The morning sun reflected on the calm water of the canal, fragmented into golden sparks. The movement of tourists passed around, but for Kazuya and Scáthach, the world seemed to move at a slower pace, as if they had their own private time.
He adjusted his messy hair with one hand. He had slept little, but still seemed full of energy.
"Slept well?" he asked suddenly, his voice low so as not to blend with the noise of the dock.
Scáthach turned her face, her red eyes half-closed under the sunlight. She didn't answer immediately. There was a rare tranquility in her expression, as if she wasn't ready to admit that she had, in fact, rested. But the worst was that dream where she saw her master's past... Not knowing if he wanted to touch on that subject, she decided to talk about something else to distract herself.
"You were snoring," she said finally.
Kazuya blinked. "Blatant lie. I've never snored in my life."
"You were snoring," she repeated, impassive, her lips almost forming a smile.
He sighed, feigning defeat, but couldn't help letting out a low chuckle. "Alright, Shishou… if you want to tease me, I'll let it slide. After all, after last night, snoring was the least you should expect from me."
Scáthach averted her eyes to the water's reflection, but couldn't hide the slight flush on her cheeks. "You talk too much."
"You started it."
They walked side by side through the narrow streets, where colorful clothes dried, stretched between the old houses. The smell of fresh bread wafted from the bakeries, mingling with the aroma of strong coffee.
For a few minutes, they said nothing. Only the sound of their footsteps echoed on the ancient stones, the comings and goings of the gondolas in the canals. There was a comfortable intimacy in the silence.
Kazuya glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Her purple hair swayed in the breeze. Even without armor or her warrior posture, she still carried that air of unyielding strength, as if nothing could break her. But he knew otherwise. She had her weaknesses too. She just didn't show them.
"Last night, you dreamed, didn't you?" he asked suddenly.
After waking up this morning, he received many messages through their mental connection, asking where he was and announcing that they had seen him, and due to having felt what happened last night, the master-servant bond being used to access his past... He knew this would happen sooner or later, to be honest, and he hated talking about it, but he also knew that sooner or later he'd have to talk to his servants about it...
Scáthach paused for a moment but resumed her step. "So, you knew?"
"Yeah…" He answered without hesitation. "But honestly, I don't want to talk much about it. I just want to remember that I can wake up with you by my side or the others… Wow, I felt like a scoundrel saying that… Well, for me, that's enough."
She didn't respond immediately. She just adjusted the thin strap of the dress she was wearing, as if it were a trivial gesture. But he noticed her breathing slowing, almost pensive.
"Indeed, you're quite the scoundrel for having so many women who'd do anything for you…" she said finally.
"Hey," Kazuya retorted. "Sleeping and waking up with someone… without needing to pretend, without needing to be ready to fight at any second. That doesn't happen to me every day, you know? I love all of you…"
Scáthach looked at him, serious but not cold. There was something different in her eyes, an almost gentle glint.
"Now you're talking like you're still a lonely boy."
"I am," he said, shrugging. "Just now I have you to put up with me."
She laughed. Not too loud, but it was a genuine laugh, laced with irony and affection.
"You're insufferable sometimes."
"I know. And yet, you're still here."
They continued their walk until they reached a small square where a discreet sign pointed the way to the Temple of Hercules Victor. It wasn't a place crowded with tourists. Most people passed by, preferring Rome's flashier attractions. But the temple was there, ancient, circular, its white marble columns still standing after two thousand years.
Scáthach stopped in front of the structure, observing in silence.
"A forgotten god," she murmured.
"Almost all of them end up forgotten," Kazuya commented. "Even those who think they'll last forever."
"And you?" she asked, turning her face to him. "Like back in Chaldea, don't you still want to be remembered for your accomplishments?"
He thought for a moment. He didn't have a clear answer.
"I think it's too late to ask me that now… Since I'm already remembered by many as the strongest human and one of the ten strongest beings in the world."
Scáthach kept her gaze on him. There was something in his tone that made her stop pressing. She just crossed her arms and stood by his side, staring at the temple.
