So dark.
Everything's so dark.
He could vaguely see the ethereal black velvet "curtain".
Soon a list of 9 words appeared on a card with a number zero before disappearing into a castle above the grey fog. Those faint hints of golden yellow pierced through the fog before disappearing.
The curtain itself draped onto his face before he was sent to sleep. A vague sense of a rush and twist lurched Tianzun into reality. His head was in so much pain as he had fallen face first into the dirt due to the sudden lurch.
This was a bad situation, "Shit," was all he could think off. He rummaged through his memories only to find almost none. Whatever had done this had only left him his name and that "curtain" but a gut feeling told him that the curtain was what stopped him from forgetting his name.
The long black haired man looked at the draped curtain currently covering himself. A sense of familiarity was strong enough for him to take great importance to it. His intuition told him that this was more important than his life. The wind swayed as he soon saw the radiant gold underneath the silky black outer layer.
Something roused in him, a feeling of spirituality?
His eyes flickered as the world he saw shifted into something new... Something unexpected. Yet a familiar term came to his head, "Spirit Vision"
His intuition told him to think of something as a trigger. An image of a coin flip popped into his head as his vision soon returned to normal. Tianzun soon realised that while he had no memories, instincts and intuition still could guide him.
He soon recalled the nine words he had seen, each with a number associated with it. His intuition and longing told him that right now the word "Seer" resonated with him most strongly. He soon grabbed a branch and started whispering to himself.
"Where should I go?"
"Where should I go?"
"Where should I go?"
He dropped the stick vertically before it dropped and faced a single direction. Tianzun could only sigh as he slowly walked in the direction the stick had shown him. Something changed within him, he felt like something had become more whole?
The dry and cracked desert soon grew into a lush green forest. Two paths soon branched from the forest, he contemplated walking on the right path only for an intense sense of fear and dangr aroused when he thought of it.
"What is that road?" Tianzun thought as images of him being ripped apart and consumed flashed through his mind. He grabbed the stick once again realising that his power came from the words on that card.
"Seer" that was what his intuition told him he was now. He dropped the stick while thinking hard on which road would lead him to his wanted destination.
"Left huh?" The stick only reaffirmed his intuition. He could divine and see the glimpse of the future. Tianzun trusted his intuition and vision as he continued on the left path.
A problem soon arose as he grew weary. His steps soon grew heavier and heavier. He had been walking for quite some while and yet he had not eaten yet.
While he had no personal memories, he still retained common sense and when he saw the berries and fruits on the trees, he only had one thought.
Tianzun grabbed a rock before making a mark on one side and left the other side untouched.
"Can I eat this fruit?"
"Can I eat this fruit?"
"Can I eat this fruit?"
The rock was thrown into the air as it soon landed on the marked side affirming a yes. And just to make sure he did it again and again leading to the same answer.
"Yes"
Tianzun spared no second though as he picked the fruit and eagerly took a bite. The fruit was so succulent and juicy and-
"EUGH!"
He spat it out. It was so sour...
"What type of fruit is this?" He stared at the fruit with a glare that would condemn a normal person to hell.
That was when it hit him, Tianzun had only divined whether the fruit was edible, not whether it tasted good.
He sighed as he composed himself before forcing himself to eat the sour fruits. He was no idiot, a fool maybe, but no idiot. He didn't have many options as of now.
His usual smile that didn't quite reach his face had now become something resembling a dried up prune.
He continued to walk past the forests, arid plains eventually arriving at an open grass field where he saw people for the first time. It was a trade caravan.
Tianzun walked up to them as he greeted them warmly, "Hello friends, could you please tell me if you are heading in the same direction?"
The people in the caravan flinched seeing the glimmering golden yellow underneath the pitch black robe. His smile never seemed to fade and it was quite uneasy, but his greetings let them feel at ease.
Tianzun pointed to the direction that the stick had landed in as he baited out an answer. "Yes, young man. I assume you are headed to seek refuge at Uruk?"
Tianzun's head was constantly thinking as he grinned before putting on a sorrowful face, "Yes, it's been very hard for me lately and I was the last one remaining in my village. They told me to run and seek refuge at Uruk. I feel useless for not being able to help."
The people looked at him with pity, "It's okay, you've lived on and only by living can you honor their wishes. I'm sure the magnanimous King Gilgamesh will grant us refuge."
The older man, the chief of the caravan offered, "It must have been hard walking. Why don't you come with us? It'll be safer in groups."
Tianzun simply nodded and gave thanks, "Thank you, your help is greatly is appreciated." Of course none of what he had just said was true. But the info he had wanted had been obtained and no harm done.
The caravan soon started to move at dawn's break as Tianzun sat on top of one of the carts as he gazed at the blue sky. What should have been sweltering hot heat had not bothered him, he had an inkling it was due to the curtain draped over him.
He was soon brought back into reality by the sound of joy and the shadow of a large building. Tianzun couldn't help but admire the view as he recounted the information gained during the trip.
"Uruk, the city of King Gilgamesh..."
//Next Chapter: The City of Gods, The City of Dust//