The awkward silence surrounding the hills is routinely undercut by the soft billowing of wind. On the horizon, the sun falls slowly into the sea like a hot ball of iron tempered by cold water. Down towards the hills, the ragtag band of immortals stand tense against another of their kind, who is himself tense at the sight of the unwelcome guests.

"Quite strange for a band of youths to come up these hills, looking for an old fart of a farmer who wants to be left alone," the old man opts to break the quietness. "If you want my produce, I'll be selling it at the market next early morn'. Unless, you have… other business with me. The not so friendly type."

Despite her instincts advising her against it, Sersi finds herself uncharacteristically impatient. No, this man is very powerful. A hardened warrior. He'd erase you in a heartbeat if you dare to say the wrong thing to him. No. She could not relent, not now. After what she had seen, the enormity of it, she wanted answers. And she wants them immediately.

"Excuse me, sir…" asks Sersi. "Are you the Prime Eternal of this world?"

The old man merely smiles. This girl, though willowy and prim, had a spine on her befitting of the prestige of her role. He decides to humor her.

"Yes, I am. Once. I bore many names throughout history, names of mortal men and immortal legends. But, my first and only name during my time as Prime Eternal, is Zuras." The farmer introduces himself. "Now it is my turn for a question."

The girl looks to her companions as if to ask for consultation. One of them nods, the heavy set dark one. She turns to respond:

"Yes?"

Zuras drops what's left of his mirth. "Are you here to kill me?"


The tension suddenly became thick enough to be spread on toast. The unexpected abandonment of all sense of amiability by the man himself put them all in a complicated decision. Sersi is immediately reminded: though having shed the mantle of Eternal Prime, he can simply put it back on whenever he wants.

"Well?" Zuras challenges the group.

"W-wha… why would we travel so far across the cosmos, to seek the death of someone we do not know?" Phastos tries to defuse the situation.

"I am not asking you, technomancer. The question is for your leader."

Sersi thinks quickly. One wrong word and he may attack them, ending their mission before it even begins.

"We've… come with a warning. A warning for the Eternals of this world."

"A warning, huh," Zuras scoffs. "The bitch couldn't even bother telling me where I went wrong and now she sends other Eternals to kill me?"

Sersi recoils in confusion. What is he talking about? However, she quickly regains her composure.

"No… we have not come here for that. This world is in grave danger. The Emergence."

The old man's face darkens as Sersi catches a glimpse of confusion mixed in with his apprehension. He doesn't know, does he?

"This world will die, along with all of its humans in a great catastrophe. That is what we have come so far to stop."

Zuras says nothing. Sersi could only just barely read his intentions as he weighs his choices, her death and that of her friends still definitely on the table. The man rubs his eyes with one calloused hand, still deep in thought. He finally looks up, an amicable smile on his face.

"Why don't you come inside. It's getting dark. Cold too. Maybe then we can discuss more about… this, over hot food. I just went to the market this morning. There's something for everyone."

Sersi sighs in relief. Now comes the explanation part, which she hates more than anything.


"I must apologize for my rude behavior. I have not had visitors in years. For my failures, my own compatriots have abandoned me. You know what that does to someone." After introductions are properly made, Zuras, having now swapped his straw hat for a flat cap, expresses his regrets as he sets his dinner table with some of the newcomers, chiefly Thena and Phastos, aiding him in some capacity. Sersi, herself surprised at this complete turn of personality from the man, could not help but to pity him.

"I-it's alright, sir."

How bad were his shortcomings that his own Eternals could have broken faith and abandoned him like that?

Meanwhile, the remaining Eternals either lounge at the table or gawk at the massive collection of paraphernalia Zuras has acquired over the years. The trinkets, counting from the mundane to the highly bizarre, decorate his modest home. The implication there was much more in his basement greatly excited Makkari.

Soon, a feast was set up on the table. Various eye-catching dishes are arranged neatly on the large picnic-sized table, with the main course, a large combined meat pie, being set in the middle. Zuras insisted, as a fellow Prime Eternal, Sersi gets to sit at the table's other end.

