I find names to be quite odd.

A name could have a meaning, but it could also not.

It could inspire hope, bring despair, make people happy, make them sad, and cause many other such emotions.

But, I wonder: is it because the name itself has a meaning? Or is it because whoever wields it gives that name a meaning?

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The unnamed god kept walking through the desert, as he always has.

It has been some time since his fight with Inanna, at least by mortal standards. To him, it might have happened very recently. He did not hear of or from her afterwards, but he believed that she simply decided to leave him alone.

Though, something has been on his mind recently. He noticed a great lack of humans in the desert. He would not have paid much attention to that detail, but the fact was that there was no sign of humans for miles and miles around.

Part of him wanted to believe that humans finally learned their lesson and decided to stay away from this dangerous - to mortals - part of the desert. But, another part was still doubtful for the possibility of another reason.

Looking upwards, he looked up at the realm beyond. He saw 'them' again, watching. They looked agitated, like they always do, but they didn't appear to have moved from the last time he saw them, so he dismissed the possibility of them doing anything.

So, it was most likely that the humans decided to avoid this area of their own free own will, or something of this realm made them stop appearing in this area.

The unnamed god thought that he should visit a human village sooner or later in order to see what the cause was. He did not have any particular affection for humans, but he did find them interesting, and he knew that they were a major part of a God's existence. As such, he felt a sense of duty to at least make sure they were alright.

His thoughts were cut short when caught sight of something large moving slowly in the distance with something dragging it forward, which he believed to be either horses or camels.

If he remembered correctly, then whatever was getting closer to him was coming from the direction of Uruk, which caused him to think it might be merchants returning home after leaving the city or being kicked out by King Gilgamesh.

However, when the unnamed god got closer, those thoughts were thrown away as he finally got to see what actually was moving in the desert.

It was a very large carriage being moved forward by several horses, all of which were being ridden by armour soldiers. On the carriage was a large, golden Throne with a sheet being hung by poles around it, shielding it from the sun.

What truly drew his attention however was the person sitting on the Throne. On the Throne was a young man wearing armoured trousers and nothing else. His bare chest showed several red lines. He had golden hair and red eyes that looked down on everything as he crossed his arms.

The horses and the entire carriage stopped moving when they reached him, so he did the same and looked up to the young man on the throne. Whoever the young man was, he was reeking of arrogance and superiority.

"Ah, at last. I was getting agitated with having to look for you," the young man on the throne said, figuratively and literally looking down on the unnamed god.

"You were looking for me?" The unnamed god asked with a raised eyebrow. This was the second time someone came to search for him.

"Careful with your tone, mongrel, you are speaking to royalty," the young man on the throne commented before smirking. "But, I suppose you don't know who you're actually speaking to, considering that I heard you spend all your time wandering the desert," this made the unnamed god curious, as the young man was obviously well informed. "I am Gilgamesh, King of Uruk and King of Heroes, owner of all the treasures of this world."

That caused the unnamed god to raise his eyebrow in curiosity. "And what would the king of Uruk want looking for me, King Gilgamesh?" While he had no need to show respect to Gilgamesh, he still believed that he should at least respect his position as a king.

"Mere curiosity and boredom," Gilgamesh replied before leaning to his side and resting his head on his arm. "I had nothing to do lately, and I have been hearing about a so-called god travelling in this desert for years. So, out of boredom, I decided to spare time to actually come and see what to find here," the king of Uruk looked up and down at the cloaked individual. "So far... I am not impressed."

"Should I be trying to impress you?" The unnamed god asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Know your place, mongrel," Gilgamesh glared but did nothing beyond continue speaking. "You are in the presence of the greatest king. You should always offer your very best," he said as if it was the most basic common knowledge.

"Calm down, Gil," a soft voice spoke from behind the throne. "Remember why we're here."

From behind the throne walked out a human.

(No... that is not a human,) the god thought as he noticed the aura that the unknown being was letting out.

It looked human, that was a fact. It appeared a little feminine, had long, flowing green hair. Their body was covered in a white cloak made from silk. They had a calm expression with a friendly smile on their face.

"Interesting," the human-looking being commented with a hand on his chin. "You feel... very out of place. It's like looking at a sky full of clouds with one spot being clear and empty."

"Why were you searching for me?" The unnamed god asked, knowing that Gilgamesh's earlier statement of it being out of boredom was not entirely true.

Gilgamesh smiled and stood up from the throne, spreading his arms. "Rejoice, mongrel! For you are hereby invited to the Kingdom of Uruk by none of than the greatest of Kings!"

The unnamed god stared quietly at Gilgamesh for a few seconds before tilting his head, looking absolutely clueless. "What?" He asked in obvious curiosity, causing the green-haired being beside Gilgamesh to chuckle.

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Kings.

Such a term did not exist back when I was first born. Back then, humans were still scurrying around, desperately trying to survive.

It wasn't until they finally realised that banding together would give them more chances of survival that such a concept began forming.

And, sooner or later, the concept of a "king" was born.

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The journey back to Uruk did not take long. Perhaps because they actually had a carriage instead of walking on foot. At least that was what the unnamed god believed since he was always moving on foot.

When they passed the gates, many of the people around looked at them. Some looked at their king with admiration while some looked at him in fear, which didn't surprise the god since he heard that Gilgamesh was close to a tyrant.

When they reached the large temple in the middle of the city, the carriage stopped and they stepped down from it. They began taking the stairs to the temple's entrance while the guards put the carriage away.

At the entrance waiting for them was a few soldiers guarding the gate and a woman who was wearing a green dress with a veil around her head that still allowed some of her brown hair to fall over her shoulders.

"Welcome back, your majesty," the woman greeted Gilgamesh as he, the green-haired being - who introduced themselves as Enkidu - and the unnamed god stopped in front of her. "I assume this is our guest?" She asked looking at the unnamed god.

"Indeed," Gilgamesh crossed his arms. "Prepare a feast at once, Siduri, and bring him something that actually counts as clothes. I will not have my guests looking like beggers from the streets."

"But, your work-"

"Can wait for later," Gilgamesh waved off what the woman was about to say. "We have a guest, Siduri. Mere work can wait for another time," he said, the tone of his voice leaving no room for arguments.

Siduri sighed and bowed her head. "As you wish, your majesty. Please follow me," she said, turning around and walking inside the temple with them following close by.

Gilgamesh left on his own to the throne room and Enkidu followed him while the unnamed god followed Siduri as she walked through one of the hallways. After a few moments of walking, they entered a chamber that was filled with silk rolls.

She walked up to the rolls and started looking through them while also looking at the unnamed god up and down as if taking his measurements just by looking.

"I don't understand," the god said causing Siduri to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Why did the king invite me? And what is wrong with what I'm wearing now?" He asked, tilting his head curiously.

"The king has his reasons," Siduri said with a sigh. "Personally, I wish his reasons would include his job, but he's far better now than what he used to be before Enkidu appeared," she kept looking through the silk rolls as she spoke. She didn't seem to harbour any hatred in her tone, simply the feeling of being tired. "And the king said something that counts as clothes, and what you have now doesn't count as such."

The unnamed god simply nodded, deciding to ask Gilgamesh himself for his reasons, while also accepting the reason for getting a new attire. He did believe that what he wore did not seem to match any of the clothes he saw so far.

After Siduri found a silk roll that would suffice, she picked immediately went to work and quickly made the unnamed god something to wear.

The clothes she gave him were royal white robes that reached his legs and went around both of his shoulders, completely covering his chest and a black sash with golden outlines around the waist. The robes also provided a hood as Siduri claimed it looks pleasant on him.

Siduri then led him towards the throne room, where they found Gilgamesh sitting on his throne with Enkidu close by, petting a lion. At the bottom of the throne was a large table filled with fruit, meat, bread, and wine of all kinds.

"Ah, now you finally resemble a god," Gilgamesh announced, rising from his throne. The unnamed god was curious about why looks affected being a god, but he withheld his question. "Now, we may finally hold our feast! Rejoice, for you are experiencing hospitality and kindness not many have even witnessed!" He yelled walking down the stairs of the throne. "Now, let us feast!".

Gilgamesh took his seat at the very front of the table while Enkidu sat beside him. Though, Enkidu seemed more curious about the food rather than actually hungry. The unnamed god sat down on the other side of the table and simply looked at the food in front of him.

"What do you think? Magnificent, isn't it?" Gilgamesh commented, not even waiting for a reply before picking an apple. "These are the fruits of the labours of the people of Uruk. Tasting them all is normally a luxury only reserved to me, but today I allow you to experience such luxury."

The unnamed god kept looking at his side of the table before finally looking at Gilgamesh. "Why are you doing this, King Gilgamesh?" He asked, causing the King to stop halfway through his apple. "I am curious. We never met before. I have not even set a single step in your city, yet you show such luxury and hospitality to me."

The king of Uruk chuckled. "I suppose I didn't explain why I'm doing this, did I?" He asked rhetorically before putting down the apple and picking a glass of wine. "Simply put, it is a show of gratitude."

"Gratitude?" The unnamed god tilted his head to the side.

"For putting that spoiled brat Inanna in her place and embarrassing her in front of everyone," Gilgamesh explained before taking a sip of wine.

The god narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "You know of my fight with her?"

"It was hard to miss when Inanna attempted to destroy the desert with her power of Venus," Enkidu commented, picking random foods and putting them on his plate. "Afterwards, word spread out quickly that an unknown god defeated her. Ever since, she's been hiding in the heavens. Perhaps now that spoiled brat finally learned her lesson," he commented, his voice having a hint of hatred in it when talking of Inanna. "So, tell us, what is your name?"

