Elyus's POV:

Each of us took a seat on the benches that were lined up (except for Ikaris who preferred to lean against the wall nearby Sprite and Sersi), but I decided to rest my back against the tree behind them with my legs spread across the bench to keep the row to myself.

Karun sat behind Kingo to still record, leaving Thena and Gilgamesh to sit in front of them.

Throughout Sersi's explanation to Druig from what happened to us in London to the point of what Arishem told her, I couldn't help but smile in amusement at the sight of Gilgamesh passing out in the middle of it.

Though, there was a moment of sadness that struck Druig's expression once Sersi revealed what happened to Ajak.

"You've given me a lot of bad news in one go, my lady." Druig muttered.

"Will you help us?" Sersi asked with hope laced in her tone.

"I am glad that--"

Druig's words instantly get cut off by a ringtone, the song Juice by Lizzo blaring in front of me, and Sersi scrambled to shut it off.

"Nice one, genius." I snort, earning a glare from Sersi as she shoved the device back into her pocket.

"Hey, what's your service?" Kingo loudly whispered. "I'm not getting any bars."

Thena nudged Gilgamesh which caused the man to jump at the contact before tiredly rubbing his eyes.

"Do you all remember this forest? Beautiful." Druig emphasized, beginning to walk around. "It was the last place we all lived together."

My heart sinks in remembrance and I look down at my fingers, conjuring a mini tornado to spin around the bench. "It's a memory I try to forget." I mumble and look up, seeing as Kingo signals for Karun to stop recording.

"Well, I've protected these people for 20 generations now from the outside world and from themselves." Druig shrugged before he approached closer to Karun. "Your kind, my friend, you will be responsible for your own extinction one day. Don't you think?"

Karun nervously swallowed. "I think we must learn from our mistakes and do better, sir. You must not give up hope."

From where I sat, I could still see the gold shine in Karun's eyes and before I knew it, he threw the film camera toward the wall.

I swiftly throw the mini tornado toward the camera and catch it, making it hover mid-air just before it could smash.

"Oh, no, you didn't." Kingo spoke with annoyance as he stood up from his spot. "Okay, new rule, no more possessing people's valets."

"Oh, where is your sense of humor, Kingo?" Druig smirked, unfazed at the fact he and Kingo were inches apart from each other. "Elyus, you and I used to love messing with the Babylonians. Don't tell me you lost the fun self I loved oh so much."

"Times change, Druig." I remark before I slowly move the medium-sized tornado toward Karun so he could grab the camera.

He reaches for the camera again but his eyes shine gold once more and he smacks the camera to his feet, causing the device to shatter.

"Seriously, Druig?" Kingo groaned.

"I'm sorry, sir." Karun sadly spoke up.

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault." He softly said before turning back to Druig. "You are not a God. You know that, right?"

"How ironic." Druig smirked. "Kingo, the movie star."

"I've directed some things, too."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?"

Kingo sighed. "Some internet content."

"How many views?"

"I don't do it for the views."

"Let's go." Ikaris pushed off the wall and started to walk to the exit. "He's wasting our time."

"We need him." Sersi muttered but Ikaris didn't bother to turn back.

"Ikaris," Druig shouted his name, causing the man to stop. "I missed you. Are you gonna charm me or threaten me?"

Ikaris stepped closer. "I mean, there's a third option if you prefer that."

"It must be heartbreaking to find out that you're not Mother's favorite."

As much as Ikaris and I never got along, I'll admit that I was a bit surprised as well that Ajak picked Sersi. He never once complained about wanting to influence human evolution. Just like Ajak, he never wanted to interfere.

"And I'm sure she'd be real proud of what you've been up to."

Sersi stood up. "Druig, this is serious."

"I'll tell you what's serious." He marched towards her. "I've just been told I've been sent on a suicide mission for the past 7,000 years, and that my entire existence is a lie. So, excuse me for not giving a shit about your plan right now."

He marched out of the building, slamming the doors behind him.

"Druig sucks." Kingo spoke up with a scoff.

"He does, sir."

"Well can you blame him? We just dumped the harsh truth." I say, pushing myself to stand up as well.

"And where are you going?" Ikaris questioned.

I hold up my phone. "Seeing if I can get some bars to book a flight home. Druig obviously isn't going to help us so what's the point of staying?"

"Druig technically never said no." Sprite pointed out but I continued to walk towards the exit.

"He needs time to think." Sersi added. "Come on Elyus, we need you."

