The Eleventh Eternal

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"That was different, Adelyne. It was a different time and you were in a different headspace. You may have the power to slow him down, but you can't completely stop him." Phastos reminded me as I looked from Thena to him now. "He won't hold back with you, you know that!"

"And I don't plan on him holding back with me." I agreed. "Listen, Ikaris is going to go after Druig, that's gonna happen. But I can slow him down long enough for Druig to put Tiamut to sleep and then we can figure out what to do with him later. I know I can do this!"

"We're not doubting your power." Thena gently said to me, her eyes watching me calmly as Makkari stood in front of me to have me watch her.

"He could kill you!" Makkari explained, her fingers moving rapidly as her eyes were searching my own to show that she too was not liking the idea what me going up against Ikaris. She saw me break down after the first time, seeing me look so vulnerable and frail from more using more power I thought I had. 

"I'd rather take that risk so that we have a small chance of saving this planet." I reassured Makkari calmly with my voice and my signing before I looked over at Sersi. "I can handle myself with him. I've done it before and I can do it again, please trust me! He won't touch Druig, or any of you, while I'm there. Not while I'm still breathing."

"I'm helping you." Thena said. I looked at her with worried face.

"Thena..."

"I'm helping you and that's final!" Thena said like was lecturing her child. I only sighed in response.

"Even with your roots or vines, it might not be enough. All of our powers, even if they were amplified, will not be enough to kill a Celestial." Phastos explained.

"Well, Sersi did turn a Deviant into a tree," Druig commented, Phastos looking from him to Sersi in shock.

"I'm sorry, what?" He asked her. "You didn't want to tell me that?!"

"You have never been able to do that before." Makkari said to her with disbelief on her own face now as we were watching our leader. 

"Look, I don't know how it happened, okay?  And I'm pretty sure I couldn't do it again." Sersi reasoned with the both of them.

Phastos scoffed, "Well now is the time to try! Don't you think?!"

"Phastos, the Deviant is dead!  Our plan is to put Tiamut to sleep, not to kill it! I can't... Kill a Celestial!" Sersi said to him as she was started to get angry.

"Sersi—" Phastos started, but Sersi shot up in heat and anger.

"We can't!" She shouted, all of us standing in silence to see her so torn in what we were going to do. I knew Sersi had that power in her, but she was already doubting herself if she could do that insane power again on a massage Celestial. 

"Sersi." Druig said softly to her with a nod of his head. "It's okay. I got this."

Sersi nodded quickly, already ending this talk and then waking off before we could say anything else to her.  She was so certain that she wasn't going to be able to be that powerful again, but something deep within me was telling me that she could. I did believe in her, we all did since not only did I see it firsthand, but Ajak chose her as the leader. Then, after thinking that about Sersi, something else clicked in my head.

That's what they all thought about me too.