Ash coated the sky as the survivors of the fall of Uruk walked through the smouldering city. Homes lay in ruin, the Eanna temple had crumbled, the ziggurat itself had suffered severe damage at the appendages of the Lahmu.

Shamhat fell to her knees and wept for all that had been lost. Children did the same until Ninsun motioned for her son to comfort his people.

Caster nodded and walked to the front of the crowd of people that mourned their old homes and old lives.

The other servants all gathered as Caster spoke loudly and bluntly.

CasGil: "Well isn't this a mess!? But I see nothing that should be undone."

The people looked to their king as he smirked at the ruins of the ziggurat.

CasGil: "Indeed. What happened here shall be ingrained in the memory of every human and god here today. We shall never forget this."

Shamhat was saddened by the king's words. However he wasn't quite done.

CasGil: "Fuhaha! Do not despair for what has been lost! Mourn and grieve for those who did not survive, yes. But do not despair over a house or a temple! You should be proud! You are alive after all! You who carry the blood of Uruk within your veins, you yet live! So go forth! Tell the world of what happened here! Tell the world of king Gilgamesh! Tell them of how useless Ishtar is!"

Ishtar: "HEY!"

CasGil: "But most importantly. More importantly than those tales. Tell the world of Uruk itself. Tell them of how you lived. How you thrived. How you shall continue to live until Ereshkigal takes you all to Kur at the end of your days!"

The tears never stopped flowing from the eyes of Gilgamesh's people, but their tears were not of grief or despair, but of pride and of joy that they yet lived. They had seen the wrath of their primordial mother. They had seen the beast of Sodom. They had suffered at the hands of the demonic beasts and despite all of that. They were alive.

CasGil: "Ultimately, you are naught but human. You are born into this world with nothing, but you forge a path uniquely your own as you live. So hear these words, loyal subjects of Uruk. Do as you mongrels have done since time immemorial! LIVE!!"

An outpouring of cheers erupted from the people of Uruk as they gathered their friends, their families, and began to take their essentials from their former homes.

The Chaldean masters found the Chaldean embassy in ruins, however they walked in as if it were still their home and they began to pack their things.

In the pit of the underworld which had opened, Beast VI was suspended by abyssal tendrils as Tiamat, Y/n, Archer Gilgamesh, Kingu and the two grand servants kept their gazes firmly on her. 

Slowly, she reverted from her mature beast form, to her larval state.

When she had reverted, she slowly stirred and looked down at the eighth beast.

VI: "Huh... I lost..."

Y/n: "Like a bitch."

VI: "Why do you protect humans, Y/n?"

Y/n raised his eyebrow, for the first time, she actually used his name for once instead of calling him Beast VIII.

Y/n: "I don't out of any kind of conscious. I simply fight to restore what was taken from me. Believe it or not, I lost quite a bit when human history was incinerated. I lost friends. I lost a lung beforehand, but that's neither here nor there, I lost the only remnant of my family that remained. They may have been mere homunculi, but they were still like family to me."

VI: "So you just want to do something selfish?"

Y/n: "I mean, yeah. I'm human after all. Modern humans are built on avarice, selfishness, apathy, hostility and pride. We're a collective fuckup, but there's an odd few that I would gladly give into all of those things to bring back."

Draco laughed weakly. She was on the verge of fading, but she wanted to remain.

Draco: "I used to love humans. They're so easy to manipulate, so easy to play with as I desire."

Ereshkigal emerged from the shadows of Kur beside Y/n as Draco continued.

Draco: "The only reason I'm remembered is because of that old cult. Fuckin' saver class servants..."

Y/n chuckled and began to recite her reveal from the book of revelation.

Y/n: "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication."

Draco: "Heh... So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication."

The two beasts shared a smirk. One that harboured at least some measure of respect for one another.

Both: "And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, The mother of harlots and abominations of the earth."

With a final smile, Draco was engulfed in a crimson light.

Draco: "Kuhu... Maybe we will meet again in some far flung future."

Y/n: "Perhaps. Maybe then we can fight as allies rather than enemies."

Draco: "I... Doubt it..."

Y/n chuckled as the beast's body vanished. From where she was once suspended dropped a familiar golden object. Gilgamesh then walked over and picked it up. Y/n nodded to the king of heroes and then turned to Kingu.

Y/n: "Thank you for helping us, Kingu."

Kingu: "I do not need your gratitude."

Tiamat smiled before gently embracing him.

Tiamat: "Kingu. Child of mine. You should return that body to it's rightful owner."

Kingu looked up as Tiamat smiled down at him. He then sat down and closed his eyes before a piece of him began to crumble.

Kingu: "... I feel cold, mother."

Tiamat: "... You will be cold for a while, my dear. But you shall find warmth again soon. I promise you that."

Kingu's stoic expression broke into a smile as his body collapsed into a pile of clay. Y/n walked over to it and knelt beside it.

Y/n: "Time to wake up, Enkidu. Time to return to the world of the living."

