Tiamat's Singing Is So Pleasant

Darkness, chaos, emptiness, ethereal mist…

Indescribable sensations from all directions assaulted Lin Xian, peeling his consciousness away from his physical body.

A strange pulling sensation caused his spiritual form to drift upwards like a puppet on strings, soaring above the clouds, past the fierce winds, and finally piercing through the stellar blockade.

After breaking through a barely perceptible membrane, this luminous, phantom-like form, gathered into a human shape from his previous life, found itself immersed in a boundless blue and white ocean.

As far as the eye could see, several bubbles, some bright, some dim, and of varying colors, floated suspended in different regions.

However, the hazy, colorful mists and the obscure, profound ripples surrounding him introduced a greater degree of uncertainty, allowing any prying force to perceive only a fraction of this vast domain.

Countless chaotic streams of matter surged and washed over each other, forming layers of undercurrents and whirlpools that separated them.

And behind this phantom form, invisible threads were tightly bound to a colorful bubble, resembling a giant egg.

Through its almost transparent inner wall, mountains and streams, sun and moon and stars, the fertile lands between the two rivers, and the glorious Sumerian city-states could be faintly seen.

Clearly, this was a world in the process of gestation and growth.

A world bubble?!

The phantom form, suspended in the boundless ocean of light, murmured to itself, suddenly realizing.

So this is the Sea of Imaginary Numbers, outside the world wall, as the legends say!

I remember I was exiled by Heroic King Gilgamesh using the Gouging Sword, right?

But before Lin Xian could sort out his thoughts, the Sea of Imaginary Numbers, which nurtured the world bubble, became turbulent.

Within just a few breaths, the threads connecting him to the world bubble of the ancient Babylonian civilization behind him suddenly snapped.

Instantly, this humanoid phantom form began to sway unsteadily, like a candle flame in the wind, buffeted by the overwhelming flow of information.

As the flickering light of reason was about to be swallowed and dissolved, a high-pitched, ethereal song tore through the sea mist, forming a thread of light.

"Ah… ah~~"

This song… so familiar, so beautiful…

Like a lullaby… it was so comforting…

The calls guided his nearly lost soul towards a warm embrace.

Emerging from the depths of the Sea of Imaginary Numbers, the figure gracefully cupped her fair hands, holding the faint light in her palm. She used her own body as a shield, protecting it from the increasingly surging undercurrents, displaying her maternal instincts.

Then, her crimson star-like pupils looked down, and the cross-shaped radiance in her eyes focused on the small one in her palm.

How magnificent!

How sacred!

How compassionate!

The intense sense of security and belonging, as if returning to the primordial womb, gradually stabilized the flickering soul, which involuntarily felt an impulse to draw closer and worship.

Furthermore, as his rationality returned, Lin Xian gradually pieced together the fragmented images floating on the waves of the Sea of Imaginary Numbers, reconstructing his journey from birth in Uruk to becoming that Primordial Serpent.

The Sea of Imaginary Numbers was the original chaos, from which "new life" was born from "emptiness," yet it was abandoned by the world bubbles representing "new life."

And he came from another dimension, also not accepted by the formed worlds here. Naturally, he could only be treated as harmful substance, repelled into the Sea of Imaginary Numbers, awaiting dissolution and decomposition.

But fortunately, before his "self" could vanish, Lin Xian encountered this magnificent being floating in the Sea of Imaginary Numbers.

The Mother of Origin of the ancient Babylonian civilization's system—Tiamat!

The authority she was stripped of was bestowed upon this world bubble as new life, but in doing so, she lost the foundation of her "existence," becoming a phantom drifting in the Sea of Imaginary Numbers.

With the complete disappearance of her reason, what replaced it was her maternal instinct to "return" to her child.

Unfortunately, she was no longer needed by the formed world bubble, nor could she be accommodated by stable reality. The self-defense mechanism protecting Babylonian civilization from the outside also regarded her as a disaster.

