"How could this happen!" Sersi's voice trembled with unspeakable sadness as she stared at Ajak, who was gently carried into the conference room by Makkari.
The once vibrant and wise face was now pale and lifeless—like a withered flower. The sight was enough to shatter anyone's heart.
Makkari's movements were gentle yet heavy. She carefully laid Ajak's body on the table in the center of the room. The moment she did, the entire atmosphere froze. Even the air seemed thick and hard to breathe.
Phastos, the most composed and rational of the Eternals, rushed forward first. He checked Ajak's pupils, felt for a pulse, and pressed against her chest, searching desperately for any trace of life.
But every motion told the others the same truth: Ajak was gone.
The rest of the Eternals—Sersi, Thena, Gilgamesh, and the others—stood nearby, watching Phastos's every move with fragile hope in their eyes.
Each of them was silently praying, willing a miracle to happen. Willing Phastos to say Ajak still lived. That maybe it was all a mistake.
But reality is rarely so kind.
Phastos turned back to the group and silently shook his head. The denial in his expression was like a dagger, cutting straight into their hearts.
A heavy silence descended over the room, suffocating and absolute.
Finally, Thena was the first to speak, her voice unsteady but firm. "What happened? Why is it like this? Ajak... how could she suddenly..."
"Where's Ikaris?" she added sharply. "Weren't they together? Why did Ajak come back a corpse? Where the hell is Ikaris?"
Though Thena sensed something was off about Ikaris, she couldn't bring herself to believe he would kill Ajak. That thought simply didn't compute.
The others slowly began to shake off their grief. Gilgamesh was the first to realize someone else was missing.
"Kingo and Sprite aren't here either."
He looked up suddenly. "Wait a minute—where are Kingo and Sprite? Why aren't they with us?"
The group's attention shifted. Now they weren't just mourning; they were suspicious, anxious. Unease crept into the room like a storm on the horizon.
Thena drew a deep breath and spoke again, trying to anchor everyone. "We need to keep calm. The situation is complicated. Let's start with what we know."
She turned to Makkari.
"Makkari, show us what happened."
Makkari, unable to speak, began signing quickly. The druid Druig—who had spent enough time with her to understand—stepped forward and furrowed his brow.
After a tense moment, he translated.
"Makkari said when she first went out, she couldn't find Ajak or the others. She kept running, far and fast, and eventually found Ajak's body at the edge of a cliff. There were clear signs of a struggle. Ajak was attacked—definitely killed by someone, possibly mutants."
He paused, then continued, "As for Ikaris... Makkari said she saw him flying away when she got there. Alone. No explanation. He just... left."
Sersi's eyes filled with tears. She could barely whisper. "How could this happen? They were just fine. How could mutant beasts suddenly appear?"
Phastos narrowed his eyes, his tone thoughtful. "If Ajak was really killed by mutants... they weren't ordinary ones. Normal mutants can't take her down."
He folded his arms, gaze sharp. "Why were they there? Why did they clash with Ajak?"
He paused. "And if Ikaris was there—he should've been able to help. Unless..."
Phastos cut himself off.
But the implication was clear: Ikaris might not be blameless.
Still, Phastos wasn't ready to make a judgment without evidence.
Druig, on the other hand, wasn't so cautious.
Ambitious and perceptive, Druig understood human nature better than anyone in the room.
He didn't hesitate.
"I'm calling it—Ikaris killed Ajak. She must've opposed something he planned."
Gilgamesh exploded. "What the hell are you saying?! Don't talk nonsense! Ikaris isn't like that!"
Druig sneered. "Oh really? Then you explain it. How else did Ajak die? You think she jumped off the cliff herself? There are only a handful of beings on this planet strong enough to kill her."
"Maybe it was someone from Hell's Kitchen," he added. "Or maybe that Celestial Slayer did it."
Gilgamesh clenched his fists. His voice boomed.
"You watch your mouth, Druig."
Tension soared. The two were inches away from fighting.
Sersi rubbed her temples. A headache pounded behind her eyes. The Celestials were coming. Ajak was dead. The group was splintering. Could the Earth really survive this?
Before tempers could boil over, Thena stepped in.
She marched between Gilgamesh and Druig and shouted, her voice cutting through the noise like thunder.
"Enough! That's enough!" she barked. "We are out of time, and you two are arguing like children!"
The room fell silent instantly.
Thena's eyes were fierce.
"Gilgamesh and I will find Ikaris, Kingo, and Sprite. We'll get answers."
She turned to Sersi.
"As for stopping the Celestials—you'll have to figure that out on your own."
With that, Thena turned and left. Gilgamesh followed without a word.
The rest remained behind to discuss their next move.
None of them knew that at that very moment, Ikaris was in serious danger.
He lay bloodied and broken on the ground, barely conscious, pinned beneath the foot of a man in black.
"Who... are you..." he rasped.
The black-clad figure ignored him.
"This is the emergence site. The power of the gods will soon belong to us."
Another of the black-robed men sneered down at Ikaris.
"Some Eternal. How pathetic."
From the shadows, Sprite had witnessed the entire scene. Her eyes widened in horror. Without hesitation, she turned and fled.
One of the men noticed.
"Looks like one got away."
"Let him. Priorities first—get the equipment in place."
"I heard the Reed Council might show up too. Move faster."
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