Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She asked Makkari, "Where are we going?" But of course, she couldn't answer because she was too excited about something and wasn't even looking at her.

While Sprite's way too bulky cloak kept making her trip, the older woman appeared more energetic than usual as she refused to explain where they were going. The uneven ground further made things more difficult.

The moment Sprite was about to faceplant to the ground - only saved by Makkari's quick reflexes - she wrenched her hand from Makkari's grip.

“You could just carry me there you know? It’ll be much faster.”

Makkari signed. “Ajak said not to draw attention to ourselves.”

Sprite remembered their leader-turned-mother hen's speech all too well. “I’m pretty sure she told us not to wander off as well.”

“No, She told you not to wander off.”

“Well, I’m wandering off.”

“No, you’re helping me with something important.”

“And you still haven’t told me what that is!” Sprite threw her hands up.

Makkari held out her hand again. Sprite took it.

They passed through the castle gates easily enough since the guards had seen them enter with the other Eternals. Or ‘royalty’ as the humans like to call them. If only they knew Sersi could make them more riches than conquering any land will ever give them. Maybe then they’ll actually evolve from their barbaric ways.

Bad thoughts Sprite. Bad.

Makkari led her down to the village side. They were greeted by some and avoided by most. But they didn’t linger long as Makkari kept tugging at her wrist until they reached some kind of stable. Sprite didn’t have time to figure out if the old creaky structure was indeed a stable or more like a barn as Makkari have seemed to have forgotten her and went inside. The smell of manure led her to lean more into the ‘stable’ idea.

“Makkari what- oh. Really?”

Makkari was standing next to a large dark-greyish mare. With its snout, it was adoringly sniffing her hair.

Sprite kept her distance because seriously the thing was taller than Makkari!

“A horse? Again, Really?? It’s bad enough Sersi brings home strays. Not you too.”

Makkari shrugged her shoulders and told her that the horse was one of the most unusual she had ever seen. True, it had a lovely contrast between its light-colored mane and dark fur.

“Great! You’ve seen it. Can we go back now??”

In her attempt to get Sprite to come to her side, Makkari waved her over. The ginger refused. Makkari asked again and received the same response. Turned out there was no use arguing with your speedster older sister since she would just snatch you up and place you on the back of the horse you’re slightly frightened of.

Sprite yelped, and even the unwary horse was startled by the unexpected weight on its back.

“Makkari get me down!” She held on tightly to the mare’s mane as there was nothing but reins attached to the mare. She really should’ve chosen to grip the reins. She realized her mistake as the large creature quickly rose up to its hind legs, dropped, and then bolted out the door.

“Makkari!” Sprite’s voice was drowned out by the wind.

It was only when she received a tap on her shoulder that she realized there was somebody behind her.

“Well?! Get me down! This thing is crazy!!” Instead of bringing them both down, as Sprite had wanted, Makkari took over the reins and manoeuvred the horse so it wasn't just running around aimlessly. But it was still moving quickly. Way too fast for Sprite’s liking.

“Makkari!”

To sign, the woman released her grip on the reins. Their ride veered to the right.

“Hands on the reins! Keep your hands on the reins!!!”

Sprite’s heart settled down when they were no longer going wildly. Makkari seemed to finally gain control over their steed. Or maybe she was just fooling Sprite and enjoyed seeing her panic.

As they continued on, Sprite didn’t mind as much that they were several feet above the ground and riding a potential wild beast. She started enjoying the scenery and the thrill of zooming past. She even held the reins for a while, even though she explicitly told Makkari she didn’t want to.

The sun was setting, and their poor steed was no longer as energized and quick as when they began this unplanned journey. So Sprite suggested they go back to where the others were. As they were probably noticing right about now that the two of them had disappeared.

When they arrived at the stable, Makkari jumped off to lead the horse to a stack of hay.

Sprite quickly grasped Makkari's wrist. She raised an eyebrow as the woman questioned the tight grip on her wrist.

“What? This thing might runoff again.”

Makkari looked amused and shook her head as if telling her ‘no it won't’

Sprite didn’t let go of her hand As a result, Makkari led the horse with one hand while the other remained within the grasp of Sprite. Although, she needed both her hands if she was to make sure the mare didn’t go anywhere and so she tugged at her trapped hand. She showed Sprite the rein and pointed to the pole near them. She let go, an uneasy look on her face.

The speedster turned around and tied the rein with a knot. She felt a small vibration as something hit the ground. When she looked back, the mare was bareback and sprite was gone. There was a slight second of panic when she saw the ginger on the ground, but it disappeared when Sprite got up and brushed the dirt off her cloak.

She was clearly alright as there was no sign of pain on her face...

“It smacked me with its tail!”

…Maybe slight embarrassment.

A/n : If anyone have ideas or prompts for platonic interactions between sprite and any other eternals you can tell us at our tumblr (FandomTravelers). Although there are NO PROMISES that your idea will be used. But it might jumpstart our brains :)

Chapter Text

“Sorry, can you repeat that?”

“I said, Sprite here caused a huge mess.”

You were probably wondering what kind of mischief the mentioned girl made. So, let’s take a trip to the past.

It was Sprite’s fifth day at her new school. It wasn’t as bad as she thought. Most of the teachers were nice, she made some new friends, and she easily understood the lessons due to all of those years she spent living in this world. She might actually love school.

“Hey, new girl!”

Well, almost.

Smiling smugly, a girl walked to her. Anyone could guess that this person was spoiled with wealth ever since she was born. Everything she wore, from head to toe, seemed expensive. She was the definition of a rich arrogant girl.

“Hey, Kyle.” Sprite greeted back with a fake cheeriness.

She never knew why this girl kept bugging her since her first day at school. It started from mocking greetings to conversations. Her torments got longer and longer which made Sprite’s patience run thin.

“So, did you enjoy the party that I hosted?”

Sprite was confused. She couldn’t recall any party that she had attended in the past few days. She thought more about it and suddenly everything made sense for her.

“Oh yeah I forgot, no babies allowed.”

Sprite rolled her eyes. Of course, another insult.

She walked away from her, eager to just go home and maybe scream out her frustration in her room. Kingo would probably shout at her though, to tone it down. But she really didn’t care anymore. Sprite could still feel that Kyle was on her tail, blabbering nonsense. So, she fastened up while thinking of ways to shut her up for good.

“Hey! Stop ignoring me! Didn't your mom teach you manners?”

Sprite stopped on her track. The word ‘mom’ kept repeating on her head like a broken record. Then, that name appeared. That one name she tried so hard to forget, Ajak. Ajak was a mother figure for her. She was kind, loving, and thoughtful. She was her everything and she missed her every day. So, when someone mentioned her the way Kyle did, she wasn’t having it.

“What did you say?”

“What? You don’t like it when I mention your mom?”

“Just stop already.”

“Again with that bad attitude. You got it from your mom huh? What a horrible person she must’ve been..

just like you. ”

Right at this moment, Sprite had lost it. Everything was a blur, it happened so suddenly.

She landed a punch and then a fight started. They started hitting and pulling each other’s hair. Through the midst of it all, cheers were audible. Students had gathered around them before she realized. How could they not? She created such a scene.

A few moments later, a teacher separated them and angrily ordered them to go to the principal’s office.

So here she was, with Druig in front of her principal. She wanted to meet her parents but since she didn’t have one and Kingo was busy, Druig decided to step up. Maybe he was just bored or he wanted to laugh at her for being in this stupid situation. Either way, she was grateful to have someone here.

“So? Why am I called here?”

“You’re here to discuss Sprite’s bad behavior with me! I have explained that!”

“Yeah, but that's her problem, not mine.”

Sprite elbowed him in the stomach, telling him to behave. Frowning, he shot a glare at her. The principal who was watching this interaction sighed loudly. Her face showed how irritated she was right now.

“We’re giving her a warning for now since it’s her first violation, oh and I want an apology letter from her on my desk next morning.”

“You hear that Sprite?”

Sprite didn’t like this. In fact, she hated it. This school was blaming her for defending herself and her family. Was that fair? No, it wasn’t and Sprite was angry because of it. Not only at her school and Kyle, but at the man beside her too.

She was expecting some support from him but all she got was his nonchalant attitude. She wondered if she told him her reason, how would he react?

“She insulted Ajak,” Sprite did it, she caught his attention. She continued, “ said she was a bad mother.”

Sprite triggered something within him, she could feel it. Because now, he was grinning mischievously and she knew that look all too well.

He was in his sassy mode.

Nobody ever won an argument with him if he was like this. Nobody.

He shifted his gaze back to the principal, his grin not leaving his face yet. The principal, although looked nervous, was staring back at him. Tension ensued in the room and a question was asked. “Now I’m suddenly curious, that girl, Kyle. What does she get as a punishment?”

“She is a victim she isn’t responsible for this.” Druig chuckled at her response.

“Well that’s funny because my sister here has some bruises because of that girl, doesn’t that make her a victim too?”

Silence in the room was suddenly so loud. Sprite looked at her brother and the principal back to back. The old woman was still sitting straight, looking stern and unafraid. But deep down, Sprite knew it was all an act.

“Why are you so quiet now, ma’am?” Druig stood up and now seriousness was present on his face.

“She’s innocent as long as you can’t prove that she is not. Come on 'little sister', we’re leaving.” He motioned for Sprite to follow him out which she gladly obeyed. They walked out of there with Druig’s hand lying on her shoulder protectively.

“Oh, one more thing.” Druig stopped abruptly and used his power. He made the principal slap herself five times and wrote a letter explaining that Sprite was free from any form of punishment. The girl was ecstatic. She fist-bumped Druig and then they continued their walk. Out of nowhere, Druig asked her something.

“Who won?”

“Huh?” It took a moment before Sprite realized he was talking about her fight.

“Seriously, you’re asking that? Of course, it was me!” She answered, feeling insulted. Druig just laughed and ruffled her hair. This annoyed Sprite even more but she allowed it this time.

After that exhausting day, they agreed that both of them need a break. So, they walked side by side to Starbucks to enjoy a cup of coffee together.

THE END

Chapter Text

It’s been exactly one year since the day all the other Eternals were taken away. 

One year since she said goodbye to Druig, Makkari, and Thena. 

One year since the very last hug she got from Sersi. 

One year since Kingo promised he’d pick her up after school. 

She would have spent more time with them if she had known. If she had known, she would not have wasted so much time in school, laughing and making new friends. All the while her family was taken away. 

She remembered having her first real smile after-

Ajak’s death, Gilgamesh’s death, Ikaris’s death

…a long long while. 

As she waited in front of her new school, she was actually looking forward to the next day. But then hours passed and Kingo didn’t come back. She tried calling him but there was no answer. She tried convincing herself that he was just busy and probably forgotten. But what if he left her again. He did it once. 

When it started raining was when it got worse. She had waited hours and hours and there was still no sign of Kingo or even Karun. He would’ve sent Karun if he really couldn’t come, wouldn’t he?? 

One elderly teacher seemed to have taken pity on her and asked if she wanted to stay with her for a while. Maybe in a few more hours, her ‘guardian’ would come to pick her up. She refused as politely as she could but the old – young? – lady said that no person would leave a child alone. Sprite was no child. Or maybe she was?

She ended up going with her to her home which wasn’t actually too far from the school. 

Sprite wasn’t picked up that day. 

The next day, her teacher was starting to worry about her supposed guardian. Sprite had told her that she had tried calling but there was no answer. The old woman suggested they went to the police station and sprite had quickly objected, saying that she could wait a little longer and to at least let her spend the school day. 

Of course, she didn’t get to spend her school day as a very haggard-looking Dane was waiting at her school gates.  

“Oh my god, Sprite! I thought you had gone too. I should’ve come here sooner. I’m so sorry. After Sersi was taken-” The man had lifted Sprite up into a hug and babbled apologies that Sprite just couldn’t understand. 

Sersi was taken…

What?

She had learned that the Eternals—whatever was left of her family—was gone. Denying it didn’t work after a while. After all, she saw the broken state that was Dane’s place. Weirdly this all felt very unreal to her. She half expected Sersi to just barge in, say that she was picking up breakfast, and scold Dane for playing such a cruel joke. 

The next few weeks didn’t feel important to Sprite as she didn’t remember it at all. The next thing she knew was in Phastos’s home, with Phastos’s human family, but no Phastos. When she and Dane arrived, they were quickly greeted by Ben, who took Dane away to talk. Sprite didn’t even feel mad about being left out of the conversation. She would very much rather be ignorant at the moment. Walking through the house, she found Jack. Phastos’s son. He was quiet. Nothing at all like how Phastos described him. 

Knocking on the door she asked if she could come in. Jack had snapped up at the sound of her voice. And with all the innocence and desperation of a child, he asked her the one question that finally broke her down. 

“Can you bring my dad back?” 

Sprite felt her chest tighten and small tears that were threatening to fall over. But she couldn’t break here. Not in front of this child. Phastos’s child. So she told him the truth that she couldn’t but she promised that she would do all that she could—even spend the rest of the life she has left, looking for him. The boy believed her. Even when she didn’t believe herself. 

Here she was, a year older. Feeling like she had grown up more in one year than in the 7000 years she spent as an Eternal. Being a teenager was weird. Her growth spurt for example. She sometimes would look at herself in the mirror and laugh at the thought she would almost be the same height as Makkari–and Ajak.

“Happy First Birthday! Not-big-sis.” Speaking of a growth spurt, Jack was a bit taller now. His head almost reached her shoulder. And even though Sprite told him time and time again that she was technically his aunt more than his sister, he didn’t quite listen. 

“Shouldn’t you be at school?” 

He walked in and sat at the edge of her bed —Dane and Ben had decided that Sprite was better around Jack, so she stayed with them— a cupcake with a single-lit candle in his hands. “I wanted to be the first to say happy birthday to you.” 

Sprite raised her eyebrow. “And...?” 

Jack smiled bashfully. “And I wanted to know what your wish is.”

Sprite immediately turned somber. “You know what it is…” 

The amazingly wise young boy gave her the cupcake. “Yeah... Maybe it’ll come true this year.” 

They heard Ben’s voice downstairs calling Jack that he was going to be late. Jack turned to her with his wide expecting eyes.

She blew the candle and made her wish. The boy clapped his hands and Sprite couldn’t help but smile. They both walked down the stairs. Sprite had a little bit more trouble since she had to bring a science project about the world. She made a big golden globe. It was getting to be more trouble than it was worth since the damn thing wouldn’t fit into her already stuffy bag. 

Jack had already grabbed his lunch and went out the door. Sprite stopped at the dining table and wrestled with her bag. 

Ben took one look at her and chuckled. “Need help over there?” 

Sprite tucked some of her hair that had gotten loose while huffing out “No.” 

“Happy Birthday by the way...” He added. 

Sprite stopped shoving her bag and felt her mouth dry. “Thanks,” she added on a much happier tone “no need to make me anything. Jack already got me my birthday cake.” 

Ben laughed out loud, and Sprite finally got her project in her bag. It might look a little crushed but at least it’ll make it to school. 

Before she could move to sling her bag across her shoulders, the door slammed open. Ben yelled her name, and she could see him trying as fast as he could to get to her. She felt the air in her lungs leave as something fast collided with her. 

Expecting to feel pain, she instead found arms around her neck, and she felt tears wetting the side of her face. 

Registering what had happened, she whispered. 

“Makkari?”

Chapter Text

Makkari was here. But that wasn’t possible, was it? They were gone. They were all gone. 

Sprite still stood frozen as Makkari kept crying while slightly swaying. Her brain was still processing that the person hugging her was indeed the same person she said goodbye to a year ago and not some kind of… illusion. 

She looked over at Ben who seemed just as surprised as she was. Regaining his senses sooner than Sprite, Ben walked closer and tried to pry the clinging Makkari from the teenage girl. Makkari seemed insistent to prove to herself that Sprite was real and not a figment of her imagination. 

Although she must have felt Sprite stiffening and stepped back. 

Sprite had to do a double-take as she saw Druig step through the door. 

This was real. They were back. Ben seemed to have come to the same conclusion as he forgot about taking Makkari away from Sprite and instead went to Druig. Sprite knew without having to hear them that Ben was asking about Phastos. He wanted to know where his husband was. And honestly so did Sprite. 

But Makkari was crying in front of her. More importantly, Makkari was in front of her. Overcoming her shock, Sprite pulled her into another hug. This time more heartfelt on her side. She cried as the speedster brushed her hands through her now long hair. 

When they let go of one another Makkari signed ‘You look… older.’

She knew she should be happy after finally finding a member of her family. And yet… 

They had missed a year. A whole year on Sprite’s now mortal life. They were lucky in a way because it could have been way more than just one year. It could have been decades. They could have come back and found Sprite-

-dead. 

