Mesopotamia

5,000 BC

After our first victory against the Deviants, I was getting to know my Eternal family members as time went on.

Ajak was our leader, the one sole member that had direct communication with the Celestial Arishem. She was a great leader, always calm in conversation and knowing where to do and what to do. I knew I could trust her in every command she would give, and the healing abilities that she used on us and the humans were never short of extraordinary.

But still, she answered to Arishem.

The Celestial named Arishem created us, and because of that, we took our orders from him through Ajak. We were there to eliminate the Deviants, but in return, we were not to interfere with any human conflicts with one another. We were only there to fight the Deviants, nothing more or less. That was the least of our worries when it came to our interacting with the humans on the earth, we were mostly excited and entranced with the planet itself.

Sersi was a gentle soul, so much goodness and selflessness was in her heart as she interacted with the humans. She loved watching and learning from them, the softness of her soul has shown brightly all the time. I sensed no bad bone in her body, being able to change objects and their formation with a touch of her hand. Her kindness was infectious at times, at least to me.

Ikaris was a born leader, second in command to Ajak at times. He had the mindset of a soldier, knowing that task that needed to be done and would do it wholeheartedly. He had a devotion to his work and allegiance to our purpose as Eternals, never second-guessing a command from either Ajak or Arishem too. Although he was good and wise at times, I found a sense of pompousness about him when he would try to lead. Almost as if he knew he was full of himself at the time. He was a good soul though, that was certain.

Sprite was an Eternal with some wisdom behind her. She was young physically at least, almost a pubescent but just as wise and old as we were. She stayed young, never growing up or growing old like the just of us. Yet her size never matched with her inner strength and attitude from time to time. Her ability to cast illusions showed the potential of her power and how much she had hidden within her.

Kingo was more lively, almost the amusing life of the party. He was a fighter, but when we had downtime he would find ways to tell us stories and bring the mood from darkness to light. He had respect for Ikaris and Ajak for certain, but he was always known for cracking a joke or two. Kingo loved amusing the humans, giving them stories to spin and to weave amongst each other. I even grinned from his antics, always wanting lightness instead of dread among our Eternal family.

Another good soul that I learned all the more about was Phastos. He was an inventor of sorts, always thinking of new inventions and new creations to give to humans. I could tell he was itching to try new things and see if it would improve the lives of the humans we were growing attached to. His brain never rested, nor did he wish to leave his lab hours on end. If we had an idea for something useful, Phastos already thought of it miles ahead of any of us.

Thena was a fierce warrior, being able to move and glide through every Deviant battle without developing a single scratch on her skin or breaking a single sweat drop. She made it look so effortless, and yet she still move and spoke with such grace and kindness as well. Although intimidating at times, she had a certain piece of her heart with Gilgamesh.

Speaking of Gilgamesh, he had massive brute strength behind him. He was able to bend massive trunks from trees within seconds, yet he would also be so gentle with newborn animals that the villagers would show him. Gilgamesh was a man of hospitality, hearing the ways of cooking and preparing food from the humans and trying it on his own on the Domos, much to the intrigue and dismay of the fellow Eternals. But I held him at a different level since he was the first friend I made, knowing his heart was massive and good.

Another good friend I made amongst the Eternals was Makkari. She was bubbling with joy and giddiness, always going fast not just with her physical speed but also with her thrust for knowledge and her curiosity or collecting things. She loved finding little pieces, pushing them in her pockets, and stowing them in her room on the ship. But she was also lovely, always wanting to talk and communicate with all of us. We all knew how to communicate with her through sign language, it was fun to encounter her quirky side and her amusement too.

Which left the last Eternal I would meet: the brooding mind controller.

I officially met him after our first Deviant fight and the first interaction we had with the humans. We already made ourselves known to them all, showing we were kind and there to help them. I was already having so many questions flood my mind about him. He was more aloof than anything, barely introducing himself to the other Eternals. Yet now that we had downtime, he was a little looser in his stature than before. Perhaps it was sensing we were good that made him less stern and tight in his stance, but we finally spoke to one another after we retreated to the ship.

