After a brief moment of thought, Kukulkan frowned, let go of the mango tree, and stepped onto the Mayan pyramid. Placing her hand against the Solar Calendar Stone, she released a stream of divine power.
The flowing energy activated the intricate carvings on the solar stone, sending golden light bursting skyward. In an instant, it tore through the storm clouds above.
Thunder ceased. Rain stopped. And for the first time in ages, sunlight pierced the thick, lead-gray sky and fell warmly upon the earth.
In Ur and Eridu, where the Sumerians had long suffered under relentless rainfall, the sudden change sparked elation. Some threw open windows to let the damp air out. Others rushed to hang out clothes to dry.
A faint, radiant smile bloomed in the Southern goddess's eyes. But as she pulled her hand back, her body swayed slightly. A wave of dizziness struck her mind.
Leaning softly against the solar stone, Kukulkan exhaled, steadying herself.
Sure enough, after being tricked by Kingu and losing over half her divinity, forcibly activating the Solar Calendar Stone to dispel such heavy rain had left her drained.
Still, after a brief rest, she stood again—only to spot something that made her frown deepen.
The clouds hadn't left.
They still loomed just beyond the edge of the weather authority zone created by the solar stone, creeping and probing as if unwilling to give up.
She shot a glance at the brooding sky, then narrowed her eyes.
Looks like we'll have to pick up the pace.
With her mind made up, Kukulkan leapt onto her Quetzalcoatlus and flew toward Eridu, her expression clouded with concern.
...
Moments later, massive wings sliced through the sky, descending near the cylinder seal.
Kukulkan dismounted and nodded to the trembling priestesses and priests still lingering around the area, then stepped into the Temple of Ea to search for clay tablet records.
"The rain was too intense... the storage collapsed. Most of the clay tablets have been ruined by flooding…"
"Lady Kukulkan, th-these are all we have left. I... I don't know if they're what you're looking for…"
The High Priestess, clearly nervous, cradled two stacks of tablets—some with the script already smudged—before Kukulkan, her face a mix of embarrassment and fear.
But the moment Kukulkan raised her hand, the elderly woman panicked. She dropped to her knees with a pale face, kowtowing repeatedly.
"Please don't kill me! I don't know anything! It wasn't my fault!"
Though Kukulkan had allied with humans against Uruk, she hadn't done so out of compassion for all life. Explaining her intentions to everyone personally wasn't her way.
To the High Priestess, this foreign goddess was still an invader—someone who had occupied southern Mesopotamian lands, imprisoned Sumerians, and sought to topple the Babylonian pantheon.
And now, with the Temple of Ea nearly deserted, those few who remained were either too old to flee, had no place else to go, or were too devoted to the temple to abandon it.
Having served the gods for generations, the High Priestess feared divine punishment with all her heart.
But the raised hand simply came down softly on her shoulder—just a gentle pat.
"It's alright, really. I just wanted to say 'thank you for your effort.' And ask if maybe you could bring the records from the Astrology Tower and the Sacrificial Grounds as well…"
Kukulkan offered her usual bright smile, calming the panicked woman with gentle sincerity.
"Th-thank you for your mercy…"
"I think I remember—the Astrology Tower records were stored underground. And there might still be some old regional documents in the Sacrificial Grounds. I'll go fetch them!"
After thinking it over, the High Priestess suddenly lit up, stood quickly, and gathered dozens of the elderly and children to leave the temple with her.
Racing more than two or three hundred meters, the elderly priestess suddenly stopped. She looked down at her reflection in a puddle and froze.
Her back—no longer hunched.
The swelling and distortion in her joints had eased. The usual pain that flared up in stormy weather... was gone.
She hadn't been punished.
She had been healed.
The elderly High Priestess slowly turned back toward the temple, bowed deeply, and offered a heartfelt nod of respect.
"You truly are a merciful goddess..."
Inside the Temple of Ea, Kukulkan, seated and holding a nearly illegible clay tablet, lifted her gaze for a moment before sighing and looking down again, a throbbing headache creeping in.
Feeling the weight of frustration, the Feathered Serpent Goddess rubbed her brow and stood, eyes wandering across the scattered jars and vessels filling the chamber, momentarily lost in thought.
"Lady Kukulkan, these are the tools once used in the Temple of Ea for baptisms..."
"They were used to cleanse the impurities from Marduk, Lord Ea's son, when he was born—purifying him."
"The baptismal water came from a fresh spring well that runs deep underground."
"The elders say it's been here since before the temple was even built. Very ancient…"
The young girl, clearly fascinated by Kukulkan, seemed unafraid and chattered away cheerfully.
After her explanation, she eagerly led Kukulkan to the spring well—the same one used in the purification rite for Marduk, the King of Kings.
Kukulkan leaned over and peered down into its depths, seeing nothing but endless, silent blackness.
The longer she stared, the more an inexplicable unease crept into her chest.
Ea—god of earth, god of wisdom, and god of all waters...
Legends said he once helped mankind escape the flood sent by Enlil.
God of all waters, huh?
The Feathered Serpent glanced up at the sky, where streaks of gold light tangled with heavy, leaden clouds. Her lips moved in a quiet murmur.
"If the rain comes again and Eridu becomes unlivable, head that way. Take shelter near my temple…"
...
Half an hour later, Kukulkan gently patted the young girl's head and smiled at the elderly High Priestess who had returned.
Seeing the woman's hesitant expression, she tapped her own head lightly and then slipped a Maya-style charm pendant into the priestess's hand.
"Consider this an order. If the floodwaters rise too high, move everyone there. The guards I trained will assist you."
Though still unsure of the goddess's true intent, the old priestess nodded solemnly. Then, seeing Kukulkan seated cross-legged at the entrance of the main hall, quietly combing through the stack of clay tablets, she quietly led the other clergy away to the side wing, careful not to disturb her.
...
Meanwhile, in Uruk—
A city guard frowned at the clay watchtowers, now warped and sagging from the relentless rain, muttering curses about the wretched weather.
Just as the shift was about to change, and he was preparing to unload his gear and warm himself with a drink at the tavern, a sharp, V-shaped shadow split through the rain and made a fast, urgent landing at the front gate.
Before he could even step forward to investigate, a figure in a rain-cloak leapt from the back of a Quetzalcoatlus and rushed toward him.
"General Tim? What are you—"
"No time. Let this one rest. I need a fresh mount. I have urgent business and must see King Gilgamesh immediately!"
"Understood!"
The soldier, recognizing the unmistakable broken arm and the stern face framed by a thick beard under the hood, quickly snapped to attention and secured the creature's reins.
The general—who hadn't returned to Uruk since his rescue from Eridu—pulled up his hood and dashed into the rain, heading straight for the city center.