Gilgamesh's eyes widened as the clay began to reform into not one, but two beings.

Tiamat shed a tear as two almost identical people were formed from the clay, one of which was a more child-like being, while the other was a mildly androgynous figure.

Tiamat: "You can open your eyes again, Kingu."

The little one opened his violet eyes and looked up at Tiamat.

Kingu: "... M-... Mom?"

Tiamat smiled and picked the little clay lump off of the ground as Gilgamesh and Y/n stood in front of the man who had formed with him.

Gilgamesh: "You're back."

???: "... It would appear I am. Though I am not as I was."

Gilgamesh: "Well it certainly took you long enough!"

Y/n: "Welcome home, Enkidu."

The being smiled as he was greeted by Y/n.

Enkidu: "So you are the one who summoned me?"

Y/n: "I am. And you're the one that saved me."

Enkidu raised an eyebrow until Y/n rolled his sleeve up and revealed his clay arm.

Enkidu: "That is..."

Enkidu's surprised expression was soon replaced by a serene smile.

Enkidu: "I see. So I was able to be of more use than as a weapon to bind the gods."

Y/n smiled as Enkidu turned to Kingu, who was being held by Tiamat.

Enkidu: "Kingu."

The miniature version of him turned and regarded him with a worried gaze.

Enkidu: "I'd like you to come with me. There's something I want you all to see. That includes you, Lady Ereshkigal."

The goddess of the underworld was taken aback by the request, however she was given no choice as Y/n took her hand and pulled her along with them.

Out of Kur they travelled and past Uruk until they arrived at a certain spot where a familiar woman was kneeling by a river.

Shamhat held a flower in her hand before sending it downstream. She was alerted to the sound of clanking armour and was surprised to see Gilgamesh.

Shamhat: "M- Mighty King!"

Gilgamesh: "On this one occasion, I shall allow you to drop the title. Merely call me by name."

Shamhat: "... I was just sending a flower off for him."

Gilgamesh: "Feh. You truly did care for him, eh?"

Shamhat: "Of course. I was like his mother. I taught him of humanity... But he was turned away by nature. Shunned by the creatures of the forest that once loved him so."

Tiamat then stepped out to join them.

Tiamat: "I don't think nature stopped loving Enkidu."

Shamhat: "G- Goddess Tiamat!?"

Tiamat smiled as she sat next to Shamhat and dipped her hand into the river's cold flowing water.

Tiamat: "Fresh water. All rivers flowed from my mate, Abzu. While I was the primordial sea. When fresh water and salt water mixed, the first gods were born. Thanks to our union, life was created."

Shamhat: "But you waged war on your own children."

Tiamat: "An act of reckless impulse to be sure. A foolish action born of anger and grief. Abzu meant everything to me and when our children murdered him, I acted on fleeting emotion."

Shamhat was silent as Y/n walked over and put his arm around Tiamat's shoulder. The primordial goddess smiled and leaned her head against Y/n's.

Gilgamesh: "What will you do now, Shamhat?"

Shamhat: "All I have known is being a Harimtu. So that is what I shall continue being."

Enkidu then took his opportunity with a smile.

Enkidu: "Why not come to Chaldea?"

Shamhat's eyes shot wide open upon hearing that voice. She turned and saw Enkidu with Kingu standing next to him.

Enkidu: "I'm sure the staff at Chaldea wouldn't mind having someone with more medical knowledge on their side."

Gilgamesh: "Ah yes. Medicine! Because we just need that madwoman to corrupt someone else into using her methods!"

Y/n: "Yeah, we REALLY don't need Nightingale teaching anyone how to do any kind of medicinal work."

The three shared a laugh as Enkidu sat with the group, Kingu seated on his lap.

Enkidu: "This place... This was where I first met Humbaba."

Shamhat: "The one that ruled the forest?"

Ereshkigal: "Before numbnuts and clay lump there got to him anyway."

Shamhat turned and looked at Ereshkigal before almost falling into the river. Tiamat was able to catch her though.

Shamhat: "Y- Y- You're-!"

Ereshkigal: "I am Ereshkigal. Queen of Kur. Goddess of the underworld."

Gilgamesh: "NEET extraordinaire."

Y/n: "Truly, the ultimate shut-in."

Ereshkigal: "CAN YOU TWO NOT!?"

As the group spoke, they took no notice of the passage of time until the sun began sinking below the horizon.

When they did notice, they all headed back to Uruk. The first person to greet them was Quetzalcoatl, who smiled upon seeing Y/n.

Y/n didn't even get a chance to say hello as he was quickly engulfed in a hug from the Aztec goddess.

She then lead the group to where the others were waiting. Ophelia, Arcueid, Gudako and Gudao all got to their feet and ran over when Y/n walked over to them. When he parted from the massive group hug, he saw Sakura standing with a smile. As he usually did before the explosion that took his lung, he embraced her with a smile before the two locked lips as if nothing had changed since Y/n went into a coma.

Gudao: "Alright, Roman. Bring us home."

