The very Deviant that went after Sprite and Kingo was now focused on Ikaris, running up his beams and then jumping to him as he was hovering in the air. He struggled, the both of them then falling into one other abandoned shacks in a heap. It all happened within seconds, giving me barely any time to rush over to Kingo and Spite as they were still tucked into their shack.

"You guys okay?" I asked, helping Sprite out of the wreckage before I went in for Kingo.

"These guys are tougher than I remember," Kingo coughed out as I hoisted him back onto his feet. I was about to say something else when the shack where Ikaris and the Deviant were stated to shake a rumbled. it then became a wrestling fight, both Ikaris and the Deviant rolling on the ground and trying to outdo each other. Ikaris would shoot beams for his eyes, but the Deviant was quicker and would dodge those hits. Then he tried to wrestle him to be on the top, but he was thrown back onto the ground. It got so ugly that one of the Deviant's claws wrapped around his head, placing him in a lock.

He was in deep trouble.

"Ikaris!" Seris called out, running over with a twig that she morphed onto a metal rod. She went in to stab it in the lower belly, but back away in time from the Deviant whole whirled around at her. He left Ikaris on the ground, running towards Sersi with the metal rod out of its side while Sersi was running backward away from him. I looked in horror as she backed into the watering hole, falling in and the Deviant dived in after her.

"Sersi!" I called out, Kingo grabbing my hand to stop me before I got get to her. I was afraid she was going to drown deep in that water, seeing the water itself thrashing around from both of them in here. She was going to die there in the water, I felt it in my gut.

But the water shot up rapidly, like an explosion happening within the deep. The water went high above us and a booming sound was heard from deep within the water hole. We all covered our eyes from the impact for a split second, finally waiting for it to settle before we looked to see what was left there.

A massive tree-like structure.

It was huge, bigger than the waterhole hole itself its rigid branches spread out everywhere. We were all in awe it came from Sersi, who was drenched in water and standing right below it in the ditch that used to be the watering hole. Kingo, myself, Sprite, and Druig walked over in stunned silence as we watched Sersi look at what she created. I have never seen her do something like this, make something like this, ever.

"Sersi! Are you alright?" Ikaris jumped into the ditch and gathered a wet Sersi in his arms, the both of them sharing a small moment before he gave her a worried, "How did you do that?"

"I don't know," She replied not knowing what to say at that moment. I didn't know either and giving Kingo a quick look I could see he was just as confused. This was a true first for everyone, seeing Sersi do something like this with that much power.

"Why are these Deviants stronger?" I had to ask. It was clearly on all of our minds. The rest of the group looked over at me as I wiped away some of the blood from my cheek with my ripped sleeve, "These are not like the ones we fought in the past. These Deviants are stronger, way stronger. What's changed?"

"They can't be the same Deviants," Kingo commented next to me, thinking the same thing before he looked at Ikaris, "Can they?"

We all looked to him too, thinking that he would have some kind of answer. But he was simply saying nothing, almost as if he was thinking about something in the back of his mind but he wasn't going to say it allowed. Perhaps he knew something about this new batch that we didn't know. Were they a new batch?

"How many Deviants were there anyway?" Sprite asked us, "I thought we took care of them. Didn't we?"

The sound of a tree cracking and an outcry of pure pain was heard out right behind us, all of us looking. Another wrenching sound of heard, almost sounding so painful that it sickened me. Something then clicked in my mind, noticing who was there in the clearing with us, and who wasn't. It made me freeze and look over at Ikaris with a grave look on my face.

"Ikaris…..where are Thena and Gilgamesh?" I asked him in a low tone, seeing him look from me over to the sound again. He instantly moved, shooting up in the air and flying in that direction as we all then ran over in the same direction too. It was almost shunting to think about, the nagging in the back of my mind that the other two Eternals that came out this far with us were all alone out there with who knows how many more Deviants.

