I was gonna post next week but here is another chapter.
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En Sabah Nur waited quietly beneath the carved stone archway leading into Wakanda's Necropolis of Kings, his hands clasped behind his back while the attendants completed whatever preparations tradition required before allowing him inside. He had made this journey every year since Azzuri's death.
For three hundred and twenty-nine years.
Nur had lived long enough that centuries were supposed to become easier to bear, yet every year that separated him from Azzuri seemed to remind him that immortality had never meant those around him would remain.
Several Wakandan guards passed through the courtyard and bowed when they noticed him. Nur returned the gesture with a slight inclination of his head, used by now to the reverence with which many Wakandans treated him. To younger generations, he was less a foreign visitor than a figure from their oldest histories, the immortal warrior who had fought beside their great king Azzuri. They still called him the Friend of Wakanda, the title Azzuri had personally granted him centuries earlier.
Nur had always found the title more meaningful than most honours bestowed upon him.
His gaze drifted toward the entrance of the Necropolis, and with it came memories he had learned long ago were impossible to suppress whenever he returned to Wakanda.
The Avengers.
Odin.
Agamotto.
Fan Fei.
Vnn.
Ghost and Tasi.
Azzuri.
Firehair.
Max.
Nur closed his eyes.
One moment they had all been together. Then, within little more than a week, half of them had vanished from his life.
Azzuri had been the first of those who remained to die naturally. Fan followed much later, though even that memory now lay a century and a half behind him. Nur still remembered the last time he had seen her. She had been old by then.
She had told Nur, Odin, and Agamotto that she was returning to K'un-Lun.
There had been no great tragedy surrounding the announcement. Fan simply knew her life was nearing its end and wanted to spend what remained of it in her home.
Two attendants emerged from the Necropolis, each wearing ceremonial robes bearing the sigil of Wakanda's royal line. The elder of the two bowed respectfully.
"En Sabah Nur. The king may receive his friend."
Nur nodded. "Thank you."
They led him inside.
The temperature dropped as they descended beneath the surface. The passages of the Necropolis were carved from dark stone polished until the walls reflected the faint blue-violet light of vibranium lamps set into alcoves along the way.
Nur knew the route without guidance.
They eventually entered the chamber where Azzuri rested.
His tomb was not ostentatious by Wakandan standards, though the walls surrounding it recorded enough achievements to fill several lives. A carved image of Azzuri stood behind the resting place, depicted not seated upon a throne but standing with spear in hand.
There was also a carving of all nine Avengers, something Azzuri himself had requested.
Nur's eyes fell upon it, then onto Max, Firehair, and the baby in her arms.
He looked away.
The attendants withdrew.
He carried flowers with him, a simple collection gathered just before dawn.
"Three hundred and twenty-nine," he murmured.
No answer came.
Nur stood there for a while, remembering their time together.
After a minute, perhaps two, he bowed his head.
"Until next year, my friend."
By the time he emerged from the Necropolis, Wakanda's capital had fully awakened. Markets and workshops filled the lower streets while elevated pathways carried citizens between districts.
He had almost reached the outer plaza when a familiar voice stopped him.
"You intended to leave without saying goodbye."
Nur turned.
King Bashenga approached with several members of the royal guard following at a respectful distance. The current King of Wakanda wore none of the ceremonial armour, only light royal clothing.
"Bashenga," Nur greeted.
"En Sabah Nur."
The king stopped before him and folded his arms.
Nur sighed. "I already know what you are going to say."
"Do you?"
"You will attempt to drag me toward another feast, insist I remain for several days, then become offended when I tell you I have somewhere else to be."
Bashenga smiled. "Then perhaps you should save us both the argument and stay."
"I cannot."
"Come now, Nur. One more day."
"I have business in the east."
"You always have business somewhere."
Nur gave him a look.
Bashenga continued, "Stay another day or two. My children have been asking when you intend to tell them the story about Azzuri and the sea serpent again."
