Mexico
2025 AD

4,543 years since initial death
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He couldn't concentrate.

For the past week, he drowned himself in alcohol and sorrow alone. He kept his distance from Valerie as much as he could while he focused on his future. But he couldn't tell her about it yet.

They had already begun their trip to Mexico. Mark rented a Learjet 60, a comfortable private jet that had enough fuel and speed to get them to their destination without making any stops along the way. He had more than enough money saved over the past decades, most of which had been collected unethically. Valerie's income also helped, considering her ties with NASA and also streaming anonymously online for a certain male audience. She really made it obvious that lust is her sin.

They reached Tabasco, Valerie's birthplace. While she admired her past and emotionally observed ancient remnants, Mark only thought of himself. He provided almost no commentary or reactions throughout the trip.

Their next destination was Flores, Guatemala. But before landing at the airport, Valerie wanted the pilot to fly above a specific place deep within the lush jungles. There was an ancient site called El Mirador that she had very close history to.

Throughout the flight, Mark hastily tapped his feet against the floor. El Mirador was up ahead, and he waited for this trip to end. Once Valerie's nostalgic journey comes to an end, he'll leave for Egypt.

But first, he had to endure a conversation with her. His feet tapping caught her attention and she spoke. "So, do you mind telling me what's wrong?"

They rested against some cushions with glasses of alcohol seated atop a table. Mark took a sip and sighed. "It's nothing, I was just thinking of my past."

"You've been like this ever since we started this trip, Mark. If you don't want to be here, you could have said so beforehand."

He shook his head. "No, it's not you. It's none of this."

"Then what is it?" Valerie leaned towards him from across the table. "Don't hide it, just tell me what's on your mind."

Mark chuckled to himself briefly before looking out the window. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Maybe you should. If you continue to bottle up those emotions, you'll hurt someone by the time you're ready to open up."

"Oh I know." He grabbed his glass again and took another sip.

"Then tell me. I don't want a repeat of London."

The way Valerie said it made him glare back at her. He raised an eyebrow. "London?"

"You know what I mean, Mark."

He stared in temporary silence before responding. "Is now really the time to be bringing that up again?"

She fired back. "Please, you've been acting this way since we got here. You've already ruined the mood for anything exciting, so we might as well get it out of the way and make this all about you."

Mark scowled before his teeth grit. "Fuck you."

"Oh but you won't. Come on, we've been together this long. I know you well enough to understand when I'm not loved. I'm finally taking a pretty huge step forward in my life to revisit my origins for the first time in eons, and you could care less. You don't want to be here, I get it. Maybe I'll be better off staying here while you fly back to your girlfriend's place."

He slammed the table with a fist, rippling their drinks. But Valerie cut him off. "Don't give me that. I gave you my love and trust, and you gave it away to dozens of girls because you grew tired of me."

"You want to talk about love?" Mark's stress aggravated him. "I tried my hardest to keep you safe and I ravaged across nations for centuries after what happened to you. What have you done for me? I don't know why I even agreed to this pointless vacation anyways."

Her eyes burned into his with similar rage. "Excuse me? I left my entire world behind and lost more than you could ever know! I spent so long chasing after you because I fucking loved you, you dick! And good on you for reducing the most vulnerable trip of my life to a vacation."

"What else do you want to call it? A pilgrimage? And to remember what exactly? From what you've mentioned, it sounds like all your people ever did was torture you and sacrifice you to their gods. And if it wasn't you, then they'd do it to children or anyone else they felt like murdering."

That seemed to have struck a nerve in her. "You know nothing about my history, you son of a bitch. You would lessen a thousand years of astronomy, mathematics and art to human sacrifice? Besides, am I really supposed to take this from the same man that butchered defenseless women in Whitechapel? Huh, Jack?"

"That is not my name!" Mark erupted.

"Would you stop lying to me? You've already shown me your true colors, I know who you are. You breed off of violence, it's no wonder your sin is wrath."

"Well why don't we switch sins then?" He slammed the desk again. "I'm sure with lust, I could be getting laid left and right without a damn in the world. Oh I'd be living the dream, baby! Meanwhile, you take my wrath and see how long you can fucking last before you start a massacre! You think your life is so hard? What, some guys used to torture you when you were just a wee little girl learning about your immortality? Tough luck! You're like an insect to me anyways! Compared to what I've been through, you're nothing but a mere pixel in my vast virtual sandbox that I call life! A non-essential side character that appears in my main quest!"

