1521 AD
TENOCHTITLÁN
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The loud clash of swords and the screaming of the people was what rang through (Y/N)'s ears as tried to ignore it, standing alongside Sersi, Sprite, Druig and Phastos with Ajak in the front; all hidden in the forest of the Aztec city. Makkari ran back into the trees after helping an innocent kid out of danger, the rustling of the leaves alerting her presence while Thena walked beside her.

"Where are the others?" Ajak questioned, a worried frown evident in her face.

"We had to split up," Makkari signed.

"There were more Deviants than you said."

"Well, I'm sure that was a lot of fun for you."

Thena grinned smugly. "It was."

Phastos extended his hand out and showed his palm, which had a golden ring placed on it that showed a tiny hologram of the Earth. The small image showed only one green dot in it, marking the location of the Deviants they were planning on taking down.

"Once the others kill these last Deviants, we will have eliminated them all from the planet."

Loud gunshots cut through his sentence, which was then followed by the echoes of villagers screaming as they shot through the trees far away from them. Some armored men held torches that allowed them to see through the pitch black night, but the groaning and screaming was what mostly stood out instead of the hot light.

(Y/N) clasped her hands together and stared down to her feet as she moves over to stand next to Thena, who was strangely staring at the scene with an emotionless look on her face.

Druig noticed (Y/N)'s discomfort from a mile away and took a step forward, his eyes glowing into a gold shade as he tried to intervene, but Ajak saw this coming.

"Don't," she warned. "We don't interfere in their wars."

"This isn't war. It's genocide. Their weapons have become too deadly," Druig whirled on his heel and glared at Phastos with an accusation look. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea helping them advance, Phastos."

"Technology is a part of their evolutionary process, Druig," Phastos defended, slightly uncomfortable about the topic. "It's not exactly something that I can stop."

While (Y/N) flicked her gaze between the two, she noticed from the corner of her eye how Thena blinked uncomfortably and a streak of gold light disappeared in her forehead as fast as it appeared.

"No, you can't. But I can," Druig argued.

"Hey," (Y/N) took a step forward, placing a hand on Druig's shoulder. "You have to stay strong."

"It's too late," Thena interrupted, muttering the sentence under her breath that only (Y/N), who was standing right behind her now, to listen.

"Thena?"

"Everyone is going to die," Her eyes turned into a glossy white, and her golden spear shimmered in her hand, spinning it around threateningly.

"Is everything okay — Thena?"

(Y/N) was able to block the slash with the spear with a small wave of water, but Makkari turned her head at the slight change in the vibrations and ran to (Y/N)'s aid, rushing her out of range.

"Thena!" Ajak cried.

"Thena? Thena, no!" Phastos tried to attack her back but she was quicker, moving the spear around to cut through his chest before she moved onto her next target.

Makkari had stood up from her spot besides (Y/N) and charged at Thena next, pushing her back with her super speed as they ran through the forest. Thena formed her spear again and this time she was able to cut herself free from Makkari's grip, causing both of them to roll on the grass far away from the others.

(Y/N) groaned under her breath at the piercing pain on her side, so she barely removed her hand to look at the damage for her eyes to meet a deep slash cut through the left side of her abdomen. Since she was paying close attention to her wounds, she didn't notice how Druig urgently made his way towards her to help her up.

"(Y/N)," he said her name softly, the anger from the previous argument all washed away. "Are you — "

"(Y/N)!" Another voice rang through the deep forest, and they were able to see how Kingo approached the two and kneeled down with a worried look on his face at the state (Y/N) was in.

"Is she okay?" Kingo asked Druig, eyebrows knitted in concern.

"I'm fine," (Y/N) was the one to respond. She extended the other hand that wasn't holding her injured side and a droplet of water formed in her palm, using the water to ease down the pain.

"Why must you be so stubborn all the time?" Kingo rolled his eyes.

"Come on," Druig insisted, not being in the mood for him to say something stupid to cheer her up. "Help her up to her feet."

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"I thought Mahd Wy'ry was a myth," Sersi was the first one to speak up once they were all back at the top of one of the pyramids, exiled from the battle happening at their feet.

