Chapter Text
Everyone knew it, and the Uruk family was very proud of it. The greatest wealth in the world was in the hands of this prestigious family. It was also known to have a lineage of great Alpha superiors.
From generation to generation, this family has only grown richer, whether it be through art objects, antiques, an astronomical amount of gold and jewels, carefully guarded and hidden from curious eyes. But this was only a fragment of all they possessed, as the power of this family exceeded imagination. Their influence made law, and their possessions did not fit into a simple list; on the contrary... it is said that the Uruk family owned everything.
Well... not really...
Let's focus here on the current leader of this prestigious family, Gilgamesh.
He succeeded his father several years ago, and it turns out he's a brilliant leader, in addition to having breathtaking beauty, grand charisma, and of course, superior Alpha traits like the rest of his family. He could have anything he wanted, whenever he wanted, and a single word was enough to change the fate of a man.
Feared and respected, few people have succeeded, to this day, in standing up to him or refusing him any favor, because that's how the world was organized around him, all subject to his will.
However, he is also a man who has, in the past, experienced frustration.
"Gilgamesh, your suit for tonight is ready."
The tall blond man finished reading an email that had been sent to him earlier when his childhood friend walked into his office casually, holding a hanger with a protective bag containing the suit referred to by the man with green hair. Gilgamesh glanced at him before nodding.
"You won't forget yours," Gilgamesh typed on his phone to reply to the email, while Enkidu pouted at the reminder.
"I thought I could be excused from the gala tonight. It's so boring to see everyone fawning over you for your money," Enkidu remarked.
"It's so boring that I refuse to go alone. Just wear the light gray suit Mother gave you," Gilgamesh suggested.
"I was hoping to wear it for a more interesting event than a gala. A romantic date with the pretty Omega from the Inanna Club, for example," Enkidu remarked, blushing as he thought of Shamhat, who had caught his eye a few weeks ago.
"For an Alpha, you're pitiful," Gilgamesh teased gently, putting away his phone. "You didn't even dare to ask for her phone number when she was right in front of you."
Enkidu shrugged. "It's not my fault. She emitted a lovely scent of cinnamon and honey that I couldn't focus. It's been a while since I've come across an Omega, especially one so pretty. I felt intimidated by her beauty."
Gilgamesh had a wry smile. He couldn't deny that the beautiful Shamhat had caught his eye as well, but he gladly left her to Enkidu if he desired her. Besides, he hadn't had any intention of getting involved with Omegas for a long time.
"Just try not to look so foolish next time," Gilgamesh teased gently.
"It's not very nice to say that," Enkidu replied with a hint of reproach.
Gilgamesh glanced at his watch; it was almost four in the afternoon. His lips tightened as he thought about his appointment. "I have to go see Mother; I'll leave you to finish up here," he said, excusing himself.
"Understood," Enkidu replied.
After checking one last thing in his documents, Gilgamesh took his suit and left.
He then set off towards his main residence, the stronghold of the Uruk family, as his acquaintances, rivals, or enemies liked to call it... but for Gilgamesh, it was primarily his parents' home, particularly his mother's, who still lived there with a certain nostalgia. To say he hated this house would be a lie... but the memory of losing his most precious treasure still haunted him every time he walked through the halls, and his mother never ceased to remind him of this devastating event, herself deeply affected by the loss.
It was for this reason that Gilgamesh mainly stayed in the city, in a large apartment, to avoid facing it every day, but he never held it against his mother. Neither she nor he were responsible for what had happened.
When he arrived at the estate, it was with a certain detachment that he entered the premises, not wanting to linger on all the details and memories it evoked. He still felt at home there, and he knew that one day he would return to live there permanently, as if nothing had ever happened. He was greeted by the servants who took care of the few belongings he had brought with him.
"Your mother is waiting for you in the small garden, sir."
Gilgamesh didn't hide a sigh. Why did his mother always tend to hurt herself like this? He simply said nothing and made his way there with weariness, but the path he took led him through a small corridor that took him to a gallery he would have preferred to avoid as much as possible. Yet... When he entered, a strange feeling overcame him.
For Alphas, Omegas are ideal partners, as they are naturally drawn to each other due to the strange phenomenon known as pheromones. However, for certain families like the Uruk family, Omegas are particularly precious and revered. They ensure the family lineage and become guardians of each of its members. Every Omega born into or integrated into the family over the past millennium has been the pillar that ensured harmony and solidarity within it. To symbolize the value and importance they represent for the Uruk family, an art and jewelry gallery has been established for them, each one representing an Omega of the family, akin to a memorial of what they have done to ensure its prosperity.
