Redemption

Men gathered around a large bonfire to celebrate the foison of Autumn, holding hands as they chanted and danced, praising those furnished and gifted by their creators. Besides the mellow fragrance of good wine and the scorching aroma of charcoal wood, the air is filled with the resonance of all vitality on this very land. The bright moonlight shimmers down, making them look even more innocent, with jubilee written all across their faces, including his fellow Eternals. Gilgamesh is busy baking meat pies, with Thena standing beside him, a glass of mild wine in one hand, the other carefully wiping off beads of sweat on his forehead. Sprite was storytelling among a bunch of kids with Sersi, who was sitting with them. Golden rings surrounded her fingers as Sprite manipulated the illusions with delicate movements of her wrists. With a flick of a finger, the illusions exploded into golden fireworks, glitters slowly drifting down, glistening under the night sky as the crowd erupted into applause and cheers. Makkari was reading a picture album given to her by a child just a few minutes ago, while Druig, reticent as always, gently held her in his arms, a rare smile on his face.

“This is what makes them such charming species, isn’t it? ” Ajak said thoughtfully, standing above a nearby terrace and gazing upon the distant horizon, where the sun had just set.

“The last Deviants have been eliminated by us, so they are safe for now.” Ikaris said, focusing on Sersi, who is laughing with the crowd, the latter also seemed to have noticed the gaze from his lover, and quickly turned her head and smiled sheepishly.

“Oh except for the own endless wars! Scary enough!” Kingo, who seemed to come out of nowhere with a bunch of recently grilled kebabs in both hands, added.

“And see who is to blame for giving humans such great inventions!” He joked, patting Phastos behind him.

“Speaking as if it's not your duty to help humans progress!” Phastos was a bit upset, grabbing the food from Kingo’s hand and finishing them in two big bites.

“Hey! I traded them for three jokes with that kid!”

“Well, since you are also a joke to me, I bet you can get a bunch of kebabs just by standing there like an idiot.” Phastos clapped his hands contentedly and left, though Kingo was certain that he went for more kebabs judging by the resent look on his face.

Thousand years ago, they arrived on this beautiful planet and had guarded it ever since, witnessing all of nature's creation and humans thriving without the threats of the deviants, witnessing the rise and fall of numerous civilizations. Right now, inside the great city of Tenochtitlan, they wiped out the last deviants, meaning their mission and duty is finally over. But does that mean they could finally go home?

Olympia, their hometown.

Even Ajak, the leader of the Eternals, has only heard of their hometown from Arishem, and to the others, all that seems to be just an ethereal existence. A myth.

Over the past millennia, Ikaris had noticed that some of them had already considered Earth as their second home, especially Sersi. Every place they went, Sersi was always the first to mingle with the locals. Her empathy and kindness quickly draw humans, kids, especially, towards her, which is quite natural considering her open and compassionate heart. Besides Sprite’s phenomenal stories and illusions, Sersi’s ability of matter transformation is probably the most popular “trick”. Indeed, her powers might be the most practical among them when it comes to starting a civilization, such as creating two rivers that flourished the once barren Mesopotamian plain.

To be honest, Ikaris had to admit that during his time on Earth, he had been more or less affected by humanity, for example, he had grown fond of a kind of sweet biscuit supplemented with fermented cocoa beans.

He often wondered when the day comes, when they have to return to Olympia, can they let go of all of this?

A home that has never been heard, seen, or even known to exist; and a planet that they have been living on for thousands of years. Where do they really belong?

He asked Ajak once, and she only sighed.

“Remember our task, Ikaris.” An unparalleled firmness in her benevolent tone. “We will know what to do when the time comes.”

“Will Arishem tell you what to do?”

“The law of nature will tell us, when it is time.”

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“Boss! You gotta give these a try. They. are. bloody. delicious!” Kingo’s chirping voice pulled Ikaris back into reality. “Hello? You here?” He waved in front of his face. “Ikaris?”

“I want cocoa bean biscuits.” Ikaris stared at the kebabs in Kingo’s hands for a short while and blurted.

“What?” Kingo looked stunned for a second.

“....Nevermind, just forget it.”

“Oh…! I think I know what you’re talking about! You like that stuff? Oh my celestial, I’m gonna tell Sersi about this..” Before Ikaris could stop him, Kingo had already ran towards the crowd to find Sersi.

“Come back!” Ikaris quickly followed but stopped halfway.
Something isn’t right.

At first, it was just a slight noise, a vibration so inconspicuous that almost no one could perceive, spreading and extending in the underground.
Was that a deviant? Ikaris looked around, besides the noises from the crowd, the surrounding woods were dead silent without any disturbances. He looked up at Ajak, who was standing on a terrace nearby, watching the happy people down below with caring eyes, certainly not noticing anything unusual.

With a gentle thrust, Ikaris flew thousands of meters up into the air. Besides the large bonfire below, the nearest light source was the torches surrounding the temple and the nearby fortress, still, there were no signs of deviants.

He was just wondering when he felt the tremor, a loud rumble getting louder and louder, and finally, erupted into a huge blast accompanied by countless, agonizing screams.

-TBC