Sprite could see the pain in Makkari’s face and grabbed hold of the hand that was still combing her hair. “It’s been a while.” 

Their little discussion was interrupted by Ben’s outburst. “What do you mean my husband is still gone?!” 

Sprite quickly went to his side. After the whole pain of losing both their family, she learned that they easily found comfort in each other’s presence. Druig gave her a nod and Sprite would have tackled him in a hug if she wasn’t so worried about why Phastos wasn’t with them. 

“Makkari, Thena, and I left in the Domo. We’ve been told by a fellow eternal that our friends here were taken. And we assumed that meant you too, Sprite.” He turned towards her, a silent apology in his eyes “This eternal, Eros, have helped us in the search for the others. But we have found nothing yet. We returned here to search for clues or even in the slightest hope that they’ve been returned.” 

Sprite led them all to the dining room so that they could sit down. Luckily, Jack was quick to go to school, so he didn’t need to face all this. She didn’t want to give him false hope. But she knew he would want the truth. 

Realizing there were only two Eternals in their dining room, Sprite asked. “Where’s Thena?” 

Druig answered her. “She’s in the Domo with our Eternal ‘friend’ ”

Knowing that wasn’t the only reason, she turned to Makkari. 

‘Mahd Wy’ry.’

So, they didn’t think Thena would be safe around Phastos’s human family. Human. They didn’t trust Thena around her as well. In some way that broke her heart.

“I want to see Thena.” Sprite stood from her chair.  

Druig sighed, preferring that his lovely Makkari had not told the truth. Sprite, on the other hand, was intelligent and not a child. No, not at all. She would have realized that she was now a human at some point. That meant that being near the goddess of war wasn't as safe as it once was.

“That’s not a good idea Sprite.” He told her. 

“I want to see Thena.”

“Yeah? Well, Thena doesn’t want to see you.” He snapped. Quickly regretting it. 

Makkari came to his rescue as she explained. ‘Thena doesn’t want to hurt you. She’ll never forgive herself if she did. She misses you very much.’ 

Very much hurting, Sprite spoke up once more. “I know that... I just want to see her. I won’t even go near her if she doesn’t want me to. But I need to know she’s really here.”

She hadn’t seen the Domo in a long while and its shimmering green view warmed her heart. Makkari had somehow convinced Druig so that she could see Thena. So here they were. 

Sprite’s nervousness turned into self-consciousness as she fixed her school uniform. Druig’s words kept ringing in her head. 

“I know you’re going to want to help Thena. But, on the first sight of danger or when Makkari tells you to, I want you to run. I don’t care if you’re scared shitless that you freeze up. I want you to move your legs and get the hell out. Understand?”

She had said she would, and Druig had let her go. He was staying back with Ben, having things he wanted to talk about. It was probably also because Makkari had to transport them both if he were to come with them. 

Speaking of Makkari, she was patiently waiting for Sprite a few steps ahead. 

Nodding to her, they both entered the Domo. 

Sprite's face was flushed with concern when they saw Thena. The blonde woman was in a battle-ready stance, holding her cosmic spear in one hand. Makkari appeared to share her concern until Thena turned to face them, her eyes clear.

“Makkari, did you find anything?” Sprite noted that once she realized it was Makkari, Thena immediately put away her weapon. 

Covered by Makkari’s figure she knew Thena couldn’t quite see her. So she stepped aside. 

Having no time to change into anything else, Sprite looked like a normal human teenager. She knew her face had aged too. She saw it in how Thena’s eyes seemed suspicious before it turned into realization and-

“Sprite...”

“Hi, Thena.” Sprite dug her feet into the ground, wanting to go to her but remembering her promise to Druig. Instead, she watched and waited for Thena to make the first move. The woman appeared so on edge it was unnatural to see. She was terrified and Sprite knew. Even worse, she knew the cause of that fear. It was her fault, and because of that she really couldn’t do much. 

Except... 

Thena gasped as a younger, much more familiar Sprite walked around the room. The illusion took notice of Thena and pranced towards her. Gleaming eyes of mischief looked up at her and a ghostly hand made a grab at her wrist only to pass through it. The image flickered and disappeared.   

The older, real Sprite staggered and extended a hand to steady herself. Then, unable to sit back, Thena rushed to her aid. She didn't realize she was too close to the now-human Sprite until it was too late. She pulled away. 

“Wait!” She paused as Sprite held her wrist. Loosely enough that she could slip away if she wanted to. But she didn’t.

“I can go if I make you that uncomfortable. But- But can I at least get a hug before I go?”  

Thena pondered the girl – No. little sister – in front of her and wondered why in the whole universe would she ignore this chance. She would be careful yes. But she would never waste any second of Sprite’s life by evading her and causing her pain. 

One day Sprite would die. 

That was the hard horrible truth. But until then, the Goddess of War swore she would treasure every second.

Sprite had expected a rejection, so she was truly happy when Thena enveloped her in a hug.

“Oh, and who’s this little lady?” A new voice asked. 

The new Eternal ‘friend’ that Druig had talked about. 

She broke away from Thena. “I’m Sprite. I-“ 

Looking genuinely curious, and unknowing of personal boundaries, Eros had wrapped Sprite into a hug. Thena, unfortunately seeing this as a threat, wrenched Eros away from Sprite in one mighty swing. If Eros hadn’t let go, Sprite would’ve gone tumbling to the other side of the wall with him. That definitely put him on her good side. 

He seemed alright as he groaned, stood up, and put his hands up in surrender in front of him. 

“Alright, no touching the little lady. Got it.”

Everything would be fine. Eventually.  

Chapter Text

“Staring at it won't make it bake faster you know?” Gilgamesh called out from where he was molding another set of cookies.

Sprite sighed and called out. “Well, what else am I supposed to do?”

“Baking is about enjoying the process, Sprite.”

“Well, I’m not doing this for the enjoyment I'm doing this because I’m forced to.”

Her school said that every student had to take at least one extracurricular activity. She had taken baking, thinking that it was the least troublesome out of all of them. Besides, she had Gilgamesh. But it turned out there were a lot of things she didn’t know about baking and Gilgamesh won't do her extracurricular homework for her. That plan definitely failed.

“Fine, I’ll watch over this batch of cookies. Why don’t you go clean up your room or something.”

“You sound like Ajak.” She groaned but went to her room.

Since there was nothing to do and her school was holding a donation event, she decided to dig through her things.

She had a lot of stuff in her room, it turned out. The majority of them she didn't find remotely entertaining. Like a couple of books, she found on the corner. They were dusty and clearly old. She also discovered a slew of paintbrushes that were clearly no longer usable. She threw them in a cardboard box and rummaged through the rest of her belongings.

She was halfway through making her room look more decent when Thena walked in. “Sprite, “ she greeted her “what are you doing?” Thena looked at her curiously.

Thena had been having fewer and fewer bad days and was allowed to come with Gilgamesh to “babysit” Sprite while Sersi had to lead a group of children on a field trip somewhere.

“Donating my stuff, or as Gilgamesh said it “cleaning my room’ “ Sprite mimicked quotation marks with her fingers.

The woman reluctantly nodded and sat on Sprite’s bed, looking over the stuff she had piled up. Sprite continued picking in silence while Thena observed her work. She sensed something radiating from the warrior Goddess. Like she wanted to ask something but thought better of it.

“What? Thena.” She called over her shoulder.

Thena hummed, not looking at her. “Nothing. Are you sure you want to give these away?” She waved her hand over the pile of books Sprite found earlier.

“Yeah...? I don’t even know why I have them.” She answered nonchalantly. The quiet she got made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She half expected Thena to have another episode of Mahd Wy’ry, but when she turned to look at her Thena was looking at her in concern.

“What?”

She held one of the books in her hands. “Sprite, where did you get these?”

“I told you I don’t know. Must have been one of the things I carelessly threw into the box when I moved here. If it’s one of Makkari’s treasure, she could keep it- “

Thena cut her off. “Sprite, what is this?”

“I don’t know Thena. I’ve never seen it before.” She answered honestly.

Thena opened it on a random page and held the book out towards Sprite. In it was her name written in an old long-gone language.

“These are your books Sprite. Your stories,” Thena was searching for something in Sprite. Maybe hoping for the slightest bit of recognition in Sprite’s eyes. There was none. “Don’t you remember?”

Sprite sat dumbfounded. It was her handwriting. She recognized it instantly. But, she couldn’t remember ever writing them. She rose up and wandered over to her bed. Looking through the other books all with the same handwriting. Hers. She picked up the overused paintbrushes from earlier. She held them out at Thena.

“Were- Were these mine too?” She asked softly. Thena nodded. “You wouldn’t stop nagging Kingo to get them for you. Sprite- “

Her head was spinning. She looked at every other thing in her box and wondered if they all held memories precious to her but she had just forgotten. How could she have forgotten-

“-This isn’t possible.”

Thena was standing and walking towards her. “Sprite it’s alright-“

“No!” She snapped. “I should remember this! Why don’t I remember this?!”

“Sprite calm down. Breathe.” Thena took hold of her shoulders and pulled her into an embrace she couldn’t get out of. She eventually calmed down by following Thena's breathing. She heard Thena talking above her head.

“Now, do not be scared. But I think it has something to do with the fact you are human now..” At that, sprite tried to break out of Thena’s arms to ask her what she meant. But the strong arms around her kept her still.

“I think your mind can no longer handle all the memories of thousands of years past,” her breath stilled and as Thena rubbed her back she started to cry “to keep you safe, your mind has started to erase your past to make space for your future, Sprite.”

Sprite's wall of tears had crumbled by the end of Thena's sentence, and she couldn't stop herself from sobbing. She couldn't start to forget now. Not now. Her memories were the only thing that kept her connected to her family. She wasn't an eternal anymore. She wouldn't be able to live for millennia longer. Even her powers weren't what they used to be. What if she began to forget about her family?

“It’s going to be alright Sprite.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.” It took a while for her to understand what Thena was referring to.

“When I first had Mahd Wy’ry, I was terrified. Even more so when we all separated and went on our own ways. There were days where Gil would have to hold me just like this,” Thena tightened her hold on Sprite “until I stopped crying.”

Sprite really couldn’t imagine her Thena crying and breaking down. “Really?"

“Oh yes,” she continued “but then we all found our way back to each other and I remembered my family.”

She pushed Sprite to arms-length and wiped her tears. “You might forget treasures, adventures, and stories from the past. But never your family. Because we’ll be right here bothering you and reminding you of our existence every single moment till the end of your days.” Thena had said it with such finality that she was sure it was true.

Hearing heavy footsteps from the hallway, Sprite quickly wiped at her eyes. Luckily her back was to the door

“Sprite your cookies are done, and I even decorated them-“ He cut off when he saw Thena and Sprite on the floor. He was about to question it but Thena raised one hand and told him she would tell him later.

He left the two, knowing Sprite was in good hands.

Sensing that Gilgamesh had gone she raised her head. Thena was smiling down at her. “Now, I think you have a baking project to finish?”

Sprite let out a soft chuckle. “Who cares about baking class? I want cookies, now.”

Thena laughed. “I would like them as well.”  

Chapter Text

She was having quite an uneventful day. Her class had been without a teacher for almost half an hour now. Stella, her class representative, had wanted to check if there was a substitute teacher but was currently being prevented from doing so by the rest of her class. To be fair, they were making quite good excuses. But, honestly, most of them just wanted to have a whole class period doing nothing and without being under the watchful eyes of a teacher.

Their wishes seemed unanswered when Sprite saw a shadow of a figure outside their glass classroom door.

“The teacher’s here.” She yelled, just to get the attention off of poor Stella who was being practically bullied. The class dispersed, and students went back to their own seats.

Sprite wanted to slam her head onto the table as she saw who walked in.

“Hello, I’ll be your substitute teacher for today. So sorry I’m late.” Freaking Sersi smiled and put down her bag and coat behind the teacher’s table.

Sersi spotted Sprite right away. But other than a subtle nod and smile, she made no move to acknowledge her. Sprite was sort of relieved for that. The rest of the class passed on easily enough, with lots of her classmates actually preferring Sersi to their usual teacher. Sprite snorted. Of course, Sersi was way better. She had actually been in the past. Most of the things they heard of, she had lived through.

The class ended faster than expected even though they were set back thirty minutes. Sersi usually wouldn’t do that in her usual classes, so Sprite was suspicious as to why she would end a class early now.

She got her answer when Sersi called out her name.

“Sprite! Why don't you tell us a story now that we have some extra time? "I have a feeling you're a fantastic storyteller."

She was about to straight-up refuse and tell her to let them go home early, instead, her classmates started pushing her on.

“Yeah, you tell the best stories Sprite-“

“-come on tell us a story!”

“-Story! Story!”

She fully blamed Sersi as her classmates turned against her. Sersi had a look of fond amusement on her face. But there was also concern. Sprite knew if she truly refused, Sersi would back her up. Good thing she was in a particularly good mood today.

Her class cheered as she rose and walked to the front of the class.

She faced her- older sister -substitute teacher. “Is there a specific story I’m supposed to tell miss?” She added the honorific just to annoy Sersi since she and Dane just couldn’t get freaking married already.

Sersi took no mind of her sass and instead answered. “How about a story about Babylon?”

Sprite couldn’t help grinning as she caught on to which story she was referring to. Although it would be a fairly different story to tell without her illusions.

Great, she thought with delight. A challenge.

Chapter Text

She quickly took out her phone and dialed the number that was on her mind.

“Yeah, yeah relax, I’m on my way.” With a childish air to her, she added. “I’m bringing home a friend.”

Sersi had quickly cleaned her flat and eagerly waited for Sprite to come home. The smallest of the Eternals had been having quite a rough time blending in and getting used to human life. So imagine her immense happiness when she found out Sprite had made a friend. Although she would have appreciated a little warning the next time.

The doorbell rang and she could hear Sprite shrugging off her coat and hanging it. But other than that she didn’t hear the usual sound of voices when children usually came over to a friend’s house. Instead, she heard. Was that meowing?

Sersi groaned, standing up from the couch. “Sprite.”

The said girl walked in cradling a black cat in her arms, burrowed underneath her scarf, that she had apparently taken off.

“What? I said I was bringing home a friend. I didn’t say human.” Sprite passed by Sersi, casually throwing her bag on the couch. Her soaked bag, considering it had been snowing outside. The woman quickly took it and settled it beside the coat rack.

“Why didn’t you say so? I even made snacks.”

Sprite laid the kitten on the table and took a look at her surroundings. “And cleaned up it seemed.” She looked back at Sersi and gaped. “Sersi are you pouting? I told you I have plenty of friends at school. Do you want to meet them that much??”  

“No, those are your classmates. You never play with them or even call them.” Sersi deadpanned.

Sprite crossed her arms. “And how would you know that- have you been stalking me?!”

“What? No! Never. It’s just I haven’t heard you mention any one of your friends’ names ever. Not even once.”

Sprite turned her attention back at the little cat. She made sure to tuck her scarf fully around it but it was still freezing. “I’ve got plenty of friends. There’s Stella my class representative, and, and-“

Now it was Sersi’s turn to cross her arms. “And?”

Sprite scrunched her face, “And some, other- people. Now, this poor thing looks like it’s gonna die and I don’t know what to do, are you helping or not?”

Sersi sighed. “Scoot over, go grab a towel, the poor thing’s drenched. Also, get some blankets. Lots of them.” She took one look at Sprite and scanned her from head to toe. “Actually, you should change first, or else you’re going to be sick.”

Sprite tore off running upstairs. “I’ll be fine. The kitten comes first.” She yelled.

“Sprite-“ Sersi broke off, knowing she wouldn’t listen anyway. She focused her attention on the little cat in front of her instead. She grabbed a blanket from the couch and folded it so the cat could lay on top of it.

“It’ll be okay little guy.”

The little kitten had been warmed, fed, and was now resting in between Sersi and Sprite while they sat on the couch. Sprite had also changed into more comfortable and necessarily, warmer clothes. They both had a cup of hot chocolate, thanks to Sersi.

“So tell me about this Stella.” Sersi started.

Sprite groaned. “There’s nothing to tell. She’s the class captain. She knows everybody in the class, and everybody in the class knows her. Simple as that. Oh and she’s also annoying.”

Stella had helped her fit in. She first thought it was out of duty and responsibility, but now Sprite just couldn’t seem to get rid of her. It started from “Sprite did you do your assignment?” to “So you live with your older sister? Why don’t we do the project at your house? You know, I’m an only child. Is it nice having siblings?”

“Judging by your smile she’s a good friend then?” Sersi’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she realized she was in fact smiling.

“She’s a bother.”

“But a good one.” Sersi laughed. She rose to wash the dirtied cup.