On the ship, we had our rooms to sleep in, apart from Phasto's lab and our meeting room. My room was at the far end of the ship, right at the end of the hall. They each were the same size, showing a smaller window that gave us a view of the outside world. I had one platform that would be used as my bed, nothing else was in the room. Of course, we had no idea how long we would be on his planet, so keeping our room simple and plain seemed logical. I walked into the room and over to the window, peering out into the bright day and gazing down at the village below.

My mind was still reeling from our first battle. I was playing it over and over in my head, how I used my ability as if it was second nature. The hesitance was still there, that small voice in the back of my head was telling me to not jump the gun, to hold back. Did the others think the same thing too? Were they also hesitant in going in to fight? I didn't see it in any of them, and perhaps it was the first fight we had and we had the adrenaline in our veins. But I still felt out of place because of it.

"Intriguing, aren't they?"

I turned around to see him standing at the entryway to my room. He was clad in black, his attire almost matched his brooding look as he was watching me. The face he was giving me was less stern, not like before when we first looked at each other after we awoke on the ship. This time he looked more intrigued with me, almost curious as I stayed still near the window. His voice, now that he finally spoke, sounded both elderly and yet youthful. I still couldn't read him just yet not like the others who were more than willing to get to know me.

"Intriguing?" I asked, almost mimicking him as he gave me a small smile.

"Humans," he replied, pointing with his chin to the window, "They seem so…gullible to follow for anything. Yet it's so easy to help them too,"

"They're good beings," I reasoned, seeing him almost cock his head at him as I shrugged, "I know there's goodness in them,"

He said nothing for a few moments, then gesturing with his finger the doorway that led into my room, "May I come in?"

I nodded, saying nothing as he almost glided in. He walked silently, hands folded in front of him as he was almost analyzing my room. It did feel intimidating to watch him, seeing him carefully and smoothly walk over to where I was, stopping a bit away to give some space between the both of us.

"You can control their minds," I stated to him, "I saw it, out there on the cliff. You made them drop their weapons."

"There was no need for them to be violent with us, so perhaps I did," he answered, sounding almost nonchalant about it as we were watching each other, "I read their minds too."

"You read their minds?" I asked, almost sounding shocked myself as I was gazing at him and turned my body to fully face him, "Were they….were they afraid of us?"

"Of course they were afraid!" He said in a huff, having me cock my head at him, "We're nothing that they have seen before, nor will we ever be. We're far beyond their imagine now,"

"But they seem so…so kind and innocent," I trailed off, looking back at the window once more and walking back over again to peer out to the humans below. They were still huddled together, talking amongst each other and perhaps re-telling the fight over and over again. Up to this point, I only ever wondered if we did the right thing, now I was worried about how they thought of us.

"They see us as Gods," he went on, slowly walking over to stand next to me as I was still staring out the window, "We are Gods,"

"Are we?" I asked, purely curious as I shot my head over at him. I was startled at how he was next to me, seeing so casual about as he was staring at me with curiosity and almost intensity, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

He was taken back by the question, almost flabbergasted, "….Like what?"

"Like that," I replied, pointing to his gaze with a finger, "Like I'm some kind of foreign being,"

"Technically you are," He countered back, trying to be smooth about it and no longer founder. I couldn't hope but give him a small glare, thinking he was trying to be coy with me, "And I'm trying to read your mind right now,"

I gave him confused look, not understanding as he was watching me. I almost felt a bit violated then and there, not being able to say anything for a few seconds.

"Why would you read my mind?" I asked, wanting to know since we barely knew each other.

"Well for one, I've already done it with the others already," He explained, sounding calm and sure in what he was telling me, " And since we're going to be spending some time together and helping this planet with its inhabitants, I might as well know some more about you."

Once again I was quiet, not knowing what to say after that. For someone being quiet and reserved from the other Eternals on the Domos, he was also forward with what was on his mind. I knew I was the opposite, choosing my words wisely and carefully in what I would say before I spoke. Not this man, he with no hesitance or remorse.

"It's interesting, though," He finally said, his voice being lower now and gentler. It was as if something was pondering him hard and almost giving him a mental roadblock. I watched him, raising an eyebrow to him.

"What is?" I asked, clearly getting pulled into his gaze and how he was speaking to me. He said nothing at first, almost looking off and away from me. Then he looked dead in my eyes, almost reading my mind through and through.

