| Fan Fiction |
by Aelk
Hundred and eight in total,
The deities gave them each a unique gift of their own.
The first hence developed roots of feathers;
Another, a keen sense for nature.
Still there was one who had a skin of leather;
And yet another adopted a large stature.
Soon one more blended with the night;
And the sixth had scales and fins.
The list went on until the last seed shining bright,
Which retained its looks as when it begins.
The hundred and eighth thus looked the closest to the deities;
But they had no special talent to share the new world with.
The one, final seed created with many possibilities,
Was hence named the Humans of the Not-bequeathed
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Shamash was mesmerized. Never before has he heard a singing voice so soft and stern at the same time that it brought the story she was telling to life.
To him, Anzu seemed a little different. Her eyes were not sparkling with excitement like when she visits the bazaar, rather, they were lifeless.
Through the hole he was peeking through, Anzu then closed her eyes to rest before she began her second verse.
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“Why did not you shower it with the last bequest?”
Ishtar questioned her lover with much unrest.
“I did not, for I am afraid of conquest.”
Anu answered his lover with an impossible jest.
Times past and Mesopia was born;
The seeds thus became her inhabitants.
Using the gifts the deities once adorned,
Each then made a kingdom to propagate their descendants.
All but the Humans prospered with ease;
None but the Humans waned.
The goddess’s guilt never fails to cease;
Stole the last gift from Anu, she did, ashamed.
This item around which many mysteries revolve;
Starts out slow and meager.
It holds the power for the Humans to evolve;
And through time will they become the world’s leader.
Gaining evolution through experiences failed;
And a little bit of luck added.
Such is the item we now possessed;
Machinas, will this item be thus named.
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When she finished the hymn, Anzu ordered for fellow priests to bring out the item the courtiers and the king had been waiting to take a look at.
She had an uneasy feeling in her.
Perhaps, she thought, the reason why the deities were not speaking to her was because Ishtar gave them the gift. Had the Almighty, Anu, predicted that something would happen when this gift was given?
[I am afraid of conquest]
Anu’s words in the hymn rang in her head. Maybe this was the answer. But it was too late to retrieve back what was given.
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“Behold the prototype of machinas!”
King Nannar shouted in awe as if the inventions were his own brainchild. Shamash saw two young priests carrying in their arms a cubic object the size of a small child. They walked on carefully so as not to drop it, and soon, the object was placed in the middle of the circular hall so that everyone could have a good view of it.
Of course, no one was closer to it than Shamash was, and it was time to strike.
A rope had its one end tied with a dead knot to a pillar from where he was, and the thief strapped the other end around his waist. Grasping a boomerang in his stronger hand, he slowly lowered himself.
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Anzu returned to her seat to watch as King Nannar proceeded eagerly forward to show the world what they Humans have gained.
He hurried forward, but before he could reach it, he could no longer see what was in front of him… in fact, darkness consumed everything from everyone’s sight all of a sudden.
“Who unlit the chandeliers? How dare the person!"
Instead of calling for guards concerning his safety, the ham-looking king was angered by his embarrassment.
[Alas, the turning point of fate.]
Anzu sat on her seat calmly, but a voice familiar to her ever since young startled her. It was the deity, Ishtar’s, whom she has not heard from for quite some time.
“Turning point?”
She murmured to the unknown darkness as everyone else panicked.
[Shamash the thief steals the show tonight.]
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Indeed, the thief was already securing his tied-up loot with a single hand and was lifting himself away from the scene with his other. He was heading back towards the hole above where he came from.
“It will take normal human eyes a few seconds to adapt to sudden darkness, and another few long minutes to re-light the chandeliers…. Or should I say replace?”
Smiling cunningly, he marveled at the fact that he had sliced off the wicks of the candles skillfully with his wooden boomerang the very first moment he lowered himself down for the crime.
“This machina thing sure is…. Heavy…”
Shamash was quite proud of his arms’ strength, but never did he think that the cube can be so heavy. No, it felt like something else was adding on to the weight.
“What do you think you are doing?”
Anzu’s voice whispered so that only he can hear her amidst the chaos. Even in darkness, he could tell directly that she was clinging onto the machina and disallowing him to escape.
“Hurry up and let go, or you’ll be sorry.”
Shamash was already beginning to ascend with one hand and his feet gripping onto the rope.
“This cube holds a future for the humans!”
Anzu struggled on as she too was being lifted up together above the grounds.
“Argh… I don’t want to hurt a defenseless woman, and you are forcing me to!”
“I won’t let go until you return the cube or at least give me an explanation.”
As all his other limbs were occupied, Shamash swung the heavy cube around to try and shake off her. But he failed. She harbored more willpower than he thought she had.
Seeing that the hall will soon be lighted up again, he made a final decision.
“The cube is mine. If you are clinging on to it, you can jolly well do so,” Shamash said, mixing fatigues into his intermittent sighs,
“Can’t believe I’m stealing you again.”
A minute later, the chandeliers’ candles were fully replaced and re-lighted. Welcoming the lights were the surprised courtiers and king Nannar, but no more were there the cube and their high priestess.
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A/N
Argh, mind blockage!!
Anyway the ending was a little cheesy, forgive me.
Was gonna let Shamash get caught cuz Anzu shouted, but
i cant bear to write it XD~~
prison scenes were too common D:
was going to update this chapter yesterday
right after the previous one,
but the hymn took me a whole lot of time
to think about and write.
i'm lousy in literature aha.
pardon for the childish-way of writing the poem,
but most importantly i hope you understood
what story it told XD
ah... finally, the origins of humans and machinas.
if you remember, that was the start and cause
of everything 40+ chapters before D: