time passed

Time, as always, passed quietly and relentlessly, and during this period, humans made remarkable progress. As the first human civilization, they built great cities such as Uruk, Ur, Eridu, and Lagash. They invented cuneiform script, developed advanced irrigation and agricultural systems, constructed magnificent architecture including ziggurats, and established laws and legal systems. In the Age of Gods, the physical strength of each adult was several times that of modern humans, and their lifespans could even reach up to two hundred years. These characteristics made the construction of civilizations easier and faster.

During this era, Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, was born. He was the son of Lugalbanda, the king of Uruk, and the goddess Ninsun. Gilgamesh was a transcendent being; two-thirds god and one-third human. He was known as the pillar that connected heaven and earth.

In the beginning, the gods considered humans to be insignificant and worthless creatures, paying attention to them only because of Shikama Doji. However, when they realized that human faith could make them more powerful, they gradually became dependent on humans. Many temples were built, each designating the seat of a particular god. With the rise of humans, the Age of Gods began to crumble. An era that had begun 65 million years ago was now nearing its end. This was an inevitable event; it was the will of the world [Gaia]. To halt this process, the gods created Gilgamesh; the pillar that connected heaven and earth.

During this time, Shikama Doji spent most of his time with Tiamat, occasionally continuing his experiments. Shikama Doji was somewhat of a mad scientist, deeply obsessed with his research. He lay on the grass in a garden, leaning against a gigantic silver dragon. He gazed at the artificial sun [Dream World] and, while thinking about his research, his mind became preoccupied with deeper questions.

Shikama Doji had conducted extensive research on true magic, but what occupied his mind the most was the concept of parallel worlds. In the world of FGO, the multiverse was real, and some characters had the power to travel to parallel worlds. For example, one might think that there is only one version of themselves in this world, but this is a mistake. This world only constitutes a part of an individual, and all beings have parallel versions of themselves. Perhaps race, gender, status, and so on might change in each world, but there are minor variations in every world. In short, the multiverse is absolute chaos where anything can happen.

The question that preoccupied Shikama Doji was whether there were parallel versions of himself or not. He considered two possibilities: first, yes, there are parallel versions of himself, and second, no, only he exists. He leaned more towards the second possibility, but if this were true, what would happen when he disappeared from his own world? Would nothing happen, and only he would disappear, or would his disappearance create a chain reaction affecting his parallel versions? If he were to go to a parallel world, he could find out which of these possibilities was true.

The more he progressed and his knowledge increased, the more complex questions occupied his mind. Perhaps if he entered the [Root], he could comprehend the ultimate truth. Or perhaps not. But one thing he was certain of was that in the not-too-distant future, he would be able to uncover the truth. Does Shikama Doji feel any longing for his previous world? The answer is no. In his former world, he was an ordinary, average man who loved anime, manga, and various novels. He was married and had two children, but he did not enjoy that life. He hated its monotony and tedium. Therefore, no, he feels no longing for that world. The main reason Shikama Doji strives to reach the pinnacle of power is that he no longer wants to be an average individual. He wants to reach the peak of power and become the strongest being.

Shikama Doji stroked the dragon's head and thought that he should meet Gilgamesh. Seeing Gilgamesh's childhood was a rare and interesting thing. Shikama Doji gave a faint smirk.