The main reasoning was that they could handle themselves, they both knew how to fight and how to take them on. But then again, given the circumstances we were in and how fragile this whole situation was, it had to have seen suicidal to be alone out there in the jungle, in the dead of night, taking on these new Deviant hybrids.

As we were making our way through the jungle as fast as we could, I was hoping that they were okay, that nothing happened to them, and that we were all going to make it out of this nightmare that we were in alive and in one piece. This ambush was the last thing we needed for our plan, and it felt like we were so close to getting on the right track when this came into our lap.

One minute we were hearing some kind of cry out deep in the jungle, and then we heard nothing. It was deafening, having us slow down our running to make sure there wasn't going to be another attack waiting for us. I threw up a shield to mold around my body to be safe, but I could see with every step, something went awry.

Out in the opening of a very small clearing, I saw Thena on her knees and looking down at a body right in front of her. Ikaris was staring down at her, the look of pain on his face. We all slowed, having me know that body instantly though it was hidden with Thena's silhouette. I froze, looking in sanders and disbelief as I Thena started opening weeping, placing her head on the body. I felt an entire chill go up and down me, almost as if I couldn't breathe. The others were feeling it too, as if a piece of ourselves was torn away and being exposed for more pain.

Gilgamesh, sweet and gentle Gilgamesh, was dead.

We burned his body that night out on a beach, making a monument for him out of thick sticks and placing his body on the top. We all watched, in a circle, as his body was engulfed in the flames while we stood in silence and respect. The light of the flame lit the area as Karun was saying aloud a prayer, having his hands folded in front of him as he spoke solemnly and in solidarity.

All I could see was his face in my mind, his genuine smile that would always light up any room and his laugh was infectious. Those kind eyes were always filled with goodness and joy when he would interact with anyone. It now felt hollow in the room, almost as if the fire we all had together within us was now dim.

I looked from the fire to watch each person in the circle. Kingo was in prayer with Karun, his face was also solemn and remorseful as he had his own hands placed together. Ikaris looked angry, staring at the fire with the ignition in his eyes. Sersi looked lost, sadness etched on her face with some tears seen on her tears. Sprite had a stone look on her face, staring down the flames with her stern eyes.

But when I looked at Thena, my heart broke all over again. Thena looked like a widow in mourning, her face was soft and yet fragile at the same time while she was so still and stoic as she looked like some kind of deity. Although she was still and silent, I saw the immense pain she was feeling as her green eyes were illuminated with the fire. The fire was consuming her close ally and friend. It was heartbreaking, the two of them were always together and they were compatible with one another. He anchored her, and she adored him.

Now her anchor was gone.

The next morning Thena went to scatter his ashes in the same river, wanting to have a moment alone to properly say goodbye to him. Although I wanted to give her some time alone to grieve and to mourn, I was alas afraid of leaving her alone. She was always a strong person, but the strength also came from the confidence of Gilgamesh and his faith in her. Now he was no longer there, leaving Thena exposed so much more than ever before.

I watched from afar with tired eyes and tears still evident, sitting on the sand of the beach with sadness as Then walked into the river bank with Gilgamesh's ashes in a container. My cheek was still busted from the previous night, my muscles were aching for all the fighting I went through. I even felt like a piece of wood floating in the sea, having no more energy to give or take. But I was placing that on the back burner, only focusing on Thena and her loss.

She walked slowly, taking her time as she was looking off into the water as I was looking on with a hint of protection. She needed this time, and I was going to make sure she got it. I shivered on the beach, feeling the morning breeze come through as the rays of the run were about to come across the grass.

Thena stopped when she was thigh-high in the water, pausing a good long moment as I heard a pair of footsteps behind me in the sand. I didn't have to look to see who it was, my eyes staying on Thena and the pair of feet stopped right next to me. I breathed in a shallow breath, wiping my nose with my sleeve.

