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The Eternals and their two human companions stand around a tall bonfire on the beach, mourning Gilgamesh's passing. Karun and Kingo have their palms pressed together as the former recites scripture in Sanskrit. Serina just stares at the fire where Gilgamesh's body is being cremated with a numb expression on her face. Another family member is gone. Memories of all the times she spent with Gilgamesh run through her head, she doesn't want to accept that he's gone. A tear escapes her left eye and rolls down her cheek as she continues to watch the flames dance.
Alex, who's standing to her left, notices this and wraps an arm around her, pulling her into her side. Alex didn't know the Eternal very well, but from the little amount of time she spent around him, she could tell that he was a fun and caring soul. She hates that her best friend had to lose someone like that, especially since she knows how much Serina cares for her fellow Eternals. When Karun finishes speaking, Alex steps forward to say a prayer. Serina feels her heart shattering as she listens to her friend's words.
Her eyes sting as they become glossy and she furrows her eyebrows, trying her best to refrain from crying. However, a few tears leak from her eyes so she inhales a deep breath to try to calm down. Druig turns to her, seeing the state she's in. Gilgamesh's death saddens him but the way it's affecting Serina makes his heart ache so much. He hates seeing her like this. He reaches for the woman's hand, which is resting at her side, and gently takes it in his. He intertwines their fingers and gives her hand a light squeeze.
Serina keeps her eyes forward, afraid that she'll break down if she looks at Druig. She wraps her other hand around his arm and leans her head on his shoulder. Druig freezes for a second when she does this, taken aback. However, he snaps out of it and lets go of her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer and resting his head on top of hers.
— ꕥ ~ ꕥ ~ ꕥ —
Serina and Druig stand by the lake as they watch Thena walk further into the water with an urn in her hands. Serina's chest tightens at the sight. She loved Gilgamesh but she's aware of how much more meaningful his relationship with Thena was. Her heart breaks for the platinum-blonde woman. She lost the person who took care of her for centuries. Druig turns his head to glance at the girl, taking note of her glum facial expression. "You okay?" he asks.
Serina takes a moment before finally answering, "Yeah. It's just... it's not fair, you know?" Druig nods in understanding, feeling empathy for the woman. He turns his head back to face forward again, watching Thena. After a moment of silence, he decides to speak up.
"When I left, I thought about taking over the minds of every human on this planet. Violence, fear, greed, all gone," he mentions, gazing at Serina.
She turns to him with intrigued eyes. "I've thought about using my powers on the humans too," she admits. Druig lightly nods, not at all surprised by her statement. He knew she wouldn't judge him for wanting to mind control the world because they are very like-minded. Of course she's thought of doing something similar. "I've seen so much suffering... Pain, fear, anger. All these negative emotions led a lot of people to do some horrible things. I wanted to take that away, leave them with only the good emotions," the girl conveys.
The man nods, understanding her perfectly. "So what stopped you?" he curiously questions.
Serina releases a small sigh. "After we parted ways, I did use my enchantment a couple of times and I discovered that I could reach longer distances and make it last for a very long time. That's what made me consider enchanting everyone I could... But emotions, good or bad, are part of being human. They need both," she explains. She pauses for a moment before adding, "You ever seen the movie Inside Out? It's a perfect example."
Druig slightly shakes his head. "No, I haven't."
Serina gasps at this, giving him an offended look. "What?! How??" she exclaims, causing a tiny grin to appear on the man's face.
"Well, I don't hear about many movies out here," he answers. Serina nods her head. She thought that he might've watched plenty of movies since he was able to keep up with her work but apparently not.
"Why didn't you take over everyone's minds?" she suddenly asks, getting back on track.
"Same reason as you. Because without their flaws, they wouldn't be human," he conveys. Serina just gazes at him as she lets his words sink in. Some of the others see Druig as erratic and unreliable, maybe an asshole, but Serina always knew that he was a good person. His methods or ideas may be flawed sometimes, but in the end, he just does what he feels is right. Serina feels that she's the same in a way, perhaps just a little less morally gray than him.
"Druig," she voices, turning her body to face him. "Come with us... Please. You shouldn't stay here anymore."
"She's right."
The pair turns around to see Sersi approaching. She stops beside Druig and says, "these Deviants are trying to keep us from killing their own kind. They have a conscience now. That makes them more dangerous," she addresses the man.
"No, Sersi," Druig immediately chimes in, shaking his head. "That makes them us," he states, finally turning his head to look at the woman. Serina frowns, knowing he's right. After all, they all have the same creator. The only difference is that Arishem's design of the Deviants had a flaw whereas his design for the Eternals resulted exactly how he wanted. "Eternals and Deviants. Arishem's children," the man adds, looking out over the lake. "But you are asking me to take control of a mind of a Celestial. I do not have that kind of power," he claims, glancing at the two women.
"What if Serina helps you?" Sersi suggests.
Serina knits her eyebrows together in surprise. "Wait, what??"
"You can make a stubborn person compliant, so maybe you can put someone to sleep too. You have gotten more powerful over the decades," Sersi conveys, recalling what Serina told her about the growth of her powers. The original plan was to have Druig put Tiamut to sleep but after doing a lot of thinking, Sersi remembered Serina's claim about her improved enchantment and theorized that her friend could possibly do way more than she thinks.
"So you want me to will a Celestial into falling asleep?" Serina questions, quirking an eyebrow.
"It's worth trying. Especially with both of you," the other woman replies. Serina and Druig share a hesitant look before glancing at Sersi again.
"I don't know. I've never tried putting anyone to sleep before," Serina counters, wondering where Sersi got this insane idea. This seems more like Druig's department than hers. "Besides, this is a Celestial. Even if I could make people sleep, I'm not powerful enough for Tiamut. I'm not sure that our combined power will be enough," she explains, pointing between herself and Druig.
"We'll need Phastos," Sersi states.
Serina's face falls in realization. Phastos is a genius, he could definitely figure out a way to help them put Tiamut to sleep. However, she's still not convinced that she could help Druig with that. She and Druig share a look before the man turns to look at the lake. Serina follows his line of vision, frowning when she spots Thena dumping Gilgamesh's ashes into the water.
"Well, good luck with that. He gave up on humans a long time ago," Druig claims.
