The last deviant awakens from the heat of the rising sun. Kro stretches his body out and lets out a long yawn. He finds some clothes that belonged to the former hero of strength and wears them to fit in as best as he could.

He mentally prepares himself as Ashirem will find out soon that Tiamut is no more. He thinks about the pain his creator had put his kind through. To be discarded like garbage after evolving as killing machines. Instead of keeping them alive to help them, he created a group of exterminators to wash his hands clean.

You don't even have the courage to do it yourself. What a lousy excuse for a god.

Kro opens the door to the outside. In the distance, Tiamut's stone hand protrudes over the horizon. He breathes in the warm summer air before going on a hunt. He uses his senses to stalk down some gazelle who are grazing in the grass.

His eyes glow as he taps into his anger. He releases it. The beam burns through the gazelle's body like paper. It was a quick death as the animal didn't groan from the pain. The other animals run away on instinct. Instead of moving to his next target, he feels the need to not waste his kill.

He takes the animal's body and skins it for a blanket. He preserves the meat for his future meals.

He questions himself. If he killed the rest of the Eternals, would he deal with more complex emotions? However, that thought disturbed him. Hurting Thena and the others is out of the question. He wonders what they are all up to. He stops himself. Sersi would kill him and seeing Thena would only bring more pain.

He hides himself as he hears something. His ears make out the being.

He internally sighs. A human? Great.

Curiosity gets the better of him as he moves into the Australian brush. A man with a rifle aiming at a tree.

Bang!

Kro sees the hunter hitting a land fowl. The hunter moves towards his kill and yells out in pain. 

With his vision, he sees an inland taipan near the hunter. The man scrambles away from the snake, dropping his rifle in the process. He manages to get into his Jeep and drives off. Kro then sees his head drop to the steering wheel with the horn blaring. The vehicle is about to hit a tree.

Crunch.

Kro's right hand is on the Jeep with his left hand on the tree. The Jeep is forced to a stop. The blaring horn was getting on his last nerve.

He carefully lifts the man's head off the wheel. He finds the hunter is mostly unconscious. The man opens his eyes as he feels his body being moved around.

The man screams out. "No! I can't be in Hell!"

"You're not dead yet", Kro smirks.

The man is terrified to even move from this monstrous creature. Kro has had enough of his yelling that he softly knocks him out.

Normally, he would kill and eat this easy prey. But that all has changed. He finds the bite wound and draws all the venom out with one hand. He heals the wound and gives him something equivalent to an adrenaline shot.

The man shoots up with his arms out in front to protect himself. The monster he saw is no longer there. He finds the bite mark on his left leg is also gone. His eyes widen from seeing a large dent on the front of his Jeep. The hunter drives off without looking back. Investigating it further might be more of a problem.

A smile develops on the deviant's face. He laughs to himself as the man confused him for the devil.

Maybe he will reconsider his life choices.

---

Kro enjoys some baked venison for lunch, utilizing the spice rack to make it savory. He wouldn't mind living this kind of life once his creator is dead. Something simple like this. He can hunt and be far away from people. For a long time. A very long time.

I should get some hobbies. My life has extended from who I absorbed. Too bad I can't change this face, he jokes to himself.

His green skin senses a vibration as some of the light is blacked out. Based on the memories he collected, it's not Arishem. It's the Domo?!

He quickly gets his tentacles out to prepare for a fight. He knew he shouldn't have trusted those Eternals with letting him live. Why should they after he whittled down their group?

The vibrations of the ship tell him it's leaving the area. He then hears footsteps and knows who it is. He hears her summoning her weapons. She cautiously opens the door as Kro bares his sharp teeth.

Not even a full day has passed between Thena and Kro. She smells the aroma of cooked venison as she nears closer with her spear. She sees him wearing the clothes of her former beloved and glares at him.

"I knew you wouldn't let me live. I will not-"

"I'm not here to kill you", she surprisingly withdrawn her weapons.

"Why are you here then?"

"This is my home", she states as a matter of fact.

Kro decides to choose the easier route. He retracts his tentacles and claws.

"I'm sorry about that. I will leave. I'm sorry about Ikaris."

The goddess of war stays quiet. He wasn't expecting her to accept his apology. He goes to leave, but she stands in his way. He doesn't move further to avoid a fight.