"He was my first friend on the ship," I explained my voice being gravely and raw as I looked at Thena with careful and tired eyes, "We made meals together, he showed me how to cook and how to grow my own herbs. He never would hurt a fly. He even warned me about you, did you know that? He told me you were a loner."

"He wasn't wrong," Druig said from my side, looking at Thena as well while I took in a long breath. I knew Druig was wanting to make it lighter than it was, but he also knew that I was in pain from the death of our fallen comrade.

"They're killing us off," I said in a lower tone, almost in a whisper now as I was remembering Ajak again and her fate, "One by one, they're going to kill us off. We're gonna die, aren't we?"

"You sound like you've lost your way," Druig said solemnly, no longer wanting to be light about the situation but to be curious around me, "You don't sound like yourself, Soteri,"

"Well, it's kind of hard when two of your family members have been murdered," I replied bitterly, not wanting to sugar coat it. It was true, and it was making me so bitter about what we were getting ourselves into. I knew I wasn't optimistic in the very beginning, being the ever second-guessing self that was always cautious and always treaded carefully with the thought of doing this mission. But now, now it was bleaker than ever.

I felt a hand on my shoulder then, not gripping it in a way that was hurting me but had me in a grip that was gentle and also possessive. I felt the heat of his cold fingers against my battered jacket, having me close my eyes and finally cave in. I wanted to tell him to leave me alone, to tell him that I was feeling so defeated and worn out to the bone from all that happened. But all I could do was lean against his leg that was next to me, placing my hand on the hand that was there on my shoulder and almost melting into his embrace as Druig was keeping his hand on my shoulder. He was never affectionate, but this was him silently telling me so many things.

He was telling me he felt my pain without reading my thoughts.

He was telling me that he was hurting too from losing Gilgamesh.

He was ultimately telling me that he was there with me.

Another set of footsteps were coming up to the both of us, feeling his hand retract from me as I folded my arms around my knees to bring them to my chest, opening my eyes again to Thena as the second set of footsteps stopped on the other side of Druig. I was quiet again, no longer needing to talk.

"Are you alright, Soteri?" Sersi asked me, sounding a bit concerned for me. Before I could answer her, even getting an ounce of energy out of me to tell her what I was feeling, Druig answered for me.

"Do you think she's alright?" Druig asked her, sounding leveled but also giving her some kind of warning. I sighed, tapped a hand on his leg to silently tell him to back down. Once again, he was looking out for me against someone else in the family, someone else I respected. Druig sighed, shifting a bit in his stance as I knew both Druig and Sersi were watching Thena as she was shifting in the water.

"When I left, I thought about taking over the minds of every human on this planet. Violence, fear, greed. All gone," He explained to her, sounding ever so calm.

"Why didn't you?" Sersi had to ask, making me realize that I was thinking the same thing too.

"Because without their flaws, they wouldn't be human," Druig answered, sounding so sure of his answer as I saw Thena raise her head a bit to the sky above her, almost like she was greeting the new day with her face in the wind.

"Please, Druig. You can't stay here anymore," Sersi started to explain to him, "These Deviants are trying to keep us from killing their own kind. They have a conscious now, that makes them more dangerous,"

"No, Sersi. That makes them, us," Druig explained it slowly to her as I watched Thena open the container lid slowly with her delicate fingers. I breathed out one last breath as I saw her scatter the ashes onto the surface of the river, seeing the dust itself drift along the top of the water before slowly sinking to be one with the liquid

"Eternals and Deviants: Arishem's children. But you are asking me to take control of the mind of a Celestial. I do not have that kind of power," Druig reminded her carefully.

"We'll need Phastos," Sersi reasoned with him.

"Well, good luck. He gave up humans a long time ago," Druig warned her, having me watch as Thena emptied the last of the ashes with a bitter taste in my mouth and a heaviness in my heart, "You know where he is?"

"No," Sersi replied, sounding defeated about it. I then shifted a bit in the sand, finally able to find my voice again though it was sousing raw.