Sprite had a mischievous grin on her face as she looked between Sersi’s back and the softly purring animal beside her.

“So… can we keep the cat then?”

“No. Sprite. Then I’ll have two troublemakers living with me.”

Sprite snorted. “Oh, come on. Compared to me, this little buddy is a good influence.” She took Sersi’s outburst of laughter as a good sign.

But she didn't get an answer, so she stood up and went to the kitchen. Sersi avoided looking at her. She ended up following Sersi around for the rest of the day, making various arguments for why they should keep the cat.

Chapter Text

Sprite…

“Sprite.”

“Sprite, wake up.” 

There was brightness behind her closed eyelids. She could hear whoever that was calling her had their patience running thin. A hazy view of the world met her eyes when she opened them. Rubbing her eyes to wipe away her dreamlike state, she was met with sunlight.

 Groaning, she turned to her side. 

“Time to wake up sleepyhead. Ajak wants to see you.” 

Sprite rolled away and she heard laughter. Laughter, so familiar that it jolted her awake. 

Turning back to the person beside her, Sprite saw Gilgamesh in all his glory. He kneeled near the place where she laid before. And he was patiently waiting while Sprite was running her hand over her hair, very tempted to rip them out. 

Gilgamesh was here when she knew all too well he had died. She had attended his funeral with her fellow Eternals and had said her goodbyes. Her mind had figured out that this couldn’t possibly be real. But the strong feeling of regret deep in her gut won. 

Desperately, she leaped at Gilgamesh, knocking him back slightly so that he sat on the ground.

He didn't reprimand her or tell her she wasn't acting her age, he never did. He stood up and helped her up with a pat on the head and the question, "What's wrong with you today?" Even brushing her clothes to remove the dust that had accumulated after their tumble.

Sprite couldn't believe it when they were both on their feet and hugged him once more. Gilgamesh pried her away from him with a sigh.

“Seriously, is something wrong?” She shook her head.

He didn’t quite believe her but continued. “Ajak wants to see you.” 

Another wave of confusion washed over her mind when she heard their Leader's name. It was constantly telling her that none of this was real. But how could it not be when she had just hugged her long-dead brother, who felt solid and real?

“Sprite! Get a move on. She said it was urgent.” Gilgamesh yelled over his shoulder as he walked away. 

Ajak.

Her feet moved faster than she ever remembered before as she passed the familiar halls of the domo. Full of life and not like some abandoned sanctuary. 

One more corner and she’ll be able to figure out if this was all real. If even Ajak was here then there could be no other explanation than this all being the truth. Unable to stop herself she crashed into someone. 

“Woah Sprite where are you going so fast?” 

Rubbing her sore head she slowly raised it. 

Even more improbable than Ajak was Ikaris being alive, and breathing, and just as the last time she saw him. Her body was hit with a mess of emotions and her mind a mess of thoughts. The Ikaris in her mind fought against their family—but then again so did she—but the Ikaris in front of her was the same Ikaris she remembered long ago when they were all blissfully ignorant and the ones bearing the burden was only Ikaris and-

“Ajak, Sprite’s here.” She turned her head, and just as she expected Ajak stood inside the room Ikaris had exited. 

Her surreal view completely disappeared as she wondered selfishly would they had blissfully lived and just died to be reborn again if Ajak and Ikaris had held on to their burden. 

“Sprite, come in.” The usual motherly voice she used to hear now sounded awfully haunting to her ears. 

She entered, leaving Ikaris. She gasped as she saw the view of the earth from space. 

“Weren’t we on earth just a couple of minutes ago, I- I don’t understand. Ajak?” Her ecstasy of seeing Gilgamesh and maybe Ikaris slowly dripped away as everything around her felt more unsettling than before. 

Ajak motioned for her to sit beside her while she looked down on the planet below. 

She was starting to get frustrated with the sudden flux of emotions she was feeling. “What’s going on Ajak?!” 

“We’re about to watch the birth of a celestial. One of many many more to come.” 

“What? No. No-“ Sprite looked horrifyingly at the planet below. “-The celestial is dead. Sersi killed it.”

Ajak no longer resembled herself. Her face may have a similar appearance, but nothing about her smile said "Ajak" to Sprite.

She felt a shiver down her spine as Ajak uttered one sentence. “Did she?” 

She never felt more relieved as she woke up sweating in her own bed. Even though the loss of some members of her family had happened long ago, it still felt quite recent. Almost a decade has passed since then.  

“I thought you said only kids had nightmares.” Druig was leaning on the doorway to her bedroom. 

She usually wouldn’t lock her bedroom door since there was no one else in her house other than herself. But she seemed to have forgotten that her older siblings liked to ‘check up’ on her once in a while. Even though she was mentally—and physically now—an adult. 

She threw one of her pillows in his direction and it thudded loudly against the door as Druig avoided it. “Get out Druig haven’t you heard of Privacy? And what are you even doing coming here in the night you creep?”

She dragged herself out of bed and walked over to him. 

“It’s 3 A.M which means morning and Makkari wanted to celebrate you turning into an adult.”

Oh yeah, it was her birthday today.  

“Please tell me she’s not putting up streamers in my house.” Sprite groaned.

“She’s been on it since thirty minutes ago. She’s very invested.”

She eyed the bag of chips he carried in one hand. “And what have you been doing? Thrashing through my food?”

 “Yes.” He didn’t even sound apologetic at all. 

Shaking her head she made to move past him and tell Makkari to stop decorating. She was physically twenty years old for Gods sake! Well, technically twenty-one now. 

Druig stopped her. “On a serious note, how are the nightmares?”

“Still nightmare-y” She replied sweetly. 

Druig scoffed and let her go. Before she went downstairs she could hear him yell “And she says she’s not a child.”

At first, there was no sight of Makkari at all, but then the front door opened and Makkari was at the kitchen taking out a birthday cake. Spotting Sprite she froze and looked up the stairs in visible frustration. 

‘Druig was supposed to check on you not wake you up!’

Sprite quickly told her “He didn’t wake me up. Woke up by myself-“ she faltered as she realized she didn’t wake up with the usual screams and tears.

Did she wake up by herself?   

“She was having nightmares. Woke her up.” Druig sauntered down the stairs and towards them. He seemed to have found her stash of snacks. 

Makkari looked at her worriedly. ‘Nightmares again?’ 

Sprite glared at Druig. “It’s fine. I’m fine. It’s even getting rarer now, it’ll go away soon.” 

It used to be a constant companion for her but now she could sleep roughly a week without any.

Etched still in worry, Makkari turned to Druig, who shrugged. He set the snacks on the kitchen counter and talked while signing to Makkari. “Sprite says it's fine, then it's fine. Now, why don’t you and I continue decorating while sleepy head over there can shower or something.” 

The nickname that Druig had used made her remember her dream/nightmare. She knew nightmares rarely if ever just went away. But that was what she had made herself believe. If she didn’t believe it, those first few days would’ve been unbearable. 

She watched from the corner of her eye the pair which were obviously watching her. Not in an ominous sense but in a fond familial way. They worry, and ironically that made her worry and restless. She could hardly get anything done when she was staying with Kingo. Not saying that he was unbearable to be around—since he was rarely around anyway with his movies and shows—but the way he would almost coddle her because of her humanness. Being human doesn’t exactly change the amount of experience she has had. 

After showering she went to her bedroom to at least try to appear like she hadn’t just spent the whole night crying and a mess. Strangely enough, not Makkari nor Druig had checked up on her even once since the early morning. Suspicious, she walked down the stairs expecting there to be more streamers all over the place and even worse, glitter. 

Surprisingly there were fewer decorations than before. 

Druig and Makkari were lounging on the sofa, in each other’s arms. 

Sprite mocked disgust. “Ew, guys get a room. Or better yet buy a house and move in together. And what? You both thrash my place, put up birthday decorations, and not wish me a happy birthday??”

Makkari shook her head and grabbed her phone. After a few seconds of tinkering with her phone, there was a video call mirrored on her TV screen.

Sprite couldn’t help but stare in wonder as one by one her family somewhere all over the globe popped up one by one. Phastos and his family came up first with them all wishing her a happy birthday, and not-so-little Jack announcing that he was planning to go to her college when he graduates high school. She praises him but also silently realizes she’ll probably have to share her house, won’t she? Well, the things she’d do for family. 

Kingo appeared next with Karun by his side. Apparently in the set of his next big thing and couldn’t talk long. He ended up staying until the end of the call but Sprite won't call him out on that. He too wished her a happy birthday and her journey into adulthood. And of course, he had to ruin the mood by saying she shouldn’t grow up so fast. As if she could just stop growing.

Sersi appeared last, with Thena by her side. Dane has had some things he had to take care of and Sersi had been lonely so Thena visited her. They both struggled with the phone for a while and Sprite had a good laugh out of that. They gave her her birthday wishes and some wise quotes from Thena. Sprite once thought if she wasn’t the warrior Goddess, Thena would make an enchanting poet. 

After hours later they all had to move on with their days and Sprite had the whole day to enjoy. Druig and Makkari had to go back to their journey. They never seemed to stay in one place for too long. She guessed there was a thrill in moving onwards. 

Makkari gave her a quick kiss on her cheeks before going out the door and waiting outside. Sprite prepared herself for the long-coming talk she knew Druid would want. 

She kept the door open with one hand, hoping Druig would just forget it and walk right past her to the beautiful Makkari who was waiting for him. But he didn’t. He stopped in front of her, and even though she tried her best to keep her gaze anywhere but on him, he waited patiently. 

He asked sharply but softly. “Who was it this time?”

“The usual,” She answered just as soft “Gilgamesh, Ikaris…..Ajak.”

“So it was all of them then?” He exchanged a brief look with Makkari. If Sprite didn’t know any better she would say the two of them had a telepathic connection or something. 

“Yeah, like usual.” 

He still didn’t let it go. “But, something was different?” 

“I don’t want to talk about it okay?” She lashed out. “Why don’t you go on your date so I can hang out with my friends? And yes I have friends. My age. Now shoo!”

Hands pushing him out, Druig evaded them and pulled Sprite in for a quick hug. Which left her frozen enough to not talk back.

“Now like I always offered you before, again and again, I can take those nightmares away. Even only for a while- And before you argue I know you wouldn’t want that so instead I’ll say this. Ikaris, Gilgamesh, and Ajak wouldn’t want their memories to be hurting you. Family shouldn’t be the cause of heartbreak. Unfortunately, we both know that’s bullshit, but we are here you know. It’s a waste spending the rest of your years being haunted by family.”

Sprite was shocked to say but she took his words to heart. “That’s a long speech Druig, I’m honored.” She added playfully. 

He stared at her making sure his words sunk in. Oh, it did. It meant a lot to her. But she wasn’t ready just yet. “Thank you.”

They both left and Sprite was alone. 

Although not for long as the door was knocked not five minutes after she closed it. She opened it, seeing her friends bringing another birthday cake and throwing confetti at her face.  

And her nightmares simply slipped from her mind. For now. 

Chapter Text

She’d gone to the past. No explanation, no possible reason or excuse to how she got here but here she was. Soaking wet, somewhere which was not where she was in a few mere minutes ago. One minute she was walking excitedly to Sersi—and now Dane’s—apartment to tell/surprise them that she was going to graduate college early and the next she was rolling down the side of a small hill right into a pond. 

Luckily being able to swim and the plus of the pond being not so deep, she easily got out. 

Taking a look at her surrounding she was definitely very much lost. Taking a look at herself, she found that her bag and everything that was on her besides her clothes were gone. She hurriedly looked back at the pond and groaned as she saw her bag floating among the green mush of moss. 

“Great. Lost my way and lost my phone. Just great.” 

She dug her foot back into the mud to try and salvage whatever was left of her floating bag. But before she could get far, someone took notice of her. 

“Are you okay?” It took all her willpower to not look back at who was talking because she knew perfectly well who it was. 

“Sersi, what are you doing? We must go back as soon as we can.” Sprite panicked as she heard another familiar voice that was setting off alarms in her head that told her this was a very bad situation. Very very bad. 

“But, Ajak look, she must be hurt.” Sprite could hear someone joining her as the water splashed with every step. 

Okay think sprite, possibly from the past Sersi is walking towards you and you may have grown up but they might still recognize you. Think!

As Sersi got closer, Sprite dived into the pond. Disgusted with herself as she rubbed as much mud as she could on her face and hair. She heard a yell of panic as her head broke the water’s surface.

“Are you okay?” She could feel two arms holding her—probably in case she slumped into the water again. 

Even after being covered with mud, she still wasn’t sure if she wouldn’t be recognized. So she laid all her weight at the green armored Sersi and pretended to cough as she buried her face on her shoulder,

Probably tracking mud all over the woman’s clothes. Sorry Sersi.

“Ajak! I think she’s hurt!” Another pair of arms took one of her hands as they walked to the edge of the pond. 

She vaguely heard Ajak telling Sersi to get something that would dry her up as the woman herself checked Sprite over. There wasn’t anything hurting, so she herself figured she was fine. Sprite froze up when Ajak came to look at her face. 

A warm familiar hand brought her messed up hair away from her face and cleared up the mud that was covering one of her eyes. 

“You have wonderful hair.” Of course, her bright-colored hair wouldn’t stay concealed. Although Ajak showed no sign of recognition besides the color of her hair. 

“One of my friends has hair like yours.” Sprite was confused as to why Ajak was talking to her so politely, softly, and slowly. But then she realized Ajak didn’t know her. To her, this grown-up sprite was just a human lost and not a member of her family that missed her so very much. The fondness and familiarity only came from Sprite’s point of view. Ajak only saw a stranger. 

Sersi came back not too long after and left again after being told by Ajak to go ahead of her. She would follow up along with Sprite. 

After trying her hardest to get the mud out of her shoes, Ajak’s voice startled her. 

“You’re not from here are you?” 

Sprite tried her best to look nonchalant and continued cleaning. “Why do you think that?”

As Ajak chuckled, she turned to face the older woman. 

“Your clothes don’t belong from this time.” She gestured at Sprite’s body and the shoe that was in her hand. 

“And you are not where you’re supposed to be.” She froze under the watchful eyes that used to look at her with care and love. 

Her suspiciousness alerted Sprite, and she realized. “That kind lady from before, you sent her to get your other friends didn’t you?” 

Ajak tilted her head. “And how do you know I have other friends?” 

Sprite had no answer and just sat in silence. She wasn’t wrong before when she said Ajak didn’t recognize her. She didn’t. But Sprite could see clearly that Ajak knew her. So she asked the question she dreaded. 

“Do I remind you of someone? One of your friends?” 

She held her breath as Ajak kept her gaze on her, unblinking. 

“I have a theory as to who you are. But I’m not sure if it’s true.” A pause. “No… I don’t know if I want it to be true.”

She could hear her own choked-up voice. “And what if it is?”

“Who are you?”

Sprite was sure you weren’t supposed to mess up the past but a part of her also wanted this Ajak to know who she was and treat her with the same kindness she would treat her past self. 

“I’m a storyteller.”

Ajak’s eyes teared up and Sprite knew she had broken at least one of the many rules of time traveling. 

She was engulfed in a hug and she groaned. “Ajak you’re going to get mud all over yourself.” 

Ajak of course didn’t listen as she took Sprite’s face into her hands and turned it side to side as if wanting to see every little bit of her face that held a resemblance to her face before. 

“Look at you! You’ve grown,” Excitement turned to horror “you’ve grown. Sprite what happened?!”

She was quick to calm her once leader. “I’m okay. A lot of things happened. But I’m okay,” when she didn’t look convinced Sprite added “and happy. Very happy.” 

“How are you here? Did the others come with you?” Ajak turned to look back to the lake.

“No. I’m here alone.” 

She pried the hands on her face away and Ajak cupped both of Sprite’s hands instead. “Tell me about the future.” 

Sprite snorted. “I’m pretty sure that’s violating time travel rule number one.” 

“Tell me how are the others doing. Are they okay? How are you doing??” Ajak pushed on. 

“We’re fine. Hey! We have movie nights at the very least once every few months.” Sprite excitedly told her. 

“And is everyone okay?” 

Sprite wondered if Ajak had mind-reading abilities along with her healing ones. There was no possible way Ajak would know they weren’t all- alive in the future or that she was dead herself. 

“Well if it hurts you to talk about them- us it’s fine.” At Sprite’s questioning glance she answered. “You’re not very good at keeping secrets Sprite. I can see it in how you keep avoiding looking at my eyes. I’m not- there in the future am I?” 

She could feel the tears slowly coming out of her eyes as she answered shakily, “No, you're not.” 

“Well. To be truthful I’m not worried about my death. I am worried about how you all will fare without me ‘mother-henning’ all of you to remember to eat for Arishem’s sake.” Ajak exclaimed.

