Confrontation
“Wait, Makkari!” Ikaris called out to no avail as Makkari sped away to tell the other Eternals about what she had seen and Ikaris groaned in embarrassment as he plopped down on Asmund, his head landing softly on Asmund’s shoulder as Asmund started laughing as he fully realized what had just happened, “Damn it…now the others are going to make jokes about us.”
“Oh my god…” Asmund said laughing uncontrollably as Ikaris lifted his head and glared at Asmund not amused with the man laughing at their situation.
“It’s not funny.” Ikaris pouted and Asmund tried to stifle his laughing while looking at Ikaris but failed as he continued to snicker and Ikaris groaned inwardly while pouting harder until Asmund placed a hand on his cheek causing the pouting Eternal to look at the man he loved.
“Who cares what they joke about?” Asmund questioned with a shrug, “I love you and you love me…that’s all that matters.”
Ikaris thought about it and admitted that Asmund was right and he smiled softly at the man below him before kissing him again on the lips gently while his breath became more labored as he started grinding his hips against Asmund and deepening his kisses, each one becoming hungrier than the one before as Ikaris became intoxicated with Asmund’s scent filling his lungs and he ran his hand through his beloved’s hair.
“You are so beautiful.” Ikaris said breaking for the kiss and looking down at the love of his life with a tender loving look in his eyes and Asmund smiled softly as he reached up to place a hand on Ikaris’ cheek, “I’ve been waiting to be with you for years.”
“Oh?” Asmund replied with a sly smirk, “Exactly how many years?”
“Since the first moment, I laid my eyes upon you.” Ikaris told him truthfully and Asmund looked at him in surprise, “Something about you just drew me close and from there, it turned to love as I spent these last thousands of years fighting by your side and helping the humans advance.”
“I’ve loved you since we arrived on Earth too, Ikaris.” Asmund said softly as he looked at the man above him with a gentle smile, “I know that you have trouble trying to connect with humanity since you’ve been loyal to Arishem, but I am glad that you are choosing to live a life with me as we guide the humans.”
While Ikaris leaned over to kiss Asmund again, he allowed his hands to move down Asmund's body, gently brushing against the Eternal's armor as he felt Asmund's muscle toned body fit perfectly in the armor before he helped Asmund up to remove both of their upper armor pieces so their chests would be bare as they began to run their hands wildly over each other's chests with each kiss they shared grew more passionate than the one before.
“Asmund…” Ikaris moaned as his breathing became labored while he held his head few inches away from the man below him as he yearned to take all of Asmund and just be with him for all of eternity if he could, “I…”
The thought of Asmund dying flashed through Ikaris’ mind and he closed his eyes shut as he began trembling slightly, only to feel a gentle hand touching his cheek and he opened his eyes to see Asmund smiling tenderly at him with a small tilt of the head.
“I’m right here, Ikaris.” Asmund said softly and lovingly, “I’m right here with you…I’m not going anywhere.”
Ikaris woke up from his dreams with a start as he found himself on a jet that Kingo had ordered for them to fly to Peru in, and Sprite was asleep a few seats away as Phastos sat next to her and as Ikaris shuffled in his seat, he adjusted himself in his seat while looking out the window of the jet to see the skies below them.
“Are you alright?” Ajak asked from the seat across from him and Ikaris took in a deep breath as he didn’t know the true answer to that question after everything that happened recently, “I know that you’re worried about Asmund, but we will get him back and stop the Emergence from destroying the world.”
“How do we go about doing that?” Ikaris questioned as he looked at her earnestly, “Arishem has taken control of Asmund and using him to probably bring about the Emergence early for all we know. How can we expel a Celestial from an Eternal’s mind?”
“We may need Druig’s help in order to get Asmund back.” Ajak said thinking as she held a finger to her chin in pondering, “He should be able to use his abilities to break Arishem’s hold on Asmund.”
“He has the power to do that?” Ikaris asked raising an eyebrow in suspicion.
“Yes, he…” Ajak started to say when she fell silent as she look confused as if she forgot something, “I…I am certain he has before, but…I can’t remember…that is weird.”
“The day that you went to erase Asmund’s mind in the Doma and Druig went with you…” Ikaris said slowly as an uneasy feeling started to settle within him, “What exactly happened there?”
“We went up there and I contacted Arishem to tell him about the situation.” Ajak replied nodding in remembrance, “He…”
Her eyes widened in horror, confirming Ikaris’ fears, and caused him to jump out of his seat before rushing to the emergency exit as the others woke up confused.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Sprite asked when suddenly Ikaris opened the door thus allowing the air to begin being sucked out, “Ikaris!”
Ikaris rushed out of the plane, closing the door behind him on the way out, and continued flying as fast as he could until he reached Peru, only one thought coursing through his mind throughout the entirety of his flight: Druig was going to pay for what he had done. It made perfect sense if Ikaris really thought about it since the bastard's power was to manipulate minds and he was up there when Asmund’s memories were erased and he had clearly messed with Ajak's mind, which indicated something had gone wrong on that horrible day and who could tell how long Druig had held Asmund’s mind hostage as it is quite possible he was there right from the outset and caused the Eternal to rampage all those years. Ikaris’ eyes slanted in rage as he clenched his fists tightly before speeding up towards his destination, only hoping to reach the village in time to help Kingo and Sersi if they realize that Druig could have been controlling Asmund throughout all the years they stood by each other’s side.