I groan in annoyance. "I said no!" I blurt out, causing their eyes to widen and instantly my stomach churns in discomfort. "I-I mean--agh, I need some air." I grumble before I push open the doors and quickly shut them behind me.

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"Yeah, I tried calling Sersi to see if you were doing okay since you haven't been answering my texts." Dane explained as I propped my phone against the rock pile I set up to get a better look at him on FaceTime. "Is everything all right over there?"

"Recently learned that everything that I believed in was a lie." I dryly chuckle, picking up the twig from the ground. "I don't even know if everything that I've dealt with in the past was repetitive because of Arishem's programming or if I'm just that unlucky."

"Erm--I'm sorry, did you just say programming?" His brows furrow into confusion. "Like, in an android sort of way?"

"Long story short, I'm a fancy robot that a celestial being sent down to improve intelligent life." I simply explain but his expression remained blank. "Earth wasn't the first planet we visited but I don't remember any of it because my memories get reset."

He slowly nods. "I would ask why but I think I won't like the answer. Is it another city in danger or what? How bad is it?"

I nervously smile. "Bad enough where if I were you, I'd call your uncle to make amends again."

His smile faltered. "That bad, huh? Great." He muttered. "And you? I can tell you're upset about something. What's going on?"

"Being in an environment brought up some old memories I wasn't too happy to relive." I snapped the twig in half. "May have accidentally snapped at everyone else. I've been considering leaving."

"Really? Back to London or...?" He playfully trailed off.

"To California, genius." I roll my eyes in amusement. "I'm not going back to London, no offense."

"Eh, n-n-one ta-taken." His voice crackled until his screen blurred, indicating the poor connection. "B-But still, you--you should talk to--"

"Hey, the service is spotty on my end," I try to say over him but his camera continued to buffer. "But I'll call you later!"

As if on cue, the call dropped and it brought me back to my home screen, leaving me to huff in annoyance. Great.

"Was that Dane?" I glance behind me, seeing as Sersi took a seat next to me on the wooden plank. "What did he want?"

"Just...to catch up." I awkwardly explain, grabbing my phone and shoving it in my pocket. "See if we were doing okay."

"That's nice of him." Sersi lightly laughed. "Just had a chat with Ikaris. Definitely unexpected."

"Good for you, Sersi." I mutter, pushing myself to stand. "I was just leaving anyway."

"What did I ever do to you?" She called, causing me to pause in my steps. "What did I do that was bad enough for you to hate me so much?"

I wince, an all too familiar feeling beginning to bubble up inside. "I don't hate you, Sersi."

"Is that so? It doesn't feel that way."

"It doesn't even matter--"

"It does to me!" She exclaimed. "What I want to understand is why you pushed me away all those years ago. What did I do wrong?"

I scoff, turning around to face her. "You can't be serious."

"I am." She sternly crossed her arms. "And I won't let you leave until you tell me the truth."

"Get out of my way."

"No."

"Sersi, I swear to--" Before I knew it, she squatted down and pressed down on the wooden planks, forcing the wood underneath my feet to twirl itself around my ankles, transforming into metal clamps. "What the hell! Are you insane?"

"I'll let you go once we settle this once and for all!" She exclaimed.

"You're so infuriating!" I rub the sides of my head in annoyance, feeling my pulse quicken.

"Now you know what it's like!" She scoffed, taking a step closer to me, leaving us inches apart. "All you have to do is tell me the truth! Is it that hard for you?"

"I could still easily use my powers, you know." I threaten with a glare. "Just one puff of air and you'll be thrown into those houses over there."

"I'm not scared of you, Elyus."

"Well, you should be."

"Well, I'm not, because deep down, I know you still care about me. About us."

"This is getting ridiculous. Just let me go!"

"Not until you tell me what I did!"

"You chose him, okay?" I angrily yell out, causing the leaves in the trees above us to wildly shake at my tone. "You chose someone else over me and god, it left me a wreck for years."

Her eyes soften but she bends down, pressing her hand against the metal clamps to release my ankles. "I was married to Ikaris. I couldn't just...leave him and run away with you."

But I wanted you to. "I'm not even talking about that." I mutter, wiping the tears that were threatening to spill from my eyes.

"Then what are you talking about?"

"I--"

"Ikaris!" A voice cried out which causes Sersi and I to turn around in confusion.

Ferocious growls emerge from the forest which causes us to slowly step down from the porch in confusion.

"What the hell?" I whisper.

"Miss?" A man from across the camp called out in Spanish with concern laced in his tone. "Are you two okay?"

