"All beautiful lives fear death. All beautiful things drift away from me…"
"I thought, at the very least, I could have a friend. Someone to talk to…"
"Samael, why did you have to leave too…"
"Did I mess up again…"
The gray death mist howled as it swept through. Crouched before the monument in the flowerbed, the goddess held the snakeskin close to her chest, her head bowed low. Her lips moved in a soft murmur, and a single crystalline tear slipped down, carried off by the wind.
Samael stared at the fading sphere of light before him, his chest tightening. Instinctively, he raised his tail, trying to catch that tear.
But before it touched him, the droplet dissolved into shimmering motes of light and vanished.
"Take it back! I'm giving it back!"
Just as the ancient serpent stood stunned, a grumble—tinged with indignation—reached his ears. As Samael turned his head, a new scene came into view.
The goddess's face was tense as she buried a clay tablet in front of the grave—the one that read "IOU: One Sea of Flowers"—with a look of fierce satisfaction.
But after a long pause, Ereshkigal bit her lip and muttered softly, pretending to sound casual.
"Anyway, flowers don't bloom in the Underworld to begin with... so it's not like I ever cared."
"There. You don't owe me anything now…"
As the glowing lines faded, her voice grew quieter. Samael noticed her delicate shoulders tremble slightly.
"Samael, I remodeled the Spear Cages today."
"I approved that thing you asked for—easing restrictions, giving the ghosts more space to move around."
"There's nothing missing from the document!"
"Don't believe me? Hmph! I'm not like you. I actually keep my promises. Go see for yourself!"
The glowing sphere shattered, revealing another new memory. The underworld goddess, having completed the Spear Cages modifications, buried the old promise document off to the side.
She clapped the dust off her hands and grumbled in a low voice, her expression filled with disdain.
"Samael, I'm giving these flowers back too!"
In the next scene, she held a cluster of snapped crystal flowers. After a pause, she glanced back at the scattered flowerbed behind her. Her eyes filled with visible reluctance.
After a brief hesitation, Ereshkigal gently placed a few of the crystal blooms in front of the grave.
"Fine. I'll return them one at a time…"
"Samael, I finished 2,000 Spear Cages today. Even yours was done by me…"
"Samael, I'll be digging through to Uruk tomorrow…"
"But if even you had to escape the Underworld… how could humans—how could even their souls—ever want to stay here?"
"I don't know if I should keep digging. Will you come back and tell me what to do…"
Scene after scene flickered by. With each whisper, her tone softened more and more.
The gleam in the goddess's eyes had long since faded. Even that "first decision Ereshkigal ever made by her own will" no longer carried the same stubbornness.
When all the strength and pride was peeled away, all that remained was a lonely figure, night after night, curled up before the tombstone, knees hugged to her chest.
"Hey, Samael... flowers, the Holy Grail, human souls..."
"I... I don't need any of it…"
"I just want someone to talk to, someone who can make me laugh... or cry... someone who'll keep me from facing the Underworld's darkness and solitude alone…"
"I... I want you to come back and stay with me…"
The murmur slipped softly from Ereshkigal's lips. After a long silence, her pale fingers gently set the crystal inscribed with her wish into the grave.
As the light shattered, the yearning and hope in her ruby eyes faded, then extinguished entirely.
Whoosh!
A gust swept through the valley, dispersing all the light and illusions, leaving behind only silence.
At the center of the barren, flowerless patch, the goddess buried her head low, crouching on the ground, hiding beneath her red-and-black cloak in shame.
Aaaah! That was so humiliating! I should've destroyed those recordings in advance!
Samael's probably out there watching, waiting to laugh at me! He must think I'm the weirdest goddess ever!
Wait—those crystal flowers? I snapped them myself. The clay tablet? I tossed it. I didn't treasure anything at all... What if he's mad at me?
He went through so much trouble to bring those flowers... and I just... ruined everything. What if he hates me now? What if... he leaves again?
Ereshkigal's mind was a mess. Caught between fear and doubt, her innate pessimism spiraled out of control, dragging the goddess into a state of rising anxiety.
No! I didn't mean to do any of that!
She fought back her shame and frustration, lifting her head from under her cloak, just about to explain—
But before she could speak, she was pulled into a broad, warm embrace. A gentle murmur echoed by her ear.
"I'm here. I've always been here…"
"And from now on, I'll keep bringing you more and more beautiful things… so you won't be alone."
Her heart felt like it was wrapped in honey, an overwhelming sweetness blooming inside her. Her body stiffened for a moment, then melted into the warmth, arms instinctively reaching out to hold on tightly to what was hers.
In the soft breeze, the two rested their heads against each other, necks entwined as if they'd merged into one.
There was no lust or hidden motive in Samael's closeness—only the quiet comfort of two lonely souls drawn together, sharing warmth in silence.
His snake-like vertical pupils stared into the dim, fog-choked gloom. A deeper emotion flickered in his eyes, guilt rising from the depths of his heart.
Now, Samael finally understood why Ereshkigal had been so overjoyed at his return.
And why, after his entanglement with Ishtar, his master had swung from one emotional extreme to the other.
If she'd never known light, maybe she could have endured the darkness.
But his presence had brought her warmth—a flicker of light to her life buried deep underground.
And once she had tasted the beauty of companionship, his silent disappearance had snuffed that warmth out, plunging her back into loneliness.
Worse still, his so-called "trip to the surface to find flower seeds" had only been one part of a long list of motives.
Cruel. Selfish.
So now, I swear—I won't let you be alone again.
Silently, Samael vowed and tightened his arms around Ereshkigal.
...
After a long while, Ereshkigal, starting to feel flustered, gently slipped out of the ancient serpent's embrace. With her back turned, she busied herself fixing her clothes a few times before finally turning around again.
Then her eyes, darting past Samael, gazed into the distance.
"Alright, enough clinging. We've got work to do. If we really want to protect Mesopotamia, we'll have to start putting in some real effort!"
Samael smiled quietly at her tsundere deflection, saying nothing.
He then bent down with curiosity, reaching to pick up a few rune crystals scattered on the ground—each one etched with a close-up of Ereshkigal's face. Perfect for a keepsake...
But before he could grab them, the ground rumbled. Cracks split through the earth, and all those precious images were instantly swallowed up.
"Don't even think about it! Forget all of it!"
Behind him, the goddess stood tall, spear wheel in hand, her right foot stomped forward and one hand planted on her waist like a righteous force of fury.
"Nooo! That flashed by too fast! Just let me see one more—just one more!"
Samael stared at the now-ruined treasures with a pitiful expression, his face twisted in heartbreak.
But before he could protest further, the goddess grabbed him by the collar and dragged her reluctant, humanoid pet out of the wrecked valley.