I’m not going anywhere, Ikaris Asmund’s words echoed in his mind as a single tear fell from his eye, only to get blown away by the wind as he achieved his fastest speed towards Druig’s village.
As Sersi walked around the village and observed the villagers going about their daily tasks like feeding one another and protecting themselves from the weather, she began to think about Druig as her thoughts from the day made her wonder if Druig was somehow involved with the events that Asmund has been experiencing especially on the first day that he had attacked them, but somehow Druig had been spared and as she thought about it, she realized that Druig hadn’t been anywhere near the scene when Asmund had attacked her that day in Egypt.
“Sersi.” Druig said appearing beside her and breaking the woman from her thoughts, causing her to jump in shock as she didn’t notice that he had crept on her quietly, “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.” she lied as she bashfully smiled at him and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears as she tried to act innocent so he wouldn’t get an idea that she was suspecting him, “This is a quiet village that you got here.”
“They all do what they are told to make sure that things run smoothly here.” Druig said as he looked at the villagers as he walked beside Sersi and she could detect the disdain in his voice, “Obeying like the sheep that they are…”
“Not all humans are sheep, Druig.” Sersi admonished him and he scoffed with a dry chuckle as he shook his head and looked at her in curiosity.
“You mean to tell me that there aren’t times in the thousands of years that you’ve lived among them, that you wish that you could have controlled them to get a better outcome on this world?” he questioned seriously with a tilt of his head as he stopped, causing her to stop beside him and look at him calmly, “I am betting that Phastos wishes that he could have stopped mankind from using his inventions to create war weapons like the Atomic Bomb. These beings are selfish and they need a superior being to rule over them to make sure that they go in the right direction.”
“And you get to dictate this direction?” Sersi asked with a hint of anger in her voice, “What is this direction that you control them towards?”
“I think you know, Sersi.” Druig said calmly and yet Sersi froze as she sensed a hidden chilling presence emanating from the Eternal in front of her, “The Emergence must be achieved.”
“Ikaris was right…” Sersi replied as she started to slowly back up however the villagers automatically started surrounding her and she looked at them cautiously while staying on guard, “What have you done, Druig?”
“I have stayed true to our mission.” Druig told her as he shrugged, “Arishem sent us here to bring about the Emergence and I mean to help the Celestial achieve that, though there were some that were opposed and had to be dealt with.”
“The day that you went with Asmund and Ajak to erase his memories…” Sersi gasped in realization and Druig smirked darkly, “Something happened on the Doma, didn’t it?”
“You have no idea…” Druig said.
2 thousand years ago
Asmund, Ajak, and Druig arrived on the Doma and stood in front of Arishem’s statue as Ajak looked at Asmund with concern.
“Are you certain about this, Asmund?” she asked wanting the man to be sure that he was willing to sacrifice everything.
“I can’t risk hurting everyone anymore, Ajak.” Asmund answered sincerely and he turned to her sadly, “I know that Ikaris will be in agony, but I believe that he and I can learn to love each other again even after my memories are gone.”
“I hope so.” Ajak said smiling softly at the man as she held his hand in her hands before turning to Druig, “Druig, can you put Asmund asleep as I contact Arishem?”
Druig nodded and looked at Asmund, eyes glowing bright yellow as he used his powers upon Asmund and caused him to lay on a small bed nearby and fall asleep as Ajak summoned forth a golden orb from within her body and everyone in the room was drawn into a space like realm where Arishem appeared in front of them.
“Ajak, why have you called for this meeting?” Arishem asked and Ajak looked up at the Celestial.
“Oh Mighty Arishem…” Ajak said, “I come to you in hopes that you can help Asmund by erasing his memories so he can stop the rampages and continue on the mission to guide humanity.”
“I shall erase his memories, but he shall not join you again.” Arishem replied and Ajak looked at him confused as Druig watched silently from behind her, “I shall use Asmund as my vessel so I can assure that the Emergence shall come forth when the time is right.”
“Asmund has been loyal to the mission, Arishem.” Ajak argued, “He deserves to live with us and be with Ikaris.”
“Do you truly believe that I created all of you to experience a life?” Arishem questioned in a loud tone and Ajak gulped visibly, “I created all of you so that you bring about the Emergence and kill the Deviants so they won’t stop the process, not to fall in love with humankind…Druig, you know what to do.”
“What?” Ajak said confused as she turned around and saw Druig standing over beside Asmund with his eyes glowing brightly as he was using his powers to erase the sleeping Eternal’s memories, “Druig, what are you doing?”
“These humans don’t deserve our love.” Druig replied angrily, “They are nothing but weak inferior creatures who kill each other in spite…we should be their leaders and do with them as we please so the Emergence is achieved.”
“Asmund treated you like a brother…” Ajak said trying to understand why Druig would betray them, “Why do this to him?”