Sprite laughed and added, “At least you never had to remind Druig that.”

They fell into heartfelt laughter all the while with tear-stained faces. 

As the minutes passed by she wondered if it was her who didn’t want to let Ajak go or if it was Ajak who didn’t want her to leave. But unlike when she arrived, this time she had a feeling that her time was up and she had to go back. 

Ajak seemed to feel it as well. “Can’t you wait until you meet the others? They finally won’t joke about your height anymore.” She teased.

Sprite replied. “Yeah, and mini-me will have a heart attack. Besides, I don’t think I’m the one controlling this time travel thing.”

She took one of her hands out of Ajak’s grasp to wipe her tears away. As she did that, she could see new droplets arising in Ajak’s eyes. Sprite chuckled and looked down at the hands that were holding hers. 

Softly she whispered. “I’m going to be alright. You can let me go now.” 

“I know, I’m so proud of you Sprite.”

A dream and many centuries later she stood in Sersi’s living room. One of her shoes missing and mud was still in her hair. Faintly she could still feel the phantom feeling of a motherly hand on her shoulder. 

“Sprite! What happened?! Your filthy!” Sersi went away probably searching for a towel. 

Sprite called out. “I think I need a new bag. And phone too!” 

“What? What happened to the ones you have?” Sersi came back and as she handed Sprite her towel she froze. 

“What?” Sprite asked. 

Sersi’s eyes glossed over. “Deja-vu.”

Chapter Text

Sprite took a moment to look at Druig’s unusually disheveled appearance.

“What is it like?” Druig turned to look at her, a look of annoyance on his face.

Sprite knew that a human’s dreams were based on their own specific lives. The things they see, hear or even want. She always thought of it as having land of one’s own. Honestly, with all the things she heard children say, she always thought it was not so different from her illusions. But on a much bigger scale and much more personal.

It sounded strangely amazing. And definitely something she wanted to experience if not for her eternal body preventing it.

Druig, like her, interacts with humans more frequently than the other Eternals. And with all the time he spent in their heads, she was certain he knew a thing or two about dreams.

“It’s not all pretty like you think Sprite. Be glad that Eternals don’t dream.” He went away from all the people so he could clear his mind and let his emotions settle. Yet here he was, bitterness in his voice and anger slowly rising.

“Oh come on! Are you sure that’s not just your pessimistic view on things? The children I met-”

He lashed out. “-Exactly! They’re children. Of course, I should’ve known you would just agree with them.”

Calm down, it’s just Sprite. She’s always like this. She’s just curious. Calm down.

He knew diving inside the mind of another always came with a risk. Usually, he would be careful, and efficient in his ways. But today he was already tired of all the deviant attacks, and terrified humans who always had to think too loud. When Ajak told him to help calm some humans he had wanted to refuse, knowing he needed rest.

But he had made an excuse to himself saying a little more wouldn’t hurt.

He had gone into that person’s mind and instead like he used to—Get in, give a command, and get out—he stayed a little longer. That was a fault on his side. Whatever happened next he didn’t remember. He just remembered flashes of memories going by. Which was normal if not for the fact he was feeling fear that was not his own. He would never tremble in fear to a single lone deviant. But in here it was less deviant and more of a monster of the mind.

He got out, but that same fear still settled in his heart. A nightmare.

And when he finally got a moment of peace and quiet to calm down, Sprite came by with all her innocence and was practically gleaming with the thought of a ‘dream’. Blabbering to him all the wonders that she heard about them.

He was angry, but more importantly, he was terrified. His hands trembled slightly from fear as a result of whatever he saw. And as he clenched his fists, he pretended that it was just a fit of rage. It wasn't.

And as he spoke, his voice held the slightest sign of breaking. There was a slight moment where a part of his mind thought it wasn’t wise to say words while in anger. But he was never known to hide his thoughts.

“The truth is, dreams are more terrors than happy fantasies. Moments of your life being replayed in your head, just so you could go through them again. The good and the bad. Now think Sprite. With the long life we’ve lived are you really sure you want to relive all that?”

For once, Sprite didn’t talk back, didn’t make sassy jokes, and didn’t yell. She sat quietly on the ground beside him. His form towered over her—when did he get up? Her eyes were glassy as her mouth opened and closed, forming words but not saying them. In the end, she stood up and left, uttering a quick sorry.

In the silence, Druig discovered that his anger - and, more importantly, his fear - had evaporated, and that guilt had taken its place.

Chapter Text

She could faintly hear Karun talking and asking her about her day at school. And honestly, she felt kinda bad for answering with a mere hmm or a grunt, but she was beyond exhausted. Her class had decided on this ‘school activity’ of cleaning their school and keeping the environment healthy. 

She and her classmates had spent the entire day picking up trash from one end of the school to the other. All of this, combined with the lack of breaks, made her feet feel non-existent.

She was more than relieved when the bell rang and Karun arrived to pick her up. He had apologized on Kingo’s behalf for not being there and made sure that Kingo would be at home later on. She told him not to mind and that it was okay even if he wasn’t. She didn't understand why he had to apologize when she knew just because Kingo was her legal guardian didn’t mean they were going to be together all the time. Besides, it gave her time to adjust to the new human life. 

She had rested her head against the car window for the span of the trip. The background noises of Karun's voice and the car radio were gradually washed away.

Kingo had planned to pick up Sprite from school, but business called, and once he was engrossed in his work and passion, he forgot about everything else.

Only realizing the time after his last fitting, he quickly called Karun to pick her up instead, since the man was closer to Sprite’s school and he didn’t want her to have to wait long. Fortunately, where he was now wasn't that far from home, and if he left now, he might arrive home at the same time as them, if not earlier.

He might have sped through a few red lights, but it was worth it. He knew even if Sprite never showed or never had the guts to say it, that she loved talking about her human life. To anyone who would listen. Even if she said her classes were boring or too easy, it wouldn’t stop her from babbling about them the whole evening. After everything that happened after the emergence, Kingo noticed that she really wanted to talk more with whatever was left of their small family. Most of the time she wouldn’t get the chance because they were busy or in another time zone. Sprite would say she was fine and dismiss every apology sent her way, but she should know that the other Eternals knew her better than that.

He stood up from his seat on the front porch as he noticed Karun's car approaching. The man himself was greeting him cheerfully as usual. When no ginger-haired 5-foot figure emerged from the car, Kingo got worried.

“Where’s Sprite?”

Karun moved his hand in a shushing motion and pointed to the back seat. “Don’t worry sir, she’s just asleep. I think she had a very busy day.”

Kingo walked around to the side of the car door, tempted to pull out his phone and take a picture of Sprite's face, which was pressed against the car window. Before he could think twice, he snapped a quick photo and handed over his phone to Karun.

He decided the best way to get Sprite out of the car was just to open the door. Hopefully, he was fast enough to catch her before she fell face-first onto the pavement. He could get her from the other side but getting her out that way would be too troublesome.

In the end, he figured out the best way by making Karun enter from the other side of the door and lift Sprite’s head while he opened this one. The ginger must have been very tired since she didn’t even move once while all that happened. When he made sure his arms would catch her form, he told Karin to let her go gently.

Sprite stirred a bit as he made to stand up, but she didn’t wake.

With the little troublesome brat he called his sister secured in his arms he strode towards the house. Karun followed closely behind. 

He guessed the storytelling will have to wait. 

Chapter Text

On his wobbly feet, the small toddler walked over to Sprite. She wondered if she should catch the boy if he fell or just like- let him learn his lesson or something. She didn’t get to decide when a small hand grabbed and yanked on the edge of her coat. 

“Woah! Aren’t you way too strong for a little boy?” She leaned over to the side following little Jack’s wishes. 

She drew the line when he started reaching for her hair. “Okay, yeah no. Let’s go over to the couch.”

She gingerly picked him up. Because her arms weren't strong enough to hold him on their own, she had to hold him close to her chest. She carefully moved the two of them over to the couch, looking over Jack's shoulder to ensure she didn't trip and fall.

Dropping him on the couch – gently, of course, she wasn’t a monster – she looked around for some toy that she could give him. After looking around the living room looking for toys that she couldn’t find – Phastos was still very organized it seemed. Considering he had an energetic little boy. 

She paced around the room and onto the next. Softly muttering. “Toys. Toys. Hmm, where would the toys be?” 

After a while, she gave up and remembered the boy she had left alone on the couch.

“Oh, shit.” She sprinted back towards the living room, which luckily was only a doorway away. 

Little Jack sat comfortably, holding a colorful slip of paper in his hands.

“Huh. Where did you get that from?” She sighed and plopped down beside him. “Well, little guy, I got no toys for you. Your dad says I shouldn’t use my powers around you but it would be fun if I did.” 

She took a peek out of the corner of her eyes and was met with unblinking eyes. 

“Okay fine! A few mini fireworks wouldn’t hurt anybody.” She opened up her palms to project colorful illusions but was stopped by a small palm fitting itself in her hold. 

She looked confusedly at the toddler. “You… don’t want fireworks??”

The toddler babbled a string of words that she assumed were made-up slurred words. But she lacked the patience to figure them out.

He gave Sprite a piece of paper with his other hand. “What do you want me to do with this???”

Sprite waited – more likely out of curiosity than patience – as Jack went to the other end of the couch and returned with what seemed to be a crumpled paper airplane.

“You want me to make paper airplanes when I can just show you the real thing??” 

He slapped the paper that was on Sprite’s hand in frustration – which she admitted was kind of cute – and pointed to one of the walls. She looked towards it and gasped with understanding s she saw a collage of some kind made from paper airplanes. It looked messy and didn’t really make a picture but it looked properly loved. As if it was made with care. 

She looked down. “Did you make that with your dads?” 

Somehow understanding her, Jack nodded and clapped his hands. It must be one of those family activities that Phastos talked about. Although if it was, then she wasn’t sure if she should add her own touch or part to it. 

She sat on the floor and laid her head on the seat of the couch so that now she was looking up at Jack. “You sure you don’t want to make these with your dads little guy?” 

The more amount of paper being dropped in front of her face was answer enough.

Laughing out loud with Jack, and making a mess, she lost track of time. 

The door swung open, both she and Jack froze. Although Jack immediately cried out in happiness when he saw his father. 

Looking at the many paper airplanes scattered around the living room and Phastos’s unreadable expression, she thought she had made a big mistake. 

“Sorry about the planes, to be fair, your son chose them over my amazing illusions.” 

Phastos waved her off and pointed a finger at her. “This,” he gestured at the living room “ is fine. I would’ve been angrier if you had used your powers.” 

She let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She mocked cooed at the boy now in Phastos’s arms. “Then thank you very much, my little savior.”

Her job was finished now that Phastos was back at home. She hastily gathered her stuff and prepared to leave.

One call from Phastos and she stopped. 

“Hey Sprite, thank you for watching over Jack.” She nodded. 

The seemingly awkward silence that followed was broken by Jack’s rumbling stomach. She couldn’t help but burst into laughter when she looked at Jack’s unphased face. To her surprise, Phastos was laughing with her. 

This feels nice. 

And it got even better when Phastos asked her if she’d like to stay for lunch. 

“I’d like that a lot.” 

Chapter Text

“For what it’s worth I like this one.”

“He has a name, it’s Dane.” 

“Well, then I like Dane.”

Seri completely stopped and turned to face Sprite, a hand on her hip. “Oh yeah?” She looked back at Dane who was sitting comfortably in the living room. Watching whatever show was on. “Why?”

She heard Sprite mumble a string of words, but she couldn’t quite hear them over the television’s noise. She leaned closer. “What?”

“He listens,” Sprite looked up at her “when I talk about how the museums are wrong about certain parts of history or when I talk about our fights against deviants-“

“-you told him about deviants?! Sprite!-“

Shushing her rising voice, Sprite looked over at Dane who was looking their way. Probably because of all the commotion.

Sersi quickly regained her composure and raised the glass in her hand towards him. Signing that they were almost done making coffee. She sent a reassuring smile his way and it seemed to convince him enough to continue watching the show. 

“It's not like he believes me. But he doesn’t wave me off you know? He..” Sprite trailed off finding a way to describe him. 

“..listens. Yeah, I get it.” Sersi’s face soften, and she looked down at the coffee brew she was slowly stirring. “He’s a very nice person.”

Sprite took a good long look at her sister. And something clicked. “Oh my- you really are in love aren’t you?? I thought you were joking?!” 

Sersi's face had a soft crimson flush to confirm it. Her sister was truly in love with this human. He was certainly nicer than many of the other humans Sprite had encountered over the centuries. The way he humors Sprite by listening to some of her unbelievable-by-human-standards stories already put him on her good side. 

But it wasn’t enough to convince her he was worthy juuust yet. 

She walked over to Dane and sat down beside him, leaving Sersi by the kitchen aisle. He was caught off guard, but he quickly made room and made sure he wasn't crowding her – more points from her – despite the fact that she was the one who had invaded his space.

Sprite could feel someone glaring at the back of her head. The feeling intensified when she looked Dane straight in the eyes and asked,

“So Dane, what are your intentions with my sister?”

A beat of silence. 

“I’m sorry, your what?!”

Chapter Text

The sound of the sirens and flashing lights didn’t worry her in the slightest. Instead, her heart thumped in her chest watching people patching up her friend, who was very much hurting. 

“Is- Is she okay?” Sprite tried to ask one of the people checking up on Stella. She tried standing up, but her throbbing shoulder wasn’t agreeing with her. It was sending warning pinpricks down her arm. 

She could hear Stella grunt out a reply. “I’m fine no thanks to you, dumbass.”

“Language!” She let out a breath of relief knowing that she was at least conscious enough to talk sass. Sprite was gently supported by a medic to sit by Stella's side on a stretcher after she refused to give up her attempts to get closer to her friend.

She cautiously prodded at her own shoulder that was black and blue, wincing. Turning to Stella, she grinned. “Oh, the others are definitely not going to believe that you, Stella, the definition of a golden child, crashed us into a tree.”

Stella groaned and hung her head. “Please don’t.”

“Don’t what? Don’t tell them? Too late for that.” She sing-songed and gestured to the small crowd of people moving fast around them. Surprisingly the ambulance got there pretty fast and luckily they weren’t heavily injured. Besides the few bruises and scratches, they were pretty much unscath-

Stella groaned in pain. 

Oh…. Stella’s wrist didn’t look right. Ouch. 

Sprite struggled to decide how she could help, and her hands ended up hanging in the air awkwardly over Stella’s figure. “We should really go to the hospital now.”

Stella snapped. “You think?”

Sprite put her hands in front of her, palms facing outwards. “Hey! I’m not the one who was driving. Don’t blame the passenger.”

“Yeah well if you weren’t picking a fight with me over the radio I wouldn’t have crashed us into a tree! Driver. picks. the. music. That’s like an unspoken rule, everyone knows that!” 

“It’s a stupid rule,” Sprite muttered. Guilt began to pool in her gut as she noticed her friend closing her eyes, most likely due to pain. “You’re right though. I was being dumb and you got hurt because of it-“

“Hey!” Stella’s face snapped up "You wallowing in your ‘pits of despair’ isn’t going to fix my hand so stop it. Besides, we were both fighting over the stupid radio so we’re both kind of in the fault here.”

She smiled at Sprite, and they both knew they had forgiven each other.  

“Sprite!” 

No. Oh no no no. 

She snapped her head towards Stella and saw her familiar teal phone lying next to her. “You called Ajak?!?”

Stella gaped and almost forgot about her injured wrist as she moved to grab Sprite’s forearm. “I- uh- I couldn’t find my phone and my parents are out of the city you know that!-“

“-So you took my phone and called Ajak?!? You could’ve called Sersi-“

“-Well sorry that I panicked and just called the last number you rang!” Her words got jumbled in the end as they were face to face with the only-5-foot-but-very-terrifying-when-she-wanted-to-be woman.

Stella and Sprite shrunk at the obviously fuming woman.

Ajak took a long look at the wreckage around them and raised an eyebrow. 

Deciding that the quicker the better, Sprite blurted out the first thing on her mind.  

“Honestly that tree came out of nowhere.”

Stupid. Answer. Not cool.

“Uh-huh, that tree, which is clearly on the side of the road?” She pointed at their battered up car.

Stella who was intimidated by Ajak – to be fair who wasn’t? - let out a small squeak of “Yep!”

Seeing Ajak disappointed at her was very much more hurtful than getting yelled at. 

Rubbing her forehead, Ajak let out a dejected sigh. “Don’t lie to me, were you two drinking?” 

She was met with two immediate yells of disagreement. They were both so loud that they drew the attention of a couple of people.

