The sun rises with clouds in the sky. Birds chatter off in the distance. Kro wakes up from feeling the warmth of the sun. He stares at the house and lets out a long sigh.

Slow, staggered steps approach the house. His instincts try to move him away it. They tell him that going to the house would be tantamount to death.

The only grave we should be thinking about is Arishem's. It will be a giant grave filled with all of his dismembered parts. Keep your focus on that.

He strokes his black goatee to gather himself. His ears give away the answer before he knocks on the door. He is now the sole resident of the house. Everything was cleaned with the lamps turned off. Like it was when he first got here.

He still can't get the image of Thena on his body when he unintentionally morphed back. He figures a strong emotion can undo a transformation that he wants to hold onto. He will never find love and he argues that he's okay with that.

Love is not what I really want, remember? Taking the creator's head off is the goal.

Wait. How did Thena leave without him noticing? He remembers The Domo is the Eternal's main form of transportation. It would have been loud so maybe she walked away. He didn't blame her for that.

Her not being here left the house empty. Her laughs could have filled up the space if she wasn't holding back. He couldn't find the strength to even sit down at the table as his mind kept replaying last night.

How their kiss made him feel so alive inside. For one moment, the idea of revenge wasn't on his mind.

He imagined what could have been between them, but he bangs the table with his fist. The table splits in half from his mixed emotions.

That's just perfect! Now I have to get a new one in case she comes back. I can't believe I'm stupidly optimistic about that. She's not coming back. Why would she? She would never love a Deviant.

He takes a deep breath and exhales. She said this was her home, so he will fix the table. He will just fly away to a new hiding place. He thinks about where to go while he goes outside for some wood. A place in the middle of nowhere with some livestock to hunt down. Somewhere she hasn't been to before.

He finds a good enough tree nearby to start cutting down. The birds fly off in a hurry before he could get close. Darkness falls upon him and the Australian landscape. Thunder rumbles as dark clouds form. At the same time, all of his survival instincts warn him of a familiar presence. He turns and fear freezes him in place. 

Ashirem's stoic face and body dwarfs the planet even from a distance. Kro is trapped in his gaze. 

His body shudders from having not seen his creator in a long time. But he fights against it. Pain, shame, rage, sadness, happiness. All of his emotions intensifying in his glowing eyes. He flies past the clouds into the darkness of space and fires away at his face!

The beam hits a barrier preventing it from going further. A powerful push of gravity slams him down and through the house. He quickly recovers from healing and pushes his powers to their absolute limits. Pulsing veins strike across his arms and legs. He pushes off the ground and flies near the speed of sound to go through his creator's heart.

A plasma beam comes out from the Celestial to shoot the Deviant down. Kro puts his hands out as he gets pushed back down to the Earth. His body strains from the energy output as he goes to compact it all. His shirt tears apart, revealing his upper body and veins. His tentacles come out and strike into the ground to hold himself in place.

He can't help but laugh. His creator is taking him seriously for once. He manages to contain it into a sphere.

He bares his teeth before his creator before firing it all back with his laser vision. It hits Ashirem's barrier before breaking it. The Celestial then swats the beam attack away with his gigantic hand.

Kro is beaming ear to ear with a devilish smile. The six eyes of the Celestial had slightly grew. His creator was caught off guard.

Before he could act, his body is then pushed below the Earth's surface with a huge field of gravity. The Celestial has a matter to take care of. Kro resists the pressure as he claws his way back up.

The judge speaks. "You have chosen to sacrifice a Celestial for the people of this planet. And you did it with the help of a Deviant. An almost unforgivable act. I will spare them, but your memories will show me if they are worthy to live."

Kro feels the gravity around him weakening as he makes it back to the surface. He sees three entities before Ashirem. His jaw drops. 

Kingo, Sersi, and Phastos are in his hand. The judge then teleports himself and the trio away from sight. The change in the atmosphere returns to normal.

He tries to fly back up, but his body gives out on him. His rage compels him to avenge his kind and...to save the Eternals. Sersi trusted him enough with Sprite's ability, only to let her down. He roars out from the frustration that his healing is going slower than expected. He manages to get a few feet in the air before he crashes to the ground.

He doesn't care if he dies in trying to save them. 

Soft arms around his waist hold him still. He turns around to see Thena holding onto him for dear life.

"Let me go", he tells her after gently grasping her arm.

"Don't throw your life away!", she begs with her emerald eyes.

"I will at least take him down with me."

She then hands him her spear and cups his face in her hands. 

"I won't let him kill the one I love!", she shouts to the heavens.

He thought his ears were playing tricks on him, but the fact that her spear is in his hands....

"You love Gilgamesh, not me. That night was proof of that."

"That "I love you" was meant for you too."

