All the Stars - Moon Knight: Marc Spector / Steven Grant

IX

Marc's lifeless body lay afloat in the water. Harrow's disciples lifted his body to check for Ammit's statue. Xia trembled, still in shock at what had happened to Marc and Steven. She felt guilt for not acting quickly enough and denying they were truly gone. She still didn't remember her past, but seeing Marc gone felt like an even bigger hole in her chest.

Xia wanted to kill them all for what they did, but Harrow struck a power through her the second she moved, unlike anything she had felt before. It sent her across the room, leaving her barely mobile. Harrow approached her and squatted down. "I'm sorry it had to be this way," he sighed.

Harrow gathered his disciples, and they made their way out of the tomb. Xia exerted all her force to crawl over to the body, which was still laying lifeless. "Steven," she called, shaking his shoulders. "Marc?" She shook harder, still in disbelief. Tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably as she continuously shook his body, receiving no response. "No," she said softly, accepting that he was gone. She leaned down and planted a kiss on his forehead. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

She stood up, wiped away her tears and tried to be strong. Then, Bastet spoke. "I'm sorry, kitten." Xia whipped her head around at the goddess in anger and disgust.

"Shut up! You don't get to talk to me after what you did! I don't even remember this man and yet I'm grieving as if I've known him for a hundred years!"

"Xia..." The goddess started to speak but was quickly shut down.

"No!" Xia interrupted. "Go away! Don't talk to me don't even look at me just go the fuck away! Go away!" She screamed in pain and frustration. "I don't want you! I don't want to be your avatar just leave me alone! You ruined my life!"

Bastet sighed to herself but left Xia alone per her request. Bastet felt guilty, and sad for her avatar. She had grown quite fond of her; all she had ever wanted was to protect her. She might've succeeded in protecting her physically, but she had failed to protect the most important part: her heart.

"Xia listen to me, there is a way!" Bastet tried to inform.

"Leave me ALONE!" Xia continued to yell.

"We can bring them back!" Bastet raised her voice.

Xia stopped screaming. "What?" She asked softly. "How?"

"Right now, Marc and Steven are in the Duat, traveling to their final destination in the afterlife. But they do not need to reach their destination. They can return to their body through Osiris' gate, but not without Khonshu. He can give the body life. We need to break Khonshu's Ushabti and fast."

——

Xia waited until a portal opened to the Great Pyramid of Giza due to Harrow's disturbance. She didn't, however, meet up with the other avatars. She had a more important mission: saving Marc Spector and Steven Grant. She ran to off to where the gods kept all Ushabtis and rapidly searched for Khonshu's. As soon as she found it, she threw it to the ground, breaking it and summoning the god.

"I do not sense Marc Spector in this world," He stated, looking at Xia.

Xia rolled her eyes, still pissed at her goddess and Khonshu. "Shut up. As much as I hate you and your controlling wife, we all need to work together. Taweret said that Marc was in the Duat looking for a way back through Osiris' gate. I have faith in him. Both of them. I just need you to delay Ammit's plan of action until you can take him as your avatar again, okay?" Xia explained. "Bastet and I will work to find a way to imprison Ammit back into her Ushabti."

"And if they don't succeed?" Khonshu asked, clearly doubting the idea.

Xia looked at him with stone-cold seriousness. "They will."

Khonshu gave her a nod and teleported to the center of the pyramid where Ammit was. He fought against her for a while, when he suddenly sensed something. "Marc?" he muttered. In an instant, he teleported to his avatar. Marc rose from the water, bullets falling from his chest. He inhaled as his suit surrounded him.

"Good to be back," he muttered. He went outside to where Khonshu was waiting. After negotiating their terms, Marc rose up and flew over to the Great Pyramid of Giza, ready for battle.

Meanwhile, Xia and Bastet were plotting for a way to imprison Ammit. Xia swiftly ran out to grab Osiris' avatar. "We need to stop meeting when there's a crisis at hand," he grunted.

"How do we stop her?" Xia asked with urgency.

"We need to imprison her into a mortal form. A body instead of a statue," he replied, breathlessly.

"How?" Xia asked.

"We would need more avatars than we've got," he whispered before finally falling. Xia lowered his lifeless body to the ground.

"Shit," she whispered to herself. "Bast, we got to find Marc." Xia summoned her suit and exited the pyramid to where she saw Marc and Harrow fighting, as well as Ammit and Khonshu. "Join them," Xia instructed. "I'll be fine on my own." Bastet gave her a nod and headed towards battle.

Bastet stayed small in comparison to Ammit, coming at her ankles when she was distracted by Khonshu. The goddess Ammit fell, giving Khonshu the opportunity to lock her neck in with his moon staff. Bastet transformed into a larger version of herself to fight alongside her husband, Khonshu.

"I did miss this," Bastet said with pride, glancing at the husband that she shunned for a millennium.

"And I've missed you," Khonshu replied sweetly.

Xia made her way to the city, where Harrow and Marc were fighting. Marc was on the ground, and Harrow was about to strike him when Xia came flying through, kicking him far away from the two. Marc stood up and looked longingly at her.

"Xia," he awed.

"Marc," she greeted coldly.

He wanted to embrace her, feel every inch of her body, now that she knew about their past. It was obvious, though, that she was still upset with him. She still did not remember anything from their past and did not want anything to do with him. She turned away when he tried to draw near to her. He sighed, and let Steven take control of the body.

"Steven!" She exclaimed, going in for a hug. He embraced her and uncovered his mask to show his face. "I thought I'd never see you again," she whispered in his ear.

"As did I, love," he replied looking into her eyes. She looked longingly at him, then finally pulled him into a kiss. He held it for a moment, but then pulled back. "I don't think this is fair to Marc," he sighed.

She looked back at him with sad eyes. "How can I love someone I don't even remember?"