Nur found himself smiling.
He had known Bashenga since the king was a child. The boy had followed Nur whenever he visited Wakanda, asking endless questions about Azzuri and the Avengers. Even as a young prince, Bashenga had possessed an almost embarrassing admiration for Nur. Age and kingship had tempered that enthusiasm but never entirely removed it.
"You are looking more and more like your grandfather now," Nur said.
Bashenga's smile softened. "Yes. Quite a handsome man."
Nur laughed. "He was. Nanali the Handsome. He was also vain, even in his childhood."
"Then honour his memory properly and stay for a week or two."
Nur shook his head.
"Do not let the visits to the Necropolis become the only reason you come to Wakanda, Nur. You are welcome here because you are our friend, not merely because you were his."
"I will return sooner next time. I will not wait another year."
Nur glanced back toward the distant entrance of the Necropolis.
Bashenga extended his forearm.
Nur clasped it.
"Until next time, then."
"Sooner than a year."
Nur smiled.
He released Bashenga and stepped back. Amber sparks appeared around his hand as he traced a circle through the air, and a portal opened before him.
He stared through it at the sunlit city beyond and stepped inside.
The portal closed behind him.
Thinis was ahead of him, the capital of the dynasty ruling Kemet. Thick mud-brick walls enclosed much of the city, while temples, palaces, administrative buildings, workshops, and crowded markets stretched outward along roads filled with merchants, soldiers, priests, labourers, farmers, and travellers arriving from settlements throughout the newly united kingdom.
Nearly fifty years had passed since Narmer had finally brought Upper and Lower Kemet beneath one crown, ending generations of rivalry and creating the foundations of something Nur believed could endure for millennia.
Nur had played his part.
He had ruled his own city long before the unification and possessed more power than any king could reasonably challenge, but ruling all of Kemet had never interested him. Narmer had possessed the ambition, intelligence, and ruthlessness necessary to unite the great lands along the river, so Nur had cultivated those qualities, supplied armies and resources when necessary, and allowed the conqueror to unite all the land of black soil beneath one kingdom.
Once the new realm was secure, Nur stepped away.
His own city remained powerful, positioned deliberately at the forefront of the new kingdom and ruled by a governor appointed by Narmer and approved by Nur as well. Nur himself had disappeared from public life, gradually becoming a legend told among the people as the years passed.
Nur walked through the streets with his face concealed. Eventually, he reached the workshop of one of his contacts.
The man saw Nur enter and immediately stood.
"My lord."
Nur waved the title away.
"Hor-Aha."
"He has passed, my lord."
Nur nodded slowly.
"When?"
"Three nights ago. The palace kept the news contained until the succession was secured."
"And Djer?"
"Crowned without challenge. The nobles accepted him, the priests have given their blessing, and the army has sworn loyalty. There was no disorder."
"Good."
Nur had expected as much.
When he had left for Wakanda, Hor-Aha, the second Pharaoh of Kemet and son of Narmer, had already been confined to his deathbed.
Another ruler gone.
Another son taking his father's place.
Nur thanked the man and left before he could offer further details. He had no intention of involving himself in Djer's reign unless it became necessary.
Outside, he walked until the crowds thinned and found a quiet space between two buildings.
Amber sparks formed around his fingers once more.
Nur opened another portal.
The colours of the desert vanished behind a circle of golden light, replaced by cold mountain air.
Nur stepped through.
The portal closed.
Before him stood the entrance to Kamar-Taj.
===========
Nur walked in and immediately found himself surrounded by the familiar sounds of training. The ancient sanctuary had grown considerably during the centuries since Agamotto first began gathering students and transforming what had once been a home shared by him and his friends into something greater. Sorcerers of varying ages moved between lessons while others trained openly beneath the morning sun, pairs exchanging spells inside carefully maintained wards as their instructors watched for mistakes.