"Was it in self-defense?", she asks.

"Does it matter? You spent several lifetimes with him."

"Answer my question."

"I was trying to protect myself, but my instincts took over. I can't stop thinking about it. I hate that I hurt you."

His eyes look down at the ground. Her eyebrows raise. She never expected him to express guilt.

"What else did you do besides cook? Be honest."

"You won't believe me, but I saved a man's life." 

She tilts her head in confusion.

"Of course, you don't believe me", he scoffs.

"How did you do it?"

He looks at her. What is she getting at?

He clears his throat. "I took out the snake venom and he was on his way."

She analyzes him to see if there was a tell. Something that said "I'm lying." None was found.

"I would never expect a Deviant to care about life", she jests with amused eyes.

"Well, I only did it so they wouldn't find his body. I don't need more people in my area. It's funny. He thought I was the devil", he chuckles to himself.

A snicker escapes Thena's mouth. She covers her mouth to stifle it. Hearing it leaves a goofy smile on his face.

"Why are you smiling?"

"I don't know. I like-"

He shakes his head. Why are they getting along so well? Is it because of the Eternals he absorbed?

Thena then walks past him. She takes a knife and makes a plate with some of the venison.

"Mmm. So good."

"T-Thanks. I picked it up from-"

He stops himself from saying Gilgamesh's name. He can't just casually throw out his name like they were friends. He lets her eat in peace.

She takes a napkin and cleans her mouth.

"H-How's Sersi and the others?", Kro asks.

Hearing that come out of his mouth surprises the two of them. She lets the words settle down.

"We held a funeral for Ikaris. Sersi is mostly okay."

Kro leans in. "How can she? They were lovers."

"That was a long time ago. She's with a mortal now", she explains.

"What about the others?"

"After you left, Sersi turned Sprite into a mortal human."

"Was that a punishment?", he asks with widening eyes.

"It was always what she wanted. Speaking of, what do you want? After Ashirem is taken care of?"

"To keep hunting and enjoying the warmth of that sun", he unashamedly answers.

"Wouldn't you be lonely after a bit?"

"I don't mind the quiet. It's nice. I will find some hobbies to occupy myself. Are you worried about me?", he playfully jests.

What he said made her turn her face. "Not at all."

A brief pause sits between them.

"How did the others feel about me?"

"I didn't know a Deviant would care about his reputation", she smirks.

He could tell she was lightly joking with him.

"I just want to make sure our allegiance is still there. I will help you fight against Ashirem as long as I get the killing blow."

"Understood. They do hate the idea of you being out in the world, but you helped us. I would never expect anything like this to happen."

"Me neither. Still, after it's all done....will you come after me? To finish the job?"

"Not as long as you don't hurt anyone. It took me some time to think about something."

"What?"

"What is it like? Being a Deviant?"

"What is there to know? Ashirem created us to de-populate dangerous species so life can survive. We were just his tools until.......He only gave us the purpose to kill."

He bangs his hands on the table. He held back his true strength from breaking it.

"How could he not foresee what that would do to us?! Why couldn't he have re-wired us with a new goal? Instead, he sent you all to wipe us out. Before I was frozen, I saw what your group did to my kind."

His shoulders heave up and down.

"I will never forget what you did to my pack. I could have evolved them into what I am before you. Not as people, but with a new purpose. And now.....I'm the last one alive."

He hears something. He looks at her face which stuns him. She's crying?

"I'm sorry. If Ashirem was honest, we could have helped you. You wouldn't be alone."

Hearing that made him burst into tears in front of her. He wipes his face with a cloth. The sound of sniffling occupies the house....

"What do we do now?", he asks to break the silence.

"Druig and Makarri are out in space to warn the other Eternals. Ashirem will be coming here."

"I can't wait", Kro devilishly smiles.

Seeing that smile makes her heart pound louder than a beating drum.

He can hear it too. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. You can stay here if you like. I'm planning on staying for a bit."

"Why?"

"Just a little reprieve", she crosses her arms to keep her heart steady.

"Wouldn't that be better with the others?"

"I am a danger to them."