She calmed them down. “Alright, alright, tell me what happened.”

After a long explanation, Ajak’s disappointment faltered a little but didn’t disappear. 

“Honestly girls I thought you were wiser than this. Especially you, Sprite.”

“'m sorry” Her shoulders sagged.

Stella had been her most trusted and closest friend for the last few years, so it wasn't surprising when she discovered Sprite's family secret on her own. Her family of course had different opinions on her friendship, but in the end, whoever agreed and whoever did not, they all left the final decision to sprite and promised to stand by whatever she chose. Her choice of course was clear. She wanted a friend, and this time hopefully a lifetime friend. They'd been practically joined at the hip ever since.

Ajak had whispered an apology towards the girl that she couldn’t fully heal her broken wrist or else the medics were going to be suspicious. But she could lessen some of her pain. Which Stella profusely thanked her for. Sprite knew that Stella looked up to Ajak as much or even more than herself did. 

And she might’ve told Ajak that. 

Knowing that it was best if they got Stella checked out as soon as possible, Sprite stood up from the stretcher.  

“And where are you going?” She turned back around and faced her mother-like figure. 

“Stella still needs to get her hand fixed.” She gestured towards her friend who was already being hoarded towards an ambulance. 

Ajak softly laid her palm on Sprite’s bruised shoulder and she could feel the throbbing and soreness fade away. Knowing her shoulder was healed, she shrugged Ajak’s hand away. 

“What was that for? One of the medics already saw my shoulder, they’re going to notice!”

Ajak guided her towards the ambulance with a side-hug. Subtly covering her ‘injured’ shoulder. “No, they won’t, it was just a small injury.”

“Then why’d you heal it?”

Being pressed up to the side of her body, Sprite could feel Ajak shake with laughter. 

“Call it a mother’s instinct.” 

Chapter Text

Eros had been living in the domo for quite some time, but it didn't change the fact that he was often lost. Wandering aimlessly through the ship's halls with Pip, he quickly lost track of where he needed to go.

“So…was it a left, left, then right or the other way around pip?”

Looking at his small companion, he was only given a shoulder shrug

Knowing the warrior Goddess Thena wouldn’t like him being late to the meeting they were to have with the others, he quickened his pace. He would really like to stay on her good side.

He kept walking, trusting his instincts until something caught his eye. One of the rooms' doors was ajar. He could just make out the mound of books leaning against the wall.

“Sir?” Pip was calling back at him a few steps ahead. 

Eros considered ignoring the room entirely. But he was already late and a few more minutes probably won’t change a thing. 

He made a motion for pip to go on ahead. 

Left alone, he slowly walked towards the opened door. Now that he was closer, he could see that there were small trinkets littered among the books. Getting more intrigued by the moment, he pushed the door open fully. 

Inside was a messy array of what he suspects were keepsakes of one of the Eternals. He tried to match the belongings inside with each of the Eternal friends he has met. The stacks of books he associated with either Druig or Makkari since the two (couple?) always seemed to be holding a book whenever they had nothing to do. 

He didn’t find anything that would say that any of these belonged to Thena until his foot brushed over a small weapon of sorts. Picking it up, he realized it was rather small to be the warrior goddess’s choice of weapon. 

A tap on his shoulder nearly made him knock the dagger to the ground. Makkari, who he almost forgot was a speedster, had found him and was sweeping her gaze around the room. Finally, she fixed her sights on his hands, and the weapon cradled within his grasp.

Being around them for more over than a year now, he luckily learned quickly of Makkari’s way of communicating. So his eyes turned wide as he was told he wasn’t supposed – although he heard the underlying command of not being allowed to be there. 

“Sorry, I seemed to have lost my way.” He replied sheepishly. 

‘It’s alright.’ 

Although her actions contradicted what she said as she took the dagger from his grip and ushered him out of the room. As the door closed behind them, Eros couldn't help but wonder.

“Is- Was that someone’s room?” 

He couldn't see her expression as she turned her back to him, and he was almost certain she hadn't seen him ask. He decided to drop the topic of conversation and strolled slowly behind the speedster woman as she walked at a steady pace. He was sure that the room and its previous occupant would remain a mystery to him. But that appeared to be untrue when Makkari came to a complete stop in front of him. Without any kind of sign or warning. She spun to face him; the dagger now secured on her belt. 

‘An Eternal used to live there. One of us. A family member, Sprite’

The way she explained to him made him think that this ‘Sprite’ could be one of the Eternals that was lost. But when he asked Makkari just that, the answer was no. 

‘She isn’t gone. Not yet.’ 

She continued, sternly looking at him. 'You're lucky I found you instead of Druig or Thena. They would not have taken it so…. lightly. It's best to stay away from here. That room will be reserved solely for Sprite. But until she returns, no one' – he could tell she was referring to him in particular – 'is allowed to disturb it.'

“Yes, of course.” He made a mental note to remember the way so that he wouldn’t accidentally stumble back. 

Maybe not now, maybe never, but if given the chance, he'd like to meet Sprite.

Chapter Text

She couldn't bring herself to accept her family's forgiveness no matter how many times they said it. It broke her heart every time she had to look at Sersi smiling and just being Sersi. Sprite couldn't even stand behind the woman without looking somewhere other than her back. She had to constantly stop her hands from reaching forward, trying to feel a shadow of the wound that was once there. And it still would be, if Sersi was a normal human being.

Thank Arishem that she wasn’t.  

Sersi was an eternal. And alive because of it. Sprite’s mind was already a constant whirlwind of emotions because she had  stabbed  Sersi. She didn’t know if she could’ve taken it if she had  killed  her.

Sprite didn’t understand. 

Maybe it was because she had spent too many years as a child, but she didn't think she should be feeling this way. She was the one who stabbed her own family in the back, and now she was the one having nightmares as a result of her own actions. She was naive to believe that those who had to relive these bad moments were only those who were hurting and not those who had hurt others.

On the other hand, she wanted to feel this way. She would’ve hated herself more if she had just forgiven herself and moved on as if nothing happened. 

Though it didn’t seem to be a problem for her family. 

They moved on, returned to their normal lives, and perhaps the most difficult part for her to understand was,

They returned to treating her as if she were one of their own.

She’d get a “have a good day at school!” from Kingo, Karun warmly asking her various questions on their way to and back from school and quite frequent phone calls from the others. The most difficult parts were when Sersi and Dane came to visit, and Sprite had to look Sersi in the eyes and be scooped up into one of the most heartfelt hugs she had ever experienced.

She’d be fine for the first few hours but then she’d have to excuse herself, saying she got homework and assignments she couldn’t procrastinate on any longer. But then Sersi’s brief visits started turning into longer week-long ones, and Sprite would ask Kingo to let her stay over at Stella’s house. Spitting excuses that she had promised her best friend to come over, or that she would have more focus studying for the midterms if she stayed over in a less busy household.

Going over to Stella’s didn’t help as she would still feel  wrong .

She thought asking for forgiveness would solve everything, but it didn’t. Not when Sersi didn’t even let her finish her apology but quickly stopped her, repeating again and again that she had nothing to apologize for and that all was forgiven. Sprite would put on a tight-lipped smile and go back to Stella’s house when all she wanted to do was scream at Sersi’s face.

Stop it ! You’re not  helping  me!

Stella didn’t know in the slightest what Sprite had done. Probably thinking it was something trivial that often happened between family members. But she didn’t belittle her, or her frequent apologies. Not even knowing what it was that Sprite was apologizing for. And not being able to forgive her for it. 

It went on for quite a while till it was almost as if she was living in  Stella’s  house and had sleepovers in her own. 

One day she went home to pick up some school things she needed while Sersi and Dane were away visiting Kingo in one of his new movie sets. 

She was caught off guard when Druig was the one opening the door and not Karun- as he was more often than not, always at home.

“Druig, what are you doing here?” She asked, eyeing him up and down. 

“Makkari wanted to see Kingo’s new movie in the making.” He answered. He didn’t make any move to get out of the way so Sprite maneuvered herself to slip past him. 

Before she could get far, he called out to her. “Still running away?”

She looked back at him. “No one’s running away.” 

He hummed. “You are.” 

“No, I’m not.” She huffed. 

“Really? Cause I heard you haven’t been home for a long while and now I see you sneaking back home-“

“-I wasn’t sneaking-“ 

 “-You need to  talk  Sprite. Unlike me, the others can’t just understand what you’re thinking. But they’re surely getting better at reading you. They  know  you feel guilty sprite.  We  know. It's hard not to notice when you won’t even  look  at me even now!”

She raised her head as the volume of his voice increased at the end. Noticing her alertness, he forced himself to relax as he leaned back on the wall beside the still-opened door. 

Taking a deep breath, he continued. “But unlike them, I don’t understand the point of teetering between confronting you or giving you time when it’s clear that giving you time is doing no good whatsoever.”    

So, he was here to confront her. Which was both something she wanted and dreaded at the same time. 

She knew deep down opening up would hurt like hell, but it would do her good in the long run. But, running away would be  so much more easier….

“There’s nothing to talk about.” She moved to go upstairs.

He caught her elbow. His voice sounded cold as he told her, “I was there remember? I was there when you  stabbed  Sersi.” 

She choked and gaped at Druig. Never before had she heard what she had done spoken aloud –  because everyone else seemed to avoid the subject.  She felt like crying but Druig wouldn’t let her go, and she had too much stupid pride in her to completely break down in front of him. 

Opposite to what she wanted before, she felt the need to defend herself. “I already said sorry-“ 

“An apology isn’t enough for what you did.” 

But she was  forgiven.

“-Sersi forgave me- “

“-Of course, she did. Even if you had destroyed the earth with your actions, she would have forgiven you. She’s Sersi. But you were  cruel  Sprite. You betrayed us. You  hurt  us.”

She could feel the tears now freely running down her face. “I’m sorry.”

Without missing a beat Druig replied sharply. “Sorry isn’t enough.” 

But she was  forgiven!

A sob escaped her mouth, and her knees gave out. But she found herself falling gently to the ground, as Druig kept a hold on her forearm. He continued. The softness in his voice, a contrast to his tone before. “But you knew that already, didn’t you? You don’t  want  to be forgiven because it isn’t  enough . Enough for Sersi maybe, but not for me,”

She was outright wailing at this point, and she couldn’t make out Druig’s figure through her wall of tears. Maybe he was scowling at her. Maybe he hated her. Maybe he wasn’t looking at her at all. 

But his next words brought a pause to her cries. “…and it isn’t enough for you.”

She doesn’t  want  to be forgiven. Not yet.

She could hear Druig’s tired sigh as he let go of her arm and settled somewhere in front of her. 

“Forgiveness goes both ways Sprite. Mainly it goes to the one who’s giving forgiveness, yes, but it is necessary for the one asking for it to accept it too.”

Sprite had hurt mainly Sersi, in a physical way. But she had hurt the others just as badly. Had bluntly left without a word goodbye and didn’t even once turn her back. 

Before she could stop herself, she had already uttered another apology towards him.

“I can’t truly forgive you if you yourself don’t want to be forgiven, Sprite.” He answered. 

“Think about that before you give out any more apologies,” he stood up and offered his hand to help her “now get up and sit on the couch or somewhere. For a ‘movie star’, Kingo’s house floors are filthy.”

She took it. 

Chapter Text

Sprite struggled to not just bail and disappear. The human boy tattling behind her just could not take a hint. Even though she had not-so-subtle-y changed direction for the last half-hour to lose the guy. He kept blabbering on about his life and trying to pick at hers. 

She didn’t even know how many lies she had thrown to his face. She was pretty sure they weren’t even talking about the same topic. The man throws her what could be the hundredth question since she met him.

 “Huh? Yeah.” She answers absentmindedly, her eyes focusing on the traffic light. Seriously considering to just throw herself into traffic. 

He didn’t seem like a bad person, maybe a bit snot-nosed, but pretty much a normal teenage boy. It still didn’t mean that she had the time nor patience to humor or babysit him. 

When the light turned bright neon green she stepped forward to blend with the crowd. Which turned out unsuccessful as he was still in her line of sight when she came out on the other side of the street. 

Drastic measures it is then. She sighed. 

She raised her hand and was about to disappear with a twirl of her wrist when a hand closed around it. 

“Kingo…” She stated. Half relieved and half annoyed that he just took her escape route away from her. Although he might’ve just presented her with a new one. 

Sprite put on her act towards the befuddled Kingo as the two of them were approached by the unrelenting stranger. She was chatting with him animatedly, rambling on about whatever came to mind. The other eternal was taken aback to see her acting friendlier than usual. But his concerns were allayed when he noticed Sprite standing a little behind him, as a boy – perhaps in high school? – approached them. Was he bothering her? The stranger didn’t look threatening-ish. 

He didn’t budge as the boy tried to look over his shoulder to where Kingo knew Sprite was hiding. 

Summoning his acting spirit, he faced the boy. “Who are you?” He tried to keep a friendly tone to his voice, as he didn’t know why the boy came up to them. Maybe he was just asking for directions. Though it seemed unlikely by the way he kept ignoring him and instead kept trying to get the attention of the smaller eternal. 

So far, Sprite’s plan had not worked as she thought it would. She had thought maybe if the boy – sheesh she didn’t even know his name – saw her with someone she knew, then he would leave her alone. Like seriously, what did he find so interesting about her? 

It didn’t help that Kingo didn’t seem to be getting rid of the boy and instead just stood there staring. She nudged her elbow into his side. Hopefully signaling that she wanted to get out of there, preferably now. 

Throwing a “What the-“ glare over his shoulder, when the menace of a younger sibling stabbed his side with her sharp bony elbow, he stepped forward a bit. Forcing the one in front of him to turn his attention to him.

“Do you have some kind of business with uh-“ he turned back to Sprite knowing that she, most of the time didn’t use her real name. 

Sprite mouthed her current name at him.

“-Do you have any business with Sandra?” He asked him. 

The boy seemed annoyed at first but schooled his expression to that of a nonchalant teenager. “No, Sandra and I go to the same school and I was just showing her around the city.”

Sprite snorted. More like herding her around the city.

Kingo cocked his brow. The kid was a terrible performer. Even Karun could come up with a more compelling excuse than that. "Well, thank you," he said as he threw an arm around Sprite's shoulder and silently snickered at the illusionist's face, which alternated between 'Get your fucking arm off me' and 'Gotta play into the act.'

“But my little sister and I need to go home-“

He was cut off. “-you have a brother?? I thought you said you were an only child-“

Irritated, Kingo continued and answered in Sprite’s stead. “We need to go home where our 8 older siblings are waiting.” Technically Ajak was more of a mom than an older sibling, but it was worth it for the astounded look on the boy’s face. 

Without waiting for the stranger to recover, Kingo tugged Sprite away. 

Sprite still had her head turned back. “What’s his problem with siblings anyway?”

“Don’t know, don’t care.” 

Looking up at Kingo, she squinted her eyes. “Are the others really here?” 

The smile was wiped off his face. “Uh- no.”

Sprite shrugged off the arm that was still slung over her shoulder. She huffed, walking forward. 

“Of course not. We haven’t had a reunion in centuries, why start now?”

Chapter Text

“Sprite?” 

The light-voiced response was undeniably Sersi's. Great. What was she going to say about this? She quickly interrupted before Sersi could ask any more questions, deciding to postpone that small problem for later.

“Yeah hi, Sersi, uhm.. is Makkari there?” She did a horrible job of attempting to sound calm. She felt quite the opposite, and it showed.

“Everything okay Sprite?” 

“Everything’s great,” she tried leaving the bite out of her voice “what about Makkari? Is she there?” 

A pause and Sersi answered. “Yes, she is. What do you need her for?” 

Here comes the difficult part. “Can you ask Makkari to pick me up?” she added, “please.”

By the sound of her quiet chuckle, Sprite could already picture Sersi smirking on the other side. “Sprite, what did you do?”

The phone was silent for a few moments until a heavy sigh flowed through. “I may or may not have spent all my money buying- something. Now I don’t have enough money to get there. And don’t you dare say I should just walk! I will not put my way-too-short legs through all that suffering, so please can you just ask Makkari to pick me up?” 

Sersi was going a slight shade of red from holding in her laughter. But, not wanting to leave the poor Eternal out in the snow any longer, she notified the speedster. After a quick few signs and a curious gaze from Makkari, she returned to the phone.

“Makkari’s on her way, and good luck explaining things to her.” She chuckled.

She heard Sprite’s little appalled “Argh!” before the line cut off. 

Chapter Text

“What are you doing with that snake?”

With the way he spat the word, she would’ve taken offense. But in this case, she figured he wasn’t speaking metaphorically as there was, in fact, a snake wrapped around her upper arm and perched its rather cute little snout on her shoulder.

