After Mike woke up in the ruins, he decided to fly inland and see what he could discover. Seeing the creature yesterday made him believe he could exist without too much chaos and readied himself. He unfurled his wings and launched from the ruins as dirt and grass flew in all directions.
Mike floated above the world, wings spread wide. Wind poured over his scales, cool currents wrapping his body as if the air itself carried him forward. He banked slightly, and below him, the sparse grassland opened into a vision of impossible beauty.
Two vast rivers, glittering like silver threads, wound through the sands until they converged at an emerald oasis. Around their meeting rose a city unlike any he had ever seen. Its walls were cut from polished stone, each block inlaid with ornate carvings that shimmered in the sun. Guard towers flanked every gate, their tops crowned with banners that rippled like tongues of fire.
Inside the walls, life surged in every direction. Narrow streets thrummed with people in robes of scarlet, blue, and gold. Horses pulled wooden carts piled with clay jars and bright silks. Children darted between vendor stalls while hawkers shouted their wares. The air was rich with the scent of roasting lamb, saffron, cinnamon, and incense. From somewhere deep within, the beat of hand drums and the reedy song of a flute drifted upward, carried by the wind.
For a fleeting moment, Mike was entranced. He felt a serenity that pressed against something buried deep in his chest, an emotion that wasn't entirely his own. He started feeling like he had seen this before. An odd unsettling feeling started to creep up into his mind.
Then the screams began.
"Dragon!"
"Run! The dragon has returned!"
The crowd scattered. Panic tore through the streets as men grabbed children and women shielded their faces. Merchants abandoned their stalls. The music faltered into silence, replaced by the clamor of bells and the crash of closing gates.
Mike's eyes snapped toward the palace at the city's center. White stone walls rose high, capped with archways of gold and lined with swaying palms. Balconies overlooked wide courtyards where fountains gleamed like shards of crystal.
On one such balcony stood a woman.
Her bronze skin caught the sunlight like polished copper, and her golden eyes locked on him with an unflinching gaze. She wore a draping white gown so sheer it seemed woven of moonlight, its folds gathering around her figure. Her black hair, long and straight, whipped in the hot wind.
Something inside Mike shifted. Hunger. Possession. A desire so raw it burned away reason.
Without thought, his wings folded. He dove.
He crashed onto the balcony in a storm of wings and claws, the stone trembling beneath his weight. His massive clawed hand swept forward, closing around her slender frame.
And still she did not scream.
Her golden eyes did not waver. Her voice, when it came, was calm, even a statement, not a plea.
"Enki will not stand by as you take me, beast. He will strike you down if you do."
A smile ghosted her lips, subtle and unreadable.
Mike's chest heaved, not with fear but with a deep, furious disdain.
"Enki," he growled, the name spat like poison. A laugh, harsh and bitter clawed up his throat. "That fool's glory is exaggerated and fabricated. A pantheon built on lies."
Mike's mind paused at the words and started feeling like he had said this before. "What the fuck is this!?" He roared as he launched from the balcony, wings unfurling. The city shrank beneath him as he carried his prize skyward.
He followed the river northward until its bright waters plunged into the earth. A colossal chasm split the desert, the rivers disappearing into its endless depth. Mike hovered over it, the dark air rushing upward like the breath of the abyss. Instinct, ancient and irresistible, drove him downward.
The descent was endless. The river carved a black, winding path through stone like a serpent. At last, the cavern opened, vast enough to hold the city he had left behind. At its heart rose a shattered temple of obsidian, its surface jagged, as though struck by the wrath of gods.
And at its gates loomed a dragon statue. Its carved eyes glowed faintly, unblinking, watching. A low growl escaped Mike's lips as he cursed. "Now that fucking statue is here too."
Mike landed atop the temple dome. He set the woman down. Calmly, without fear, she crossed to the edge and sat, her golden eyes fixed on the black river below. She said nothing.
He coiled beside her. Time passed, hours, then what felt like days. He had looked around the temple and smashed the statue as she had an amused smile on her face. He kept trying to piece all of this together and why it felt so familiar.
The stillness broke with horns.
The sound echoed down the river as torchlight appeared in the distance. A fleet of ships moved forward, filling the cavern. War drums pounded. Shields clattered. The stench of oil and pitch rode the wind.
At the rear of the fleet stood a man in golden armor, his black beard trimmed, his eyes sharp as blades. He exuded confidence not the false bravado of mortals, but the arrogance of a god who believed the world his domain.
"Foul creature!" he thundered, his voice echoing across the cavern. "Release my wife! Do so, and perhaps I shall spare you!"
Mike's became enraged as all of these events finally clicked in his mind. The dream he had of Kur and the memories.
"Fuck off, I have no patience for this!" He roared.
Enki's face twisted with fury. His fists clenched at his sides.
"All ships! Attack the beast!"
Arrows blackened the sky. They shattered against Mike's scales, sparks flying harmlessly away. Massive bolts followed, launched from siege engines on the decks, but they too splintered.
Mike's claws dug into the stone as his anger kept building. Trying to figure out why he would be in the past.
Enki did not move. He only watched from the rear, smug smile carved across his face.
Patience shattered as Mike's chest expanded, heat flooding his veins. He roared, a sound that split the cavern like thunder, and unleashed a torrent of fire across the fleet. Wooden hulls ignited, flames leaping from ship to ship. The cavern glowed orange as the river carried the burning wrecks downstream.
Screams filled the air.
Enki's smug smile broke. His voice carried above the inferno, raw with fury.
"Damn you, Kur!"
Mike realized he did the same thing as the dream and became more enraged. Fire began spreading from his scales as the woman's face finally cracked and she looked panic. "What are you doing!? I will be burned alive!"
Annoyed Mike turned and bit the top half of the woman's body off in a single snap of his jaws. The familiar sensation of power he received from devoured chosen spread through his body. "Oh. I can do that." A viscous smile appeared on his face as he ate the other half of the woman while Enki screamed in fury.