Within the sleek, futuristic interior of the Domo, two figures sat in quiet conversation.
A broad-shouldered man with an imposing build leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. His deep-set eyes reflected the golden glow of the ship's ambient lighting.
Across from him, a dark-haired woman with an ethereal presence gazed thoughtfully at a map of the region, her fingers tracing invisible lines over the projection.
"It's been years since we've had any Deviant sightings here," Gilgamesh muttered, his voice carrying a low rumble. "Should we move?"
"Not yet, Gil," Sersi responded, eyes still on the map. "Ajak said Phastos still needs time to guide the humans here."
Gilgamesh sighed. "Fine."
Before their conversation could continue, a voice called out from outside the ship.
"Hey, guys! Come out here—the tribe's people are making a fuss!"
Both Eternals exchanged a look before heading out.
As they exited the Domo, they were greeted by a small, little boy? Little girl?
Ehem... androgynous figure with sharp, mischievous eyes.
"What's this about Sprite?" Asked Sersi
Sprite smirked. "You guys are gonna wanna see this. We've got a visitor."
Sersi raised an eyebrow. "Another tribe?"
"Not quite. It's just one person."
That piqued their curiosity.
A lone traveler?
Even Gilgamesh frowned at that. "That's… unusual."
Sersi's interest grew. Most humans in this era traveled in nomadic groups, rarely alone. If this one had survived by himself, then something must have happened.
This also peaked the other Eternals curiosity as they headed towards the tribes people's tents that Phastos helped create. Sersi moreso as she was the one who had the most connection to humans
Silently, the Eternals made their way toward the tribal encampment.
As they passed, the tribe's people immediately fell to their knees in worship.
It was a familiar sight, one they had seen countless times. To these early humans, the Eternals were gods. Protectors from the monsters that lurked in the darkness.
Sersi gave them a patient, kind smile.
"Please, rise," she said gently.
The tribe's leader stepped forward, his face a mixture of reverence and unease.
"Did you speak to the traveler?" Sersi asked in fluent Sumerian, her words smooth and effortless.
The three eternals could only smile wryly as they told the people to stand up.
"Did you speak to the traveler? Sersi asked what seemed to be the leader in a Sumerian language. Courtesy of Phastos, they were able to use a translator to speak with the natives
"Yes goddess, he told us that he is part of a migrating tribe but... His group was attacked by those monsters..." The leader said as he shuddered remembering the monstrosities.
A hint of sadness was let out as the Eternals looked at each other.
Ajak could only sigh as she looked at the Eternals reactions. This further enforced her decision to not tell the truth.
"Let's go meet this traveler then" Sersi said which caused Gil and Sprite to look at each other in surprise.
Sprite blinked. "Wait… we're actually meeting him?"
Gilgamesh scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I thought we were supposed to keep human interactions to a minimum."
"It's fine, it's not like we're directly interfering. Akak already gave us permission as long as it's only communicating" Sersi said
"We were supposed to protect his people, yet we failed... The least we can do is meet him" She continued.
This made the two eternals feel a little sad but they agreed with her.
...
The dimly lit interior of the tent was silent, save for the faint rustling of fabric.
In the center, a young man sat on the ground, his posture slightly slouched.
His lightly tanned skin caught the firelight, emphasizing his lean but well-toned body. His lower half was wrapped in simple cloth, while his long, black hair cascaded down his back, wild and untamed.
But it was his eyes that drew their attention the most.
Golden-amber.
And utterly lifeless.
He stared at them with hollow emptiness, like a man who had seen things he could never forget.
A lone survivor. A man haunted by his past.
This was of course... Lucy who assumed the identity of a wandering tribesman that lost his people.
Lucy raised his head, looking at the Eternals in front of him lifelessly
"Good, no Druig" Lucy thought as he looked at the three eternals in front of him. Sighing with relief as he didn't see the mind controller with them.
"Looks like I will proceed with plan C" Lucy thought.
Taking a mental deep breath, Lucy gazed with eyes that seemed to have lost their meaning at the eternals and spoke.
Slowly, he raised his head, his voice low and tired.
