400 AD
Gupta Empire

I'm dreaming. Edalia thought to herself. She smiled at the man that stood in front of her, the man she had known for years. The love of her life, she wanted to spend her entire life with him.
  Ikaris smiled back at her, holding her hands as the priest who was marring them spoke.
   "May the Gods hereby bond you in matrimony," he looked across from them, at the other Eternals. "Congratulations."
    Ikaris cupped her cheeks and kissed her, gently. He smiled.
   Edalia had always loved everything about ikaris, from his white streak, his charming bright eyes, to his feet. Everything. She wanted to risk it all for him.
   The man she knew, a caring boy who did no wrong; a leader, Ajak was the leader but Eda had always seen Ikaris as their leader. Her leader, always and forever.
   The other Eternals stood and smiled watching, Sprite didn't look happy whatsoever, Gilgamesh smiling proudly, Kingo almost about to laugh, Druig, no facial expression, Makkari politely smiling although was distracted by Herakles' crying.
   Herakles wiped his face with his sleeve. "I hate weddings." He held his face to Ajak's shoulder, she sighed and patted his back. "It's so beautiful."
   "Oh quit being such a child," Sprite mumbled looking up at him.
   "Says the child," Herakles looked at her sitting up straighter. Sprite kicked him in the shin. "OW!"
   "Both of you, stop," Phastos snapped.
  Herakles looked down, he didn't find this wedding beautiful, whatsoever. He hated it. That man, Ikaris, had taken the girl HE loved, he had been close with Edaliah from the beginning and he never stopped. He bit his lip, looking at Ikaris and Eda again.
  They were happy, holding each others hands, wearing a ring, a ring that bonded them together, a symbol of love. Herakles felt as if he would never feel that, not with Edaliah... not even the other girl he loved dearly, the girl he was too cowardice to talk to, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She stood by Druig, grasping their hands together, happy. The kind of happy he felt he would never experience.
   The only thing he could was be happy for them.

"I cant believe it, I dreamed about this for years," Edalia exclaimed to Herakles later that day. "He's like a dream. So perfect."
   Herakles smiled. "Is he now?" he couldn't look into her eyes, her beautiful grey eyes. That was something he loved about her, and her smile, her smile could have brightened up an entire room.
  "Did I make the right descision?" Eda asked, hesistantly, looking down, pulling at her sleeves.
   "Are you happy?" Herakles asked looking into her eyes a bit, she gazed into his, sharing a moment.
  She broke the contact and nodded. "Yeah, really happy, he makes me so happy."
   "Then you made the right choice," he whispered, kissing her head brotherly.
   Ikaris walked over taking Edalia's hand. Unlike Eda, Ikaris knew very well that Herakles liked Edalia. "No hard feelings?" Ikaris looked at him.
   Herakles gave a tight lipped smile and nodded. "Not at all, no. Congratulations man." He turned walking away, bumping right into Makkari.
  'You need to watch where your going.' she signed, but was smiling happily.
  'Sorry Makkari, lost in thought I guess,' he signed back. 'Tired.'
  'Sit down, you will feel better,' Makkari motioned for him to sit down.
'You look very beautiful,' Herakles signed to her, shyly.
  'So do you, but I just look better,' she signed jokingly as he chuckled very lightly.
   Then they talked for a very long time.

  Ikaris took Eda's hand. "Well my darling, we have the entire day to ourselves.. what would you like to do with it?" He whispered.
   Eda smiled very lightly and happily. She looked around, the sun was about to set. "We could watch the sky... look at the stars.." she looked at him.
   "Of course," Ikaris nodded.
  He did keep his word. Late that night, he had laid out a beautiful patterned blanket down and was sitting waiting for her.
   She sat beside him and leaned on his shoulder, shivering softly. "It's peaceful when the suns gone." She whispered.
  "Why is that?" Ikaris asked looking at her in admiration.
   "Because the stars can't burn or hurt your eyes. And it doesn't burn your skin.. the sun causes pain. But the stars are beautiful and you can look at it and enjoy it's beauty..." she told him in a quiet whisper.
  "The stars are as beautiful as you are my girl," Ikaris kissed her cheek.
  "I do hate the dark.... It's lonely and you can't see," she whispered, playing with the end of her hair.
   He took her hand. "You won't be alone, I can promise you that... not alone in the dark."
  "Your my light," she kissed him as they listened to the bugs twerp.