Dinner time came as everyone happily dug in. The clinking of china and silverware dominates the cozy atmosphere of Zuras' home, with a few words here and there. The food was nothing less than spectacular. Kingo's jokes about the pie being secretly stuffed with human meat and Druig's constant unconscious kicking of the table leg both earned them hard smacks to their shoulders by Makkari. On Thena's part, loath as even she must admit, the old man was as good a cook as Gilgamesh.

"To begin with, this world is called Edda. Same on our starship's databases," Zuras speaks first, a large piece of the meat pie on his plate. "You'll see a lot of humans running around saying 'Earth' these days. Ignore them. They forget their own world's true name."

"Earth… is the name of the planet we hail from," Sersi replies, her words measured.

"Ah, I see," Zuras nods in understanding. "Many… similarities you have seen, have you?"

"Too many, sir. Too many to count."

The old man, having finished his meal, leans forward, his flat cap tipping over his eyes.

"Now, about this… Emergence." Zuras opts to break the relative silence. "What do you have to tell me about it?"

The semi-joyous air was sucked out as quickly as it was ushered in. Sersi steels herself for the time of truth.

She tells him about the true mission and purpose of all Eternals, the Emergence and the circumstances that led to the departure from Earth, sparing no detail. Zuras, to his credit, held his calm well at the news.

"...after our exile, we looked for planets with sentient life everywhere, to inform their Eternals of the truth. We weren't able to find any, until now."

An eerie stillness settles in the main hall as Zuras contemplates the life-changing information unceremoniously dumped on him. The old farmer rubs his temples, lost in thought.

"Never win, never die," Zuras mutters under his breath, too low for anyone to hear. He looks up at Sersi.

"As Prime Eternal, I was supposed to have led planets into these Emergences many times over. Yet I remember none of them."

My God, he really doesn't know. Sersi tries to say something, but could not find anything worthwhile. Ajak kept her memories, why can't he?

"Two possibilities." Zuras raises two fingers. "Either this is my very first assignment, or I myself tried to stop the Emergence, failed, and got mindwiped."

A flash of hope jolted in Sersi's heart. Zuras may be finding common cause with them. But she needs to know more.

"Zuras, we must ask… what happened to your Eternals? Earlier you spoke of failure and how it drove them to leave you… They too must be told of the Emergence."

The old man suddenly seemed… older. His sallow eyes sagged with the onrush of bad memories. He slowly rises from his seat and walks over to a bookcase nearby. Grabbing two particular large tomes, and clears up space on the dinner table to place them down. Phastos scans them with his universal translator, revealing the titles as Ancient Histories of Eldia and Marley: The History of Our Nation.

"First rule when you study Eldian or Marleyan history, never ever read the text books. They are nationalist projects written to inflate the egos of their leaders and are horribly biased to the point of parody."

There's that word again. Eldian. What does it mean?

"Those books are for reference by the way. Events toned down, even completely erased from history, or grossly overexaggerated, sometimes completely fabricated. Both versions are guilty of this."

"But they forget, we Eternals are living witnesses to their triumphs and misdeeds," Zuras intones. "In my own case, I have to bear witness to my own."

Sersi feels a chill go up her spine. "Zuras, why are you telling us this?"

Zuras looks at her with an almost pleading look. "You wish to know of my failures. But my failure also ties to these histories you see here," He points to the books. "Intertwined so deeply that everything that happens afterward, every terrible deed, can be traced back to that one fateful choice I made in a straight line."

"I have withered away in this world for nearly two millennia, trying to atone for what I failed to prevent, thinking no one would care about what I had to say." The former Eternals leader, having returned to his seat at the table, continues. "But now you all are here and I realized, now is not the time to not say."

Sersi, Thena and Phastos' backs straighten with rapt attention. Kingo and Druig actually lean forward, for once paying attention. Makkari cranes her head forward, hoping to catch every word she can see coming out of his mouth.

Zuras somberly begins his story. "It began 1800 years ago…"


1003 B1

On his throne-like seat, Zuras could not believe his eyes.