Roman: "Confirming the reparation of the seventh singularity."

Gilgamesh chuckled as he held up the holy grail of the singularity.

CasGil: "I suppose this shall be farewell then."

Ninsun: "Not really. Go with them, Gilgamesh."

CasGil: "Mother?"

Ninsun: "Chaldea is in more need of you than the people of Uruk."

FemGil: "Surely you do not think we will not be bringing you as well, mother."

Ninsun: "No. I do not think. I must remain. I will go to the reverse side of the world, just with everything else. The age of gods is over for us. Now is the age of man."

Y/n: "You're two millennia off."

Gilgamesh: "The age of gods ended at different times for different cultures. Ours ends now. Perhaps we shall meet once more in the future, mother."

Y/n: "Push comes to shove, I'm sure the thing they've got down in London can act as a conduit to let us meet again."

The two Merlins smiled before Fou jumped onto Femerlin's shoulder.

Fou: "Fou fou fou kyau!"

Femerlin: "Now now, Cath Palug. You were barely present yourself."

Fou: "Fou fou kyu!"

The large group of servants and divine spirits all gathered in a circle as Gilgamesh opened the gate of Babylon. From it, golden goblets emerged, one for each master and servant.

Gilgamesh: "Hold your heads high this day. This is one to celebrate!"

Y/n smiled as he gladly took a goblet of wine and held it to the sky.

Y/n: "For all those we lost."

Sakura then took hers and raised it.

Sakura: "And for those we will see again."

The four Gilgameshes smiled and raised their goblets before a light began to consume them. The Rayshift was going ahead.

The group turned to Ninsun, who was standing with a smile as tears flowed freely from her eyes.

Ninsun: "Magician. Look after my sons and daughter. If any should harm them, ensure you take vengeance for even the slightest dent in their skin."

Y/n: "You have my word, Lady Ninsun."

Ninsun's smile brightened as the group was about to leave. However before they could, they heard a familiar voice.

???: "WAIT!!"

Enkidu looked over and saw Siduri running as fast as she could with a few clay tablets clutched to her chest.

Enkidu: "Apologies, doctor Roman."

Enkidu then fired one of the chains of heaven at Siduri. It wrapped around her and pulled her right over to the group as they were about to rayshift. She made it just in time and was brought with the masters and their servants.

The next few moments felt very turbulent for everyone until they finally made it back to Chaldea. Shamhat and Siduri looked around and marvelled at the frankly quite alien place they now found themselves.

Demeter: "Oh my. So this is Chaldea?"

Chaldea staff were soon all around the masters, checking their vitals and making sure that all was well. Gilgamesh handed off the singularity's grail to the Chaldea staff as Da Vinci, Holmes and Roman walked over.

Roman: "Welcome back everyone."

Merlin: "Oh my. Let's not do that again."

Femerlin: "You get used to it after a while."

Shamhat: "So... This is the future?"

Gilgamesh: "Don't get your hopes up too much, Shamhat."

Mash: "I'd be happy to show everyone to the cafeteria if you need a drink or something."

Siduri: "Oh, that'd be much appreciated, Mash."

The new additions to the Chaldea roster were taken to the cafeteria where they would meet other staff and other servants.

Y/n decided to go for a walk to clear his mind. He eventually stopped at a large window that looked out at the blizzard that constantly surrounded Chaldea.

He placed his hand against the glass and thought back to one of the times he and Sakura went to Britain to meet up with Shirou and Rin.

He remembered discovering how much he hated London accents. He remembered Rin's little battle for Shirou against Luviagelita Edelfelt. He then thought back to his time in the Einzbern castle. He remembered the homunculus maids and how they cared for him after the fifth grail war.

He thought of home and eventually his own stoicism couldn't hold. Try as he might. He couldn't help but feel extremely homesick. He softly cried as he thought of home. He missed his old house. He missed Leysritt and Sella. He missed being considered a normal person. He missed having next to no expectations. 

But at the same time, he wouldn't trade any of this for the world. He'd met so many people that he never would've got to meet if he had remained cooped up in the Einzbern castle.

Despite his tears, he never let out a sound. He wasn't the type to sob loudly, he just did so quietly.

He soon felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Irisviel smiling at him.

Irisviel brought him back to his room before quickly stepping out to get some hot chocolate. When she returned, he confided in her about his current feeling of homesickness. Irisviel understood his desire to go home, but he had one thing left to do.

Goetia had to be defeated, once and for all.

As Y/n was about to speak further, the whole of Chaldea was rocked by some sort of earthquake. Roman then started to yell over the PA.

Roman: "Attention all masters, servants and staff at Chaldea! We're being pulled into a singularity! Repeat! We are being pulled into the final singularity! Goetia is bringing us to him!"

Y/n stood up and felt his emotions burn away as they were replaced by a sense of anticipation.

It was finally time.

Goetia awaited.

~FATE/GRAND SHENANIGANS: BABYLONIAN BLUES~

~FIN~

Next Time: 

Fate Grand Shenanigans: Solomon's End