"I can't read yours," He said, having me almost giving him wide eyes as we were still standing a bit from each other but it almost felt like we still had space between us. Almost like a barrier. He sounded disappointed, almost bitter in knowing that he wasn't able to tap into my mind. I knew we were all new with our abilities, trying to use them and perfect them already. Maybe we are already perfect in our powers, being Immortal beings and all. I wouldn't only know since I just learned of my force field and teleportation ability within a split second.

"If you're wanting to get to know me," I commented, almost snapping him out of his attempt to use his power on me, "You can just ask,"

He paused, almost taken back with what I just said. Maybe I said it the wrong way, just like the first time I spoke to him. I hated being hesitant about it, yet here I was. He was intimidating, not like the others who were more open and willing to listen and learn. And maybe he was putting up a front with me at first to see what kind of being I would be, but I was willing to try with him.

Something inside of me was willing to try.

I then held out my hand between us, seeing him look down at the hand briefly before we locked eyes again.

"I'm Soreti," I said my name to him, letting my voice ring between us in my room. He didn't move for a solid few seconds before he took my hand in his own. His hold on my hand was gentle, his hand was slightly bigger than my own and it felt a bit rough but almost gentle at the same time. I barely met him, but the hold he had on my hand was almost the same way he was to me: Rough and yet gentle.

"Druig," He replied, saying his name in a low tone. I grinned at him, our hands still held between us. I repeated the name in my head, figuring it would fit him perfectly.

"Druig," I repeated allowed, finally seeing him give out a genuine smile on his face. I didn't know then, that it was the start of something both beautiful and yet complicated at the same time.

All with an intriguing man named Druig.

Portland, Oregon

Present Day

I felt myself sink into my kitchen chair, dinking in the recent news that I was told from two of my oldest friends and old family members. We were back at my apartment, having me take them back since they said the news was urgent and it couldn't wait. By the time we were inside, it started to rain and we met in the small kitchen. That's when they broke the news to me.

I was caving in, almost threatening to have me lose my breath. My brain was almost short-circuiting, having me try and at least digest what was told. But it wasn't sitting with me. No….it couldn't be true.

"She's…" I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand, and tried so hard not to cry. But it was already happening, I could feel it exploding and almost pushing through the walls I threatened to keep up. I could see her in my head, her wide smile and her soothing tone that always calmed me in times of trouble or concern. She was an anchor for us, and although the last time we were all together left a sour note and a hint of betrayal, I still consider her a figure I could look up to.

Ajak was dead.

"She was killed by a Deviant," Sersi explained, sitting quietly next to me in her chair, her eyes looking at me so softly and a small hint of hurt there too. I looked over at her, still trying to digest hearing that our leader was dead. It felt like a trick, a sick trick that I was believing.

"How did this happen?" I asked, almost sounding in disbelief as I looked at Sersi and then at Ikaris. He was leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed in front of him. They both were solemn in their eyes, having me see that they were telling the truth. Sersi was heartbroken in her eyes and in how she sat in the chair, whereas Ikaris was trying to hold it together but he was still cracked from the news.

"She was alone on that farm," Ikaris explained, his voice low and almost just as a grave as my own, "The Deviant that killed her had to have been strong enough to do that to her,"

"Ajak would never…" I paused, almost leaning back a bit in my chair as I was still grieving while trying to piece it together, "She would have warned us if Deviants were back, let alone near where she was. I thought we killed them all, back when we were still together. Didn't we?"

Sersi reached over and touched my arm with her hand. I gave her a grave look, seeing her at least try to give me some comfort, "That's not the only thing that happened."

I sat up a bit, almost worried that whatever she said next was going to be just as bad, if not worse. Pushing my red hair from my eyes, I gave her a concerned look, "What is it?"

Sersi briefly looked back at Ikaris, searching his eyes for a moment. Ikaris seemed slightly stiff, but he node this head once nonetheless as Sersi sighed and looked back at me. She placed her hand on top of my own, I then was enclosing her hand between my two hands in fear she was going to pull away.

"Please tell me," I softly begged her.

"We went to her farm and found her….her body," Sersi explained, taking in a shutter from explaining it to me, "When I was grieving over her….Ajak chose me,"

I froze, cocking my head at her and giving her a confused look. She silently moved her hand from my enclosed fingers, pointing to her upper chest right below her neck and collarbone. I didn't understand it at first, but it took me a moment and it made me shoot up from my chair. The chair fell to the floor, my eyes wide and looking at her in shock and amazement.