The wind passed through the columns, producing a low sound, almost a whisper.
"Last night," Kazuya started again, "when I felt you all seeing my past, it was like I went back to that time. I ended up remembering everything I went through… Whether as a master of Chaldea or just plain Ryougi Kazuya in a world where I was just an ordinary civilian, I don't think I ever really stopped to appreciate life and enjoy it…"
Scáthach didn't respond immediately. The silence stretched, broken only by the sound of distant footsteps from some tourists leaving.
"You're getting too sentimental," she said, but without irony.
Kazuya smiled. "And you still call me insufferable."
He stepped closer, standing beside her, their shoulders almost touching. The breeze carried the faint scent of her hair.
"Shishou…" he murmured, softer now. "You don't have to answer. Just… stay here with me. That's enough."
She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the silence speak for itself. Then, in a rare gesture, she leaned her spear against the nearby stone wall and gently held his arm. Not tightly, not showing strength. Just enough to say she was there.
Kazuya didn't comment. He just let out a faint smile, without mockery this time.
The sun was setting, painting the ancient columns golden. The temple remained almost empty, a silent witness to centuries of forgotten stories.
And in its midst, two beings who no longer fully belonged to the human world seemed, in that moment, like just an ordinary couple.
They stood side by side, watching the evening fall, until Scáthach spoke, almost in a sigh:
"You still need to train more."
Kazuya laughed, shaking his head. "Even here, in front of a Roman temple, you don't give up on that?"
"No."
"You're impossible."
"And you're lazy."
"Then we're even."
Their laughter mingled with the evening breeze that began to fall.
The wind blew stronger suddenly, as if the air had bowed before the arrival of something greater. The columns of the Temple of Hercules Victor resonated with a deep, metallic sound, almost like an ancient reverence.
Kazuya frowned. Scáthach immediately went on alert, her hand instinctively reaching for the spear leaning against the stone.
And then, a golden light spread through the temple. It wasn't the soft gold of the sunset, but an arrogant, radiant glow that announced the arrival of a figure who needed no words to be recognized.
Among the ancient marble and shadows, she appeared. Gilgamesh, dressed in elegant casual clothes. Her ruby eyes reflected disdain and desire in equal measure. Her presence was like that of a sun refusing to be ignored.
Scáthach narrowed her eyes, guessing that the queen of heroes was there because of that dream too.
Kazuya sighed, unsurprised.
"Gil-chan… what are you doing here?"
The queen smiled as if the question were an offense.
"Me, taking a stroll," she replied naturally, as if a king had the right to appear anywhere in the world without explanation. "And what do I see? My husband, wasting time with a brazen concubine."
Scáthach narrowed her eyes but didn't speak.
Gilgamesh walked toward Kazuya unhurriedly, but with the majesty of someone who knew the entire universe existed only to pave her path. When she stopped in front of him, she raised her chin and, in an imperious tone, said:
"Kiss me. Now."
Kazuya raised an eyebrow. "You always show up like this, without even a 'how are you'?"
"Silence," she interrupted, stepping closer, her ruby gaze fixed on his. "A king doesn't ask. A king commands. And I command you to kiss me, husband."
Kazuya sighed, but a tired smile escaped his lips. He leaned in and kissed her, not quickly, but not lingering either. Just enough to satisfy the pride of the golden queen.
When they parted, Gilgamesh smiled in triumph, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
Scáthach, however, slammed her spear against the ground with force, the sound echoing among the columns.
"You dare show up here and… and…" She took a deep breath, trying to control the anger burning in her throat. "I want a kiss too."
Kazuya's eyes widened. "What? Shishou…"
"Don't call me Shishou now," she retorted, crossing her arms, her face slightly flushed but her expression serious. "If she gets one, I have the right too."
Gilgamesh laughed, a crystalline and arrogant sound, like golden bells breaking the silence.
"Pathetic. You lack the nobility, the right to demand the same treatment as I, the one true King of Kings."
Scáthach didn't back down.
