Nabu replied quickly. He used the time in which Nait thought about what to answer and grabbed his arm again. Together the two ran off. One of the guards looked out the window and saw only the long shadows of the two refugees Some of the guards looked a little perplexed until their leader gave them the order to follow the boys. They obeyed immediately and stormed out of the house. "That it is our main job to keep catching the prince is depressing. ", one of the soldiers said to another. The latter seemed to think differently." Be glad! Imagine glad we were at war! Would you rather be on the battlefield? ", he snapped at him. The soldier nodded briefly and then apologized for his statement.
Nobody in Babylon had any idea how close they really were to war. It wasn't just Marduk who was watching what's going on in the city at the moment. Nergal, the god of the underworld, who also called himself Irkalla, had opened a window of air in front of him, in which even Nabu and Nait could see. He didn't really care about the young prince. "Is it going to happen soon?" Asked a muffled, deep voice from behind Nergal. The god of death didn't even try to turn around. "Nusku, you found your way here. Fine." Nergal whispered. The figure behind him stood next to him without looking at Nergal. Half of his face was covered by a hood.Only a gray beard betrayed something of it. "It wasn't that hard to find.", Nusku replied. A short laugh escaped Nergal. "Well. There are only two ways to get to Irkalla. Either dead. Or as God," he said. "You made the right decision.", Nergal said after a short pause. Nusku remained silent. "Following me and the new world order is the only way to survive," he revealed. Nusku turned his face in Nergal's direction, although with the hood it was difficult to see him. "Is that it?" Asked Nusku. Nergal hesitated a moment. "Of course. Or would you rather take Marduk's side. This fool will hardly survive today.", Nergal revealed. Nusku lifted his chin. "What are you going to do exactly?" He seemed more interested now. Nergal pointed to the window that was the gateway into the world of the living. It showed the interior of Babylon and was now removed. Soon the whole city could be seen from the air. "I have only gathered my strength for this day. Even Marduk will not be able to fend off my attack. If…. But ... I need the strength of an additional god.", Nergal confessed. A smile crossed Nusku's face. "So that's the real reason you let me know your plan," he said. Nergal didn't show anything. "There is a reason. The main reason is of course that I want the god of fire in the boat." He wanted to save the situation. Nusku seemed to accept it. "Then you want to envelop Babylon in flames?" Asked Nusku. Nergal quickly said no. "No, Babylon is under attack from an enemy that surrounds it every day. The sand!" He said gruesomely. Nusku snorted audibly. "Babylon will be buried by the hot sand of the desert. Not even ruins will remain that will tell its story to the people of the future," Nergal said in a firm voice. Nusku thought he was crazy. "Are you sure. Babylon is probably the greatest thing we have produced," he reminded. Nergal snapped. "So what? We are gods! We can carve new cities out of stone and shape new people out of flesh. We do what we want!", He replied to Nusku so wildly that Nusku couldn't get an answer. "I'm with you," he said finally. Nergal seemed relieved to hear this. "Then let the drama begin," he continued. Nusku looked intently at the window to the outside world. But also a woman who was in the shade did this. Nergal and Nusku had noticed her but paid no more attention to her. Nergal raised his arms demonstratively and the sand around Babylon sprouted upwards. Huge masses of sand and dust threatened the city.
Marduk had already seen the danger coming, but didn't know what Nergal's attack would look like. Now he was certain. It would take all his energies to save Babylon. He felt Nergal's energy and….still a. He assigned her to Nusku. "Two gods.", Marduk muttered. His chances had just fallen rapidly. He was now sure that he could no longer stop the sand. He needed help. But by whom? Someone of his other ally gods had to assist him. But he could not leave Babylon at this point. Besides, who would volunteer to stand up against Nergal? Especially since Nusku shared his plans, he got difficult. Enlil, Nuszu's father, had the same influence as Marduk. Which side would he be on? Like some other gods, did he want renewal? Marduk could not leave Babylon and was not sure of how to avert Nergal's attack. He worried about who could help him in this difficult situation.