"You got her ability to….communicate with Arishem?" I asked in a gasp, thinking it was too good to be true.

"Her sphere that she used," Sersi explained, still sitting calmly in her chair at the table, "It came out of her body and went inside me,"

"So…you talked to Arishem?" I asked, trying to make sure I was following everything they were telling me, "What did he tell you?"

" 'It's almost time' ." She replied, having me give her a grim look, "We need to get the others and get together,"

"The others?" I asked, not understanding at first. But seeing her give a knowing look, and then me getting the same knowing look at Ikaris at the same time. I knew what that meant then, having to breathe out a massive breath and take a few steps back. It was giving me a chill, almost shiver a chill down my spine as I have her a grim look.

"All of us," I stated, looking at them both and knowing exactly it was what they meant, "I haven't….it's been….It's been too long since I've seen anyone else,"

"Centuries," Sersi hummed in agreement, "But if there are more Deviants out there, we need to stop them before anything else happens."

"I don't know, Sersi," I admitted to her, seeing her give me a pleading look as I reached down and grabbed the back of the chair that fell on the ground. I hasted it back up to stand behind it and place my hands on my back, leaning my weight on it to look down at the floor. It was harder to think about, seeing the rest of the group after all of these centuries apart from one another and with no word as to how they have been.

"We can't do this if we are not all together, Soteri," Ikaris reminded me, his tone was less affectionate but I could still hear the pain in it, "We need you there, with us,"

"To protect you." I reminded him, almost bitterly.

"No," Sersi commented back, "To fight with us,"

"I'm not a fighter, Sersi," I said to her, looking up from the ground and at her with an even look on my face, "I never was. I can't fly like he can," I motioned my head over to Ikaris as I still looked at Sersi, "Nor can I run fast….blast things with my fingers…..punch a being into oblivion…..or even—" I paused again, taking out a shaky breath and slamming my eyes shut.

"Control someone's goddamn mind."

It was almost painful that I said it that way, making me think of Druig and how every long it has been since I saw his face. To me, in that instance, it didn't feel like centuries. It was more liked a millennium of not being close by him, not knowing if he was okay, not knowing if he was still wanted to save human lives more than anything.

"You are a fighter, Soteri," Sersi said in such a vowing tone as she got up from her chair and walked over to me, standing next to me and placing a hand on my arm. I watched her with my eyes, trying to search them witnessing how truthful she was, "You have always been a fighter. Ajak saw it in you, and we all did it. There was no one more devoted to helping their family than you. I remember so many times when we almost died, but we didn't….because of you."

I said nothing knowing that it would be impossible for me to argue with her. Sersi would never lie to me about something like this, she always spoke in favor of me and my character in my past. There were times when I was in doubt, earlier on earth when I thought I was down on myself than anything. But Sersi, being the ever kind soul that she was, reminded me with such urgency in her tone that she wanted me there with them.

So what she was telling me, how could I refuse her?

"I'll go," I replied, somehow already dreading what was going to come next. Sersi gave me a reassuring smile, squeezing my arm gently and showing she was happy I was agreeing with coming and helping. It scared me know knowing that was going to happen, not being completely certain about it at all. Yet at the same time, knowing that we were all going to be coming back together was almost heartwarming. I did miss them all, each of them and I always wished we would be together again.

Just not in this kind of circumstance.

"What do we do now?" I asked her, standing back up completely as Ikaris finally moved from the kitchen countertop over to the both of us.

"We go to find Gilgamesh and Thena from here. Sprite and Kingo are waiting for us," he explained, having me look at him with a confused look. Sprite and Kingo? They were already together and waiting for me?

"Waiting for us….where?"

575 BC

Babylon

This city has come so far. Much father than it did in the beginning

It was a gorgeous city, showing the mass improvements of humans and how far they have some in comparison to when we first arrived on this planet. The main city walls were tinted in blue, shielding the inner city from the outside world and keeping all the beauty hidden away. I knew, along with the others, we were seeing the evolution of humans and how far they have come as a race. Of course, we were still fighting Deviants and eliminating them from the planet. Since we arrived, they have traveled and fought the Deviants, helping the humans along the way.

