[2009 – October]
Approaching unhesitatingly, Selene saw the two rise from their seats and take a few steps in her direction, Gilgamesh, the man looking to be of Asian descent, carrying a deep frown on his face while the Nordic beauty Thena just watched her come closer rather serenely.
Having finally found this pair of elusive Eternals, Selene knew that her plans depended on whether she could convince them to give her what she knew they had in their possession, or at least could manage to bring into their possession, in exchange for her 'help'.
There were a few more Eternals wandering the Earth but their whereabouts were either equally elusive or her relationship with them wasn't particularly 'friendly'.
One would think that they would eventually get over the fact that she had used them, joining their hunts for Deviants to drain those abominations of their rather substantial life force, but the Eternals were surprisingly unforgiving, especially Ikaris, Sprite, and Druig.
Druig, in particular, was still resentful after she had seduced and manipulated him for a few decades since he was usually the one that did the manipulating. It was a rather self-servicing attitude from a man that regularly invaded the minds of others without the slightest hint of remorse.
Still, hurting a man's pride was a surefire way to find oneself in a centuries-long grudge match, Selene had learned that the hard way.
Nevertheless, she wasn't too worried about any of them since she was confident that she could match each of them individually, easily at that. The fact that they often fought as a team was what made them so dangerous in her eyes, their varying abilities supplementing and enhancing each other.
Obviously, she was comparing their individual threat level with the likes of Apocalypse, which made them fall far, far short.
Not at the least because En Sabbah Nur had control over her, which made him unbeatable.
Though, while Gilgamesh likewise held a grudge against her for misleading them after fighting side by side for a few decades, he was at least reasonable enough to hear her out. Thena, on the other hand, had never really cared that she had additional motives for fighting alongside them.
She was a warrior at heart and the bond forged by fighting together for years on end had won her the beautiful Eternal's respect, even if not loyalty.
Ironically, it had been the greatest battle fanatic amongst the Eternals that had understood that Selene's hidden motives for joining them for a period of time hadn't diminished her contribution to the fight.
Thena had been the most understanding, having been sure that Selene had her own reasons for doing what she had done, which was true since she had been accumulating life force for centuries to have a better chance at hunting down her fellow Externals, and eventually Apocalypse.
After all, a single Deviant carried a life force equal to that of thousands of mortal humans, sometimes even more if they were stronger variants or had killed a considerable amount of living beings. Killing them with the Eternals was her way of accumulating massive amounts of life force without having to slaughter too many humans herself as that would naturally draw the wrong kind of attention.
Still, Selene wasn't one to explain her motives as she knew very well not to add unknown variables to her most important plans if not absolutely necessary.
She couldn't even count the number of people that she had manipulated, betrayed, and schemed against to reach her goals so that she could one day be truly free to follow her own ambitions.
And she had long learned that guilt and regret were nothing but poison that would slowly corrode her determination if she allowed herself to feel these emotions. So she generally didn't.
Lines of faint light appearing out of thin air around Gilgamesh's right arm, he stepped forward and addressed her in a low voice: "Selene, I can't say that it is a pleasure to see you."
"Gilgamesh.", the Dark Priestess smiled in greeting, not bothered by his rude words and somewhat threatening stance as she finally opened herself up to her magic again since she no longer had to worry about them avoiding her.
Pure extra-dimensional energy, arcane natural energy, and illusive psionic energy surged into her body, transforming her 'mortal' aura into something more mysterious. Most magicians and sorcerers struggle to even draw in a single type of energy for their spells, the different schools of magic supporting this practice with their teachings.
But she was Selene, the Dark Priestess, Goddess of the Moon, and Ancient Sorceress.
Her knowledge and proficiency in magic were almost unsurpassed if one didn't count the Ancient One, who simply possessed a horrifying talent for the mystical arts.
Selene could draw power from multiple sources at the same time without a problem, millennia of practice making her a truly masterful sorceress.
In but a moment, she turned from a fatally attractive young woman into seduction incarnate, even though her looks didn't change, a slight sheen of sweat still covering her exposed pale skin, her black linen dress being likewise somewhat damp with sweat.