“Found this little guy on the side of the road and with all the talk of Jack wanting a pet I thought..” She purposely left the ending vague to gauge the reaction she’ll get.

“No.” The answer she got was a firm one and she knew there was no changing Phastos’s mind. Poor Jack though, she was pretty sure the little rascal would’ve gotten along well with – Slinky? Slimy? Got to figure out a name soon. 

She shrugged her shoulders and turned to walk away, the snake moving across the back of her neck to the other side. “Okay then, guess I get to keep this one for myself. Say hi to Jack and Ben for me.” She yelled as a farewell.

“Hey- What- Wait! I don’t think Sersi would let you keep it either!” Sprite could hear the shout behind her.

She threw back a “Not if she doesn’t know!”

“She’ll definitely know!”

A scream sent her speeding up the stairs skipping almost the first few steps entirely.

“Don’t kill it!” Was the first thought that came to her mind.

She was met with Sersi’s incredulous stare. “Of course, I wasn’t going to kill- Sprite! Why is there a snake in our house?!” The warm feeling of Sersi calling it their home bloomed and Sprite had to physically stop herself from looking dumbstruck and focused back on the problem at hand. Which was currently slithering down her bed and onto the floor.

Gently laying her palm on the floor, the snake climbed up her arm and settled itself in its usual spot on her shoulder. Looking back to Sersi, she realized she didn’t answer the woman’s question.

“It was supposed to be a gift for Jack, but then Phastos didn’t allow-“

“-for Jack?!”

Sprite groaned. “-Yes. Why is everybody freaking out?” She grasped the slimy little animal and positioned it so that it was cradled in her hands. “It's not that big and it's not even poisonous!”

“How do you know it’s not poisonous?”

“Googled it.”

“Seriously Sprite don’t do that. You’re supposed to discipline it. ”

Sprite looked up towards Sersi, a small head following suit. Slimy – the name she thought fitted the sometimes-insufferable beast – was perched on her shoulder and the little animal raised its head as sprite offered it a piece of meat from her plate. One that quickly disappeared with a snap of its mouth.

“She’s not bothering anyone.”

Sersi huffed. “She’s bothering me. I can’t eat peacefully with a snake in front of my face.”

“Fine.”

Chapter Text

Not wanting to get up from bed was a dilemma she faced pretty often every morning. What was uncommon was not being able to get up from bed. Sprite could feel her back sticking to the bed because of sweat. It felt like a ton of bricks were placed on her chest as she heaved a breath of air into her lungs. As she heaved a breath of air into her lungs, it felt like a ton of bricks were placed on her chest. It felt even stranger when she had to open her mouth instead of breathing normally through her nose.

The coming headache didn’t help. “Ow, my head..” Her voice sounded all wrong too. 

She tried turning her head to the side to check her phone. But she realized quite late that her hand wasn’t reaching across. Feeling like in a dream she struggled to raise her arm. 

“Argh!” Her efforts made no success and she tried to relax her body. Emphasis on the ‘relax’ as the pounding on her head made her feel as if her whole body was shaking. 

It was way too hot this morning. The blanket that usually protected her from cold was now thoroughly despised by her. She didn’t try or bother to wriggle out from under her covers when she knew her body was hardly handling the most basic action of breathing. 

“ - ’jak..” Even mumbling seemed to take way too much effort. “Ajak..” If just somehow she could get the attention of the Eternal leader maybe she could be cured. A simple cold couldn’t do anything against Ajak’s regeneration powers. She just had to- 

“Why do humans get sick so easily, Ajak? I get that it happens and their body adapts, learns, and becomes stronger afterward, but it makes them so frail. I know we, Eternals, are not the same as humans but I thought with the similarities we share-” Ajak cut through her train of words.

“As the humans say it, Sprite, we are simply ‘built differently’ ”

Oh right, Eternals didn’t get sick. She wasn’t an Eternal. Not since the Emergence- 

Somehow she found it in herself the ability to cry and burst into sob-filled laughter.

There was no use waiting, nor calling for Ajak. Ajak was dead. She wasn’t coming to help. 

Facing upwards she tried to blink out the tears that were gathering in her eyes and blocking her vision. She had to stop crying before her nose became snot-filled and it became harder to breathe. Trying to focus on the ceiling she realized she recognized that dark color. Her mind was still a blur but she knew a place with a dark ceiling. Wasn’t Sersi’s apartment-

Sersi was stuffing various medicine into her already filled suitcase. “Sersi enough!”

“No trust me you’ll need these. You’re human now Sprite, you’re going to get sick. I know for sure Kingo knows probably zero about caring for ill children so I'm preparing beforehand. Are you sure you don’t want to stay with me and Dane-“

Sprite jumped up from her perch on the sofa and caught both of Sersi’s hands. “I’m not a child. I can figure it out. And no I’m not going to stay with you and Dane. I don’t think it’ll be right after-” Her eyes went against her will and glanced at Sersi’s abdomen. 

Sersi – ever the perceptive one – caught her line of sight and grabbed both her cheeks in her hands. “Enough of that! I forgive you and I always will. You’re welcome to stay with us..”

She smiled a teary smile and shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”

She wasn’t at Sersi’s. But maybe she should’ve stayed with Sersi. Maybe she could’ve done something, or at least known sooner. Instead, she had stayed with Kingo and had to wait in confusion and fear for the actor that never made it home. 

Kingo wasn’t there, neither was Sersi, or any other Eternal for that matter. 

As her mind cleared enough for the realization to kick in, the tears started to fall freely. She could feel some of them pooling on her earlobes and then falling to the pillow. Crying only made breathing harder and the pounding on her head louder. 

Funny that it wasn’t the pain from the state of her body that made her cry, 

it was the fact that she finally realized for the first time since losing her family that she was very not fine.  

And she wished she was. 

Chapter Text

Sprite had been eyeing her brother for quite a while. At first, it was only because her eyes scanned the bar and she briefly stopped to see what he was up to. Her gaze stayed when she realized he wasn’t looking so good. Granted, he always seemed to have that permanent scowl of his whenever he’s somewhere crowded. This time he looked kind of, uneasy? 

Sprite - with the help of her illusion of course – looked older and whether by coincidence or not, she bore an almost similar appearance to Druig. She had his dark hair although a bit lighter, and her eyes were the same shade. If seen side by side, they could very easily pass as siblings. 

As Druig turned away, Sprite tried to look at what he was avoiding. 

Sprite almost snorted at the sight of a woman making her way toward Druig. By how she was moving her hips, it didn’t look like she was going to ask for directions. At first, she wanted to know how things would turn out. She watched as the woman sat down across the table, and finally got Druig’s attention. Although by the frown on his face, it seemed like she wasn’t making a very great first impression. 

Sprite turned to the people she was conversing with. “Excuse me, I think my brother needs my help.” She heard faint murmurs behind her but paid no mind. 

She had to stop herself from sprinting when Druig’s eyes started to have a faint glow of gold in them. Reaching them in record time without running, she sidled up right behind the woman. Unnoticed just yet.

Druig, on the other hand, could see her very clearly. As their eyes met, she still saw the faint glow in his pupils. Ajak wouldn’t like it if Druig controlled any innocent – though she doubted this specific woman was innocent at all based on how her eyes scanned Druig's body.. - humans. 

Knowing that he could lip-read, Sprite mouthed, I’ve got this. She was met with a raised eyebrow, and a doubtful look, but the golden glow of his eyes slowly faded away. 

She tapped the woman’s shoulder and could immediately feel her ice-cold stare. She could pretty much guess she wasn’t going to be welcomed warmly. And she was proven correct. “And who are you? Are you a waiter or something? We don’t want anything.” 

Her high-pitched voice almost made Sprite snort. But she wasn’t rude – most of the time – so she held her sweet impish smile.  

She had prepared her story. She was Druig’s younger sister, and she was simply worried about her brother, she was also tasked with being the sober driver – that would probably earn a scoff from Druig. But before she could utter her lie, she was beaten to it. 

“Sprite, there you are, let’s go.” He stood up from his seat and stood ready to go by her side. He knew not to touch her, as not to ruin her illusion. To be honest, Sprite was a bit pissed that Druig didn’t leave it to her even after she told him she would handle it. But at least he wasn’t going to mind-control the woman, so that’s one success she could claim. 

Smiling tightly, Sprite nodded towards the woman and went to go out Before she turned, she noticed the woman moving to grab her out of the corner of her eye. Worried about compromising her illusion, she swerved out of the way. That turned out unnecessary as Druig placed himself in between the two of them. 

“My sister and I are leaving, and it would do you good to stay out of our way.” By the tone of his voice Sprite was sure anyone who heard would know it was a threat. Apparently, it didn’t deter the woman at all. 

Even with her illusioned self, Sprite was still roughly the same height as she was before, maybe a little bit taller. She leaned to look over Druig’s shoulder. The woman still had that look of thinking she had a chance at winning over Druig. 

Too bad for her, that chance has already been taken. And by someone waaay more qualified for Druig as far as Sprite was concerned. 

As the woman kept throwing glances at Druig, Sprite just had about enough. “Could you stop looking at my brother like you’re going to eat him or something?! I can assure you he’s not dense, he just doesn’t like you. So take the hint and move on woman! Geez!” Her rising voice, unfortunately, turned a few heads, but at that point, she didn’t really care. Let them hear. She brushed Druig’s back slightly with her elbow to signal that it was probably a good time for them to get the hell out of there.   

Sprite burst out laughing and nearly doubled over as they exited the building. As she caught her breath, she froze as she heard the clear low sound of laughter. Her mouth hung open. 

Druig was laughing. That was weird. Not wanting to make him feel awkward by her sudden silence, she made the move of wiping her eyes – which were watery over how hard she laughed – and her laughter returned in the form of giggles. But this time, it was because she never thought her stoic-like brother could ever laugh like that. Rarer so, in front of her. She felt a little bit smug. Of course, she knew he probably laughed like that all the time in front of Makkari. But she didn’t want to top Makkari in Druig’s ‘list of people he laughed in front of’ anyway. She was definitely telling Makkari when she sees her again. 

By the time her giggles stopped, Druig’s face had no sign of laughter left on it. Although she swore she could see a faint sign of something else…

She dared to believe it was pride. 

Chapter Text

Her breath was turning ragged as she kept up her running pace. Stella fortunately still kept up beside her. They ran through the school hallways, Sprite already hearing the shrieks of her schoolmates echoing against the walls. She shut her eyes and kept running. Shouting to Stella to not look back and stop. The others would be fine. This deviant was different, it wouldn’t attack them. It was looking for her. 

Her head snapped to the side, wide eyes taking in her best friend's messy state.

And now they were after Stella too. 

Sprite found the human heart to be extremely irritating. It would, at the worst times, force them to do very stupid things for the people they cared about. Such as putting themselves in danger by getting the attention of a deviant from their Eternal best friend. Well, former Eternal.  

Stella, of course, had no idea what she was. Nobody at school did. That made things easier and simpler. That was, until her way of thinking put her closest friend in danger.

“There!” Sprite pointed at the opened classroom at the end of the hallway. The doors looked sturdy enough to at least keep the deviant at bay for a while until she figured something out. She basically yanked Stella through the doorway and shut the doors, immediately looking for something to use as a barricade. 

Luckily, because of all the time they spent together, she and Stella basically shared the same brain at this point. She was already busying herself by pushing the teacher’s desk towards the doors. Sprite ran over to help her out. The loud thuds of footsteps skidding in the hallway alerted her of the deviant, which was approaching fast. “Get away from the doors!!” 

The doors shook roughly upon impact and the two girls screamed in terror and shock. 

“Hurry, Sprite, think, think!!” She wracked her brain for a stalling solution. Her family – the other Eternals – already knew of the attack. The first thing she did was notify them. All she had to do now was keep Stella and herself alive until they got here. 

A plan came to mind, but it came with a risk. A risk she didn’t want to take. 

The doors shook again, the hinges almost falling off. Even the walls around them were cracking. 

She took Stella's hand in hers and led her to the far corner of the classroom. It was a good slightly hidden spot among the many student desks and chairs. Sprite drew her attention as they crouched in the corner. “Okay, I have a plan, but you have to promise me that whatever happens you will close your eyes and stay quiet. Can you do that?”

“What- What do you mean?! Why-” 

“Stella, just do as you’re told.” She snapped, checking back at the doors. Seeing the almost broken barricade, she faced her again. “Promise me.”

There was a bit of hesitation before she agreed. “Okay.” 

“Okay,” Sprite repeated after her, relieved. But then the doors broke open. “Now! Close your eyes, now!!” Before she took her gaze away, she heard Stella let out a frightened squeak but otherwise followed her orders. 

She dashed to the side of the doors. Her back was pressed up against the wall. Just as the deviant broke through the barricade, she cast a light illusion over Stella, making her vanish from view. She took slow, deep breaths as she watched the deviant turn its head, surveying the room. It was purposefully plunging through the class. Trying to lure out its prey. Sprite was surprised – almost worried that there was no sound coming from the hidden corner. But she knew Stella was there. If she focused, she could see the strewn papers slightly shifting because of her movements. 

The deviant getting too close for her liking, Sprite set her plan into motion. 

She created the illusion of fog gathering in the room. The thin cloud created a new terrain in her favor. As expected, the deviant began searching frantically for a way out.

She concentrated, her hands set in front of her, and carefully shaped her next illusion. This needed to be as authentic as possible. She could gradually make out the outline of its form shaping, and then she heard the thuds of its feet. She felt her energy dwindling. Good thing that the hard part was already halfway done. 

Now, it was time to spring the trap. Taking one of the thick history books from the floor, she tossed it hard against the chalkboard. The impact caught its attention, and the deviant lunged blindly in her direction.

It stopped abruptly at the looming sight of the illusion she had made. A perfect copy of a deviant – No. The deviant. The one who evolved and slaughtered members of her family. It seemed her powers were greater than she thought, as she watched the illusion slowly trudge forwards. The real deviant, seeming very small in comparison. Maybe because of fear, respect, or maybe even genetic differences, the real deviant cowered at the sight of her Kro-illusion.

She has snapped away from her frozen state when a blur suddenly passed easily through her illusioned surrounding. It happened too quickly for her to process properly, but the next thing she knew the deviant was gone and there was a massive hole on the side of her classroom. Sprite was about to peer over the broken wall when she was pulled swiftly into familiar arms. 

“Makkari.” She sighed in relief. Resting her weight on the speedster a bit when the adrenaline started wearing off. She didn't know how long they stayed that way, but it was long enough for her heart to stop pounding against her chest. Although, she turned sharply to look at the one holding her when she felt the arms around her tighten. The woman was looking toward her not yet dispelled illusion. It stood frighteningly still as if awaiting orders. 

She waved her hand and the dreadful creature disappeared.  

Along with it, the illusion she placed around the room slowly broke down. She whirled around quickly, remembering her friend. Only to find her standing not a few steps away. She jolted out of Makkari’s hold and went to check if Stella was fine. She stopped when she saw her face. Both eyes were wide in shock and uncertainty.

“No..” her heart sunk as she watched what akin to fear in her eyes “Stella, I-”

Her heart broke even more when she reached out and her best friend took a step back. Her hands outstretched, putting up a barrier between herself and Sprite. Before her mouth could utter a word, her eyes glow golden and fluttered close. Makkari caught her as she sagged to the ground.

Sprite swiveled around – the amount of energy she spent causing her to teeter a bit – towards the sight of Druig walking into the ruins of the classroom. His gaze was on the unconscious human in Makkari's grasp, but it flitted to her as she struggled to regain her balance. His eyes narrowed, silently daring her to say she was fine. 

Sprite knew better and instead asked what he had done to Stella. 

A second of silence made her think he wasn’t going to let it go, but he eventually answered. “She’s fine. Just asleep.” 

Walking up to them, he explained the situation. “I’ve dealt with all the others. As far as they’re concerned, a deviant went on a rampage and their school was the unfortunate collateral damage. Also, that some superheroes had dealt with it.” He continued flatly. “Shouldn’t be too suspicious with all the new heroes and vigilantes appearing. Nothing will be tied to you. You could even still stay in this school if you wanted to,” he turned towards her, his eyes still sharp “but I’d advise against it. You’d put all the other humans in danger.” He waved absentmindedly towards the school around them, but she knew he meant Stella. She agreed that she couldn’t stay in this school anymore. 

She gazed at the sleeping girl leaning heavily against Makkari. Then looked up at Druig, her mind coming up with a decision. 

Like always, he already knew her thoughts before she said them out loud. “Sprite- “ 

She cut him off before he could change her mind. “-can she keep her memories?” Her voice came out softer and less convincing than she wanted it to. 

