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Noah’s death was probably more tragic to Tulu than the inevitable Flood. On that day, he didn’t care about his messy hair, the mud on his shoes, the rain that kept hitting him in the face, his breathlessness from running as fast as he possibly could. And the fact he couldn’t even hear his dear friend’s final words… that was enough to break him from the inside.
Tears kept trying to pour from his eyes, Tulu didn’t understand why. He knew this day was coming so why does the real thing feel so, so much heavier. At that moment, he looked back on all the moments they have spent together. All those stories Noah told of his family and kids. Seeing them unhappy, Tulu’s heart broke even more. Just how heavy is this loss for their immature hearts?
But before Tulu could grieve, before he could say anything, ask anything, before he could spend at least some more time with his dear friend whose lifeless body was laying right in front of him, priests came pouring into the little house and started coaxing him to sign many a stacks of documents.
Why…
Why am I not allowed to feel a thing…
The brief respite he could feel when waking up from his long slumbers was gone. He didn’t have time to properly send Noah off. Funeral arrangements had already been completed by the time he was half-finished with his duties, and by the time he completed them all he could feel his eyelids feel heavier and heavier. The lapis lazuli throne was cold, and so was his heart that day. He wished he had more time. He wished he could have stayed awake for a little bit longer. But the crown doesn’t harbor such feelings. Tulu fell asleep once again.
The water rises. It devours everything in its wake. The King delivers one final message. “This One shall awake when the stars align and Lemuria shall come back.” And so the kingdom fell into an eternal sleep.
Tulu always disliked how fast the world around him was moving forward. Ever since he bore the crown, he barely had time for himself. Even in his dream he would see waters drowning his land, black tides devouring memories of the deceased, the heaviness of the jewels and the gold atop his head. He seemingly accepted that this is how his life is going to go. Actually, he had no other choice but to accept it. If he let himself stop even for a moment, he would let his precious waking hours go to waste. He had to oversee his subjects and the country’s problems, day and night.
So when the Flood finally came, a heaviness seemed to fall from his shoulders. Even if he spoke of the fake prophecy so that his people held out one last hope, he hoped that he himself would not have to awaken again and that the crown shall never fall upon another’s head. The age of Godkings shall end with him.
Just like in his many dreams, his body was at once enveloped by the deep blue. Turbulent waves thrashed his body around back and forth until they have had enough, and he slowly sank to the bottom. He hadn’t felt this light since his birth.
A bright light shot through the darkness. Tulu thinks that he has somehow surfaced and that the light was the sun. But when he opened his eyes, he was in a strange room with many people in white and black coats around him.
“This is unprecedented. A gnosis index this high?”
“Just who is this kid?”
“Go find some records. We must investigate this immediately.”
“…ugh” was the first sound that came out of Tulu. Everyone froze at once. His head ached. Just where was he?
“This must be a strange place you’ve ended up in, huh?” a man in a brown ponytail approached him. His face bore a smile, his eyes gentle. He didn’t look like a priest at least. He could be reasoned with.
“Do tell This One, what is this place. And what year is it?”
“Mythag College, A.F. 100.” the man replied.
Tulu nodded. “What shall this one call you?”
“Alistair is fine.”
Alistair recapped the history to the newly awakened King, not sparing any details on Tulu’s behest. A new land surfaced and people built a new civilization. Lemuria is now the kingdom of legends. The moment rumors started spreading that the Godking of Lemuria himself has been successfully awakened, more and more people showed up to see him personally. By the time Alistair was finished, it seems everyone that has been present on the College’s grounds had already gathered.
“…understood.” Tulu slowly stood up from his bed. His limbs were still sore from not moving for so many decades. “This One has decided to stay here for the foreseeable future. You have my gratitude for awakening me from my slumber.” he bowed in front of the group of scientists. Many were shocked to see a king in such a humble pose, others were confused as to how to respond. Only Alistair showed no sign of surprise.
“You are welcome, Your Majesty.”
“…” These two words sounded so bitter to him. It’s almost like he hasn’t left the church of his throne at all. “Spare the pleasantries. Calling This One Tulu shall suffice.”
“Alright… I’ll try my best to call you that, Tulu.”
Now this made the boy a little happier. That he could at least have this much.
As a King, he decided to help Mythag with the research on Lemuria. It was only fair that he honor his people with what little power he had. Over the decades, Tulu and Mythag would establish a close allyship.
“So this is where you were?”
Alistair wanted to confirm some research details with Tulu but he couldn’t find him in his dorm room, his usual spot. When he looked around for him, he found the young king in the library.
Tulu was looking over a sketch of the palace of Lemuria. Drawn by an artist with his guidance, it looked nearly identical to the real thing. It stirred some strange feelings in him.
“What’s on your mind?”
Tulu gave him a glance and replied “This One is simply thinking. It is strange to see that place This One has spent decades in depicted in a picture.” He paused for a moment. “It is almost like it never even existed at all.”
Alistair nodded but didn’t say a word. He knew Tulu had more to say.
“This One has… been having dreams lately. About one of my subjects awakening and trying to bring me back from the dead. This One once told a prophecy to This One’s people that Lemuria shall come back and so shall its immortal king.” Another pause. “…This one knows that prophecies cannot be avoided. In wanting to put people into a state of calmness, This One shall instead cause harm to innocents.” Tulu turned to Alistair and looked him straight in the eyes. “This One is worshipped and revered, yet This One's wisdom is finite. So is This One’s power. Why is it so that via a golden head garment, This One has become so weak?”
Alistair looked at him and furrowed his brows slightly. He was trying to put into words the feelings of someone that is simply 38 years old compared to the hundreds of years old child in front of them.
“…I think the fact that you are standing here with us is proof enough that you’re not weak at all.” he finally replied. “No matter how many years have passed, how many regrets you harbor, you are here, and actively taking part in helping us restore your kingdom’s history. I think this is a noble thing.”
“…” Tulu was, for the first time, left speechless. Right now, the man in front of him seemed to be much older than his appearance suggests, maybe even older than Tulu himself. He let out a small chuckle. “Alistair. This One wishes that we should have met much, much earlier.”
Alistair neither treated him like a child nor like a God. To him, Tulu was simply a person. Tulu didn’t know how much he missed having a human connection. To think he once wished to never wake up again… it felt like a silly thought now.
Decades later, a new Keeper would be brought to Mythag. In the same year, Tulu would help deal with the disastrous consequences his prophecy had brought upon the present day Kadath. And after it was all over, all the people he met there would join Mythag, and insisted on holding him in high reverence. Tulu couldn’t do anything about it, no matter how many times he told them that Lemuria was long gone and he is no Godking. Especially the mad woman, Miryam.
Mythag University was a proper place for him after all. Spending time with people that didn’t constantly pester him for filling in documents, being able to exchange facts about his culture to curious children, and sometimes even indulging in sweets he was forbidden from during his childhood. His public persona was still that of a King, a God of infinite wisdom. Only with those he deemed close did he let the little boy in him outside and experience the childhood he has always deserved.