His heart rate spikes with dilated pupils.

"I'm sorry for hurting you like that. I allowed my prior duty to influence my feelings. I love you, Kro. Please-"

A tender kiss interrupts her. She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him back. She pulls him where he's now laying on top of her. His left arm cradles her back from touching the ground. They break the kiss. The Deviant sees the brightness in her eyes.

"I love you too, Thena."

Thena has a wide smile on her face. He pulls her up on her feet and holds her close. He looks up at the sky where Ashirem was.

"Let's save your family", he declares.

"I already contacted the Domo. We will have to wait a few hours."

Kro kisses the top of her head. "So be it."

Her spear keeps him from collapsing forwards. Thena notices his quaking legs and helps him sit on the ground. He hands her back her weapon and wraps an arm around her as they wait.

Hours pass...

The triangular black ship lands in an open field not too far away from them.

Thena helps Kro up and they make their way. The ramp goes down with Druig and Makarri at the entrance. His irises have a golden flare that makes Thena stand between them.

The speedster Eternal is hesitant to attack the Deviant. She signs: "Thena, why is that thing with you?"

"Did you hurt her?!", he yells with a rising anger.

Kro gently pushes Thena aside. "We love-"

"Finish that sentence and I will end you. Your kind are nothing more than killing machines. You killed Ajak, Gil, and Ikaris. Why should we believe you?!"

Kro is silent.

The goddess of war brings out her spear and shield. "He's on our side just like last time. If you hurt my beloved, I will end you."

Her lover lays a gentle hand on her and shakes his head. His eyes tell her to trust him.

He slowly raises his hands and to the shock of everyone does sign language to communicate.

"I want to save the others from Ashirem and make him crumble beneath me. I will spend as many lifetimes as possible to right my wrongs. Hate me as much as you want, I want to help Thena save her family. I love her."

Druig's eyes twitch. This sick Deviant talked of love and family. He thinks about diving into its mind and compelling it to end its miserable life.

Makarri caresses his cheek, making the golden flare leave his eyes.

"Let me do this", he argues.

The goddess of war grips her weapons. She desperately hopes their family won't grow smaller.

Kro then bows to Druig.  "Dive into my mind and do what you think is best. I won't resist."

The Eternals are stunned by his request. Thena goes to defend him, but he raises a hand up.

"Let him decide what to do. He will make the right choice. Don't hurt him."

Makarri steps aside. Thena withdraws her weapons. She then turns Kro's face and invades his mouth with her tongue. She doesn't care about the reaction from her teammates. She will not be ashamed of her love. She finishes with a tender kiss before stepping back.

Druig tries to forget what he just saw. The golden flare returns. The Deviant feels the Eternal prodding around his mind going through each moment of its existence. When he and his pack were frozen up to now.

The heartbreak and shame from killing Ikaris; his regrets from killing Ajak and Gilgamesh; how he cried himself to sleep; his encounter with Thena and his feelings towards her; his brief fight with their creator; him seeing the others being kidnapped by Ashirem; and his shared declaration of love with Thena.

Using all of these moments, Druig makes his judgment with what he has learned. The golden flare leaves his eyes.

"We won't get along, but we might need your help."

Kro looks up and smiles from ear to ear. Thena exhales with an unanchored heart. Makarri almost tackles Druig down with a speedy hug.

"But if you hurt any of us-

"I know. That's if I allow you to kill me", he expresses with a devilish smile.

The cockiness makes the Eternal grin. The Deviant offers his hand to his new lover and she takes it. He leads her onto the ship.

"Where will we be going?", he asks.

"I'm not sure, but let's find out."

As the other Eternals ready the ship for space, Thena takes Kro to her room. Multiple weapons decorate the walls. Axes, maces, and even the sword of Excalibur displayed in the middle.

"Welcome to our room", she pridefully tells him.

The goofy smile returns on his face. He then winces as he's not 100% to smile like that. Thena stands on her toes and kisses his cheek to help the pain go away. She leads him to the bed and helps him lie in it.

"I'm getting great hospitality."

"Just don't expect me to wait on you hand and foot."

"I wouldn't mind seeing you in a maid outfit."

Her face turns crimson from the suggestion. The Deviant gently takes her hand and pulls her onto the bed. He wraps an arm around her.

"Until I'm fully recovered of course. Your presence is helping."

She takes his red hand and kisses it. They feel the ship rumbling as it takes off into space. Thena turns herself to face away from Kro. She pushes a button on a remote and Kro's eyes widened. The black of space is littered with numerous glowing stars as the ship travels through it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Only second to you."

He sees her wide smile through the reflection and he's grateful to be alive. He wanted to keep his eyes open, but his body betrays him. He falls asleep peacefully with her by his side.

"Rest well, my love", she whispers.