The Deviant alert beacon of the Argos flashed gold in front of them like a boil. A boil he thought he saw the last of two years ago. Around the holographic display, his fellow Eternals watch the alert in horror and disquiet.

They had celebrated too soon.

"We missed one," came Aurelle's youthful voice.

"Yeah, no shit," the eldest of the Delphan brothers replied. "Here I thought that big ugly bastard was the end of it too."

"Our lack of dutifulness has led to this," spits Sunen. "One Deviant sneaking away in the chaos reflects badly upon us, chiefly among those too absorbed in battle to spot stragglers."

"Your shifting of blame is inherently useless, Sunen," remarks Keyote, arms crossed. "If indeed one Deviant has escaped our sights, it would be far more productive to seek it out and destroy it as soon as possible."

"Keyote, you dutiful fool," hisses Suyin. "One Deviant escaping opens a whole slew of dreadful possibilities. For your derelictions of duty have unleashed far worse than a single stray Deviant. Entire packs may be on the loose right now without any of us knowing!"

The not-so-subtle snipes soon descend into full blown verbal melee, complete with finger pointing, blame shifting.

Zuras has had enough.

"CEASE YOUR ARGUMENTS!" He bellows, silencing the Eternals as they turn their eyes to him. "Prepare yourselves. We do what we have done. Destroy all Deviants before they commit more harm to humans."

"So, 1800 years ago, you guys beat a humongous giant bipedal Deviant, who was intelligent and had weird abilities, only to find out it survived?" Kingo tries to infuse humor into the somber present. "Are we missing anything here?"

Zuras smirks. At least they are catching on.

"Yes, and no." Feeling the need to elaborate, Zuras pressed on. "The Deviant was powerful and possessed a certain measure of near-human sentience. But it had a secret ability - one not even we knew. The ability to escape death."

The gathered Eternals widened their eyes in shock.

"Yes… a desperate ploy to survive. A part of its biology, having become sentient on its own and taking on symbiotic traits, had detached from its corpse and hid itself underground away from our sight, long after our victory was all but confirmed. A second chance at life." Zuras' voice becomes gripped with regret. "We saw the main body die. Saw to it too, burnt into a crisp. Yet we didn't know of the existence of another."

Sersi could not help but feel confounded. Other than the Deviant that killed Ajak and Gilgamesh, stealing their powers in the process, she had never seen a Deviant that evolved in terms of sheer power. She presses on.

"What happened after?"

"This new symbiotic Deviant stayed underground and waited."

"For what?"

"A host."

If there had once been confusion there was now outright dubiety as the rest of the Eternals hushedly argue amongst another on the sheer impossibility of what they have heard. Meanwhile, Sersi, at the other end of the table, is deep in thought. The Deviants of this world were far more evolved than what she ever could think them capable of.

"Wait, hold on… what you are talking about is basically mitotic cellular division without the need for sexual reproduction, which is virtually impossible." Phastos decides to insert himself into the conversation. "Also, you spoke of this new Deviant somehow being symbiotic and requiring a living host to bond to, I'm guessing human. We do not disbelieve you or what you have seen or heard, but we have never, ever seen Deviant biology do something this…evolved."

Zuras says nothing. Seeing and believing, and all that.

"And yet I have seen it happen." he merely states. "With the shock of the discovery subsiding, we knew we had to act," Zuras continued his tale. "But what happened next… was something that would change human history irrevocably for all time."

It was supposed to be simple. A hunt for a straggler.

But the more Zuras learnt about it, the more it troubled him.

The Deviant was patient. Patient as a lion waiting in the tall grass of the savannah for the zebra.

It waited. And waited.

And waited for a human slave girl to plunge into the pool of underground water beneath an abnormally large tree.

Now, this unholy spawn of Deviant-human hybrid lounges awkwardly through the forest, trying to make sense of its new existence.

If it manages to make use of its human intelligence, combined with the Deviant's already deadly abilities, there will be unimaginable consequences.