It was her presence that transformed with the arrival of her magic, turning infinitely charming and breathlessly sensual with just a hint of immaculate innocence. She turned into the Black Queen as she faced two of the strongest Eternals with a smile that alluded to undiscovered pleasures.
"It's been centuries.", Selene continued charmingly, "Why not let the past rest, especially since I come with good intentions?"
Turning her head, she looked at Thena, whose flawless beauty made even her, a seductress through and through, yearn to see her with flushed cheeks while moaning sweetly, turning the great warrioress' strong and heroic facade into something purely womanly.
"Thena.", she greeted with a faint smile, her eyes bright and somewhat more gentle, "I hope you are well."
Gilgamesh seemed to want to say something as his frown deepened but the blonde Eternal grabbed his arm as she took a step forward, muting his response.
"Selene, it's been a long time.", Thena greeted back, her voice still as melodious as it had always been, the faintest of rasps in it just added to her obvious allure. She smiled faintly as she continued with a quiet smile, "Though it seems that you haven't changed much, still a seductress."
"Well.", Selene began while brushing back a few strands of hair, her movements delicate, almost hypnotic, "It's what I do best."
"Why have you come here?", Gilgamesh finally butted in, obviously not trusting her after her assumed 'deception' centuries ago. As kind and loyal as he was, the dark-haired Eternal was also unforgiving to those that might harbor ill intentions for his fellow Eternals.
"Mahd Wy'ry.", Selene stated simply, the name of Thena's psychological affliction causing the two Eternals opposite her to freeze up for a moment as she continued, "I might know of a being that is capable of freeing you from this curse of a disease."
It took a moment for Gilgamesh to react, his surprise vanishing as an even deeper frown settled on his face, slight anger creeping into his demeanor: "What kind of treachery is this? Even Ajak could do nothing but offer to erase her memories to cure it and she is the most powerful healer on Earth!"
"Among mortal existences, maybe.", Selene replied calmly in the face of the Eternal's anger while Thena stayed pointedly silent, "But her abilities most certainly pale in comparison to a higher being's."
Her words may have sounded strange since she was talking to 'Eternals' but Selene knew very well that in front of a true transcendent existence, everyone was but a mortal, endless longevity and biological immortality changing nothing about this eternally true fact.
"A higher being … ", Gilgamesh whispered, his eyes widening for the briefest moment, before he questioned, "Have you lost your mind, Selene? Nobody would dare to summon such an existence lightly. Asking one of them for help, even if not a futile effort, would most likely be nothing but suicide. They live by their own rules, following only their own desires with reality changing at their whim. And certainly, nobody demands anything from them."
"You are right, of course.", Selene agreed, her tone carrying a hint of solemnity as a dark-haired young man with shadowed eyes flashed in her mind, his harrowing presence sending chills down her back by just remembering it, "I wasn't about to promise for Thena to be healed. I only offer to tell you about a higher being that wanders this Earth in his true form and might be willing to hear you out without harming you."
"If he is willing, I have no doubt that he could heal her. And if he isn't, he at least wouldn't do anything to harm you, aside from maybe erasing your memory of him.", she added assuredly.
Clearly shaken, Gilgamesh visibly gulped as he said: "A-a higher being wandering this plane? T-That is impossible … "
Even Thena nearly gasped at this revelation as she was certainly old enough to have heard of higher beings and their terrible strength, as well as the fact that they never appeared in their true form in the primary dimension. If they did, horrible consequences awaited this Universe.
Shaking her head, Selene replied: "Neither of you have met him. He alone decides what is possible."
Unable to find the words to contradict her, a short silence ensued between the three before Gilgamesh once again addressed her, his frown seemingly as eternal as he himself when facing her: "And what do you want in exchange for telling us how we might find this higher being?"
"I want the Ebony Blade.", Selene stated without hesitation, finally addressing the reason for her journey through that damned jungle, "I know that one of the Eternals has it, or at least knows where to find it. Bring it to me and I shall tell you where to find the Lord of Darkforce."