"Chicago," I said in a raspy tone, taking in a deep breath and already picturing the gentle inventor in my mind.

"What?" Sersi asked me, making me get up carefully from the ground and look at both of them with a drained look on my face.

"He's in Chicago, Illinois," I explained, seeing the both of them watch me as I spoke gently to keep my voice down to not disturb Thena.

"How do you know?" Sersi asked me, having me give her a small attempt of a smile

"When he found out I was stateside back in the '50s, he contacted me and gave me his information. Since then, we would write to each other sporadically, one and off throughout the years. He moved to Chicago about 5 years ago with his family," I told them both, seeing Sersi almost have a sigh of relief to know where to find him. Druig gave me a small smile too, almost like he appreciated it.

"Ikaris and I will go and talk to him, and we can meet up together after. We'll have to find the Domo though, Phastos can help us locate it," Sersi explained, planning it all in her head as the three of us were talking about it, "But for now, we need to leave this place and lay low."

She looked over at Druig then, her sad eyes were looking at his calm ones, "I'm sorry for your village here, Druig. But it's too dangerous for you to stay. Do you have anywhere else you can go?"

"No, I don't. And as much fun as it sounds to lay low with Kingo on his plane," Druig started, having me see him give her a side stare, "I'd rather not."

"I'm going back to my apartment in Portland," I said them both, seeing them watch me as I shrugged, "I'm not up to being on that plane with them either if I were to be honest. I can teleport to wherever you guys meet up, like old times."

"Are you sure?" Sersi asked me, "I don't want you to be on your own—"

"Druig can come with me," I interrupted her gently, seeing her give Druig a soft look before looking back at me again, "We can hide out there to make sure we're safe and then come when we know where the ship is. Besides, it won't be long, right?"

"No, it won't," Sersi hummed, then gave Druig a small look to see what he was thinking, "What do you think, Druig?"

Druig looked over Sersi to me, almost talking to me with his eyes and asking me if I was doing the right thing. I knew I was jumping the gun, made already putting my foot in my mouth when I said it so abruptly. But then again, the smaller part of me didn't want to be away from Druig again. Not even for a moment.

He was my own smaller sense of peace and serenity, just him standing here with me was enough to have me feel calm. That smaller moment we had together was almost replenishing to me, taking back to the moments we before when he was still thinking that we were doing the better good in the world.

"I'll have to get a few things from the village that I own, but I'll go with her," Druig replied, still looking at me but answering Sersi. I was inwardly sighing in relief, needing another person there with me to almost keep me sane from all that just happened within the past several hours. It felt too much, and maybe having Druig nearby and just being a presence would be enough.

God, I hope it would be enough.

Portland Oregon

Few Hours Later

Druig and I landed on our feet right in front of the apartment complex, no one else was around as we were right in the middle of the street. It was the later afternoon, the soft sounds of the city still thriving heard in the distance while we were both standing side by side. It felt odd, being back to the small and almost cramped apartment. Back to the mundane life that I thought I could live and just get by in. Where I was before everything unfolded.

After we spoke with Sersi, Druig had to go back to what was left of his village and retrieve a few things that he kept. I waited for him outside, not wanting to intrude on what he was getting. Yet when he came out of the smaller shack there was in the village, his shack where he slept, I didn't see a backpack or a bag with him. He also changed his clothes, wearing black pants and boots with a thing black shirt and a leather jacket. Druig looked like a normal person in civilian clothes, something I haven't seen in centuries.

"What did you get?" I asked, seeing him shove his hands deep in his pockets.

"Just a few small things," He replied, saying nothing more about. I could see the remorse on his face, him leaving the village he kept safe for generations. All that was left of it was burning wood, rubble, and faded memories.

I felt a small wave of nausea hit me in the stomach from that quick teleportation from the Amazon back to Portland. In the past, I would get energy drained from me if I teleported at a great distance. I haven't done it for some time, since I was mostly on my own and I had no real thirst to go anywhere unit the early 2000's. The last time I tried to push my teleportation, I had a massive nosebleed and a migraine that lasted for at least 13 hours.