It was such a sight to see. Phastos was showing them new inventions that could help them, improving their way of life. There were times when Ajak told him to slow down, some of his inventions were a bit too advance for the current time of the humans. We could see his frustrations at those moments, but in the end, he was still helpful and did help improve the lives of humans in generals. We all helped, slowly but surely we all helped.

We helped and fell in love with the fragile race.

With every battle that we were in with the Deviants, I was feeling myself improve with my abilities and my powers in the fight. I was no more fresh and new in how to fight, nor were the others. We were all beyond comfortable in how they fought and how they were killing the Deviants. I knew we were there to kill them and to help protect the humans from them, but that hesitance was still there.

Maybe I was the only one who was thinking like this, wondering if I was there for the right reason. That small voice in the past of my head was almost balling my brain, trying to deny my confidence and almost my worth with my group. With every strike that I threw out my force field against a Deviant creature, with every moment I teleported to dodge an injury or trick a Deviant, it wasn't enough.

"Why do I doubt myself?" I asked Ajak one time, the both of us sitting together in one of the main temples in the Babylon fortress. It was a sunny day, warm was along my skin as I was watching Ajak with uncertainty as I was confiding what I was feeling with her and all the doubts that were festering in me. Of course, Ajak was so calm as I was spewing all I was feeling her, "I don't feel powerful enough to be amongst all of us. You all can fight, you can defeat Deviants within an inch of their lives…but I can't!"

"Soteri," Ajak cooed my name, keeping my hands in her own hands as she was watching me with such love in her eyes and care as well. I knew she was always keeping us together, guiding us in each battle and with each message from Arishem. I would hang on to every word she would say, sensing how wise she was since she was around for millions of years, far longer than any of us.

"Arishem made you with a purpose," She reminded me, having me hang my head since I heard this before.

"He made all of us with a purpose," I muttered, squeezing my hands in her since she could sense I was almost spiraling in the depressing thoughts that were flooding my mind.

"Especially you," She said to me, finally having me lookout her with the warm brown eyes she said and her smile showing through the rays of the sun, "You have a thirst and a need to protect the others in the heat of battles and fights. I watch you, and you are brilliant,"

"I…I am?" I asked, sounding so unsure about it as she nodded her head. She placed a hand on my cheek, moving the red strands of hair from in front of my eyes.

"You are. I know the others love you…they love how you place others in front of yourself and your wish to keep others safe. That takes a strong kind of bravery that I know the others wished they had. Your soul is good…and that radiates throughout the entire group. We all feel it, and even if they don't express it to you, I will."

I stayed quiet once again. She was always praising me and telling me that I was good enough to be an Eternal. She was like that in the very beginning and has been ever since. I would forget from time to time that she knew me more than I knew myself.

"You are worthy," She reminded me softly, having me slam my eyes shut and take in a deep breath, "You belong here, and we all love you here."

She spoke worthiness to me, and I soaked it in like the rays of the sun.

Later that night, there was a small gathering in the Babylonian village in our honor from the recent fight against the Deviants. These people were seeing and admiring us with wide eyes and adoration on their lips. The humans did see us as Gods, almost following in our footsteps and barely touching our suits in wide eyes wonder. It was surreal for me and to live through, I even had humans admire me for what I did in defending the others and using my force fields so quickly. I saw it was nothing, but to them, it was beyond loci and reason.

I watched from afar Spite spinning a story in the middle of a group setting, the mob of locals was watching her in amazement as she was speaking in their language and using her illusions to illustrate the story. It was a story I heard before, almost a dozen times. Each time I heard it from Sprite it was more boisterous, but it was good nonetheless. The others were amused as well, almost honored to be told how amazing they were. Especially Kingo, who was more full of himself than he would give himself credit for.

Sprite was a good storyteller, showing in her illusions that story right in front of their eyes and boasting in the right places. It was a good sight to see, almost amusing on how easily the humans would fall into the words and the imagery.