Zuras remains determined as the Argos arrives at its destination. It may have cheated fate once, but not again.


The attack came as quickly as they disembarked their starship. Leapt from it, more like.

The way the Deviant hybrid reacted to the torrent of lightning that crashed it against a column of trees told Zuras enough about it.

Compared to its "sire", it was lesser in every way ability wise. It was in every way lacking: compared to the former's gigantic, gnarled form, it resembled a weak, sickly woman with ribs and skull front exposed. When struck, it wailed like a child who strayed their hands too close to a fire. Ironically, it was smart enough to be legitimately terrified of the Eternals when its "sire" had only animalistic ferocity to offer.

Good.

Let it fear us, thought Zuras.

The battle was a one-sided massacre.

The hybrid could do nothing but flail uselessly as the Eternals poured the absolute most of their offense on it. Its chances of survival plummeted significantly when The Delphan brothers' combined efforts mutilated its left leg while Suyin cleaved off its right forearm and right foot. It was fast, much faster than its "sire" despite its handicap as it swiftly maneuvered away from Keyote's animated stone beasts. Its resilience is noted when it still had the strength to scamper away from Pixelis' smoke tentacles with multiple gold spears protruding off its back, courtesy of Yvani.

Another blast of lightning tore off what's left of the lower part of its torso as it screamed. Reduced to a whimpering mess, the Deviant-hybrid could only so barely support itself on its remaining, intact limb as it tries in vain to scurry away from its hunters.

"AURELLE!" Zuras bellows. "End it!"

The dirty blonde girl said nothing as she breathed into one hand, forming a ball of blazing hot sunfire. Wordlessly, she swings her arm with great force, tossing the fireball straight at the creature's nape.

The Deviant's neck exploded in a bright flash as the headless body shuddered and fell limply to the ground, slowly dissipating into clear steam. From the dense vapor, Aurelle quickly spots something flying out and away from the impact, before landing onto the grass with a resounding thud.

Aurelle's eyes widened as she realized what it was. The burnt, charred body of a little girl, barely alive.

"What the…"

Before she could do anything, a terrible warcry erupted, echoing throughout the woods.

Human warriors wielding steel weapons suddenly burst forth from the thickets by the dozen. Carrying swords, axes and spears, their brutish appearances hide well their awe and fear.

"Protect the slave!"

With the command, the berserkers surround the wounded Deviant hybrid.

They were Eldians, of the Eldian tribe, led by the Fritz line. Their thirst for bloodshed throughout the land is second only to the Deviants themselves.

The leader, being the only one on horse, looks on, obviously unsettled by the strange humanlike creatures with terrifying godlike powers, staring back at him. His men, equally spooked by the displays of power, refuse to take one step forward.

Both sides, armed and ready, did not make a move.

"Sire, your orders!" Virako's hushed, yet urgent plea reached deaf ears.

Zuras could not hear himself think, his mind racing a thousand miles per hour as he measured all of his choices.

The tide of the battle can only turn one of two ways.

"Sire, orders, please!" Suyin repeats the plea, now more frantic.

"Fall back."

Suyin could not believe her ears. "Sire, what are you…"

"FALL BACK, NOW!"

"That was how it began," The old man culminated.

"You… left the Deviant alive because… there were humans defending it?" Asked Druig, incredulous.

Zuras was about to say something when Sersi raised her hand.

"No, Druig… he left because they are willing to die to defend it," Sersi concludes, earning a nod from Zuras.

"Sersi, you and I both know the law of non-interference in human affairs is moot the moment Deviants are involved." Druig turns to her.

"Not when humans actively choose to allow them into their affairs," Sersi interjected. "Have you ever seen this happening? In all our time hunting Deviants? The laws made had no precedent on this before! He has no one like you in his own Eternals! What was he to do?"

"Many examples have been made about Eternals abusing their powers to lord over the native populace of entire planets," Zuras states. "You may say that had I cut through the humans to get to the Deviant I would have not broken any laws, but would they have understood?" He points a finger up in the air. Understand the implication, they remain silent.