Present day.
South Dakota

"So it's been how many years since we've spoken with Ajak and we're just gonna march into her house and talk?" Herakles questioned.
"It's not that weird," Edalia shook her head. "She knows us and this is important." She used both hands to brush her hair behind her ears.
A thunder storm raged nearby as they pulled up to a outcasted house, in the middle of no where.
Sersi was the first to enter the house. No one stirred. "Hello?" She called, her gently voice echoed, it was dead silent as all you could hear was the sound of the wind whistling.
"Ajak?" Edalia called.
Still nothing.
Herakles shivered as he perked at the sound of the back door hitting the door frame, it had been left open. "Guys."
Edalia glanced over, ikaris seemed to almost grab her wrist, as if to urge him not to go out. She glanced at him and then back out the door.
Sersi let out a loud gasp as Eda rushed to the door and covered her mouth.
Out in the cold wind next to the shack, lay Ajak, her face grey and dull, no life showed.
Sersi bent over her and let out a few cries. "No..." she looked up at the others.
Ikaris looked around the area, Edalia could have sworn she saw hints of guilt in his face, but she wasn't sure. 
  Thunder rumbled in the clouds, making the scene seem more depressing.
     "It was Deviants," Ikaris muttered, his Scottish accent ring with guilt, no one could tell, but Edalia knew that voice all to well.
   He knew something.

    Edalia put her cheek on her hand as she watched Sprite and Ajak dance along the kitchen. She stared at it full of tears as she looked at Ikaris, who watched with a small smile.
    "Sprite turn it off," Herakles' mumbled rubbing his temples.
   Sprite made the illusion disappear. "It was the last time I saw her." She sniffled closing her eyes. "She asked me to check on Sersi."
    "Can you stop?" Herakles' told her. He had taken her death exceptionally hard and couldn't bare the talk about.
   "Let her talk mate," Ikaris glared softly but harshly.
   "I went to London," Sprite continued, putting her hand on Ikaris' hand. "Turns out we both were lonely and needed each other."
   "Well... in her way... Ajak never stopped trying to take care of us..." Edalia whispered looking down.
   "But what about us?" Herakles' started.
  Ikaris turned to him. "What do you mean?"
  "Ajak sent Sprite to check on Sersi, but what about me?" Herakles' asked through tears. "What about Eda?! We were in the same fucking city as Sersi was, alone! You never once thought to check in!" He shouted in anger.
   "Did you try to reach out? I didn't think so, we had no idea you were here." Ikaris told him.
   "You never tried," he scoffed angrily.
   "You need to get out of that little mind of yours that we all are dealing with this pain, we lost our leader. This is the first time in 7,000 years one of us had died." Ikaris muttered.
   "The deviant that attacked us, do you think that one killed Ajak and absorbed her powers?" Edalia asked quietly.
   "They have never done that in the past," Ikaris shook his head.
  "It did heal itself.. just like her," Sprite added, protestingly.
   The lights suddenly went out.
  "Herk stop that," Sprite told him looking around.
   "That's not me," Herakles' stood up.
   Edalia tensed up, her breath quicken as she backed away against the wall.
   She felt a hand slip into hers. Ikaris knew too well she was afraid of the dark. But back then, centuries ago, he was her light; her sun.
    He squeezed her hand, she felt the feeling again, she felt safe with his hand in hers.

   "Where's Sersi?" Ikaris asked.
   "She was outside... with Ajak." Sprite said getting up as she rushed out followed by the others.
   "Sersi!" Sprite shook Sersi who seemed to be staring off into space.
   Sersi snapped out of it.
  "Sersi what's the matter?" Ikaris asked rubbing her arms.
   "The sphere that Ajak used to talk with Arishem... I-it came out of her body and went inside me.." she told them.
    Ikaris stared at her, more jealousy and guilt. "Did you talk with Arishem?" He asked, desperately.
   Sersi waited a moment, Edalia waited for her to say, eagerly.
  "Yes... he said 'it's almost time' whatever that means.." she looked at Sprite.
  "Can you try talking to him again?" She asked.
  "I don't know how..." Sersi admitted.
  "She chose you to replace her," Herakles' looked at them. "She gave you the sphere."
   "Hold on Herk," Ikaris said quietly, not making eye contact. He looked at Sersi. "Are you sure you talked to Arishem?"
  "What else would it be?" Spite asked furrowing her eyebrows.
  "Mahd Wy'ry."

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