Valerie stood and stomped her foot. "An insect? I was your wife! I gave up six hundred years of my life searching for you, and this is what I get?" She shed a single tear as her anger intertwined with her emotions.

Mark followed and rose to his feet. "I'm starting to think I never should have told you about my immortality. I should have left you to rot alone in Madrid."

"And maybe I should have done my job in Venice and killed you," she bit her lip, "right in front of Kara so she can see her abuser's filthy head fall off his shoulders."

Faster than a heartbeat, he reached for her neck. He shoved her back until she fell over. While she pulled herself up, he grabbed a bottle of wine that sat atop the table. He slammed it, and the glass shattered.

Valerie kept her distance and instead held on to one of her luggage. Her hand dove into the bag and reemerged with her dagger. This was one modernized, featuring two handguards on either side and polished jewels atop the silver hilt. She activated it, and two pink blades emerged from both ends, representing her sin's color.

She remained on guard. "Don't you dare."

Mark didn't respond. He focused on his attack. His glass shard swung in an arch to stab her, though Valerie was faster. She not only dodged him, but her dagger nicked his flesh repeatedly from multiple angles as she stepped around him. Her hands zipped rapidly to the point he couldn't track her.

All he could do was rush into her and use brute strength to knock her back. He pushed her against the desk and tried to punch her. She caught his fist and readied another attack, though Mark had already headbutted her instead. He then threw her aside until her head smacked against a window.

He delivered a devastating punch, one fueled by his wrath, but she had already tilted to the side. His fist pummeled against the window with enough force to crack it.

Valerie returned with another attempt, and he stopped her by snatching her wrists. The closest surface was yet again the window, and he slammed her against it repeatedly until she escaped his grasp and stumbled back.

While she repositioned herself, Mark waited to see what she'd do. However, his plans abruptly ended when everything changed.

The window burst from the pressure, and the cataclysmic forces of nature invaded the cabin. Anything lightweight ejected out the jet in an uncontrollable torrent of horrifying winds. Even a few glass shards from the bottle of wine returned for their revenge and scarred Mark's face before getting sucked out the window.

During this brief moment of dismay, Valerie had taken the opportunity to rush him and push him against the cockpit's door. She aimed her dagger for his head, to which he ducked and avoided. He grabbed her head instead to pummel her into the door. With one push to the side, he reached for the door's handle only to find it locked.

He placed all his strength into pulling the handle, straining his muscles right when Valerie recovered. Though the door shook and nearly cracked from his unnatural pressure, he failed to open it and took a defensive stance instead. Valerie's dagger came for his head again, and he caught it mid-swing.

They held on and pushed, one blade edging towards Mark's eye while the opposite blade opposed its owner. Mark was stronger, he could kill her with one more effort. But this woman was clever.

She twisted her grip on her dagger, and the weapon's internal mechanisms followed. Her side of the hilt turned until a slight 'pop' sound confirmed its separation. What was once a single weapon with two blades, turned into two individual knives.

Valerie swung her newly formed saber and stabbed his kidney. His end of the dagger dropped as he lost control due to the pain and staggered, but not without resistance. With his off-hand, he gripped her neck instantly and shoved her against the main cabin door.

With the pressure already destabilizing inside the jet, it loosened the airframe. Steel dented, and both Immortals stopped the fight to observe their surroundings. Valerie reconnected both daggers until they clicked back together.

Mark clenched his sides and asserted the situation. He couldn't fight like this, but that was the least of his concern. One more crack in the cabin door confirmed his suspicions. He grabbed the cockpit's door handle just when the worst already happened. The cabin door lost its battle against the overwhelming pressure, and it snapped open.

Valerie should have gotten sucked out, was it not for her quick thinking to use her dagger and impale the top of the doorframe. Mark on the other hand hung on to the cockpit's handle, though his consequences rushed to him when his previous efforts against the door came into effect.

The cockpit door tore off its hinges and crumbled the cabin walls as a fire extinguisher detached and shattered against the debris.

Mark lost all control. Forty-thousand feet in the air, he had no options left to save him except to try and drag Valerie down with him. But within the brief fog that invaded the cabin, he barely had time to see Valerie's feet kick him in the face during his suction.

He catapulted into the open sky, but Valerie's efforts in the end changed his trajectory.

His freefall was short-lived as his back immediately struck the jet's wing at terminal velocity.