He remembers that Mahd Wy'ry would never go away unless he used Ajak's power to reset her mind. He understood the consequences if he were to do that to her.

"Why did you choose to come here when you could fly anywhere?"

"I felt...at peace when I thought about this place."

"What made it peaceful?", she genuinely asks.

His heart begins to race. He couldn't stop thinking about her in a new light. Her angelic blonde hair. The way the daylight dances on her fair skin. Her green eyes that captivate him.

He shakes his head. It must be how Gilgamesh felt about her.

"It's in the middle of nowhere. Far from anyone", he quickly answers.

His foot taps as he says this. Thena smirks that he does have a tell. She keeps that piece of information to herself.

"That is true. In case Mahd Wr'ry happens, I wouldn't hurt anyone else. Gilgamesh helped me with that", she comfortably states.

"Maybe I can help with that", he blurts.

That abrupt sentence didn't feel too weird for him to say. A smile cracks upon Thena's face before it returns to stoicism.

"So what's for dinner?"

"Whatever you want, I will make", he confidently expresses.

"How about some Thai? We have pork preserved in the-"

"I remember. I will make it how you like it."

The goddess follows him outside to watch his craft. He took care in the spices he used to rub into the pork before cutting it into strips. The experiences of the former Eternal take over.

Thena sniffs the spicy, yet pleasant aroma. It brings back some good memories of her exile here. Kro lays the stir-fried pork onto a bed of brown rice. He gives it to Thena in a bowl with a fork. She takes it and he watches for her reaction.

She takes a bite. Her eyes close as she takes in the flavors. She feels a kick in her throat, but nothing too painful. "This is really good."

"I'm glad you liked it. Eat as much as you want", he goofily smiles.

He goes to prepare himself a bowl of the stir-fry. He turns to find that she's staring off in the distance. Eyes glazed white.

Her bowl drops to the ground with a clatter. She stands up with a materialized golden spear and attacks him!

Kro drops his food to defend himself. He backs away, but Thena closes the distance. She manages to cut him on the side of his arm after he blocks it.

"Thena! Remember who you are!", Kro shouts while using Gilgamesh's voice.

The voice stops her in her tracks. The wound on his arm heals over.

"G-Gilgamesh?"

"I'm here. I won't leave you. Stay here with me."

She lowers her spear as she mentally struggles. The Deviant doesn't risk getting too close in case the disease takes over.

"You are the strongest warrior I ever met. Remember."

He sees the tip of the spear lifting up. She thrusts her weapon, but he uses his tentacles to restrain her. They are suddenly cut off by her newly materialized daggers.

"Thena! Stop!"

Gilgamesh's voice isn't reaching her anymore. His eyes glow and he zaps away the daggers as his tentacles heal.

"This disease doesn't define you. You do!", he yells while using his original voice.

She charges at him with a spear and he sidesteps.

He embraces her. "You will overcome this."

The spear clatters to the ground. The touch of her hands on his arms was soft despite her battle experience. Heavy tears poured onto his chest.

"I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?"

"A little. I'm fine though."

She gently pushes off and turns her face from him. Kro finds himself closer to her. He gently turns her face and pushes back some blond hair. She keeps her eyes closed.

"Maybe I'm better off dead so I can't hurt anyone else", she whispers with a lump in her throat.

She puts his hand around her neck. She waits for him to do it. Instead, his hand moves up to her cheek.

"You will overcome this. I won't leave you", he whispers.

She opens her emerald eyes to him. Seeing him be strong for her gives her some comfort. He gives her a warm embrace and she finds her feet not touching the ground. They are above the rooftop of her home. His arms around the small of her back to keep her safe.

He softly brushes his hand down the back of her hair with his right palm. He slowly spins them around as a warm breeze comes through. Seeing her hair flow from the wind is a magnificent sight for him to see.

He gently lowers down to the ground. Thena lets go of him and goes inside the house. He wants to follow after her, but maybe she needs some space.

He cleans up the mess and makes a new bowl of food for her. He walks inside to find her resting on the bed with her back turned to him. The bowl is placed on the table before the door closes. His ears perk up. The sound of her chewing cracks a smile across his face.

He picks up his bowl from the ground and enjoys his meal outside. He doesn't mind some dirt got in there. Just as long as she's happy.