Gilgamesh strode confidently through the gallery, paying no heed to the paintings, objects, or certain jewels. But what held the most value in this particular gallery were the numerous necklaces worn by the Omegas, displayed in showcases, each one as splendid as the next, representing the personality, tastes, and worth of their now deceased wearers, each crafted according to the styles of their time. It was undoubtedly the greatest pride of the Uruk family.
Gilgamesh, who had no intention of lingering in this room, couldn't help but stop for a moment in front of one of these display cases where one of these necklaces lay. He glanced at it, pausing for a moment to reflect on the memory of the person whose name was elegantly engraved on a golden plaque beneath this unfinished necklace: Arturia Pendragon. It was an extremely modest necklace, featuring white gold fleur-de-lis and an emerald as the main jewel of this work of art.
He admired it for a minute, unable to help but imagine the necklace around the neck of the person he had never seen but to whom it was destined, symbolizing the union between Alpha and Omega... He simply blinked for a moment, pushing aside any thoughts on the matter before continuing his way to the doors leading to the small garden where his mother sat at a small table, enjoying her tea and admiring the landscape. Her long blonde hair danced in the wind, displaying a slight smile of contentment at the peaceful scene.
This small garden was called the Omega Garden, a place typically reserved for them if they needed refuge here for various reasons. But it had been a long time since there had been any Omegas in this mansion, the last one being one of Gilgamesh's grandparents.
He approached his mother, who was lost in thought, unaware that her son had just arrived. He leaned in to kiss her cheek tenderly, eliciting a pleasantly surprised smile from the woman, who was brought out of her reverie by her son's sudden arrival.
"Here you are, I'm glad to see that you still make time for me whenever you can," she said, returning the kiss and letting him sit beside her.
"I always have time for you, Mother. And I already know why you want me to be here today," Gilgamesh replied.
"You can't blame me for trying to convince you to go to the gala," his mother replied.
"There's no need because I already plan to attend," Gilgamesh responded.
A small proud smile spread across Ninsun's lips, pleased with his initiative.
"But I'm not going there to mingle with low-level mongrels..."
That smile fades, reproaching him with a glance for having given her hope, just for a moment. “You could at least be a bit more open to the idea.” she adds, taking a sip of her tea.
A servant brings in some biscuits and serves Gilgamesh a cup, which he doesn't bother to drink, as he doesn't care for aromatic beverages and prefers fine wine. Yet, he also has no intention of drinking a glass of such red liquid in front of his mother, who would strongly reprimand him for being too fond of alcohol.
Then Ninsun continues, “You know very well that it's only at events like this that Omegas from prominent families make their first appearance. They are so jealously guarded by their families that we only become aware of their existence when they reach an age to find a partner. I hope we can still have Omegas in the great lineages, not just Alphas and Betas.”
"I'm only going to make a public appearance... and because one of the artworks at the exhibition interests me for my collection."
"Can you at least give me hope of seeing potential partners, even if they are just Alphas?" While this possibility didn't seem to please his mother, given that the rarity of Omegas is growing and there are fewer and fewer in the great families, some of them had given up on the idea of ever finding one and had favored marriages between Alphas, even if such couples were strange. Ninsun and Lugalbanda, Gilgamesh's father, were both Alphas... the first couple in the family to break tradition. But they had been lucky to fall in love with each other.
Gilgamesh just gave a wry smile. "No."
And Ninsun let out an exasperated sigh. "You're starting to get old, you know?"
"I'm still young, don't worry about me."
"I'm just worried about you..." Gilgamesh kissed her again to make her smile, then they changed the subject to talk about family matters in which Ninsun still had a say.
The gala was taking place in a large, luxurious gallery with façades made of tall glass walls, surrounded by a beautiful garden. Inside, the decoration was understated, with light colors designed to highlight the artworks of Van Gogh, whose numerous colorful paintings alone attracted hundreds of guests. Upon his arrival, Gilgamesh quickly drew attention to himself, wasting no time in purchasing one of the paintings as soon as he set foot in the room.
Unsurprisingly, he allowed no one else to approach him except for his friend, who had decided to leave him alone for a few minutes to take a tour of the gallery.
The man sipped a glass of champagne, watching the outdoor garden lit through the windows, ignoring the other guests' attempts to approach him. Occasionally, he glanced at his own reflection or that of passers-by chatting around the charities, along with Van Gogh's magnificent creations.
