Chapter 42: The Day of Walking with God
When Ereshkigal said those words, she had used up every scrap of courage she owned.
For her, this window was precious.
Right now, she was manifesting in a form very close to her true body.
Ereshkigal could not leave the Underworld. As its mistress, if she stepped away, the surface would fall into mass death, and the Underworld itself would warp and deviate. The balance would shatter on both sides.
But now she could.
Only temporarily, yes, but temporary was still a miracle.
During this brief span, she could walk freely in the human world.
A strange impulse surged up inside her.
A strange confidence, too. One she did not understand, one she had never dared to rely on.
And in this moment, it finally solidified into action.
The Goddess herself was still blurred to mortal eyes, but her voice rang clearly. The people held their breath without realizing it.
Rowe looked at Ereshkigal, still holding his hand.
She stared at him, cheeks burning, heartbeat racing. Yet from the start, her words had not been a question.
They were a demand.
A goddess demanding something from a believer.
"You are really assertive," Rowe said.
"Less, less nonsense. This is a Goddess's grace, you just…" Ereshkigal tried to sound lofty, but the words came out soft and flustered, more adorable than intimidating.
Rowe decided not to tease her further.
He glanced toward the distance. The Bull of Heaven had already scattered into nothing more than a thin wisp of cloud. It would not regain its former scale any time soon.
Fine. A date, then.
He still wanted to die. He still believed he would sooner or later.
The grand plan had already been set.
Seize every chance when it appeared, but there was no need to sprint headfirst into fate every single breath.
Rowe nodded and did not refuse.
Truthfully, Ereshkigal did not have much idea what a "date" even meant.
Maybe it was like friends walking together.
Just a little closer than friends.
That was her rough conclusion.
They bid farewell to the crowd and headed east, toward the Euphrates.
The air regained its natural humidity. The river swelled again, surging as if the earth had uncapped a long sealed jar.
"It is so beautiful…"
Ereshkigal stopped along the bank, staring at the flowing water in a daze.
Her golden hair shone under the light. Her red robe fluttered like a flame. The scene before her was something the eternally silent Underworld could never offer.
And it was the first time she had ever seen it.
Rowe, still holding her hand, studied her profile.
"It really is beautiful," he said.
"Rowe, you think so too?"
She turned instinctively. She had assumed someone born on the surface would be used to such sights.
But she realized Rowe was not looking at the river at all.
He was looking at her.
And he meant her.
His gaze did not dodge. His meaning did not hide.
Ereshkigal's face turned red again as if someone had poured sunset on her cheeks.
"You, what were you just saying…"
She spoke awkwardly, not knowing how to answer.
If she said "you too," it felt unbearably shy.
Rowe smiled. Thankfully he did not let out a Gilgamesh style laugh this time. He almost ruined the mood that had taken effort to build.
He would blame Gilgamesh for that habit later, with great righteousness and very little mercy.
He drew a quiet breath.
Being with Ereshkigal was relaxing in a way he had not expected.
It was not the mischievous thrill he got from provoking Gilgamesh.
It was not the natural ease of standing beside Enkidu.
It was something gentler.
A kind of spiritual quiet.
A peace that settled into the chest instead of lighting a fire under the ribs.
Ereshkigal felt it too.
"It is incredible, Rowe."
She took a deep breath, brushing a strand of hair aside. A bright smile bloomed across her delicate face.
She looked ahead and spoke softly, almost to the wind.
"Everyone fears me. Everyone wishes to stay far away from me. But you are the first person who desperately wanted to get close to me."
Not afraid of death.
Even yearning toward it.
That had been the first reason she was drawn to him.
Rowe's lips twitched.
Can I say I genuinely want to die?
No. Not here.
Not with the Counter Force listening to the world like a hawk that never blinks.
Ereshkigal did not wait for an answer. She squeezed his hand and walked on.
No direction. Only the wind to guide them.
"Rowe, tell me…"
Her voice fell into his ear like a private confession.
"Are we friends?"
The girl beside him did not look over. Her ears were scarlet. She already had her answer from their first meeting, yet she still wanted to hear the confirmation. Even now, her heart would not sit still.
"Of course," Rowe said.
"We are not."
"Eh?"
Ereshkigal froze, then snapped her head around. She understood at once and puffed up.
"Hmph. I am the Goddess who rules the Underworld."
She tried for fierceness, but her cheeks were still pink.
"You say we are not, so we are not?"
"Those things cannot be forced," Rowe replied calmly.
"But I insist."
She huffed, gripping his hand tighter.
"Do not misunderstand. I do not really want to be friends with you."
"This is for the dignity of a Goddess."
The unease in her chest finally softened.
She knew he had spoken in reverse on purpose.
Rowe also knew that if he answered straight, Ereshkigal would probably turn into a blushing statue and forget how to speak. So he poked her tsundere nature instead, and the air turned lighter.
"Then finally…"
Ereshkigal brushed her hair back and looked directly at him.
In the last moment of closeness, their lips touched.
The beautiful Goddess of the Underworld immediately shrank into his embrace, face lifting to his ear. Her pale legs pressed against his thighs. A warm breeze slipped across her slender waist. Her hips swayed with a softness that made Rowe's heartbeat misbehave.
She leaned close and whispered.
"We will see each other next time, Mr Rowe."
Then she was gone.
Rowe steadied himself, staring into the sudden emptiness of his arms. The lingering scent stayed in the wind like a quiet joke.
Ereshkigal had left.
Because her time was up.
Even with the Key of Heaven, even with a door between realms, nothing like this could last without limit.
Yet before leaving, she had done one more thing.
Rowe looked up.
The Bull of Heaven was still only a wisp, supported by pillars of dark cloud. Around it, the wind of the Underworld had taken shape into a cage, sealing it in place.
Its manifestation would slow even further.
In the end, she helped him again.
Maybe it was retaliation for the pain it had caused him.
Maybe it was her way of saying she would stand with him, no matter what came next. Even if that meant opposing the gods, she would not hesitate.
Rowe did not know whether to feel grateful or helpless.
But then another thought hit him.
"I was just in the Underworld."
Half in the Underworld, half on the surface.
But the flow of time between the two was not the same.
Only a moment had passed there.
And here—
Rowe stared at the sky, watching the sun's angle.
"Seven whole days have passed?"
<><><><><>
[Check Out My Patreon For +40 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]