With a big bang of fireworks, they cheered and clapped. I chuckled, seeing the crowd break up and talk amongst each other. It was warm in the area, the torches were lit on the wall and all of the bodies were packed inside the area as I was watching from afar. I could see Kingo, Sprite, and Gilgamesh talking to each other in amusement on side of the room, then seeing Ikaris and Thena speaking in low tones before Thena walking out of the party. Sersi was amongst the locals, of course, she was, which left…

"Not wishing to be part of the celebration, I see,"

I smiled, looking to the left and seeing none other than Druig walking over to me. I had to grin at him, seeing the icy demeanor that he had with me in the very beginning when we met had long since melted. Druig was his own person, ready to be amusement with humans but also willing to help along the way too. I saw the deep urge to care for humans in him, yet he was not willing to show it in front of the others. He watched with carefulness and seriousness too, almost knowing something about the humans that none of us knew. His mind control over them happened once or twice, almost seeing it as a gem but also using it for good.

"I'm not one to be boisterous," I reminded him, seeing him chuckle as we stood side by side.

"They do praise you," he said to me, sounding kind about it and less in a joking way as he did before, "I heard from some of the men over there," he stopped to motion with his head at the group of men sitting in the corner, chatting with one another and clearly enjoying their drinks within their hands. One of them looked over at me, giving me a clear wink, and almost was playful about it. I inwardly cringed, but I knew Druig could see it, "That you're quite the God to watch. You did save their lives today when that Deviant almost took their heads off,"

"I merely did what I was told to do," I muttered, Druig saying nothing at first as the man winked again. I shifted uncomfortably, cleanly not wanting that kind of attention. Suddenly, I could see his eyes glowing yellow, having me watch as his hand that was holding his drink shake suddenly. He then splashed his face with his drink, almost choking on his drink.

I looked from him to Druig, seeing his yellow eyes go back to normal. I glared.

"You're not supposed to do that," I said to him in a soft wanting, though he looked unamused by it.

"Humans are so easy to be consumed by the very things they have created," He said in a hum, though he paused and gave me a knowing look, "And besides….you seemed uncomfortable."

The way he said it was almost sincere as if he knew that I was feeling off with the attention I was getting. It was almost protective, which was now like him at all since he was a bit aloof with the others. But with our friendship, it was light and kind. But hearing at that moment that he was, in a way, trying to protect me from a mere human, that was almost surreal.

"Seemed? You still can't read my mind yet, can't you?" I asked, almost wanting to sound smug about it. Druig sighed, almost hating that question that I gave him.

"It's still a mystery to me that your mind is closed off from me," He commented, having em grin in how he was beating himself up about it, "Anyone else is easy to crack…but not you,"

"Sorry to burst that bubble for you," I countered with lightness, "Although I highly doubt you would find anything interesting in my head to read,"

"I find that very doubtful, Soteri," He replied smoothly, having me say nothing for a moment. The fact that he was both bothered with not being able to tap into my thoughts and interesting in knowing more about me was a bit shocking. During never struck me as the type to be like this to another person, and yet he was with me. It was both uneasy…and yet right at the same time.

A gust of wind came by, and within a split moment, we both were standing in front of a relieved and happy Makkari. She had trinkets all in her arms within a big bag, smiling at the both of us as she placed her trinket bag carefully on the table next to me.

"My beautiful Makkari," Druig hummed, his voice light as he grinned at her before he signed and spoke to her, "You're late,"

"I needed artifacts to trade for the tablet," She explained with her fingers at Druig, then giving me a small grin too. I knew Druig and Makkari had their own playful relationship with one another, Makkari being a very light and happy Eternal that had sticky fingers, particularly for artifacts and trinkets. Druig was amused by it, almost giving her small missions in finding certain things and seeing how fast she can run to find them. Of course, she was fast, and Makkari would do it just to make Druig grin.

A was a pinch jealous, I really was.

I watched how they both talked and moved with one another, almost light and breezy. He was calm with her, almost loose in his stiff shoulders while Makkari was always so positive and kind to all who were around her. There were times when they had small conversations with one another, private ones that I knew were just for the both of them.

Makkari was the one female Eternal I was the closest to. We both were always laughing with each other, finding small trinkets in markets and giving them to each other since we knew what the other liked. I loved her company, always raising the morale up for the rest of the group and never having a negative face on at all. It seemed so mean that I would be ever jealous of the friendship that they both had.

I was brought back to the present when I saw Druig pulling another one of his stunts, making the same group of men stop their drunken night with one another. I watched with a raised eyebrow as he made them slap each other and then hug it out. He was grinning then, in which Makkari finally step in and slapped his arm to get his attention and to stop his trance on the humans.