In one courtyard, a young sorcerer created three shimmering duplicates of himself before his opponent dispelled all four with a sweep of her hands. Farther away, another group practised opening portals while an elderly instructor repeatedly complained that none of them were maintaining the proper circular motion. Nur passed through without interrupting, though several students noticed him and bowed respectfully.
He was a regular here, though he had never considered himself a sorcerer in quite the same way as Agamotto or the masters who dedicated their entire lives to the mystic arts. Sorcery was another weapon to Nur, another discipline added to everything his mutation already allowed him to accomplish. His body could adapt, reshape itself, increase its strength, and endure wounds that would kill almost anyone else. Combined with centuries of magical study, those abilities had grown into something far greater.
There were few beings on Earth who could challenge him now.
That had become increasingly necessary after the Avengers ended.
The world had not become peaceful merely because Agamotto had managed to create his barrier. Threats continued coming, and more than once Nur had found himself standing where all of them would once have stood together. He had fought sorcerers attempting to tear holes into hostile dimensions, creatures from beneath the Earth, forgotten gods, and things that had no proper names in any language.
Nur crossed another courtyard and eventually reached the western terraces, where the sanctuary opened onto an uninterrupted view of the mountains. Snow-covered peaks stretched beyond the stone railing beneath a bright sky.
Agamotto waited there.
He floated several feet above the terrace in a lotus position, hands resting loosely upon his knees. Age had finally begun claiming even him. His hair had turned completely white, his face deeply lined. His eyes had failed years earlier and were now milk-white, though Nur suspected Agamotto perceived more of the world without sight than most people ever managed with it.
Nur approached quietly.
Agamotto smiled before he reached him.
"Nur."
The ancient sorcerer lowered himself gently until his feet touched the stone.
"Welcome back, my friend."
Nur folded his arms. "Motto. It has been a few moons."
"Yes, it has."
Agamotto smiled and made a small gesture with one hand. A teapot and two cups rose from a nearby table. One cup filled itself before floating toward Nur, who caught it without complaint and took a drink.
Agamotto took the other.
"I need your help."
Nur sighed into his tea.
"Do not tell me the followers of Cyttorak are causing trouble again."
Agamotto's mouth twisted.
"Those fuckers are always causing trouble."
"But no," Agamotto continued. "This is something else. More of a divine matter."
Nur immediately shook his head.
"No."
"You do not even know what I am going to say."
"I heard divine. That is enough."
"Nur."
"I am not becoming involved in another dispute between so-called gods."
Agamotto took a slow sip of tea.
"It involves your people. The changed ones."
Nur stopped with his cup halfway to his mouth.
Agamotto did not need sight to notice.
"I thought that might gain your attention."
Nur lowered the cup.
"What happened?"
The changed ones, or mutants, as Max had called them, had become an increasingly important concern to him over the last several decades. He had encountered fifteen others in the past hundred years alone, each different enough that Nur had begun to understand just how broad their kind might eventually become. Most had simply been people trying to survive abilities they barely understood. Three had been dangerous enough that Nur had been forced to fight them, and two of those encounters had ended with deaths he would have preferred to avoid.
Perhaps not tomorrow, or even within another millennium, but eventually mutants would become numerous enough that the rest of humanity could no longer ignore them. Nur had already begun considering what their place in the world should be when that happened and, more importantly, how to ensure no king, priesthood, or frightened population decided extermination was the simplest answer.
Agamotto set his cup aside.
"In Eridu, there is a woman carrying a child."
Nur waited.
"The father is Enki."
That was enough to make his expression darken.
"Anunnaki."
"Yes."
Nur looked back toward the mountains.
"And the child?"
"Is also a changed one."
Nur slowly turned.
Agamotto continued before he could ask.
"A powerful one. I cannot determine the exact nature of what the child will become before birth, particularly with Enki's blood complicating everything, but the potential surrounding it is enormous."
Nur stared at him for several seconds.
"Let me guess. The Anunnaki want it dead."