"You live here?" Druig asked, not in a teasing tone but mere curiosity. I nodded stiffly, looking up at the brownstone apartment building that was in front of me.

"Yeah," I huffed, shifting on my feet before I started walking to the lobby, "I've lived here since 1922. It's one of the last brownstones in the city from the early 1900s."

"You made it by without being noticed?" Druig had to ask as we got into the lobby and I steered up to the elevator to tap the top floor button.

"Technically it was a gift from my grandmother, who got it from her mother," I answered, seeing him eye me as we saw the elevator doors. We both got into the elevator, seeing the doors closed as Druig then gave me a gentle look.

"Clever."

After I found the spare key that was hidden in my planter that was outside my front door, I unlocked the door to let the both of us inside. My apartment looked the same as it did before, a small entryway with an end table and a mirror hanging on the wall, then a smaller hallway that lead to my bedroom and bathroom. Across the hall was the joined kitchen and living room, and across the kitchen was a smaller door that lead to the fire escape and access to the rooftop.

The dim light of the morning was seeping through the windows, bringing some light into the apartment as I closed and locked the door behind me. Before I moved, I placed my palm on the door and placed an invisible forcefield on the door. Then the field pushed out and around the apartment itself, conducting its own perimeter. Sighing in relief that we had some kind of defense, I watched as Druig was looking at everything in my living space.

I had the walls covered in art, things I have from local markets or from far-off places that I would travel to if I was bored. Some sculptures were small enough to set on the white bricks walls and have on tabletops, little things that reminded me of the past that were heartwarming and soothing. Even with the mismatched rugs and loveseats, I had in the living room, along with the worn-down woodwork that I got from old flea markets, it was still cozy to me.

It was a safe haven.

"Sorry for the mess, I didn't think anyone else would be coming in here," I quickly apologized to him as I was scanning the area. "I have a shower that you can use, and I think I have some food left in my refrigerator if we do get hungry. If not, we can order something from down the street. There's a good Indian place that has great curry!" I informed Druig as I stripped off my battered jacket and walked into the bedroom to do a quick strip. The grimy jeans and shirt I had from the battle at the village was something I wanted to get rid of it quickly, making me quickly change into a new set of jeans and a long sleeve shirt. Seeing the dinginess of my hair, got it up in a high bun and then walked back out, wondering where Druig wandered off to.

He was still in the spot I left him, looking at each piece of art on the wall with curiosity and steady eyes. I watched him quietly, feeling as though I was letting him in a part of my life I rarely showed anyone. In recent years, I was a bit more private than the average person, and I wanted it that way. And if I was going to be honest with myself, Druig was the first person to be in this small world of mine for quite some time.

It was scaring me so bad.

"What's this?" Druig asked, seeing a smaller desk tucked in the corner. I walked over to see what he was seeing, a journal sitting on the surface with a ballpoint pen and a photo album on the side of it with the label "Travel" on the top. There was a corkboard on the wall in front of the desk, pictures pinned on there and scattered about.

"My teleportation center," I explained, walking over to show him the photo album. He skimmed through, seeing pictures of major cities and areas throughout the world and I kept talking, "I need to see where I'm going when I travel, that or have a physical picture to mentally see it. This….this is more of a passport in lamest terms. If I ever want to go back to these places…I look at these,"

I learned that tactic when photography came around. I knew picturing the place I wanted to go in my head was the only way I do go, but now having a smaller picture of my destination made it easier for me to travel and get from place to place. Druig smiled briefly, closing it and placing it back on my desk before he made another turn of the room. I watched with a tilt of my head.

"I thought you didn't like clutter," Druig commented as he was looking around the living room itself, having me walk over to check on a few of the houseplants that I had scattered throughout the room. One of them was a pilea plant that I recently bought a week ago from a friend.