"I have none," the unnamed god answered replied. His answer was so quick and natural, that it caught Gilgamesh and Enkidu off guard.

"You have no name?" Enkidu asked, tilting his head.

The unnamed god shook his head. "No. I was born with no name, people, or purpose. I am a god of nothing, born from nothing," he explained.

The room remained in silence for a few moments before Gilgamesh burst into laughter. The unnamed god did not look offended, simply curious on why the king began laughing. Even Enkidu seemed confused.

"A god of nothing! How amusing!" Gilgamesh said through his laughter. "How can a god rule over nothing? All gods are born to rule over something. You might be a god of 'nothing', but you most likely don't understand what that means," the king received more confused looks as he started spinning the win in his cup. "All things in this world have a purpose. Humans have no value, but their achievements do. Their purpose is to make achievements. And as for gods? Well, most tend to do what they want really than actually follow their duty. However, you are different. You said you were born of 'nothing', then let us see what you can achieve without a duty to bind you."

The unnamed god looked down. "But... I still have no people or followers-"

"And what need of those does a god have?" Gilgamesh cut him off. "You say that you have no people or followers, yet did you actually need those before?" The reply he received was the god shaking his head. "You need them now as much as you need them before. If it's a purpose you desire, then only you can find that answer."

The unnamed god looked at Gilgamesh, thoughts of all kinds running through his head. He took in Gilgamesh's words, and began to think about how he can achieve such a goal. He was already planning to find a goal himself, but now he was more determined than ever.

Enkidu was simply looking at his friend with a smile. He can see that his friend has greatly matured since they met. Both he and Gilgamesh had benefited greatly from their friendship.

"Now, let us feast!" Gilgamesh yelled, motioning to the food in front of them.

The unnamed god grabbed one of the apples in front of him and looked at it. He never needed to eat before. Of course, he could, but he simply never had the need to. Bringing the apple to his mouth, the unnamed god tasted food for the first time.

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The King of Heroes.

I would not understand why Gilgamesh called himself that for a few centuries after that day.

Perhaps he believed he should be a monument to both Kings and heroes of the future.

Whether he did intend for that or not, it happened either way.

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The unnamed god was standing at the entrance of Gilgamesh's temple. It had been a few days since he started staying with the king of Uruk and the king has been very kind to him.

Through that time, he had been thinking about what Gilgamesh said about a purpose. Looking upwards, he saw 'them' again. As always, they were agitated, but this time he was looking for one in particular.

The one full of eyes that are always watching all. It was the only one that didn't appear agitated like the rest. It was simply looking and observing, like it always had, and always will.

"You are leaving?" The unnamed god turned around and saw Enkidu and Gilgamesh walking towards him. "That's a little faster than expected," Enkidu commented, showing that he and Gilgamesh most likely knew the god was leaving sooner or later.

"Yes," the god nodded his head. "If I desire to find my purpose, then I must keep moving. A God's life is far longer than a human's. We can not find purpose if we stay in one place," he explained.

"Very well, I suppose you are right," Gilgamesh agreed, shrugging his shoulders. "But, I suggest a parting gift of sorts, don't you agree?" The unnamed god looked confused while Gilgamesh simply raised his hand. "Feel honoured! For I am about to bestow upon you a gift you shall not receive from anyone else! And that gift... is a name."

Gilgamesh put a hand on his chin and began thinking while Enkidu chuckled. The unnamed god was simply curious, but he would not deny that a part of him was in fact interested in finally having a name to call his own.

"Nerval," Gilgamesh said after a moment of thought. "It has a ring to it that makes you think 'nothing', don't you believe?" He asked though it sounded rhetorical, as if he didn't believe anyone would refuse.

"Nerval...?" The god said the name himself, to feel how it's like to say. He then smiled and nodded. "Thank you, King Gilgamesh. I shall cherish this gift with my life."

Gilgamesh smiled and puffed his chest in self-pride. "Of course, it's only natural to cherish any treasure given by me," he said before crossing his arms. "Now, you should leave. I am quite interested in seeing what a god with nothing but a name can achieve in this world."

Nerval nodded with a smile and turned around before he began walking down the steps. He kept walking down the stairs, through the streets of the city, and through the gate, drawing the looks of citizens for his attire and the fact he left the Palace.

He looked upwards again. He did not know or understand why he can see 'them' while no other being could, but he believed it might have something to do with his purpose in the world.

Now, all he had to do is keep moving forward, as he always did.

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Names.

When I first got mine, it had no meaning.

Or to be specific, its meaning was "nothing".

I cannot help but wonder: will the meaning of my name matter to the world? Or would I give it a meaning for the world to remember?