Both Nabu and Nait groaned and puffed in competition. "Suspended.", The young prince gasped in relief. Nait doubted it. "Why are you so sure about that?" He asked. This seemed logical to Nabu. "We have just walked through the whole city, even my uncle's soldiers can no longer catch up with us.", Nabu replied in a confident tone. To be on the safe side, he looked around in all directions. Meanwhile Nait seemed to be preoccupied with something else. "Heaven.", He had stretched his head up and made Nabu aware of something. His friend did the same and noticed what Nait was talking about. The sky had darkened. The sun was still clearly visible, but the atmosphere was like the early evening. "It's getting colder.", Nait said uncertainly. Nabu saw a trace of fear in his eyes. "The sun has only just risen ..." he stuttered. Nabu was also unable to find an explanation for this on the fly. "Maybe ... we should go home after all.", Nabu was now unsure too. Nait paused briefly. "I don't know what scares me more. This cold or my parents. They will surely come up with a nice punishment again.", Nait sighed. Nabu felt guilty. "Just come with me to the palace. I will apologize to Uncle and tell him that you are innocent.", Nabu offered him. Nait agreed. "All right, at least you got this mess through," he replied. Nabu smiled sheepishly. When the boys stepped out into the street, they realized that the palace was closer than they had thought. Both felt queasy when they approached it. But what made them more afraid were the people staring at the sky. So this darkness was also scary to them. With every step that Nabu and Nait took, it grew colder and darker. "Nabu!", The young prince heard his name. He looked ahead in surprise and, to his surprise, saw Adad. He immediately tried to find words to justify his disappearance. Adad didn't seem to want to mess around with it, however. Adad was about to say something, but delayed when he saw Nait."Come with me!" He said finally. "What happens to the sky?" Nait dared to ask. Adad looked at him in silence. "Just come with me," he told the boy. Nabu didn't dare to contradict Adad. Otherwise he did this all the time. Most of the time his gaze was stern and authoritarian, but this time it was filled with fear and panic. Adad grabbed Nabu's hand and dragged him along. Nait couldn't do anything but follow them. When a loud and violent roar finally destroyed the last silence, the citizens realized what was going on. The sky was now completely dark and only a small, orange point of the sun could be seen. Dust trickled down and lashed Babylon like rain. "Sand ... why is it raining sand?" Stammered a woman, next to Adad and the boys. "A wall ..." stuttered Nait. Adad looked horrified at the sky. A dome of sand had formed over Babylon. "There's no right thing to do! If this dome falls on us ..." he gasped. Apparently one of the villagers heard his sample draw and panicked. "The gods have turned against us! They will destroy us all!" He shouted in horror. In doing so, he also incited the other citizens, who began to run in panic. They didn't know where, they just ran. Some ran to the city gate, but the wall of sand made it impossible to escape. The end of Babylon was imminent. The first masses collapsed over the gate and buried the people who tried to escape there. Then something more sinister happened. The sand stopped over people's heads and floated in the air. It was like he was frozen. But people didn't move an inch either. The dome collapsed over all of Babylon and lashed the city. But he stopped above the houses. It was as if a protective shield had spread over Babylon. People were still walking back and forth, but froze one behind the other. Not only did the sand seem frozen, the citizens couldn't take a step either. Nabu and Nait had stopped for a moment, but Adad dragged them on. They absolutely had to get to the palace. But would it do anything? "What's going on here, Adad! I'm the prince, I want an answer!", Nabu played the brave, although he wasn't at the moment. "I don't know!" Adad snarled truthfully. They were almost at the palace when a stocky man met them. He seemed to have recognized Nabu. "My prince, please help us!" He pleaded with Nabu. At first he couldn't utter a word. The man was clearly in a panic and didn't know what to do. He wanted to touch the prince, but Adad held him back. "We're in a hurry," he explained. The man seemed angry now. "Damn it, I don't want to die!" He snapped at Adad and attacked him. Adad was surprised and tried to defend himself against the attacker.He was a scholar and not a fighter. He couldn't shake the guy off. "Go ahead!" He called to Nabu and Nait. While Nabu wanted to help him, Nait heeded the advice and pulled Nabu with him. This fought first, but when first the attacker and then Adad and the rest of the citizens froze. "We have to help him!" Said Nabu, shocked. Nait saw it differently. "We can't do anything more for him, we have to get ourselves to safety!" He tried to make clear to the prince. Nabu was reluctant to agree. They continued into the palace and were immediately stopped by two guards. First they eyed the boys uncertainly and then the frozen people. Nabu and Nait just pushed past them and entered the interior. The guards took a few steps forward,