"Are you… the gods that this tribe worships?"
A hollow chuckle left his lips.
"The ones who protect them from the monsters?" A pang of sadness could be heard as he mentioned monsters.
Sersi's expression softened with visible sorrow.
"Yes," she answered gently. "We are. I assume… you're the wanderer?"
Lucy's golden eyes flickered briefly
"Jackpot, I got the one who cares for humans" Lucy thought as he looked at Sersi in front of her
"She looks a lot like the one in the movies, hopefully it's the MCU since most characters are nerfed there..."
"Wanderer?" he murmured, shaking his head.
"I am no wanderer. I am a survivor."
He paused, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"Haunted by the dead… who were sacrificed so I could live."
The eternals were surprised with his words as they seemed a little... Advanced
"If you're willing… we'd like to hear your story."
Lucy hid his grin.
"Jackpot."
He had the perfect Eternal in front of him.
The one who cared about humans.
Sersi had always been the most emotionally connected to mortals. Unlike Ikaris or Kingo, she actually listened.
Lucy exhaled slowly, letting his shoulders tremble slightly as if reliving a painful memory.
"Very well," he murmured. "But in exchange… I only ask for one thing."
Sersi was a little taken aback when Lucy mentioned exchange but asked curiously
"What do you want?"
"To allow me to say a few words to you before I leave"
"That's it?" Sprite asked with surprise, she had thought that Lucy was nothing but a greedy human who wanted to extort them due to them being called gods but it doesn't seem like that.
"Okay then, if that's all" Sersi answered, communicating isn't against the rules after all.
Lucy took a deep breath.
And then, in a deep, broken voice, he began.
"It was just a normal day," he whispered. "My people were traveling toward the river, seeking new land to settle."
"But then… they came."
His fingers curled into shaking fists.
"Monsters. Claws. Teeth. Blood."
The firelight flickered.
"They tore through us like we were nothing," Lucy continued, his voice trembling.
"They moved so fast. We couldn't even fight back. I remember the screams… I remember the sound of flesh being ripped apart… I—"
His breath hitched.
Tears welled in his golden eyes.
"At one point all I could see was blood as I was buried within the corpses of my people" Lucy's eyes were filled with fear and sadness as he reached the end of his story.
"They all died," he whispered. "And I… I survived."
The eternals were feeling grief as the man in front of them told them of his story of being the lone survivor, especially Sersi
"How'd you survive then?" Asked Gil curiously
"I told you I was buried within the corpses of my people, they died so I could live" Lucy said with a dry chuckle
"I thought you didn't mean it literally" Sprite then added thinking of how gross it would be to be buried in corpses
Sersi however looked at her with a look which caused Sprite to look away.
"I'm truly sorry we weren't able to help you" Sersi added with sadness in her voice
"It's fine goddess, it is simply the way of life, I can only live and honor my people" Lucy said, once again gazing upwards as if looking at his people.
This saddened the eternals as they looked at the pitiful man in front of them.
Sersi remained calm as she answered.
"Is there anything we can help you with? We want to atleast help you so that you can live a better life"
"You don't have to goddess, I only need my mind and heart to continue to live" Lucy said with a smile that expressed sadness
This further made the eternals feel a pang of guilt as they felt that the young man was only going to travel listlessy until he dies
Lucy only let his head drop low as he continued to sir in silence.
Looking at the grief stricken young man, the three eternals left. Deciding that this was as much as they can intervene.
"This is why we don't get involved too much, it gets messy" Gil said as he looked at the conflicting emotions of the eternals. Just the words of a single young man, yet it left them with a slight emotional turmoil.
If they were close to every human they saved in this place, those small emotional tugs would build up until they couldn't hold it in anymore
"May I ask if I could speak the words I want as per the exchange, goddess?"
Sersi smiled with sadness and told Lucy to speak
"My life... My story... It" Lucy suddenly stopped speaking as he gazed downwards.
Sersi was now even more sad thinking that the young man in front of her might directly give up on life.
Just before she was about to console him, Lucy looked her straight in the eye and spoke.
"It... was all a lie" Lucy said as his sad expression turned to that of glee.