“Asmund was always perfect in your eyes.” Druig replied angrily, “While he fell in love with humankind, he also fell in love with Ikaris, and don't even get me started on that golden boy, he is nothing but an arrogant man who thinks he is better than me, but it is I who stayed true to Arishem's mission and not him…I deserved your praises as I stayed true to our mission, but no…you decided to fall with them and pay no mind to Arishem’s design thus I was chosen by him to make sure that Earth was on track with bringing about the birth of Tiamut.”
“The others will stop you when they find out.” Ajak threatened angrily and Druig chuckled darkly as an evil smirk appeared on his face.
“No one will know the truth.” he told her and she gulped in fear as he started floating towards her, “Arishem came to me and tasked me, above everyone else, to make sure everything remains on track and so he has commanded me to erase your memory of this encounter and Asmund shall remain his faithful vessel that Arishem can take control of any time I bridge a connection between them.”
“You won’t get away with this.” Ajak promised as she shook her head when he grabbed her head and started to erase her memories, causing her to cry out in pain as he forcefully used his powers on her, “Druig, please!”
Druig grinned wickedly as he continued causing Ajak pain while taking her memories away until someone grabbed his shoulder and he looked behind him in shock to see Asmund right behind him, glaring at the traitor angrily before throwing him back away from Ajak.
“Asmund.” Arishem said irritated and Asmund turned to the Celestial while slanting his eyes in anger, “Defying me to the last?”
“The Emergence shall not occur, Arishem.” Asmund replied angrily and he clasped his hands together causing a bright light to flash and Ajak found herself back on the Doma with Asmund by her side and Arishem had disappeared while Druig groaned on the ground.
“Asmund, are you okay?” Ajak asked in concern as Asmund held a hand up to his head as he felt his memories begin to disappear.
“Druig’s memory wipe is working.” he told her as he grunted in anger before realizing what he must do, “We need to allow this to happen.”
“Why?” Ajak asked shaking her head, “There must be another way.”
“I have a plan, Ajak.” Asmund assured her, “It will take time for it to complete, but if everything goes to plan then I shall be able to stop Arishem and the Emergence.”
“You won’t get away with this.” Druig snarled behind them and Asmund turned to look at his fellow Eternal sadly, “Oh don’t give me that look, Asmund…you never truly saw me as your equal.”
“You’re wrong, Druig.” Asmund said gently as he walked up to the Eternal, “I understand why you did this, but it still doesn’t make it right…don’t worry, you won’t remember this either.”
Using his magic, Asmund clapped his hands together as he unleashed a green light in the Doma, causing Druig and Ajak to forget the incident so that they would not try and find Asmund, despite knowing that Ikaris would do his best to find him. He wished that he didn’t have to do this, but he also knew that there wasn’t any other way for it to happen if he wanted to prevent Earth from being destroyed by Tiamut emerging and so he planted fake memories in their minds before vanishing for thousands of years until he arrived in the Russian complex in the future.
“Asmund did his best to achieve his plan on preventing the Emergence from happening, but he didn’t count on Arishem restoring my memories thus linking them both together again so Arishem can take control of Asmund.” Druig told Sersi as he finished explaining what happened that dreadful day, “I am not sure what Asmund has planned to stop Tiamut from rising but now that Arishem is in charge, none can stop the Emergence.”
“We will stop it, Druig.” Sersi said as she continued to keep an eye on the controlled villagers surrounding her, “Kingo will find out and…”
“Kingo is already dealt with.” Druig replied with a shrug and she looked at him horrified, “Oh, he isn’t dead…just asleep as you will be soon.”
Sersi watched as the villagers grew closer to her as she nervously looked around when suddenly something flew down towards them and grabbed Druig by the throat and smashed into a building wall, which caused him to laugh evilly as he stared defiance at Ikaris, who was glaring angrily at the traitor.
“You traitor…” Ikaris snarled with rage as Druig chuckled darkly, “How dare you betray us.”
“Oh please, you never considered me as one of you.” Druig said laughing wickedly as a grin broke out on his face, “And these humans? They aren’t worthy of being on their own…they are just food for Tiamut who needs their energy to emerge.”
“This ends now!” Ikaris yelled in rage and the grin disappeared on Druig’s face as his face turned dark.
“You’re right.” He said eerily calmly and Ikaris tilted his head in confusion when suddenly laser beams blasted him back away from Druig, forcing him to let go of the traitor.
Ikaris groaned as he rolled up to his feet only to stare in horror to see Asmund floating down beside Druig with his eyes glowing red as he prepared another attack and Ikaris felt his heart ache as he knew that he was going to have to battle his beloved again if he was going to stop Druig from controlling him.
“You can’t stop this, Ikaris!” Druig shouted as he laughed maniacally, “I have Asmund under my control and I will have him kill you, if necessary…that would be befitting wouldn’t it?”
“Asmund…” Ikaris whispered sadly as he could only stare at the man he loved, not wanting to hurt him.
“Let the battle begin!” Druig cried out joyfully as he came up beside Asmund and smirked, “Asmund…kill Ikaris.”
Ikaris could only watch as Asmund automatically powered up more before releasing a blast of lasers at him, thus starting another battle between lovers.