"I don't mind it," I corrected him, going over to the kitchen and getting a small bowl to fill with water. I walked back to fill the pot, seeing the water melt into the soil with ease, "Besides, some of this stuff reminds me of old times,"

It did though, having new trinkets that I knew were knock-offs but from those precious moments earlier in history. it was a reminder to me where I came from, what I saw, and what was etched in my mind. Of course, it wouldn't be the same as the real thing, but those kinds of items were lost and gone on the earth.

"Huh," Druig hummed, having me look over to where he was and what he was looking at. I had to smile, watching as he was a bit curious as I pointed.

"You don't know a record player?" I asked him, seeing him then give me a look as he was looking at my record player that was propped on a smaller table near my TV.

"I was in a small communal village in the Amazon, obviously not in touch with most of the newer things of the world," he explained, sounding almost a bit annoyed as I sighed and walked over to him and lifted the top of the player to show the inside. I then reached over to grab a record that I recently bought a few months ago, Greta Van Fleet, and turned on the player.

"Phatsos was so excited when he told me he invented this," I explained, making the record on the turntable top, then turning the switch on and seeing it rotate. Druig still watched as I got the needle on the right track line, hearing the song "Light My Love" float into the apartment and I stood back up with a smaller smile, "He bought one himself when it first came out. We were playing around with it for the longest time,"

It made me pause then, thinking of Phastos and what happened to him. I had one small moment of happiness from a fond memory, but it was etched out with the aftershock of what has happened to the world. It made me grimace a bit as I finally sunk onto the couch, dozing off for a moment or two and letting my thoughts wander off.

"What's on your mind?" Druig asked me, slowly walking over to sit next to me on the couch, and was watching me intensely. I hated how I was acting at that moment, how I was looking so afraid and fragile when he was in my home. I slowly shook my head as I finally looked over at him. He was watching every move I was making, not taking his eyes off of me as I faintly spoke.

"This whole thing that's happening….hearing about what we are and how it was a lie….why Arishem made us….Gilgamesh dying…it's too much," I admitted to him, "And to think that this planet…these people that we loved since the beginning of their time….they could die if we don't stop it."

"You wish to stop it," Druig stated, almost having me give him a hard look now.

"Of course I do!" I huffed at him, "I love this planet! There have been bad things that did happen here, yes. But I see the good outweighing the bad….and these humans are worth it. And I don't even care what we did in our past lives with other planets and other lives then. I feel tied to this one, and I don't want to see it die."

I wish I knew what my past life was like, or how many past lives I did have. Was it twenty? A hundred? What were the planets like before we help destroy them? Did they have good beings, like this one? It was all a blur since I couldn't remember, but I do remember all that I could about this planet.

"It's like you said to Sersi," I told him, "As bad as it got with the humans and what they have done, they wouldn't be humans without their flaws."

I leaned back on the couch, hiding my face in my hands for a brief moment and taking in a long breath. It felt like I was in some kind of funk that I needed to shake off. I felt Druig place his hand on my own, almost lacing our fingers together to move my hands from my face. I looked over at him to see him lovingly stare at me, having me feel like it was another stolen moment for the both of us. but this time, we were alone, in my apartment, away from the others.

"I think we need to catch up, you and me," He explained, having me look at him in confusion, "We never got the chance to earlier."

"You want to catch up?" I asked, not understanding. He nodded, keeping our laced hands together in between the both of us on the couch cushion.

"It's been a good while since we last talked like this, just us two. I want to hear everything," He went on to say, "All the things you have seen or done, all of it."

"But the others—" I was about to say.

"Will tell us when they have a hold of Phastos," he ended in reassurance, having me seeing him smile at me and shrug, "We have nothing else to do by lay low. Might as well catch each other up and what has been going on,"

And with a warm smile from him and the reminder that we were still waiting on one phone call, I decided to be vulnerable with him one more time.