Meraki ~𝙳𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚐

Chapter-1:

"Sometimes I have kept my feelings to myself, as I could find no words to describe it"- Jane Austen

In the beginning, 
Before the six singularities and the dawn of creation, came the CELESTIALS. Arishem, the prime celestial, created the first sun, and brought light into the universe. 
Life began, and thrived. All was in balance.

Until, an unnatural species of predator emerged from deep space to feed on intelligent life-they were known as DEVIANTS. The universe was plunged into chaos. 
To restore the natural order, Arishem sent ETERNALS, immortal heroes from the planet Olympia-to eliminate the Deviants.

Eternals had unyielding faith in Arishem, until one mission, led by the Prime Eternal, Ajak, changed everything...

"Run"

The beast ate the man, in one singular gulp.

I ran the other way, pulling the child away from it. "Come on, we need to go." I urged.
Avalon, I'll take him. Help the rest. Makkari signed.

Ikaris flew above the beast, and hit his head, using lasers that were emitted from his eyes.
I...well...I...stood to one side, staring at the people, trying to figure out what to do.

"Get in the portal," I shouted, making a purple circle on the side of a hut. "Where will it take us?" A young girl asked me, tears streaming down her face. She was desperately tugging at the hem of my suit, trying to get an answer.
"To the top of that hill," I said, gently. I didn't want to scare her more. She nodded and ran in, her mother following suit. I built a few more around and watched to make sure everyone got in.

Makkari was using her speed to collect them and put them in there. The boy and twenty other men and women stayed behind, helping us kill the beast. They didn't want to leave.

 I couldn't do anything more. 

I felt helpless, and weak, as I stayed and watched the rest fight the beast. It made a painful howl, and I couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop it!" I screamed. I watched, as the beast moved nearer to me, cowering behind.

I couldn't kill it.

I couldn't let them kill it.

"Hey, big guy. How's your hand?" I whispered to the Deviant. Thena and Sersi were stalking the Deviant, seeing how to attack it. It lashed its tail at them, and I put my hand on its nose.
"Shh, sh. I'm here. They won't do anything. I promise" I muttered. But, of course, they did.

Ikaris shot its back, and Sprite kicked its tail. Gilgamesh hit their head. Druig and Phastos were the only ones that stayed behind. 

They were thinkers, not fighters.

 Kingo and Makkari finished it off. My first friend on Earth, and it already died. I sighed.
 Of course.

"Good job, Avalon!" Ikaris came and patted my back. "You calmed the Deviant down for us to kill! That was so much easier!" he said, jovially. If only they knew. 

"One second. I'm coming back." I made a portal and quickly went to the beachside.

"You know, Avalon, we've been sent to kill these creatures." Ajak walked through the portal.

"But why?" Tears pricked my eyes.
"They're innocent creatures. We can get them other means of food...plants... we could nurture them." I sobbed.

"No, you cannot. They are beasts of the wild. Please don't get attached. I can't stop the mission, but you could help them feel less pain. Calm the Deviants down. They'll barely feel anything. I promise." She consoled.

"Okay," I whispered. She was right. At least I hoped.

I hated my newfound job. Laying the beast for slaughter.

"Hi." Druig walked slowly into my tent, an hour later. Everyone else had gone to celebrate with the locals after we mourned the death of the man.
"Hey. Why aren't you down in the village celebrating?" I asked.
"Not a big fan of those. You?"
"Same."

We sat in silence, and I observed him. His brown, tousled hair was bouncing up and down, and his stormy blue eyes were pacing the room. He was scared. "You're worried that another Deviant will come and attack us, right?" I realised. "Yeah," he admitted.

"Don't be. They're after humans. You're not. And anyway, I guess I could just calm it down again." I said.
"Thanks."
"No problem."

That was the awkward start of our... friendship...if it would be proper to call it that.

After that, we travelled from place to place over the years, basking in the glory of human civilisation. 

"Hey! Don't throw the corn at Druig!" Sprite yelled at me. Mesopotamia.
"Oh, come on! A little bite!" I whined to Gilgamesh. Egypt.
"Congratulations, you two!" I gushed. Gupta Empire.
"Ava, look at the stars. They remind me of your eyes." Druig whispered. China.

15th Century BC. The day my soul got torn into pieces. 
"Seeing humans kill each other...seeing thousands die... and knowing that you had the power to stop them...and you didn't. Do you know what that does to someone after centuries?!" Druig shouted.

"Druig..." I whispered, inching closer to him, grabbing his hand. "No, Avalon. I should have done this a long time ago," he muttered, pushing me away, and leaving.

I didn't know then that it would be the last time in three thousand years that I would see him again.

"Druig, no!" Ajak tried to stop him. But he carried on. I ran and tried to catch him.
Portal after portal. 

I finally left him. He felt that he needed to do this.

"Well then, go. All of you." Ajak said a sad smile on her face.

"The Deviants are dead. Our mission has ended. Go. Go make your own life. I will still contact you. Go and live a life for yourself. Go far away, and come back to me later and tell me how you lived." She announced.

"B-but..." Phastos stuttered. "No buts. Go." She urged.

And so we did. We had risked our lives to kill Deviants for centuries. What more could we do? We deserved at least this, didn't we?