ALL TOO WELL || druig x reader

chapter eight: ikaris' secret

"I won't stand by and let you ruin the mission," Ikaris said through clenched teeth. You and Druig rounded the corner, slowing down as you took in the wounded faces of the other Eternals.

"Ikaris," you said gently. "What are you doing?" you asked desperately, skimming your eyes around Phastos' ruined design for the Uni-mind.

"These are Arishem's wishes," he explained. "Ajak thought the same as you, she—," he stopped himself, as Druig slowly strolled around the control room.

"You killed her," he said plainly.

Ikaris grimaced. Sersi gasped. You swallowed down bile.

"No," Sprite whispered.

"I won't let you stop the Emergence," Ikaris swallowed. "It's our mission, our purpose,"

"Our purpose has changed," you spoke up. "This was the Celestial plan all along. Think of the other Eternals out there doing their bidding and not knowing the consequences—,"

"Think of how you're all stopping the birth of a billion new worlds! Just to hold on to this one!"

"We've all grown, Ikaris!" you yelled. "You're the only one that hasn't. You killed her," you spluttered. "I can't believe you killed Ajak,"

"If any of you get in my way," he said lowly, stepping back from you all. "I will kill you,"

You all watched in silence as he made his way to the exit, praying that this was false. You turned to Sersi, but her expression was clear; she was heartbroken. She was cracked.

"Wait," Sprite spoke up. "I'm coming with you,"

"No," Sersi let out, reaching for Sprite. Phastos held her back gently, and she fell into his arms.

They both left, not looking back at their family once. Sersi let out a cry, clutching onto Phastos for dear life. You looked at the floor, anger and sadness radiating off you in waves. Druig slipped his hand into yours, squeezing your knuckles hard.

"I can't do this," Kingo said suddenly. You whipped your stare onto him, pleading through your eyes.

"Please, Kingo," you urged. Kingo sighed.

"Come on... it's Ikaris," he said sadly, before strolling towards Karun. When they reached the doorway, he looked back. "Maybe, I'll meet you all in the next life,"

There was a huge part of you that wanted to stop trying. When you made your way to Arishem's chamber on the Domo, no one tried to stop you; not even Druig. Maybe all of you needed some space, just to compute this.

You peered up at the statue of Arishem in the place you'd woken up eight thousand years before. You'd known nothing then, only being aware of your mission at hand. Protect the humans from the deviants, follow Arishem, go home to Olympia when you were done.

Since finding out the truth, you'd been wondering of your past. Your memories were wiped after each Emergence; a blank state ready for another in the blink of an eye; but could that mean you'd met your Eternals before?

Had you already been on missions with Sersi, with Ikaris, with Ajak?

Had you already met Druig before, in the past, through the fog and smoke of your memory being wiped?

Thena knew what it felt like to know. Mahd W'yry had its grip on her thick and fast, but she was the strongest of you all. You wondered, through the pain and blood and destruction she saw and knew about, did any faces appear through the smoke screen, too? Could she see a Gilgamesh from ten thousand years before? Could she see Makkari? Could she see you?