Zuras continues his tale. "After our retreat, Suyin, my second, was incensed at what she perceived was my "cowardice". Trying to reason with her was impossible. We had to settle the matter through one-on-one combat. I prevailed." His already narrowed eyes suddenly darkened further, more resembling the fear-inducing warrior he had once been.

"I should not have allowed her to live."

No one says anything. Zuras stands from his seat. Eyes follow him in puzzlement as she approaches the table, appearing behind Phastos and Druig. Reaching past them, he opens the history books, flipping each to a certain page. The Marleyan book shows the illustration of a monstrous horned devil, giving a young girl the gift of the forbidden fruit. The Eldian book's illustration was far more flattering, showing a Greek statue of a woman towering over nine subservient figures.

"I see you are not familiar with the written language," Zuras notices. "Can anyone translate?"

Phastos raises his hand. "I can't, but I have something that can do it for us," Zuras merely nods. The scientist quickly forms a large circular invention over the books, twisting and shifting as it locks itself into operational form. Through the circle, the written language, once unintelligible to those not from this world, slowly morph into Romanized characters. The Eternals quickly gather to read the now translated text.

"As you can see, these two completely opposing histories may be but they agree with each other on one thing: they both consider it the birth of the Titans. Whether for good or for ill. The Deviant-human hybrid was called the Founding Titan - the progenitor of all Titans. You'll find out why in a minute."

Sersi could already hear the murmurs of confusion as the Eternals turn to one another, once again locked in hushed discussion. The choice of name surprises her.

Giants of Greek myth and the first rulers of the world before the gods. A familiar fixture of Sprite's stories during their time in Greece.

Why are they called thus? Deviants, for all that she knows, have never grown to abnormal sizes, either here or back on Earth, except the one Zuras had faced. She notices the word was referred to in plural. Many. Was the symbiotic Deviant, having latched onto the girl, capable of having progeny with her human biology? Progeny with the same powers they possessed?

Moving to her end of the table to join her fellow Eternals, Sersi observed the translated pages of the books. Through the universal translator, she saw the slave girl's name and could not help but gasp.

Ymir. As in the primordial giant whose flesh and blood formed the world in Norse mythology.

It was almost intentional.

"Eternals, according to the laws of the Celestials, have no bearing over the choices humanity makes, for good or ill. Deep down, in my heart, I hoped the humans had made a deadly mistake. I was wrong."

Zuras continued his tale. "Eldia grew from a small, violent warring tribe into a prosperous nation, all because of this girl Ymir. She cultivated the land, built bridges, and amassed wealth for the Eldians while they sat still and reaped the rewards. Under the command of the Fritz king, she also vanquished the armies of Eldia's rivals, chief among them Marley. Yes, the very same. A kingdom, and then, an empire. All built on the power of a Deviant."

Sersi could only feel her hand ball into fists as she read the line "to reward Ymir for her service, Fritz took her as his concubine and together, they had three children: Maria, Rose, and Sheena.".

A mere child, forced to slave away and forced to bring forth heirs.

She is interrupted from her reading as Zuras, having cleared the table of plates and cutlery, places down a large map. The sight of familiar geography immediately elicits more shocked reactions from the Eternals, even Sersi. Breaking from her trance momentarily, she looks up at the old man, who looks more amused than anything.

"Let me guess, more coincidences?"

"This map… is exactly the same as ours, but flipped upside down," she explained. Next to her, Phastos lifts his eyeglasses in amazement, as he examines the world, formed in a completely new way.

Zuras shook his head in amusement. He clears his throat, getting the Eternals' attention. "Anyways, back to the story."

"This is where it all takes place, the continent of Eldia," he points to Africa. "I know you must have a different name for it, but this is not your world."

"From their homeland…" Zuras points to a region approximate to Earth's Zambia and Zimbabwe. "Eldia spread north, east, west and finally south," the finger traces to North Africa. "Where they faced opposition from the newly minted empire of Marley. Mighty as Marley was, it could not withstand the power of the Titans. And in 13 years did Eldia manage to seize a great expanse of the continent. A new empire was born."