"And you don't have the right to think that just because you wear gold, you can take whatever you want. I fought, bled, and stood by his side when you weren't there."
The two locked eyes, invisible sparks dancing in the air, power against power, love against pride.
Kazuya brought a hand to his head, sighing deeply. "I should've stayed quiet…"
But before the tension could explode, a new presence crossed the temple. The air softened, the golden light balanced with an ethereal green. Out of nowhere, a figure appeared with light steps, yet carrying a supernatural calm.
"Enough, Gil."
The voice was serene, almost angelic, but firm. Enkidu had arrived.
Her gaze fixed on Gilgamesh first, not Kazuya or Scáthach. And that alone was enough to make the golden queen hesitate for a brief moment.
"You came to stop me, is that it, Enkidu?"
Gilgamesh spoke, her tone laced with provocation.
Enkidu smiled, soft as a breeze among flowers. "I came to remind you that there are moments when even a king needs to listen. This isn't the place or the time, Gil."
Kazuya, on the other hand, raised his hands, almost in surrender. "Thank you, Enkidu. If it weren't for you, I swear I'd end up in the middle of this fight…"
"No need to thank me, Master…"
Gilgamesh huffed, brushing a golden lock from her face with a dismissive gesture, but her ruby eyes still burned with arrogance.
"Don't think I've backed down, Enkidu. I simply have no interest in wasting my brilliance on someone who barely understands what it means to stand beside a king."
Scáthach held her gaze firmly but didn't respond. She gripped the spear's handle tightly, as if restraint were her form of victory.
Kazuya took a deep breath and broke the silence.
"Enough. We're not here to measure who has more right over me or who's more worthy. There are more important things happening."
Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow, almost amused. "More important? You dare imply there's something more important than me, your own king?"
"There is," he replied calmly but firmly. "I came here to deal with an enemy who killed my adoptive mother, and after doing that, I found out the Roman gods want revenge. I came to this city to kill them and resolve everything…"
The gleam in Gilgamesh's eyes wavered, not from surprise, but from genuine interest.
"…Interesting. The counterparts of the gods this king has already destroyed. Rats that slipped through my hands…"
Enkidu watched in silence, her eyes reflecting an unfathomable calm. Finally, she spoke:
"Since you seek justice, Master, then Gil and I will follow you as always…"
"Thanks…" Kazuya rolled his eyes internally, knowing that Gil-chan and Enkidu were there to not leave him alone after that dream… He could say that the proud queen's command was just her way of showing she was there with him…
She just had a very different way of expressing it.
Scáthach grumbled softly.
They left the Temple of Hercules Victor behind. Rome's streets were emptier at that hour, the shadows lengthening as the sun set. The smell of ancient stone and history permeated every corner.
Their path wasn't marked by tourist signs or known trails. They followed the narrow alleys, guided by Kazuya's memory of the place through his [Omniscience].
As they turned a corner where almost no soul passed, they found the forgotten ruin. There were no signs, no flashy gates. Just broken columns, covered in moss, standing like ancient bones under the rising moon.
Kazuya stopped, feeling the weight of the atmosphere.
"This is it."
Scáthach narrowed her eyes, assessing the terrain.
"It doesn't look any different from any other abandoned Roman ruin."
"That's exactly why it works," Kazuya replied. "They hid the entrance in a place right under the noses of humans who don't care to explore deeply. The domain of the Roman gods starts here."
Gilgamesh ran her fingers over the worn stones, as if caressing a treasure.
"Hmph. A portal disguised in decay… how ironic. I almost admire the audacity."
Enkidu closed her eyes, and her voice sounded like a breeze among the broken columns.
"I feel it. There's something behind this place. Something ancient. Older than Rome itself."
Kazuya took a deep breath.
"Then let's go in."
Gilgamesh smiled, like a queen about to reclaim a forgotten throne.
Scáthach materialized and steadied her spear on her shoulder, ready for any battle.
Enkidu simply walked forward, calmly.
And so, the four entered the forgotten ruins.
___________________
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