervision.
…
…
"They're gone…"
Watching Roy and Ishtar leave, Ereshkigal stood in the flower sea, her eyes full of reluctance.
She wanted to keep Roy, her understander, by her side forever in the underworld, but she knew that wasn't possible.
They each had missions to fulfill.
As the goddess guarding the underworld for millennia, Ereshkigal understood duty's weight.
Unlike Ishtar, that reckless, useless troublemaker, she wouldn't be a burden to Roy.
She'd invite him to stay after defeating the Mother of Genesis.
To live with her in the underworld for eternity. As for Ishtar…
If she wanted to return to the heavens, fine. If she insisted on staying, Ereshkigal would grudgingly make room. Her underworld was vast, empty enough to hold everything…
"Alright, Eresh, time to work. The future's bright, don't hold Roy back."
She quietly encouraged herself, picking up her small shovel to fulfill Roy's request and move part of the underworld beneath Uruk.
But then…
Ereshkigal's face stiffened.
Dong, dong, dong!!!
A low toll of an evening bell echoed in her ears.
"A bell?"
She turned, puzzled, looking behind her, but nothing was there.
Yet the bell's sound didn't stop, it grew more urgent.
Something was watching her!!
Her mind screamed with alarm. Without hesitation, Ereshkigal summoned her divine spear, scanning her surroundings warily for the hidden presence.
But in the next moment,
Slash!
A black blade flashed.
Without warning, the sword sliced through space, cutting across Ereshkigal's body.
The sharp blade seemed to sever something.
She didn't see the attacker.
Only the bell's sound in her ears stopped.
___
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