"Some do."
"And the others?"
"Want to use it."
Nur exhaled through his nose.
"The matter is no longer limited to them either. Word has spread among several pantheons and also to the darker corners."
Nur turned completely toward the mountains and rested one hand against the stone railing.
"A mutant child carrying the blood of one of the Anunnaki."
Nur was silent.
Agamotto stepped beside him.
"We need to secure the mother before any of them decide to act openly. Bring her here. Kamar-Taj can hide both of them from most divine senses, and I can strengthen the wards if necessary. They can remain within these mountains until we understand what we are dealing with."
Nur remained looking at the mountains.
"Last time we tried to protect a babe, it did not go very well, did it?"
Agamotto did not respond.
Nur realized what he had said almost immediately.
His stomach tightened.
"Motto..."
Nur closed his eyes briefly.
"I am sorry. That was..."
"No. It is fine. We failed then, yes..."
The words were quiet.
Nur looked at him.
Agamotto's blind eyes remained fixed toward the mountains.
"Yes," he repeated. "We failed that day."
Nur said nothing.
"I still dream about it sometimes."
The wind moved between them.
Agamotto's hands tightened around the railing.
"Motto...I should not have said it."
Agamotto turned toward him.
"You should not keep punishing yourself either."
Nur's eyes narrowed slightly.
Agamotto continued, "I told Odin the same thing when he last came here. He carries his guilt differently from you, but it is still guilt."
Nur remained silent, and the silence stretched between them.
"I will go to Eridu."
Agamotto smiled faintly.
"Thank you."
"I will bring the mother here, and then we can decide what to do if the Anunnaki object."
"Oh, they will object."
"Then they can object from a safe distance."
That brought some of the humour back into Agamotto's expression.
Nur finished the last of his tea and set the cup down. Amber sparks immediately appeared around his fingers as he began tracing a circle through the air.
"I will be back soon."
"Nur."
He glanced over his shoulder.
Agamotto's expression had become serious again.
"Be careful."
Nur nodded.
The portal opened, and Nur stepped through.
Before him stood the city of Eridu.
===========
Nur emerged from the portal on the outskirts of Eridu and knew almost immediately that Agamotto had been right to hurry him.
The city itself lay several miles ahead, its walls rising above irrigated fields, canals, and clusters of smaller settlements spread across the flat land surrounding it, but Nur's attention was drawn instead to something descending beyond the city's eastern edge.
Anunnaki.
He could sense them. Several craft hovered beyond the outer settlements while armed figures moved beneath them.
Nur cursed under his breath and rose into the air.
His clothing changed as he accelerated. The ordinary garments shifted away as a dark blue sleeveless tunic formed around his torso, fitted closely across his chest beneath a high collar before separating into long layered panels around his legs. A broad dark belt settled around his waist with a large faceted magenta gemstone at its centre, while heavy boots and reinforced arm guards completed the practical warrior's clothing beneath it. Finally, a great crimson and deep-purple cloak spread behind him, fastened across his chest by two round golden clasps connected with a short braided cord.
Nur increased his speed.
Then he saw the woman.
She was being escorted from the city beneath heavy guard, visibly pregnant enough that she struggled to keep pace with the soldiers surrounding her. Nearly twenty Anunnaki warriors in polished silver armour formed a cordon around her.
The woman looked exhausted, but strangely happy to be going with them.
Nur dropped from the sky.
One of the soldiers looked upward just before an amber bolt struck the ground beside him.
The explosion threw three warriors aside without touching the woman.
Nur landed between two more and swept one hand outward, combining his natural control over energy with a binding spell. Golden symbols flashed through the air before collapsing into a concentrated blast that struck both soldiers across the chest and sent them tumbling through the dirt.
"Take the woman aboard!"
Two soldiers grabbed her arms.
Nur raised one hand.
A translucent amber shield snapped into existence around her, expanding outward with enough force to throw her captors away while leaving the woman untouched inside.