"When humans have conflict, Ajak tells us not to interfere," Makkari signed to Druig as a warning, having Druig face her now with a low grin on his face as I was on the other side of Makkari and watching them talk with one another.

"Well she also says that stealing…is very bad," He hummed, grabbing one of the doll trinkets from her pile. Makkari looked a bit bothered, snaring it quickly and giving him a warning look. I had to chuckle n, seeing their better with one another as she threw up her one hand to sign.

"If you don't tell…I won't tell," She promised him, Druig eyeing her playfully and suspiciously as he nodded once.

"Deal," he hummed, the both of them glaring at one each other playfully. I had to chuckle from the antic I witness, making Makkari look over at me with a wink before he held out one finger at me. I stopped, watching her as she reached down into her pile for another trinket, grabbing it swiftly and holding it out in the palm of her hand for me to take.

It was a singular gold ring, four bands on top of one another. It was so simple, yet it shined in the light of the fires that were dancing the area. I beamed at it as Makkari reached to take my hand and place it on my finger. It fit perfectly.

"I thought it would be nice for you to wear this, and it looks beautiful on you," She signed to me, finally making me move from my spot to hug her. She chuckled, hugging me back as she then pointed to the other side of the gathering, "Come on, I'm thirsty from all of the running I just did!"

With her arm entangled in my own, we both walked away from Druig and through the crowd of humans. I briefly looked back over my shoulder at Druig, seeing watch the both of us move on from him as he was grabbing the trinket bag. A small look of fondness was on his face, within his eyes as they twinkled in the light of the fires. And although I was occupied being with Makkari and getting a drink with her, his eyes still entranced me.

The blue reminded me of the endless sky.

Portland International Airport

Present Day

"I highly doubt flights are leaving this late from PDX, Ikaris," I reminded Ikaris as the three of us got out of the Uber that drove us to the backlot of one of the runways at PDX. Sersi gave him the proper address on where to take us, and thankfully I was no more than 15 minutes away from the airport. It was already late in the night, almost midnight at it was still misting rain from the recent storm that blew through and it left a crisp smell in the air.

The runway was already dim and dark with one sole private jet waiting out on the side runway. We walked up to the locked gate, Sersi placed her hand on the metal, and the gate in front of us morphed into leaves instantly. I haven't' seen her use her ability in quite some time, and even the times I saw her work her power, it took my breath away. Once the leaves floated to the ground and left an opening, we walked over the leaves and over to the jet.

I was in a change of clothes, dark blue skinny jeans with sneakers, a cotton orange t-shirt, and a darker orange cotton jacket underneath a denim jacket with sheep wool collar lining and a dark red beanie over my head. It was a bit of a colder night, having me shiver slightly in my jacket as I followed Ikaris and Sersi over to the Pirate Jet waiting for the three of us.

"We're going in this?" I asked, not seeing either Ikaris or Sersi reposed as I went on with a hint of amusement, "I'll be honest, A private jet doesn't seem like something either one of you would use. Well…Ikaris more than Sersi,"

"Really?" Ikaris asked, almost a bit hurt that I would think of him like that. I shrugged.

"I'm not gonna a lie to you," I reasoned.

"It's not ours," Sersi replied, having me see the Ikaris and Sersi pause a few feet away from the jet itself as I was still watching them. I was about to say something to her and ask her who's jet it was. But someone else spoke up, someone standing in front of the jet hidden in the darkness and sounding just as joyful as he did all that time ago.

"Hello, Soteria! Goodness and Safety and Protection!" I stopped in my trackers, my jaw dropping and looking right at the Eternal that just spoke. The stairs into the jet opened, another head spoke out with short red hair and a massive grin on her face. I knew that youthful face, either being completely sarcastic or amused.

Sprite.

I was stunned with seeing that same face that I remerged being joyful and almost the life of the party at the time when we were together. He walked up to me, his arms stretched out as if he was waiting for applause and a massive hug from me. I just remembered seeing his smile, the joy in his eyes, and how he was always cracking a joke. I had to smile in amazement and wonder at the Eternal.

"Hello Soteri," He said to me, his warm tone and his bright smile looking right at me.

"Hey there, Kingo."