Druig released a tired sigh. “Are you sure? You know how these things always end. Not to mention it would be selfish of you.” Same old Druig, never sugar-coating his words. 

“I know Stella. It’d be much crueler to her if I just wiped her memories and left.” She stated. “Besides I’m human now,” he grimaced at her words, she knew he hated the reminder “things will be different this time.” 

He didn’t seem convinced, and she knew he was going to disagree. Suddenly feeling very tired, she pleaded. “At the very least let Stella choose herself when she wakes up. Please?”

Accepting her words, he left Stella intact with her memories. After moving the sleeping girl to the infirmary, Makkari and Druig left. Not before pushing and prodding her to get herself treated for her minor injuries or at least rest. Using her powers – which is very not good for her human body – took a toll on her. But she wanted to be the first to explain what had happened and the choice she had to give her best friend. She dreaded the answer, but she knew whatever it was, she’ll accept it. It was the least she could do. For the chance of having her friendship. 

Chapter Text

Nobody had seen Druig in decades, if not centuries. He was alone, out there somewhere. Sprite had a sneaking suspicion that Makkari had already found him and was simply respecting his wishes. But darn him and his wishes. 

As she trudged through the forest, the only thing on her mind was what she would say once she found the elusive mind-controlling Eternal. Whether to be mad at him or apologize for not seeking him out sooner. Her feet dragged across the forest floor. Cuts and scratches spread out all over her body. None of them were lethal of course; she knew better. But even as an Eternal, her body still had her limits. 

As she caught sight of the village and the people roaming around, she quickened her steps. Her breath running more ragged, and her body movements stiffer. Eyes kept watch on her as she walked up the building in the middle of the village, she was certain that her Eternal brother colleague was there. She managed to bring herself up to the doors with only stumbling once or twice. When she raised her hands to knock, the doors were pulled open from the inside. Shocked, she looked up and was faced with angered eyes – she expected that – which swiftly turned into unexpected concern. The creases in the corner of his eyes showed slight panic that didn't suit his stoic self.  

Her energy was spent on the journey, and her mind was unsure of why she went there in the first place, only that she needed to find him. He was alone. 

“Found you.” She weakly uttered before slumping into readied arms and her eyes fluttered close. 

Chapter Text

She felt guilt all the way to the deepest pit in her heart. If she could even call it that. She had no intention of meeting or going back with the other Eternals. No. She didn’t deserve to. So she ran. She ran and never once looked back.

Sprite hadn't expected to be found, but when she couldn't find a trace of Makkari anywhere, she began to have doubts. If she wanted to, the speedster could very easily track her down.

Her mind raced with the thought, 'But maybe they didn't want to find her.' That line of reasoning was enough to make her worry about it no more and continue her journey. 

A few months later she went to Dane’s apartment. She told herself it was only to make sure that things were fine. Because if Sersi was still with Dane, it meant that everything was back to normal. Or as normal as it could be. But that wasn’t what she found. In truth, she couldn’t find anything. Nothing at all about Dane being there. She asked around and it turned out the man had left.

A small bout of panic rose in her, but she pushed it down. Maybe he moved. Maybe he and Sersi got a house together somewhere else. She took out her phone for the first time in ages and dialed Sersi's old number. Hoping that it was still the same. She wasn't surprised when no one answered, but her growing anxiety was amplified when she called her other family members, and no one answered. Surely not everyone changed their numbers, did they??

She visited Phastos’s home. Nobody was there.

What in the world was going on?

Chapter Text

Breaking away from her family was one of the most difficult decisions she had ever made. Not cut off all ties, mind you, but simply learn to stand on her own two feet. She'd never considered herself incapable of doing so before, but the stakes weren't as high back then - when she was nearly immortal in every way - as they were now in her human state. She needed the freedom to fail, suffer the consequences, and, most importantly, learn from her mistakes.

That was why once she or her body reached ‘adulthood’ she had told them she wanted to go and travel the world. They had all but supported her decision. That was until she added that she would like to go alone. If it was before, they would have probably let her go with a simple goodbye and would not have worried if she had been gone a few decades and not kept in touch. Now, they fretted and tried to reason with her that it wasn’t wise. Those decades meant life and death to her now. 

"It’s not like I’m vanishing off the face of the planet and not returning for decades," she had explained “I just need some time to find my path. Consider it as me finally, truly leaving the nest. If it makes you all feel better, I'll even call weekly."

She understood their worry. The Eternals- her family, had been dwindling in numbers. Where once stood ten of them, now there were only seven. And one day, whether she herself or them were going to be ready, there will be one less number. 

There were arguments and, in the end, not everybody agreed with her decision. But it was her choice. And she had made up her mind. 

On her journey, she didn’t really know what her destination was. She was winging it and honestly, it was thrilling. There were plenty of hard times. But those times were worth it for the many friends she made along the way. 

Not expecting the sudden change, but also not entirely surprised, she started writing songs. A way for her to tell her stories. 

Writing became a habit and soon enough she was piled with stories made into music. It started small when she first got a guitar in one of her travels. She’d sing them to herself when she was having bad nights. When her friends started to take an interest, she sang to them. Later on, it became bigger as she started gathering a crowd wherever she went. Although, the attention her small performances were getting, might be helped by the fact they had a few illusions slipped in them.  

Talking and seeing her family members through a screen was of course nothing like seeing them for herself. In one of her performances, she spotted a familiar face among the crowd. At first, she thought of it as a brief error in her perception, so she continued. When her song ended and the crowd dispersed, she was proven wrong by the soft pair of arms wrapping around her. Sersi – and Dane – had said that they were close by and decided to surprise her. She teased that Dane was aging like fine wine. A joke that ironically fitted herself. Now that she was every bit an adult in mind and body. 

One of the perks of that being; that she could legally drink now. That was how they spent their reunion. With Dane and Sprite somehow getting drunk and Sersi, ever the responsible one, watching out for them. But way too soon for Sersi’s liking, Sprite decided that she should continue her ‘travels.’ Cause she was pretty sure if she stayed in their company any longer, the next thing she knew, she’d end up following after them. 

Even though she was in her mid-twenties now, it didn’t stop Sersi from being able to pick her off the ground with her bear hug. “Be careful Sprite.”

Sprite quickly got out of the hug, as if the alcohol in the bloodstream wasn’t enough, her embarrassment made the tinge on her cheeks, redder. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine!!” She made small shooing motions with her hands, a warm expression on her face. “You guys be careful too!”

They parted ways and Sprite returned to where her friends were waiting. 

As time passed, the smaller number of calls she had with her family made her realize she had finally reached her goal of standing on her own. Before, she would’ve called them just to make sure that she had someone out there who she could run back to. Now, whenever she does call them, she actually has a life she could tell them about. She would sing them some of her songs or show them pictures from wherever she was at the moment. 

It wasn’t as perfect of human life as she imagined it to be, and of course, some part of her would miss the life she had as an eternal. Even with all its pain, there were still joyous moments she would never trade for anything. Her life then and her life now were incomparable. She had experienced or was experiencing them both. And for that chance alone, she was grateful. 

Chapter Text

He remembered the last time he saw her. She was older, a young adult in appearance. But she still held the childish gleam in her eyes and the far too high spirit. The words she said were still stuck in his mind. 

You know the one thing I’ve realized as a human, Druig? Time runs pretty damn fast.

He scoffed at the memory. If she had known back then that those were the last words she would have spoken to him, would she have said something else? 

He'd spent enough time around humans to know how loud they were. Even if they didn't say anything, their minds were never quiet. Never-ending stream of thoughts. There was always  something  on their minds. It was infuriating. 

But he realized that the constant chatter was better than silence. 

The dead don’t think. And Sprite was dead. 

Her mind was empty. Not a single thought lingered. It was quiet. Too quiet. Unnatural. He despised it. The dead were quiet, and Sprite wasn’t supposed to be. It was never something that fit her. The little rascal couldn’t stay still even if she wanted to. But she  was . 

Still and quiet. 

And she’d stay that way. All because she chose to be human. Her wish from the very beginning. She got what she wanted, and he got to lose another member of his family.

He shifted the weight on his arm higher. His fingers curled around the light green material of her clothes. If he tried hard enough, maybe he wouldn’t notice the rigidness of her body. 

Chapter Text

Sprite was on one of her story-telling sprees again. She’d already told three stories in a row now, her tiredness showing only slightly. Kingo only knew because he was used to her hiding it from him. Him and every other eternal. 

He knew she loved the attention – not so different than him – and as long as she was comfortable with it, he found no reason to interfere. That was if Sprite didn’t continue to push herself. When he had asked her to stop, she had covered her fatigue behind her cheeky words and sharp wit. But he had nagged her enough that she had promised that this would be her last tale today. 

So, he continued his watch while Sprite carried on with her story. Her illusions painted quite an enchanting picture on the night sky. Even if she didn’t realize it herself, her power was quite amazing. Proven by the many entranced humans surrounding her. 

Once her story reached its end, the crowd slowly dispersed. Laughter followed the people who were going back to their homes or to continue mingling with one another. Pushing off the wall he was leaning on, he walked towards the ginger-haired eternal. She sat cross-legged on the ground, staring up at the deep night sky. He wasn’t sure if she was sitting because she wanted to or if it was because she didn’t have the strength to stand. He hoped it was the former. 

He joined her on the ground. “What are you looking at?” He asked softly. 

She only just seemed to notice him. “Why are you still here?” 

Just like her to snap first and think later. “Making sure you keep your promise,” she snorted “-and,” he continued “also because I wanted to see you tell your story.” 

Silence.

“It was amazing,” he added, “as always.” 

“Are you being sarcastic?” 

“Surprisingly? No, I’m not.” 

She encircled her knees and rested her chin on them. “Thanks.” He heard her mumble. He didn’t ask her to repeat it because hearing her say that was a rare occurrence in itself. 

Taking a chance, he reached up and patted her head. He swiftly moved away when Sprite reached up to swat at him.

He chuckled. “You're welcome.” 

Chapter Text

Stella was hovering in the hallway when she opened the door. Already prepared herself, Sprite answered her rapid questions with ease. 

“What did they say?” 

“Not to do it again.”

“Are you getting expelled?!”

“-No.”

“-am I getting expelled?!!!”

“No.” She whirled around and grabbed her best friend’s shoulders. “Nobody’s getting expelled. Breathe,” the bell rang, and she knew they better get into class “it wasn’t that serious anyway. Not like I burned the school down or anything.” 

“No, you just punched a classmate.” 

She snorted. “Exactly. How is that worse than arson?”

Stella leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “With your age and all, isn’t that like, I don’t know, like hitting a baby?”

“Well, he was talking shit and- wait are you calling me old?” She asked, offended. 

Stella shrugged her shoulders and went back to questioning her. “Did they really not give you any sort of punishment?? A slap on the wrist and that’s it??”

Sprite cringed and took a glance at her. “Well, they might have asked to meet my parents.” 

“Ah…” With nervous laughter, Stella questioned, “How are you going to do that with- you know-“ 

“-me not having parents?” 

“Yeah.”

“No idea,” she could see the door of the classroom they were supposed to get into, slowly close “I’ll think about that after we manage to survive the rest of the day.” She linked her elbow with Stella's and ran. 

When she first entered the school, they told her to write the numbers of two people they could contact in case of emergencies, she didn’t think much of it then – she really should’ve. Absentmindedly she picked the first two people that popped up in her head. She was only supposed to be in this specific school for a while anyway. Just until she could get her own bearings. That plan went downhill as soon as she met Stella. 

Almost a year had passed and she had all but forgotten about the names she wrote down way back then. Probably helped by the fact the school had not had a reason to call those numbers. Until of course, her little squabble happened and the people in question were suddenly picking her up from school one afternoon. 

“Ah, solution found!” She looked at Stella as if she grew another head. No! Solution not found. She would rather anyone else other than Druig and Makkari find out that she punched someone at school. Well, Makkari might understand and help her sort things out. But she wasn’t so sure that Druig could – or would – help her as much. 

As she met up with them, Makkari, as always gave her a warm embrace as Druig bluntly asked her, “Did you start a fight?”

“No.”

She wasn’t a delinquent. She didn't start the fight, but she did end it. It was his own fault for picking at her even though she tried her hardest to let it slide. But poking at her family was a whole other line he did not get to cross. His being a sore loser was the unfortunate downside to her win. 

Unlike what she expected, Druig accepted her answer and simply nodded. “So, what happened?”

“He was an ass and he got what he deserved.”

Makkari, reading her lips, quickly signed at her. Language. 

“So, you’ve finally stooped so low as to beating up people you think are an ass?” Another warning came from Makkari. This time it was directed at Druig. 

Stella stepped in before Sprite could snap back. “To be fair, he was saying some,” her best friend looked back uncertainly at her “bad… things.”  

Druig didn’t miss their exchange of glances and asked Stella “And what exactly did Sprite do?” 

The human teenager cringed. “She might’ve given him a black eye.”

‘Sprite!’ Makkari signed, her expression exasperated. 

Sprite understood her frustration and honestly, she knew that if she did this again, the chances were she’d have to find a new school to go to. That meant starting things from scratch all over again. The upsetting thing was that she truly was trying to be on her best behavior. Her grades were – dare she say – the best out of all her peers. Thanks to the many years of knowledge, she already had. Getting along with the other children was harder she’ll admit but even then, she still tried. Unfortunately, a young idio- brainless boy was all it took to destroy her hard work. 

It wasn’t a secret that she never talked about her family at school besides to Stella, and that there was never any proof of them even existing. But she would think that most parents would teach their kids some decent manners. This boy – who she didn’t even know – and a bunch of his friends, walked right up to her face and asked her if her family was dead and if that was why she “couldn’t interact with people”. And then proceeded to say what a pity it was. The worst part was that they laughed. 

Like what the fuck? 

She must’ve strayed into her thoughts for too long because suddenly Druig’s hand was holding her upper arm and she was led away. 

“What- Where are we going?” She tried wriggling out of his grasp – unsuccessfully – and she noticed Stella and Makkari were nowhere to be seen. 

“Nowhere. We’re just going to wait while Makkari cleans your mess.” He finally let her go when they reached a quiet part of the school, a nice small outdoor space where she would usually hang out with Stella on breaks. He sat down on a nearby bench and looked at her expectantly. “Start talking.” 

Knowing she wasn’t going to get out of this one, she plopped down beside him. 

She still hasn’t said a word. Druig seemed to notice her unwillingness and spoke up. “Look Sprite, I know that you could be a real pain when you want to be-” she scowled at him “-but I also know you wouldn’t resort to violence unless something happened. Something bad. What was it? Did they hurt you first? Hit you?”

He knew her too well. Unexpected, considering she always thought he couldn’t stand her. But maybe she was too hard on him. To be fair she was hard on everyone who knew her. 

“No, as if I’d allow that.” She raised her head to look at him. “They said some things that I won’t repeat,” she added, “for their sake.” 

Even more surprising, she knew him well enough too. As much as she hated the words that ignorant boy spat, she wouldn’t leave him and his friends to Druig’s mercy. That would be cruel. But if he ever showed his face to her again, she might have to reconsider. 

“Are you sure?” Druig asked. Something in his expression made her think there was something he left unsaid. And for that, she didn’t need to be a mind reader to know what he was thinking. 

“Before you tell me you can just mind control the lot of them, please don’t.”

He tilted his head, considering her offer. As if it was something to consider to begin with. She sighed, stood up, and straightened her crinkled uniform. “It feels weird to say this, but this is something I want to take care of on my own. My doing, my consequences, and all that.” 

He looked up at her, silent. She could see he was thinking stuff over by the glazed look in his eyes. Finally, he uttered an uncharacteristically soft, “Okay,” and he stood “but if it doesn’t work out-“ 

“-then we can consider your suggestion, yeah, yeah, fine.” 

Chapter Text

She'd been watching the same piece of paper being scrutinized by Kingo for a few days now. At first, she thought it was yet another script from a new movie or show that the Bollywood actor was going to be a part of. But her suspicions rose when he would quickly hide it whenever he saw that she was close by.

One day, she’d been quick enough to shove his hand aside, took the paper, and process the first word that caught her eye. 

 “Adoption?” She immediately regretted the way her voice quivered in surprise. Schooling her expression, she crossed her arms. “Bored of me already?” She couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain as she bit out her words. The familiar feeling of dread began to fill her chest. She didn’t want to hear his answer. 

Their eyes met, and his narrowed. “Wait- what- You think you’re being set up for adoption?”

“-well, aren’t I?!”

“-No! Arishem, No.” He stood up and rubbed his hand over his face. Taking the paper from her hands, he looked at her, picking his words carefully. The Eternals had a long history of misunderstandings and a lack of communication in general.

