centuries later, or shortly before the end of the beginning

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The colonizers come at night. It's not long before the settlement goes up in flames and the air fills with black smoke and cries of tragedy. Seeing as the Deviants had already been eradicated from the continent the night before, the Eternals escape to the Domo. As they hover in safety high above Earth, Druig and Isis are the only ones compelled to witness what unfolds below.

"Why are doing this?" she whispers.

Druig stands motionless in the shadows behind her. Arishem's monument glows dully on this night. "They're taking them as slaves... to what they call the new world across the ocean," he whispers back.

The flames down below smolder in her eyes. Druig steps out of the shadows to stand by her side, his shoulder touching hers. Like her, there are tears on his cheeks, but he wipes them away before they can fall to the ground.

"The very first time I questioned Ajak about using my powers, I noticed she had a very particular way of describing our purpose. She said that our purpose is to 'eliminate the deviant population so that humans may thrive.' But she said nothing about a peaceful world."

He pauses for a moment to bear the weight of his convictions. "For a while, I still believed that Arishem's plan would mean something in the end. I would even feel ashamed for using my powers against His will and against Ajak's will. But I shouldn't. This is wrong, Isis. The purpose He gave us is wrong."

"What's happening here is wrong, but I — "

"You still have doubts." It's his observation rather than a question.

"Do you think there could still be things that we don't know? That we can't even begin to understand? Look at us, Druig," she begs. "We are like gods to these people. We come from a planet that we can't even remember anything about. How can I not believe that there is still a greater purpose beyond what lies directly in front of my eyes?"

She looks back down to the fire below. "I have to believe it," she whispers.

He doesn't answer her for some time. "You once asked me what I would do if I could create my own purpose. What about you, Isis? Would you still create the same purpose He gave you?"

"No," she answers instantly. "I wouldn't."

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