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Valerie witnessed everything.

Mark had nearly snapped in half upon hitting the wing, but it didn't end there. The rest of him ragdolled directly into the jet's engine.

With a splatter of blood and gore, the engine exploded in an uncontrolled fire.

Seeing the man she had loved for hundreds of years lose his life in such a manner shocked her more than it should have. Even if he'll regenerate, none of this needed to happen. There was no other option once he turned on her, he had to die.

Now, she faced her own peril. All her attempts at stabilizing herself failed, and she continued to hold on to her dagger for dear life as it slowly tore into the frame. But when she looked at the cabin, her fears worsened.

So much internal damage had occurred, that half the cockpit was in shambles. She could barely see the pilot inside, but when another wave of major turbulence shook the plane, she heard something inside crash.

A chair was shredded apart from the cockpit floor and ejected into the sky. Buckled into it was the pilot, his screams barely audible alongside the deafening noise of a plane set on destruction. Valerie knew she couldn't hang here forever with her legs dangling, so she made up her mind.

She deactivated her dagger and ripped it off the frame. She narrowly avoided Mark's fate as she fell into the open sky. Alongside her was the pilot, desperately fumbling around his seatbelt as they both plummeted towards the earth below.

Adrenaline and confidence surged through her body as she concealed her dagger and dove down. She aimed for the pilot and tried to grab him but missed and fell below him. Rather than trying again, she spread her arms out and slowed down to observe her surroundings.

It had been centuries since her return here. Almost everything had been swallowed by nature's expansion. Trees blanketed the entire world, and only small specks of stone from ancient towering ruins were visibly scattered throughout the lush jungles. She could make out the top of the ruined La Danta pyramid, the largest pyramid built in history.

La Danta was too far away, so she looked south-east. Nakbe was closer. It wasn't a place she was particularly fond of, given her past. Nakbe was where she had woken up after the events of her very first death. She had suppressed some of those memories, but now was not the time to consider her past. Instead, she waited until the pilot fell beneath her.

She kept her arms tight against her sides and dove like a rocket. With one hand extended, she crashed into the pilot and held on to him. His belt came loose and his chair flung away. They spun around a few times before stabilizing and freefalling together.

Valerie wasted no time in shouting, regardless of how confusing her words may be. "Listen to me! You need to say or do something attractive! Just give me a reason to love you, now!"

As expected, the pilot didn't seem to follow. The panicked look on his face suggested he didn't even hear her, so she tried a simpler command. "Can you tell me your name?"

After a few seconds, he finally responded. "Joshua."

"Alright Josh, everything's going to be alright. Got a wife?"

He shook his head. That made her job easier. When she looked down, another burst of adrenaline shot through her. Now that they were below the clouds, it wouldn't be long before they plummet into the trees.

She looked into his eyes and continued. "I need you to trust me. We're not dying today, and we'll survive if you talk to me. Tell me, why did you become a pilot?"

He hesitated, but he answered her. "To see the world! I- I like traveling!"

She smiled and brushed his forehead with her thumb. "The world is beautiful, Josh. I've seen thousands of sunrises across dozens of seas, I know the feeling. You know, humanity spent centuries wishing they could fly, and you're living their dream! You should be proud, can you smile for me?"

His lips briefly beamed, and she could feel her own heartbeat vibrate through her body. She studied his face and leaned in close. "You've got a pretty smile, I like that. Keep it up, what's the one country you'd love to visit?"

"I don't know, I can't think straight!"

"We don't have much time, Josh. Don't think about it, just tell me what country comes to mind." Her eyes kept darting downwards to see the rapidly-approaching trees.

Josh finally answered with a flurry of stressful panting. "Vietnam? I saw pictures, and it looks nice in the south."

Valerie let go of his hand to hold his head gently. "Well, I'd love to go there with you. I've never been there, but I want you there with me. And be sure to bring that smile along."

Their time came to an end. An impact was imminent as the trees welcomed them. With barely seconds left before their demise, Valerie felt ready. Looking into his eyes delivered a euphoric warmth deep within her that just wanted to hold him forever. Without thinking it over, she gave in to what her desires yearned for.

There was no time for softness or gentle foreplay. She pressed her lips against his with intimate desperation. Her hands coiled around the back of his neck, and her legs lowered to position her upright during the fall. She held him as close as possible while keeping their kiss steady.

Then, collision was made.

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