Annanu and Enkidu had already awakened.
Humbaba's enormous body was rapidly breaking down, turning into the purest magical energy before scattering, vanishing, and returning to nature.
A small garden had appeared around their bodies.
The garden was full of blooming flowers.
This was—
Annanu and Enkidu stared blankly at the flowers blooming around them.
"After you passed out, the magic within your bodies unconsciously altered the surrounding terrain."
Gilgamesh's somewhat wistful voice reached them.
The mud people looked over.
With his back to them, the king stood amid the sea of flowers, watching Humbaba's remains rapidly dissipate.
Annanu and Enkidu stood up, intending to walk toward Humbaba.
But they noticed something different.
It seemed that something had appeared atop their heads—a garland unlike the ones from before.
No, this was... a flower crown.
A crown of flowers woven from Humbaba's blossoms.
The white garlands had already sunk into their hearts, while the crowns upon their heads were Humbaba's final gift to them.
They had used magic to plant flowers that represented Humbaba, and Humbaba had used flowers that represented itself to weave crowns and place them upon their heads.
Upon the heads of beautiful Annanu and Enkidu, its only two friends.
Annanu and Enkidu stood beside Gilgamesh, watching with him this pitiful being that had brought about a natural disaster—and their first, most precious friend.
Gilgamesh glanced at them, then at Humbaba.
This monster, this terrifying being known as Humbaba, was undoubtedly strange and powerful.
It possessed claws sharper than the Key of Heaven, a body sturdier than the Chains of Heaven, and after enduring distortion, had unleashed this disaster, destroying the world according to instinct.
But—
What a simple gift.
Still—
"Perhaps it is precisely because it is such a simple ornament that hearts as pure and flawless as