"Neos, are you new to our tribe?"
"Neos, you're so strong! You can hunt brown bears alone, and even catch a live eagle!"
"Neos, that's not how you plant the earth ridge."
"So stupid, haha..."
...
At night, Neos watched his wife lying in his arms, dazed.
He clearly remembered that after joining the tribe, he continued hunting wild beasts—from the safest small game to the extremely dangerous large beasts, and even the eagles in the sky, he hunted them all.
He couldn't understand how he had become so strong.
Obviously, when he hunted with his father, he always accidentally let prey escape, and even embarrassed himself.
So much so that when he returned, his father would laugh at him in front of his mother.
He said that Neos shouldn't go hunting, but should gather wild fruits with his mother.
Father...
As the leader, even if he was busy, he always brought back something small after every hunt.
Rabbits, wolf cubs, foxes...
Then he would excitedly take them and put them where Neos would come... He couldn't remember clearly.
But he still remembered
He still remembered that when his father returned, he would ride on his shoulders, and then his father would raise one hand high and place the other on his head playfully.
Then, after playing a little, his father would teach him archery—an important skill that allowed him to hunt wild beasts from a distance or face a charge.
In the end, injury meant death.
Death...
Yes, the reason he joined this tribe was to resurrect his deceased father.
For this, he constantly hunted all kinds of beasts, especially large ones, to show his strength.
Only then could he persuade the Priest to make him a Guardian of the Fire (Adam).
Thus, he could follow Adam to the highest and farthest mountain, and to the dwelling of the Goddess of the Underworld on the day of the howling cold.
Then beg the Goddess of the Underworld to allow him to enter her realm.
Find his father in death and desolation, bring him back, and restore him to life.
If he could, he also wanted his mother...
"Neos, I love you."
Neos's thoughts were instantly tangled, because this was said by his wife—a tribe girl without a name.
She wasn't awake, just talking in her sleep.
A moment later, he continued thinking.
He understood perfectly well that his plan was full of loopholes and extremely primitive.
There was even a fatal flaw.
How should he speak to the Goddess of the Underworld and offer sacrifices that would satisfy the goddess?
After all, gods were never generous.
Except for the Fire.
No, no, no, the Fire (Adam) said he was not a god.
He was a benevolent and wise man, but he had a long life, could control flames, and possessed some abilities that people did not understand at all.
Thinking this, Neos felt a little lighter, an invisible burden lifted from his body.
He lived well here.
He could slash and burn, fish downstream in the river, gather and hunt, and if he was diligent, he could eat and drink without worry.
The tribe's atmosphere was also very good. Everyone followed the common laws carved on the stone tablets, helped each other learn cuneiform, and taught each other various life experiences.
The god of their belief... Eh, the man of their belief—Adam.
There was nothing He didn't know, nothing He couldn't do.
Too bad it had been so long since he had the time to seek answers from the Fire.
The reason was that his wife was sleeping in his arms.
He was so obsessed that he couldn't wait to cling to him like this, and his figure was always reflected in his eyes.
Overall, he had lived here for a long time and lived happily... He was so happy that even the pain of his father's murder had somewhat healed.
So a few days ago, he sent a request to the Priest.
He was afraid that his will would be worn down, that he would forget his original intention and no longer try to resurrect his parents.
As for his wife and...
"Neos, I'm pregnant."
...
...
Late at night, Neos left the house.
He subconsciously wanted to climb the highest point nearby to see the starry sky—this was his ritual for purifying his soul.
But unfortunately, someone was already there.
It was a man who looked like an old man but also a child, a man but also a woman.
He was like everyone you had ever seen, yet seemed completely unlike anyone you had ever met.
This was Adam, revered as the Fire.
"Can't sleep?"
"I can't sleep either. Hey, don't be nervous. Don't think of me as a god. I'm a human, a human who can't sleep and counts the stars."
"Call me by my name. Adam."
"I still like being called by my name. It's more polite that way."
Adam watched as Neos, after a cautious look, finally made a decision and generously sat down beside him, and laughed heartily.
He smiled as if all his worries had disappeared.
No, he began to ask: "Neos, can I help you with something?"
"I..."
Adam was a quiet listener.
He liked solving other people's problems, liked seeing people smile, and disliked bitter tragedy.
So he listened patiently.
"I want to resurrect my parents."
Neos cleared his thoughts and said calmly: "That's why I joined the tribe. I want to follow you to the highest and farthest mountain, meet the Goddess of the Underworld, and beg that goddess to allow me to enter her realm, bring back my parents, and restore them to life."
"But I don't know what price to pay to gain that goddess's promise."
"Adam."
"If you are wise, can you tell me what sacrifice to offer?"
In Neos's expectant gaze, Adam slowly shook his head.
Neos was a little disappointed.
But this time, he misunderstood what it meant.
But...
"Nothing is needed."
"Because it was Ereshkigal herself who invited me to go. She let the cold wind be the messenger, the ice and snow be the guide, and prepared gifts, awaiting my arrival."
"She has a request for me."