Thena was laid unconscious in a table in the middle of the room after Gilgamesh interfered in the fight and knocked her out cold to stop her from hurting anyone else. Ajak had already fully healed the injury in (Y/N)'s side, and now she was finishing up with Phastos on the side.

"There is no cure. . .si no one really talks about it," Phastos swallowed the lump in his throat.

Thena opened her eyes with a gasp, the milk white disappearing from her eyes as (Y/N) involuntarily took a step forward to see her friend's state, but Kingo placed a protective arm in front of her and Sersi to avoid them getting hurt.

Thena breathed heavily. "What happened?"

"Thena. You attacked everyone," Ajak spoke slowly to break the news. "Wounded (Y/N), Phastos, you nearly killed Makkari."

Thena carefully sat up on the table and her voice cracked, shaking her head in disbelief. "I don't remember."

"You have Mahd Wy'ry. Your mind is fracturing under the weight of your memories. And all I can do is erase them so that you can start over," Ajak held Thena's hands with hers as she explained. "I will have to inform Arishem and take you back to the ship where we have the technology to help you."

"But she won't be Thena anymore," Makkari signed with a worried expression.

"What if it happens again?" Kingo responded, voice heavy. "She could've killed you. She could have killed all of us."

"Please," Thena pleaded from her spot, tears already falling down her eyes. "Please, I. . .I want to remember. I want to remember my life."

A wave of emotion washed over Ajak's eyes. "Thena, I love you. But listen to me. It's not important if you remember or not. Your spirit will remain. You will always be Thena deep inside. Trust me."

"Why should she trust you?" Druig, who had been deeply quiet throughout the talk and leaned far away from the others, spoke up. Everyone's eyes were now on him. "You're asking her to let you erase who she is."

"Druig, I know you're upset, but — "

"Upset?" Druid snapped. "We've trusted you for 7,000 years, and look where you've gotten us. I've watched humans destroy each other when I could stop it all in a heartbeat. Do you know what that does to someone after centuries? Could our mission have been a mistake? Are we really helping these people build a better world, huh?"

Druig turned his back to everyone and stood at the top of the stairs of the pyramid, staring down at the fire covered battleground underneath him. "We're just like the soldiers down there. Pawns to their leaders. Blinded by loyalty. It ends now."

Druig's eyes glowed gold and the clamoring subsided, he forced everyone to drop their weapons and they clashed in the dirt, all standing like lifeless people as they waited for another command. (Y/N) was ready to interfere, try to convince him to do something else, but Ikaris was the first one to reach out to him.

He forcefully grabbed Druig by the shoulders and threw him against the wall. "Let them go."

"You're gonna have to make me," Druig taunted.

Ajak stepped forward. "Stop."

"If you're gonna stop me," Druig faced her one last time. "You're gonna have to kill me."

(Y/N) watched how he slowly descended down the steps of the pyramid and the people from below followed after him as he walked deeper into the crowd, but out of eyesight for the Eternals. He didn't spare her one last glance, not even a hint of guilt about leaving her behind, just like he promised he wouldn't do.

The soldiers all clamored together and left the burning city behind, all following Druig with their eyes glowing in a golden shade with an eerie hum breaking through their ears.

"I'll watch over Thena," Gilgamesh broke the uncomfortable silence. "Let her keep her memories."

"One day, when she attacks you, you might have to kill her," Ajak explained with a heavy heart.

Gilgamesh spared Thena a glance, and all she did was shake her head with tears still falling from her eyes at what she was going to face for the rest of her life. "We'll take that chance."

Ajak stared down at the floor for a second, rethinking what Druig had said minutes before his departure, and looked back up to face the group. "You may all go."

"The Deviants are gone. There is no reason for you to stay with me."

"Shouldn't you ask Arishem first?" Ikaris questioned. "We're a team, we should stay together."

"I didn't ask you for your advice, Ikaris. Do not forget your place," she turned her head at him before sighing, her eyes now on the rest of the group standing before her. "This is where we say goodbye. You are free to go. I want you to go out there. And live a life for yourselves. Not as soldiers. Not with the purpose you were given. Find your own purpose. And one day, when we see each other again, I want you to tell me what you found."

(Y/N) nodded at her words, but she couldn't figure out where to go from now. She was lost, but was determined to find her own path once again.