However, a Deviant with a sharp tail lunges out of the bushes and thrusts its tail through his stomach, causing my eyes to widen in horror just as another Deviant jumped on top of the house.

"Clear the camp!" Sersi yelled out.

I shoved my hands forwards, sending the surge of wind to hold back the Deviant as it let out a roar. "Sersi, I'll hold them off!" I shout. "Get the villagers to safety and warn the others!"

"But--"

"Go!" I grunt, forcefully taking a step forward to adjust my stance. "Now!"

A blast of cosmic energy collides against the creature's chest, sending it crashing into the houses.

"Get behind us!" Kingo shouted, protectively standing in front of us once I ceased the harsh winds with tired breaths.

"One of them took Ikaris." Sprite spoke up from behind, quickly helping Sersi to stand on her feet.

I lift my hands, causing the other Deviant to fly upward and I harshly throw it across the camp, sending it flying back to the forest.

"It's an ambush." Kingo realized, sending another blast towards the charging Deviant which sent it into a building, creating an explosion.

"Very nice, sir!" Karun excitedly cheered, holding up a smaller camera which caused my eyes to widen.

"Are you mental? Hide!" Kingo scolded.

Rather than following orders, he aimed the camera back at the burning building that Kingo had blasted the Deviant into. "We need action sequences."

I follow his line of vision and to my surprise, the Deviant let out a snarl as it pushed itself out of the rubble.

"Sprite, get Karun out of here!" Kingo instructed before he turned to me. "Ready for a team-up?"

"How many cameras did you bring, young man?" I hear Sprite say to Karun and I turn, seeing as the two fight over the camera while she pushed him away from the fight.

I shrug, glancing back at Kingo. "Coincidentally, I've been needing something to hit." Another Deviant leaped on top of the house and slashed its tail across the side, creating a gaping hole that revealed some of the villagers inside as they cowered in fear. "This ones mine."

I quickly chase after it as it jumped from house to house, almost as if it were following behind Sersi as she tried to lead the people to the large building the rest of us were in previously.

It tries to lunge towards her but I jump in to block its path, managing to grab ahold of its front legs as I held them in place. "Not so fast!" I grunt, using every bit of my strength to make sure it didn't try to claw at my face.

Suddenly, a cry from Sersi causes me to turn in time to see the Deviant slam its tail into her, sending her flying to crash against the houses. Thankfully, she managed to get the people inside to safety by changing the front material of the building to metal.

Due to the distraction, the Deviant's tail slashes my leg which sends my knees to buckle enough for the creature to force my back to slam into the ground.

I quickly swipe my hand across its throat, a gush of greenish-black liquid splattering me before the creature collapsed on its side.

I wipe my face in disgust. "Nice."

Another snarl causes me to quickly look up, seeing as the Deviant started to rush over to Sersi but a series of bullets pierce its body, forcing it to skid to a stop.

Several of the villagers with bright golden eyes held shotguns in their hands and reloaded in unison before shooting another round. Dammit, Druig.

The Deviant lets out a ferocious roar and swipes its tail against the closest villager, harshly knocking at least two of them up in the air.

I thrust a ball of wind toward their direction, catching two of them in the air and carefully placing them back on the ground.

Druig swiftly leaps over the Deviant's sharp tail and snatches the abandoned shotgun from the ground, shooting a bullet against the Deviant's neck.

I sprint over to them but the tail swings in my direction. I quickly slide onto my knees, watching as the tail barely went over my face and slash my hand across its leg, decapitating the limp from its body which earned a pained shriek.

"Watch out!"

I quickly roll across the grass without hesitation and just as I look up, a metallic tree pierces through the Deviant's body which traps the beast instantly.

"Let them go!" Sersi panted as she made her way over to us, gesturing to the villagers that mindlessly continued to shoot the Deviant in sync.

"Now is not the time, Sersi." Druig dismissed.

"They're not like us, Druig!" I scolded with a glare, pushing myself from the ground to stand. "Their lives aren't worth sacrificing to fight our battle."

"Please. I know you're better than this." She pleaded.

Druig glanced between us before he held his hand up, his eyes briefly shining gold.

I look over to the villager who helped us before as he looked around in confusion along with the rest of the villagers. "Druig, what's happening?" He worriedly asked in Spanish.

"Go! Get to the river!" Druig yelled and the villagers didn't waste another second, quickly taking off into the forest.

Suddenly, the Deviant manages to break loose from the tree and swipes its tail against Druig and Sersi, sending the two to split away from each other and roll across the dirt.