"The story doesn't end there, right?" Kingo asks, a tinge of humor in his voice.

"No." Even a fool could see Zuras' expression return to its usual habit of grimness. "From this point on, depending on the viewpoint, it was going to get much better - or much, much worse."

"It was the 13th year of the Eldian Empire. The war against Marley has ended in triumph. It was when I heard the news."

"News?" asks Thena.

Zuras' eyes glint dangerously. "Ymir Fritz, consort to Carolus I Fritz, felled by an assassin's spear."

The Eternals are taken aback. "One meant for her king."

"So the Deviant girl dies," Druig speaks up. "What then?"

The old man looks up.

"The children of Ymir Fritz originally did not inherit her abilities," he continues, seeing the surprise on the faces of the listeners. "Not even one. But the king was desperate. He was not letting the miracle that aided him in building his empire vanish today. And thus, in his desperation, the king gave a terrible command to his daughters."

"Zuras, what did he do?" Sersi asks, her voice strained with fear.

"He commanded his daughters to cannibalize their mother's corpse. Yes, as in eat."

A shocked gasp erupts as Makkari puts a hand to her mouth, Druig only managing to catch and hold her up. Kingo and Phasto both look as if they want to throw up. Thena manages to catch Sersi as she falls, leaning quickly onto the table nearby, eyes wide in shock.

"Ever since then, that was how Titan powers are inherited, with every inheritor of it dying after 13 years, without fail. They called it the Curse of Ymir."

"As Eldia wins more battles and the usage of the Founding Titan becomes more rampant, the bloodline of Ymir spreads throughout the Eldians like wildfire, soon encompassing the whole of their population, to the point they call themselves Subjects of Ymir. The original power of the Titans, passed on by Ymir to her children, soon split into nine, called the Nine Titans, with eight distributed to loyal noble families, rewarded by the Fritz king for their service."

The old farmer strokes his great red beard. "This continued for the next several centuries." His eyes turned downcast.

"I lived and saw it all. I saw the people of Eldia prosper on the wealth that they amassed with every completed conquest, with every successful invasion, with every victorious war. Culture flourished: Eldian scholars, scientists, philosophers, musicians from all corners of the empire contributed each into the cultural fabric of the world in ways no other civilization can match. Great monuments, buildings and structures are built to honor the Fritz line, the Gods and empire, built by Deviant hands turned with the power of the Founding Titan. The people were content and thanks to the Founding Titan's ability to modify the Eldians' biology, they are effectively free from sickness and plague that plagued other races. Simply put, they think of themselves as the chosen children of God."

The old man's disposition turns even more somber.

"But to those who weren't Eldians… it was a completely different story altogether," he continues, voice trembling. "Remember how the Founding Titan had the ability of turning other Eldians into Titans at will? Imagine them being unleashed at the enemy en masse. Imagine virtually unkillable monsters who heal instantly from any injury running at you with the intent to maim, crush or worse yet, devour. You know what happens next? Entire nations and civilizations wiped out outright, with their populations decimated through war and famine, or forcibly integrated into the empire to produce - you guessed it - more Eldians."

Zuras turns nostalgic. "In those times, I sent my Eternals around the world. I hoped they had seen how humanity had progressed, even with the aid of Deviants. Thinking back, all it had done was further cement them turning from me."

The Eternals took the information in silently.

"But everything that is raised up, must come down," Zuras walks over the table and opens both books to a certain section. The Eternals could clearly make out the words 'civil war' among both texts.

"After centuries of remaining in power, the various noble families of Eldia squabble over land and power. Squabbles that descend into regional conflicts. Even the king found himself unable to control his subjects, who either lived too far away for him to reach them or too powerful for him to use his authority to intervene directly." Zura points at a particular portrait. "Enter Karl VIII Fritz, the 145th Eldian king."

