For 7,000 years, the Eternals stood together as ten. And in a matter of days, they've been reduced to just five. Ikaris' betrayal hangs like a heavy smoke in the air around them, Sprite's departure along with him lingers in their minds like an unwanted visitor, and Kingo's absence feels like a burden on their shoulders. Still, the remaining five Eternals persevere as they descend from the Domo and land at the site of the emergence. Around them, the ocean expands for as far as their eyes can see.
"It's time to put a god to sleep," Sersi says.
Phastos looks to Isis. "You're sure you can protect us from Ikaris?"
She answers "yes" but with a wavering voice.
Sensing her fear, Druig intervenes: "She can. I know it." The two share a look that brings reassurance to her heart. So, she gives him and Phastos a poised and steady nod.
"Well, no reason to wait any longer then." Phastos takes a deep breath and steps back so that he, Thena, Sersi, and Druig form a line before the point of emergence. He looks at Isis and says: "Do your thing."
Starting with Phastos, Isis places her palm on each one of their hearts, blessing them all with her seal of protection; their bodies shimmer with shells of invincibility. They all marvel at her power, just as Druig had when she first tried the same trick on him on what seemed like just another day in the garden. It's a trick she hoped to never actually need, yet here they are.
She stops at Druig, the last in the line. Despite the gravity of the situation, he only smiles down at her.
"You really think I can protect you? Against Ikaris?" she asks.
"Of course," he answers without hesitation. "And do you think I can take over the mind of a Celestial?"
"Of course," she repeats his answer back to him with a smile on her face.
She touches his chest, and his heart races — not only because of the invincibility now coursing through his being, but also because of the love he has for her. He thinks about how much he can't wait for this to all be over. He just has so much to tell her. For now though, he raises his right hand to his chest in unison with Phastos, Sersi, and Thena — their bracelets activating the power of the unimind. Isis watches as the four of them rise from the ground and as their collective power begins to surge into Druig.
As if on cue, Ikaris' shadow quickly approaches from the horizon. In all her years of existing, anger was an emotion Isis rarely felt, but she feels it so intensely now. Ikaris, however, doesn't even attempt to engage in diplomacy. Instead, he descends from the sky and fires white-hot energy into Druig's back. Though to his surprise, the energy ricochets harmlessly off Druig's body. Druig and the others remain levitating in the air, their figures unyielding as the unimind continues to charge.
"What have you done?" Ikaris calls to Isis as he hovers before her.
She ignores his question. Instead, she asks him a question of her own: "This world will remember me as the goddess of protection, but how will they remember you? As a traitor?"
"Don't do this, Isis. I'm serious," he warns. "I can and I will kill you."
"You shouldn't be so sure," she answers.
"Then I will see you in the next life," he states with a chilling finality.
Isis conjures a shield just in time to block Ikaris' assault. She digs her heels into the dirt and holds her ground, but she can feel the strength in her power chipping away as Ikaris attacks her with what seems like limitless energy. Her stance begins to falter, and she finds herself stepping back, closer and closer to the Eternals whom she is desperately trying to protect. She glances over her shoulder, but the unimind still isn't ready.
"Any moment now," she prays to herself.
Ikaris now hovers directly before her, and she can't see any trace of remorse in his expression even as he is seconds away from killing her. She looks over her shoulder again — maybe for the last time ever — at Druig and her family. She's reminded of all the time she spent wondering about her purpose and her reason for being on this planet. But, maybe she's staring at it now. Staring it right in the face. She thinks that Druig is the only one who can stop the emergence, but maybe she is the only one who can protect him long enough to do just that.
So, she digs her heels into the dirt once more and remembers what this world — her world — knows her to be: "This world will remember me as the goddess of protection." The power in her identity expels from her heart and flares out of her palms. Now it is Isis who pushes Ikaris back. From the corner of her eye, she watches as the unimind finally reaches its full potential: Druig opens his golden eyes, and a sphere of cosmic energy expands out of him.
Now more desperate than ever, Ikaris yells, "Enough!" and flies directly for Druig with intent to kill.
Isis can barely stop him in time — she uses the last of her power to surround him with cosmic forces, sending him into the earth where she holds him down as the eruptions and quakes begin to subside. It's not enough though, and everything happens at once: Ikaris breaking free from his cage with a guttural cry. Rays of light from his eyes piercing Isis' chest. The energy of the unimind discharging in a final release. The Eternals all collapsing to the ground.
Ikaris flies to Druig and picks him off the ground by his neck. "Reverse it," he demands. "Whatever it is that you've done."
"I... can't," Druig can barely utter through the chokehold. "It won't... let me."
Ikaris throws Druig to the ground, his body collapsing before Isis. "What do you mean?" Ikaris asks, his voice breaking.
"Tiamut..." Druig says weakly as he tries to stand again. "Tiamut joined the unimind. I could feel it. I tried to put it to sleep like we planned, but it used my power to... end itself."
The Eternals all watch as the reality dawns on Ikaris.
"It sacrificed itself," Druig says, finally standing tall. "To save this planet."
Ikaris collapses to his knees, and Sersi — with all the kindness and forgiveness in her heart — kneels before him, resting her hand on his shoulder. Druig looks for Isis and finds her laying on the ground behind him, still clutching at the pain in her chest.
"Isis," he quickly moves to kneel beside her. "Can you stand?"
She nods. He takes her hand in his and gently lifts her off the ground and into his arms – relief is all she feels. "He did it. He saved us," she thinks. Funny enough, Druig thinks the same but about her.
Isis stays in Druig's arms but looks to Sersi and Ikaris. Sersi places her fingers under Ikaris' chin and rests her forehead against his. The Eternals all share in her pain: that they could not save Ikaris from the path he chose to walk. Ikaris pulls away and slowly rises into the air, glancing around at his family as he does. He takes one last lingering look at Sersi and the tears in her eyes before disappearing into the sun.
It's the last any of them will ever see of him again.
YOU ARE READING
somewhere in time {Druig}
Fanfic'It's beautiful, isn't it?' she says. 'It is,' he answers. She's looking at the sky, but he's thinking about her. OC x Druig (Marvel's Eternals)