The remaining soldiers charged.
Nur met them directly.
The first swung a broad silver sword toward his neck, but Nur's body shifted before the blade arrived, his bones and muscles altering their density while his upper body bent farther than ordinary anatomy should have allowed. The sword passed harmlessly over him, and Nur caught the soldier's wrist on the return.
He squeezed.
Armour buckled.
The warrior screamed as Nur lifted him from the ground and threw him into two of his companions.
Another came from behind.
Telekinesis seized the attacker and stopped him in mid-stride. Nur turned, clenched his fist, and drove the suspended warrior downward hard enough to crack the earth beneath him.
Four more advanced together.
Nur enlarged.
His body expanded until he stood almost twice their height, his strength increasing with every change as he caught one sword between both palms and broke it. He drove his shoulder into its owner, sending the soldier flying into the side of their craft, then reduced himself back to ordinary size as another blade passed through the space his neck had occupied.
Energy erupted from both hands.
Two soldiers fell.
A third raised a shield.
Nur opened a portal directly in front of his next blast.
The energy vanished into it.
The soldier lowered his shield in confusion.
A second portal opened behind him.
The blast struck him in the back.
Within moments, most of the original escort was down.
Nur turned toward the woman.
Then more soldiers arrived.
Nur sighed.
"Of course."
He raised both hands.
Telekinetic force rippled outward in every direction, ripping weapons from hands and slamming the soldiers together before any could properly attack. Those who resisted found themselves struck by concentrated blasts of psionic energy or thrown through portals.
When the dust settled, dozens of Anunnaki soldiers lay scattered across the field, most unconscious and several groaning weakly where they had fallen.
Nur lowered his hands.
The shield around the woman disappeared.
He walked toward her.
She immediately recoiled.
"Stay away from me!"
Nur stopped.
"I am not going to hurt you."
"You attacked them! The holy ones!"
"They were taking you to Enki."
"Yes!"
"That is why I attacked them."
Her fear turned to confusion.
"He is the father of my child. He is a divine child, destined to rule all of..."
"Oh dear," Nur muttered as the woman continued.
"You are in danger. The gods want you and your child dead."
She stepped backward, both hands protectively covering her stomach.
"You are lying."
Golden light appeared behind her.
The woman turned.
Five figures emerged from the light.
Relief flooded her face.
"My gods."
Nur looked at them one by one.
Enlil came first, tall and broad-shouldered despite the signs of late middle age upon his severe features. Nergal stood beside him, taller but leaner, his build predatory rather than imposing. Ningal was massive, thick through the chest and shoulders, with dark bronze skin and hands covered in burns, calluses, and old scars. Amurru stood somewhat apart from them, long-limbed and weathered.
Then there was Marduk.
The god was the most striking of the five, taller than the others. His armour and robes were far more elaborate, deep blue, white, and gold layered together beneath patterns resembling stars.
Marduk looked first at the fallen Anunnaki soldiers.
Then at Nur.
"Why does a mortal interfere in the affairs of the Anunnaki?"
The woman rushed toward them.
"My gods, forgive me. He attacked the escort. He tried to accost me. I carry the child of Enki, and I was to be taken..."
"They are here to kill your child, woman," Nur said.
She slowly turned toward him.
"That is not true."
Amurru frowned.
"Kill the child? No. The child possesses extraordinary power. We intended..."
"The child will die," Marduk said.
Everyone looked at him.
Even the other Anunnaki.
Amurru's eyes narrowed.
"That was not what was agreed."
Marduk barely acknowledged him.
"What was agreed before we understood the scale of the threat is irrelevant."
He looked toward the woman.
"I have made the decision that will preserve our people."
Nergal smiled.
"I find myself agreeing with him."
Ningal's expression darkened.
"Enki will..."
"Enki created the problem," Marduk replied.
The woman stared between them.
Her breathing quickened.
"What are you saying?"
No one answered her.