"He, without warning, moved his entire court from his capital city to here," Zuras points at the map, his finger landing on an island not far from the shores of the continent, one the Eternal recognized under a different name. "Paradis Island. It was initially thought he was merely moving his capital, but as time passed, it was clear he was abandoning the empire his ancestors had hoped to build. Settling on the island permanently, he used the power of the Founding Titan to erect large walls made of Colossal Titans, creating a new home for himself and those who followed him and renounced his claim to the empire. Immediately after, the continent descended into civil war, torn apart by the remaining noble families for dominion over the right to rule the empire."

The Eternals were taken aback by the king's actions, Sersi most of all. She immediately had to ask. "Why would he do that?"

"His reasoning? Peace," Zuras replies with a slight scoff. "In his own words, he was remorseful for the crimes committed by the Eldian empire throughout history. I didn't believe it myself. No human could have come to this decision themselves, this act of foolish, short-sighted altruism. He must've had someone whisper in his ear."

Zuras shuffles uncomfortably, as if recalling a bad memory.

"It was only later that I knew who was responsible."

"Zuras Prime."

Suyin was always a master of hiding her emotions. That and her immense battle prowess proved valuable to Zuras as his deputy.

Spinning his chair around, Zuras could clearly see it. This time her disgust was barely hidden, her normally respectful enunciation of his title a farce. He could not blame her.

She could never forgive him for what she considered his greatest lapse in judgement.

In the circular hall of their starship, the Argos; the Delphan brothers, Tiscali and Keyote lounge about, having recently returned and oblivious to what was going down.

"Long time no see, Suyin," Zuras, almost flippant, returns the greeting. Taking note of her present company…

Yvani and Pixelis behind her, stiff-backed with their expressions more subdued.

"I heard the news, just so you know," Zuras decides to cut straight to the point. "The King suddenly packing everything and moving to a glorified penal colony, leaving his empire to be rendered apart by hyenas. This reeks of interference." He rises from his seat. "I'll ask you once."

"Was it you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Suyin's eyes narrow dangerously. "You know exactly why."

"It's against the laws the Celestials set out for us, Suyin! Have you forgotten?" Zuras bellows.

"The rules were broken the moment you allowed that Deviant to breathe," Suyin spits. "And the consequences are all around us."

"We have no right to make choices on behalf of the humans."

"THEY ARE NOT HUMAN!" Suyin screams, causing the sedentary Eternals to quickly rise to their feet in alert. "You saw what they could do. All that death and destruction… It's never a part of them that they thought they should shy away… they embraced it! They were proud to be Deviants!"

"Then why are you here?" Zuras quickly closes in, just inches away from the woman he once trusted with his life.

"To say goodbye. Forever."

*SHUNK*

Zuras looks down to see Suyin's cosmic energy blade piercing through his torso to the hilt. As she kicks him off the sword, he watches Yvani's trademark golden spear run through Keyote before she cleaves his head clean off. He could barely make out Pixelis ripping a Delphan brother's heart out with her smoke tendrils.

He watches as he falls. The last thing he sees before he loses consciousness is Pixelis' dense black smoke blasting off, creating a smokescreen as the now-traitors make their momentous escape.

"Now you know how they left me," Zuras sighs, raising his shirt. The Eternals could clearly see the large pale scar across his abdomen. "The rest, left me over time. They did not support whatever Suyin was doing but it was clear. I had lost their respect."

"Maybe deep down, I had it coming, but Keyote and Secundus Delphus didn't. Good Eternals, better men all. Perhaps better than me."

"Wait," Thena, speaking up for the first time since the talking began. "What happened after the King fled to the island?"

"Civil war. It was called the Great Titan War. Raging for years. But here's the catch. Only seven noble families participated. One noble family, the Tyburs, willingly joined Marley, who are now in open revolt against the crumbling empire. One by one, the noble families fell, their Titan powers falling into the hands of Marley." The old man clasps his hands together. "And so, the war drew to a close, with Marley displacing Eldia as the world's foremost superpower, lasting to this very day. The remains of Eldia, sequestered on Paradis Island, continue to eke out a meager existence ever since, hated by the world at large."

"Hold on, hold on," interjects Kingo. "Marley took over the entirety of the Eldian empire and the island was just an arm's length away. Why didn't they storm it immediately?"