But worst of all for him was this mixture of nauseating odors that could make anyone nauseous... Why did the majority of Alphas give off such a stench while the Omegas had milder, more pleasant smells? It was something he'd never understand. However, there was a strange smell in the room, something he couldn't quite identify... like one of those strange scents wafting through the air, disturbing, but impossible to locate.
Gilgamesh was skeptical and planned to leave immediately once Enkidu had returned.
And then, as if by chance, Enkidu arrived.
He tapped him on the shoulder to snap him out of his reverie and get his attention. Enkidu seemed to be all smiles, having apparently had a good time. No doubt he'd had a pleasant experience?
"Are you done strutting? I only wanted to make an appearance, I remind you."
"Don't be grumpy... I was looking for novelties in high society, figure yourself."
Gilgamesh quickly guessed what he was talking about after a short moment's thought. "Did Mother ask you to check for new Omegas?" he asked somewhat annoyed.
Enkidu raised his hands as if caught red-handed. "You mustn't blame him, I'm worried about you too, you know? All I've done is have a look around and talk to some people."
"I don't see why you bother when you're incapable of spotting the Omegas..."
"That's completely untrue, I could smell Shamhat the other night..."
"... She was trying to seduce you, that's normal..."
"That doesn't mean I can't smell them."
In truth, he couldn't really. It was a defect he'd had since birth, a strange phenomenon that seemed to be spreading among newborn Alpha babies. Some of them lost part of their faculties, but until now, it had only been deduced that it was probably a form of handicap that didn't really interfere with the daily life of these Alphas.
"If you're done, I'd like to get out of this den in Mongrel... it reeks of death here..."
Enkidu smiled and sighed, silently blaming his friend's contempt and impatience. As they chatted, Gilgamesh caught sight of a small shape passing behind them out of the corner of his eye. He noticed, almost to his horror, that the smell seemed to be coming from the young blonde woman as she walked past them towards the exit, almost making Gilgamesh wince. It was a heavy stench, hovering behind her like an aura... Yet the next second, a light, pleasant breeze mingled with this stench as if camouflaged, a breath of life, a delight to his nostrils, a feeling of well-being in his mind... A faint scent of lily came to caress his senses, cutting him off as if he were face to face with a fascinating object.
It took him a few seconds to realize what he was talking about, turning in a smooth movement towards the young woman who was striding off, admiring for a moment her small, confident figure, which made him determined to leave as quickly as possible. But his conclusion was clear... she was an Omega.
"I thought there was no Omega tonight..." began Gilgamesh, extremely skeptical.
"Indeed, that's what I thought." Enkidu looked in the same direction as Gilgamesh. "You mean that girl? I spoke to her earlier, absolutely charming. I think her name is... wait a second, she introduced herself quickly... Ah yes, I know. Arturia Pendragon. You think she's an Omega? Strange for a single girl, don't you think…?"
"Did you just say...?"
Arturia Pendragon?
Gilgamesh looked at his friend as if he'd just said the wrong thing. Yet it was clear from his face that what he had just said was right, coming from someone who almost never lied to him.
"What, you know her?" asked Enkidu, surprised.
With no time to reply, Gilgamesh handed Enkidu his glass of champagne and, probably for the first time in front of everyone, without a care for appearances, the man known for his extravagant demands was running at full speed towards the exit, hoping to catch up with this young woman.
He reached the hall at a brisk pace, jostling anyone in his way without hesitation. Then he reached the top of the steps leading straight to the exit. But too late... the stranger was already outside, entering a small limousine whose door was held open by its driver. He barely had time to admire the silhouette and the tired, bored face of this stranger framed by her blond hair before the door slammed shut.
Gilgamesh continued forward, this time walking, watching the limousine start up and slowly pull away. He was still staring at the silhouette through the vehicle's window.
He put one foot out the door when the vehicle was already a long way off. He didn't want to catch up with it, he just wanted to make sure he wasn't dreaming, and he wasn't...
Enkidu quickly joined him, a little surprised by Gilgamesh's sudden behavior, as he was always so calm by nature. He looked at his friend, somewhat taken aback.
"Everything all right, Gil?"
Gilgamesh was still observing the spot where the car had disappeared, seemingly having made up his mind now that he was faced with this situation.
"Enkidu... Research the Pendragon family, especially Arturia Pendragon. Bring back everything you find, absolutely everything... I want to know what's been going on for almost ten years."
"Okay...? May I know the reason?"
"It's quite simple... Arturia Pendragon is supposed to have disappeared just under ten years ago..."