Without an information anchor, Tiamat could not break through this thin world wall and could only wander in the Sea of Imaginary Numbers.

She lamented, she grieved, her heart filled with resentment for "not being needed."

The arrival of a certain extraterrestrial soul awakened this Origin Goddess's inherent maternal instinct. She cherished such a humble and small existence, regaining the joy of being a mother.

But even with Tiamat's protection, this poor child still could not withstand the onslaught of the imaginary waves.

Finally, driven by instinct, the Goddess used the accumulated authority to send this nearly dissipated extraterrestrial soul to the starting point she had always longed to return to.

As Tiamat was the primordial beast's womb, all she could grant Lin Xian was a vessel as a "beast."

Coincidentally, a Primordial Serpent that had consumed Gilgamesh's immortal herb was undergoing a shedding and rebirth, its consciousness scattering and reassembling.

Lin Xian seized this opportunity and was reborn on this foundation, thus becoming a "freeman" of Uruk.

However, the convergence and integration of the two consciousnesses made him lose the opportunity to escape after doing bad deeds, and he was subsequently caught by Gilgamesh.

After several twists and turns, Lin Xian racked his brains to survive and managed not to end up as snake soup.

However, while Gilgamesh used the Gouging Sword to tear apart the world and exile him, he also blew his unstable soul back into the Sea of Imaginary Numbers.

As a result, at the critical moment, the Origin Goddess who gave him new life saved him once again.

Tiamat…

The soul flickering in her palm looked up at the colorful, cross-shaped pupils, and subconsciously murmured.

However, the depths of her eyes were a realm of chaos and void, incapable of reflecting any discernible emotion.

But as the tide of chaos surged once more, her cupped palms tightened, revealing an innate instinct to protect.

No, Mother Goddess…

A profound sorrow washed over Lin Xian. He stretched out his hand, wanting to touch the magnificent being who had twice offered him protection and granted him new life.

Yet, as wisps of gray mist seeped through his fingers into Tiamat's palm, the Origin Goddess's body elongated. She rose from the Sea of Imaginary Numbers and suddenly let out a piercing cry.

"Ahhh—"

Terrifying divine authority shattered the surging tide of imaginary numbers, tearing through the mist that stretched for hundreds of millions of miles.

Simultaneously, the world-bubbles that contained the ancient Babylonian civilization within the mist began to take on a clear outline.

The connection that had been severed, like a regenerating thread, gathered and extended from this land, entwining with Lin Xian's consciousness.

Then, after a brief pause, Goddess Tiamat spread her ten fingers, allowing the small one to be pulled back into the world-bubble.

Watching the magnificent silhouette gradually swallowed by the waves and mist of the Sea of Imaginary Numbers, Lin Xian's outstretched hand froze. He opened his mouth, his heart filled with lingering regret.

But before this humble and insignificant existence could vent his pent-up feelings, he was pulled downward by the thread, his consciousness seemingly in constant descent.

A strong sense of weightlessness followed.

It felt like a fleeting second, yet also like an eternity had passed.

His five senses returned, his awareness shifting from numbness to clarity.

"Still alive? That's great!"

"The Underworld finally has life, even if it's just this little one!"

In a dim, vast hall, a golden-haired Goddess wearing a crown excitedly brought the awakening little creature closer, her bright eyes blinking rapidly.

Then, as if realizing her momentary lapse, the Goddess cleared her throat, composing herself and feigning a semblance of majesty. She placed a hand on her hip, pointed at the snake in the cage, and solemnly declared.

"Listen! Little one of the earth, I am the Earth Goddess Ereshkigal, and you will have the honor of becoming a citizen under the rule of the Underworld!"

"So, you must obey!"

The Underworld truly had life and vitality; perhaps this was a good beginning.

The Goddess, with great interest, stroked the smooth, cool scales on the snake's body with her fingertip, a pleased curve gracing her lips.