Nur watched understanding spread slowly across her face.
"They said my child would be protected. Enki promised..."
Amurru stepped toward her.
Tears filled her eyes.
Nur spoke quietly.
"Do you understand now?"
She looked toward him.
He gestured at the gods.
"The gods you revere are monsters. They do not deserve an ounce of your respect."
Her lips trembled.
Nur extended one hand.
"I am offering you something none of them are."
"What?"
"A choice."
For several seconds, she remained frozen.
Then she nodded.
Nur immediately began moving his fingers.
Amber sparks appeared.
Marduk noticed.
"Stop him."
A bolt of divine energy crossed the field.
Nur reacted instinctively, throwing up a forcefield around himself and the woman as the attack struck. The barrier shattered under the first impact, but it bought him enough time to complete the portal.
A golden circle opened behind the woman.
Nur grabbed her arm.
"Go!"
She hesitated.
Another blast struck.
Nur lost concentration.
The portal twisted.
The image beyond it changed too quickly for him to recognise.
Not Kamar-Taj.
"Wait..."
Marduk attacked again.
Nur shoved the woman through anyway.
The portal collapsed immediately after her.
Nur stared at the empty air.
He had no idea where he had sent her.
At least she was away from them.
Nergal laughed.
"You lost her."
Nur turned.
"She is away from you. That is all that matters."
Nergal's smile disappeared.
All five attacked.
Nur barely managed to reinforce his body before Ningal reached him.
The god's fist struck his chest with enough force to launch him through the remains of one of the Anunnaki craft.
Nur emerged from the wreckage already firing.
A beam of concentrated energy struck Ningal and drove him backward.
Nergal came from above.
Nur expanded his body, growing nearly twenty feet tall as he caught the descending god in one enormous hand and threw him into the ground. Before Nergal could rise, Nur altered his own abilities again, channelling additional power into strength and speed while reinforcing those changes through spellwork.
Enlil raised both hands.
Pressure slammed into Nur from every direction.
He created a telekinetic barrier around himself, then layered an amber shield over it and pushed outward. The competing forces tore the earth apart between them before Nur broke through and sent a psychic blast directly toward Enlil's mind.
The god staggered.
Nur followed with telepathy.
He found psychic walls.
Enlil expelled him violently.
Nur recoiled just long enough for Amurru to strike.
A spear of condensed golden energy formed in the god's hand and drove toward Nur's heart. Nur shifted his organs before impact, allowing the weapon to pass through flesh that immediately began regenerating around it.
Amurru's eyes widened.
"What are you?"
Nur smiled.
He seized the spear and converted part of its energy into a blast that sent Amurru flying.
Ningal returned.
The larger god struck again, and this time Nur met him physically. Their fists collided hard enough to create a shockwave across the field, tearing loose pieces from the damaged Anunnaki vessels around them.
Nur increased his strength.
He struck again.
Ningal's smile vanished as the second punch sent him backward.
Nergal appeared behind Nur with burning red energy surrounding both arms.
Nur sensed him psychically and opened a portal without turning.
Nergal plunged through it.
A second portal opened above Marduk.
Nergal crashed into him.
Nur laughed.
"That one never gets old."
Marduk threw Nergal aside and raised a hand.
Stars appeared around his fingers.
Nur's amusement disappeared.
He moved as fast as he could, and the place where he had stood ceased to exist beneath a column of white-gold energy.
Nur reappeared several dozen metres away and retaliated with a combined blast of explosive sorcery and his own energy.
Marduk crossed his arms.
A shield of blue-white light formed.
The combined assault drove him backward.
Only slightly.
"Powerful," Marduk admitted.
Enlil recovered beside him.
"For a mortal."
Nur's expression hardened.
"I have defeated gods more impressive than you."
Nergal wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
"You will still die worm."
They pressed him together.
Nur fought harder.
He changed constantly now, refusing to allow his body or powers to settle into a single form long enough for them to exploit. When Ningal forced him into close combat, Nur increased his size and density until each strike carried enough force to split stone. When Enlil attacked from range, Nur shrank beneath the first bolt, became a blur between the next two, then expanded directly in front of Enlil with his fist already moving.
Nergal's divine fire adapted to Nur's earlier resistance.
Nur adapted again.
Amurru summoned storms of dust and golden lightning.
Nur turned the earth beneath him into a shield while portals redirected the lightning toward Nergal.
One mutant held against five gods.
He struck Ningal with enough telekinetic force to bury him in the ground.
He trapped Nergal inside a matter-manipulated sphere of fused stone and metal.
He hit Amurru with his own lightning.
He forced Enlil back beneath a barrage of energy constructs shaped through sorcery and powered by Nur's own natural control.
Marduk remained.
The god watched him carefully.
Nur's senses screamed.
A weapon appeared in Marduk's hands.
It was not a simple sword or spear, but something shaped like a long ceremonial blade crossed with a sceptre. The moment it appeared, Nur felt the energy around him shift.
The weapon struck his forcefield.
Every layer shattered.
Pain exploded through him.
The others attacked immediately.
Enlil's power slammed into Nur's back.
Ningal rose from the broken earth and struck him across the ribs.
Nergal tore free of his prison and surrounded him with divine fire before Amurru's lightning crashed down from above.
Nur adapted.
Not fast enough.
Their combined assault struck him down, driving him into the earth and leaving a massive crater where he fell.
Marduk landed at the edge of it, his weapon still glowing.
Inside the crater, Nur pushed himself upright.
He slowly rose to his full height.
"You seem to have misunderstood something."
Marduk and the others stared at him in disbelief.
Nur wiped the blood from his mouth.
"I am not so easily beaten."
Nur prepared to fight them again. Marduk's weapon remained the greatest problem, but now that Nur understood what it could do, he was already forcing his mutation to compensate, altering the way his regeneration worked while layering new protective spells over the molecular structure of his body.
Ningal stepped forward eagerly, while Nergal's burning eyes brightened at the prospect of continuing the fight. Enlil looked more irritated than anything else, Amurru remained watchful, and Marduk looked murderous.
The light changed around them.
Nur noticed it first because his shadow shifted across the broken ground. The sun had been rising behind him, bathing the plains around Eridu in the deep gold of early morning, yet that colour suddenly began to disappear.
Green.
Nur frowned and glanced toward the sky.
The entire eastern horizon was glowing emerald.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
Enlil's expression hardened. "We are doing nothing."
Nur looked toward Marduk, but even he seemed confused as he searched the sky for the source.
The green continued spreading until it overwhelmed the sunrise itself.
Nergal's earlier confidence vanished. Amurru slowly lowered his weapon, his eyes fixed on something beyond Nur's shoulder.
Nur noticed all of them staring past him.
At someone.
Very slowly, Nur turned.
A figure stood upon the distant rise where the sun should have been climbing over the horizon.
For one impossible moment, Nur could make out only the silhouette, dark against an emerald dawn, but then the light shifted enough for details to emerge. A long dark-green overcoat moved around the figure in the morning wind, its lower edges billowing around his legs while his hands rested loosely at his sides.
His eyes glowed.
Emerald.
No.
It could not be.
It could not possibly be.
Agamotto had never completely given up believing. Even after centuries, the old sorcerer had maintained that he would return one day.
Nur had stopped believing that long ago.
"It can't be..."
Nur felt something rise inside his chest, somewhere between disbelief and joy, until a laugh escaped him.
The Anunnaki stared at him.
Nergal's face twisted.
"What's so amusing?"
Nur slowly turned back toward them.
He was still laughing.
Nur wiped the blood from his mouth and gave the five gods the widest smile any of them had ever seen from him.
"Oh, you poor bastards. I almost feel sorry for you."
Then he started laughing again.
.
.
Max