"The Eldian king, the idealistic fool he was, wanted peace, even with vengeful and empowered Marley bearing down his doorsteps," Zuras recalls. "Remember the Colossus Titans that made up the Walls? He threatened the world, in his own words:

'If you try to interfere in our affairs, the tens of millions of Colossal Titans sleeping inside the Walls shall wake, tread and flatten the entire world.'

He calls it 'The Rumbling'."

The Eternal feel the implications of the king's words weigh down on them. This was worse than any weapon of mass destruction that humanity of Earth could ever hope to create. In their minds, they could envision large heavy footsteps, trampling everything beneath them to dust, leaving nothing left standing in their wake.

"Terrifying, true," he scoffs. "But there's a catch: he never intended to unleash them anyway. He fell so deeply in love with the dream concept of peace in his head that he was willing to sell his people down the river. He was going to live his little peaceful kingdom fantasy, complete with blindly loyal subjects and the complete absence of threats, to hell with whoever comes after. He accomplished this with two things."

"First, the king created what is called a 'vow renouncing war', to be passed down to his descendents who would inherit the Founding Titan after him. All later inheritors of the Founding Titan are bound by this vow to not retaliate against Marley should they invade nor begin the Rumbling. Secondly, he used the power of the Founding Titan to erase the memories of his people. He instead feeds them with the tripe of the outside world being completely destroyed by the Titans, making them believe they are the last survivors. Which has the intended effect of making sure no one ever leaves the Walls. That and Marley use the island to dump their Eldian criminals and undesirables - turned into Titans to roam the island for eternity and keep the population of the Walls locked further in."

"So, in the long run, the king is condemning his own people to die no matter what…" Thena reckons, voice quivering.

"All to live out his dream of peace." Zuras shrugs. "Any more questions?"

Before any of the Eternals could do or say anything, Sersi immediately stood up, nearly toppling the chair she had been sitting on.

"Zuras, I must ask you something that has been hanging over me ever since we came here," her voice sounded almost breathless. "All those people segregated from society within walled enclaves, with star-embroidered armbands…"

"...were the Eldians unlucky enough to be left behind by the King when he fled." Zuras answers. "As much as Marley despises Eldians for what they did, extermination was out of the question. For Marley has found more… uses for them."

Sersi found herself stopped in her tracks. Oh no.

"You see, Marley too has mastered the method of turning Eldians into Titans. And so, ironically using the same strategy Eldia had once used against its enemies, Marley has further built its territory off the backs of Titans. Even more ironically, this actually prevented the Eldians of Marley from being completely exterminated. But as military assets, they can only be so effective for so long. The world's technology has advanced quickly in the last centuries, with Marley finding themselves lagging behind. Won't be long now until they barge down the gates of the Walls just to get to the Founding Titan's power again. Maybe they already have."

"That is the extent of what I can share with you, concerning this world," Zuras concludes. "A poor farmer can only know so much."

The main hall of Zuras' house is stricken with harrowing silence with the old man's words as the Eternals contemplate what to do with what they now know. Zuras, knowing their confliction, wisely says nothing.

"Zuras," begins Sersi, breaking the silence. "We, as a group, need to collectively discuss our path moving forward, now with the truth taken into account."

The former Eternals leader nodded in understanding. Standing up from his seat, he turns to leave.

"I see. Take all the time you need. I'm going out for a walk anyways."

The old man steps briskly towards the door and out of it, the soft click of the latch returning silence to the household. The Eternals are left alone, with nothing but the creaking of the chandelier above to accompany them.


AN: This was supposed to be 10k+ words long but I've decided to split it in half. For sanity's sake I suppose. Second half will come in 2-3 days, and will show Sersi's first argument with her friends and her final choice. You know already what choice she's gonna make, but she's gonna have to come to it next chapter. Also notice how the terms Deviant and Titan are used interchangeably in this chapter. I hope this reflects more the changes I've made to the origins of the Titans in this AU.

Comments, kudos, hits, the usual please.