“I’m adopting you, Sprite.” He handed her the piece of paper back so that she could properly read it. “You’re human now – a human child – and you need a guardian even though you’re pretty much as ancient and as old as me.”

When Kingo spoke again, Sprite could recognize the slight hesitation disguised as annoyance in his voice. She would’ve expected that from Druig, but not from him. 

“If she was still alive, Ajak would be the one to do this,” he trailed off “but since she’s not, you’re going to have to deal with me.”  

Her eyes went wide. “-If you think I’m going to be your daughter-“

“No,” he quickly cut her off “this,” he waved the paper in the air “is just formality.” 

Of course, it was. 

He wasn’t finished, “Besides I can’t think of you as anything other than the little – sometimes annoying brat – sister that you are.” 

“Well, you’re not that caring of an older brother figure either!” That wasn’t true. He was probably the most kind-hearted, next to Gilgamesh. 

“I cared enough to stay with you, didn’t I?”

She opened her mouth to snap back but knew he was saying the truth. Looking back down at the piece of paper in her hands, she tried to wrap her mind around what this would mean. It would change a lot of things. But then again it kind of changes nothing.  

Kingo took her silence as distrust and unwillingness. He sighed as if expecting it. “Well, it’s not like I’m forcing you. This is only if you want it. If you don’t, then fine- you still need to find a guardian, but if you prefer not to be stuck with me-”

“-I want to stay with you.” She was a little bit surprised herself by how fast she answered and quickly snapped up, looking him in the eyes. “I’d rather not be tossed around until someone wants me. Unless you don’t want me arou-” 

“-I do.”

Wow, they were getting sentimental. 

“Guess you’re stuck with me.” 

“Nothing new then.”

Chapter Text

The first time she had gotten sick, it was pure chaos. Everybody fussed and worried so much that she'd started thinking the stress had more probability of killing her than her sickness did. She was human and no longer as invincible. That she understood. But she still thought all the fuss was completely unnecessary.   

Fever wasn’t going to be the thing that killed her. Not after all the times she had survived much closer brushes with death.

 She wasn't surprised that Druig was the most composed of all of them. It wasn't that he didn't care - she could tell by the way he avoided looking at her resting figure, or how his brow furrowed whenever she had a coughing fit - it was just that he knew she wouldn't like it. She could handle Sersi, Kingo, and Phastos's worries. But if Druig started worrying, it would only make her feel worse. Worse, her mind would start to imagine the worst-case scenarios.

When Sersi deemed her well enough to at the very least be given some breathing space, Sprite jumped at the idea of some peace and quiet. She suggested it to them as nicely as she could, saying she wanted to get some sleep. She even added a convincing yawn as proof. 

She dropped the pretense after some skeptical looks were cast her way. "Really, I'll be fine. If you need to see me, I'm only a door away. Now, please—and I'm saying this as nicely as I can—get out," she said with the sweetest smile she could muster.

They were used to her snips and looked rather relieved by the fact that she was back to her old sarcastic self. Slowly they all filtered out of the room. With Druig lingering a bit longer before leaving.   

The quiet gave her time to let her mind rest. It wasn't long after she closed her eyes that she fell asleep. And with it came the nightmares. 

It wasn't long before she was sweating and waking up. Her hands were trembling as she raised them to wipe her eyes. She was sobbing. Her vision was blurry, and it took some time for her to recognize her room. She checked the time and found it was still early in the evening. She attempted to swing her legs over the side of the bed but was unable to raise her upper body. She groaned, and her voice sounded strange.  

Nightmares were bad enough without being sick. 

He had heard the ragged coughing and muffled groan. The sharp faded echo of pain that reached his mind was what finally convinced him to knock on the door. 

“Sprite?”   

Without missing a beat a tired reply was heard. “I’m fine. Go away, Druig.”   

The thought of leaving was tempting but he stayed glued to where he stood. He knocked again.   

“I said I’m fine-”

Her words cut off as he pushed on the handle and entered the room. Glassy eyes looked at him in surprise, then irritation.  

“I said-” she flung her blanket aside and moved to stand, although the moment her feet touched the floor the world spun. Whatever words she was going to say were jumbled and nearly indescribable as she swayed dangerously.   

Swiftly, he took hold of Sprite’s upper arm to keep her upright. It took a while until she stopped resisting and let him lead her back to bed. None too gently he let her go and she plopped face-first onto her mess of a bed.   

She flipped him off, unable to see his reaction but she heard the low amused chuckle.   

“Get out and give me back my privacy you ass.” Her muffled voice called out to him. For a while there was silence, and she took the chance to peek out of her pillow. To her despair, he now sat by the side of her bed, looking at her.  

“Argh! Leave!” She pushed herself off the bed and settled on her back. “Why can’t you just leave me alone!” Her sentence ended with her in another coughing fit. 

“Sleep.”  

“Not if you’re here.” She would not be able to sleep peacefully. 

“Wouldn’t or couldn’t?” He asked her, eyes glowing softly.  

She scowled. “Stay out of my head.” 

At her tone and seriousness, he sighed, the golden glow dimming. “I could help.” 

“With what?” She snapped. 

“The nightmares.” 

She had opened her mouth, a strong “No!” on the tip of her tongue. But then her body reminded her that it has had enough of fitful sleeping and would very much like to rest.  

“Just the nightmares,” she replied slowly, steeling her eyes as she made one thing clear “no picking at my brain, got it?”

He didn’t reply, his expression unchanging except for the slight nod of his head that led her to lie back down. Though before she even managed to get settled, she was out like a light. 

The next time she woke up, the world was less blurry and her body felt less like a burning cage. As her thoughts were much more easily formed, she was starting to wonder if she just had a very weird dream of Druig taking away her nightmares. 

Reaching blindly for her phone, she checked that it was indeed early in the morning and she’d slept all through the night. 

Without nightmares. 

Huh. Guess it wasn’t a dream. 

Chapter Text

She fully regretted having opened the box. Laid open bare in front of her were the smiling faces of her fellow Eternals. Gingerly, she picked up the old, framed picture. The edges appeared to have yellowed with age. Her fingers traced over every familiar face.  

She hadn’t been able to sleep and instead busied herself with cleaning the mess that was Sersi’s apartment. To be fair, it was only in this state because  Dane  had come over the last few weeks and had stayed frequently enough that he might as well be considered living here. 

They were both out at some party that Sprite was way too tired to be a part of. She  should’ve  gone with them. At least then she wouldn’t be on the living room floor late at night, clutching a photo as if it was her lifeline. 

She felt a pang of loss every time she looked at the faces. 

They weren’t gone but she couldn’t exactly say when she was going to meet each of them again. Maybe never. Then it dawned on her that the chances of ever seeing all of them together again were slim. 

She was missing them, missing the way things used to be. They weren't the most functional of families, but they were a family nonetheless. In every way. They fought, argued,  with , and  for  one another. She's grateful for the time they did spend together, but... Her memories faded, and she no longer recalled those events as vividly. She had hoped the sense of loss would fade along with them.

It didn't.

Sersi arrived later in the evening, she found the place different than when she left

“Sprite?” She called out but got no response. 

When she found the person she was looking for sitting cross-legged on the floor, she realized why. She was about to ask what the eternal was doing there but the words caught in her throat when she saw a tear-stained face. 

“Sprite, what’s wrong?!” She panicked and surged forwards toward her fellow eternal. Her mind was racing with the urge to figure out what was wrong and how to fix it. But she came to a halt as Sprite moved slightly out of her reach. Not quite flinching, but moving fast enough that Sersi didn’t manage to touch her.  

Sersi calmed herself and sat closely behind her, with enough space between them. The millennia together taught her enough as to when Sprite’s snark of wanting to be left alone was half-hearted and when it was not. This time the smaller eternal was in no way faking. But Sersi didn’t have it in her to leave. So she stayed as close as she could. As close as she was allowed.  

“What’s wrong, Sprite?” She asked again, softer this time. 

The question was left unanswered for far too long, and Sersi moved forwards. She sat in front of Sprite and watched as the Ginger’s gaze wasn’t even on her. She looked down and saw the framed picture, a sad smile grew on her face. 

“I remember that day.” Sersi moved to huddle closer to the other eternal, surprisingly Sprite didn’t move away. “It was a happy day.”  

Sprite scoffed. “Obviously since it was your wedding.” 

Sersi smiled a bittersweet smile at the mention of her wedding before she reached over and dropped the picture on the other eternal’s lap. “If it’s such a happy picture then why do you look so sad?”  

“Because we’re not happy.” The ginger looked up at her and reconsidered her words “Or… maybe I’m not.”  

Fresh tears started forming. Sprite couldn’t stop feeling angry and sad at the fact that all the Eternals couldn’t stay together. Angry that she was powerless to change anything because she  knew  she couldn’t control her fellow Eternals. No matter what she did or what she could’ve done differently, the Eternals staying together were just an impossible outcome. And even more infuriating was the fact that it was most probably the  best  outcome. This, whatever  this  was, was better than fighting happening between them. But it still wasn’t enough. 

As a storyteller, it wasn’t often that Sprite found herself at a loss for words. She was supposed to be good with words. They came to her easily. But she was feeling too much and not many words could describe or explain it perfectly. So, she stayed silent, tears dripping down her face.  

Sprite gasped sharply as her trembling hands were grasped by Sersi. The older woman shifted closer and Sprite fell easily into her embrace. They stayed leaned in into each other. With words unspoken between them. 

Chapter Text

There was no scream or even a gasp of surprise as a sharp blade nicked the other Eternal's cheek. An angry red line quickly gushed out blood that flowed down her face. The blade left Sprite’s hand as if she was burned by it.  

More calmly than Sprite thought possible, Thena raised a hand to clamp over the side of her face. She still looked at her with caring eyes and a sad smile. It was as if she didn’t even notice the pain, she no doubt had inflicted on her. 

“It’s alright.” 

Sprite looked on, terrified. “How can you say that?! I nearly split your face open. I- I told you! It’s not safe to be near me. You need to get away from me. Just- Go!”

She raised her hand to shove the other eternal away, but she didn’t trust her mind to not harm her friend. So, all her hands did was waver shakingly in front of her body. Thena didn’t leave.

“How can you ask me to leave? You and I are the only ones who understand. We’re the only ones that-“

Have Mahd Wy’ry. 

Thena has Mahd Wy’ry, and as of a few days ago, so did Sprite.  

Her hands were still shaking. Even with Thena's protective hands on it. The thing was, she knew she was safe. What worried her was the safety of others, and mainly the safety of Thena who was right in front of her, holding her hands, and wouldn’t leave-

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry- Please just leave.” Her eyes couldn’t look away from the angry red blood that was dripping down the side of the other Eternal’s face. Once the sobs started, Sprite knew they wouldn’t stop. She wasn’t even sure how to breathe properly at this point. “I didn’t mean to. I can’t control myself-“ 

Her sentence wasn’t even finished before Thena was shushing her and pulled her closer. Her arms shifted from holding her hands to holding smaller Eternal altogether. 

“It will be okay. It might not be now, but it will be.” She looked down at Sprite and obviously saw that her tears hadn’t stopped falling. “I need you to believe that for me. Because it’s true. If you can’t, then believe that there are people that will be there for you.”

Her cries had subsided, but still, she kept silent. 

“You are loved,” a gentle hand started caressing Sprite’s hair “those words were once said to me, and it has gotten me through the darkest of days. Remember, you are loved. Always.”

Thena shook her shoulder slightly. “Promise me you’ll remember that?”

“I’ll try.”

Chapter Text

The laughter and chatter that filled the room brought some kind of warm and familiar joy into her heart. She told her best friend that she was too old to be given these birthday parties, but she insisted. She remembered distinctively, Stella saying they just graduated high school and she needed her birthday party as an excuse to see their other friends one last time before they all separated.

How could she say no to that? 

So, the day of her birthday came and the party started. 

Halfway through the party, a figure that just entered through the door caught her attention. A woman, in her twenties by the look of it, stood near one corner of the large room. She had a soft smile on her face. Sprite was sure she had never seen her before, but the moment she saw her, her heart was hit with a strange sense of familiarity. 

Stella, her best friend, and companion through much of her confusing early years after she lost her memory, nudged her elbow and leaned closer. “Do you know her?” 

Sprite absentmindedly shook her head, eyes still locked on the stranger. “No, I don’t think so.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Stella tilting her head, assessing the woman. Sprite thought she could see a glimpse of sad recognition in her eyes.

But before she could question it, her friend spoke up. “Well, she looks friendly enough, and it’s your birthday party. Be a good host. Go and say hi.” 

With a not-so-gentle shove, Sprite was suddenly walking toward the stranger, not stopping herself even though she had no idea what to say. 

Shrugging her nervousness away, she closed the distance and waved to get the woman’s attention. It seemed as though she didn’t have to because the woman was already smiling her way. 

Before she could open her mouth, the stranger greeted her. 

“Hello, Sprite.” The words were blurted out as if she had been holding her breath just to say it. 

“Uhm- Hi. I don’t think we’ve met before; do I know you? How do you know my name?” Sprite raised an eyebrow in suspicion. 

“I’m Sersi,” the stranger - Sersi - laughed, although there she could sense a tinge of pain in her laughter “I saw the big banner with your name, wishing you a happy birthday up front.” 

A bit of warmth rose to her cheeks, as she let out a soft “Oh.” She gathered her courage and looked back up at the stranger, asking the question she wanted to ask. 

“So do you usually go to stranger’s birthday parties whenever you can??” 

Sprite thought she could see a flash of hurt on Sersi’s face before the older woman smiled and waved a hand. 

“Oh no, your friend Stella invited me. Told me I should at least stay a while since I helped planned the party.”

Sprite’s slight irritation at her best friend for inviting random people disappeared as the new piece of information clicked in her head. 

“ You  planned all of this??” She gestured to their surroundings. 

Sersi chuckled, genuinely this time. “It wasn’t all that difficult really. I had help from the other- uh- from a couple of my friends.” Her face held a mix of warmth and fondness on it. “I hope you liked it.”

“I  love  it. Thank you. Really. I’ve been blessed to have great birthdays despite not remembering much of my childhood.” She had added the last part jokingly, but it seemed to do the opposite as Sersi frowned and an air of sadness fell over them. 

She quickly tried to repair her words. “Oh, it isn’t that tragic really. Honestly, I’ve had the best last few years despite my, uh- situation.” She finished lamely. 

Silence took hold for a while before Sersi finally decided to speak. “It’s about time for me to leave.” 

“Oh- yeah, I should probably go back to my friends too.” Sersi smiled sadly and turned to walk away. But before she did Sprite had the sudden want to say something more. 

“Wait.” Sersi stopped and turned back toward her. Her mind raced over what she could say. “Tell your friends, thank you. For all this. Tell them-” she didn’t know why her eyes started stinging “Tell them I’m grateful.”

Sersi nodded. “I will. Happy Birthday, Sprite.” 

 “Thank you.” 

Not a moment later, Stella was tugging at her arm to take her to open up her presents. When Sprite looked back, Sersi was gone, and for some reason, that made her eyes water even more. 

Chapter Text

The doors of the domo slowly opened and before his eyes could even adjust to the earth's bright sun, Druig was already walking out with a sense of urgency he couldn’t hold any longer. 

Makkari was in the same state of mind as his, as she shared one look with him, and with a gentle but firm nod from him, she sped off. Probably searching all the possible places Sprite could be.

Or could’ve been. 

They had heard of their fellow Eternals disappearance only a while ago and had left the earth even longer than that. He didn’t want to think Sprite was anything but fine, but he knew the reality would not allow it. 

So, he waited, with the domo towering above him, already cloaked. He heard footsteps behind him and turned his head. His stiff expression broke slightly into exasperation. 

“Thena..”

The woman warrior held her hand up to stop him. “Do not even try, I deserve to see her as much as you do.” 

His lips formed a thin line, but he nodded. 

Makkari appeared a moment later and he tensed, preparing himself with whatever verdict she held.

If Sprite was hurt, sick,  or dead-

“I found her.”  She signed. 

And the breath left him. 

“Take me to her.” It sounded more like a question, but Makkari probably knew from the look on her face that it was more of a plea. 

Her gaze lingered over his shoulder for a moment before moving back to him. Thena must have agreed to go second. 

Between one moment and the next he was in front of a house. The nausea still lingered in his stomach, and the dizziness in his mind, but he managed to sign a small thank you at Makkari before the speedster took off. 

Forcing one foot in front of the other, he walked and walked up to the front door, which was ajar. Forcing a mask of neutrality onto his face, he stepped inside. 

The air crackled as his eyes spotted the red-haired  young woman  standing in the hallway, her back at him as she shouted something – he didn’t have the mind to process at the moment – to someone else in the house. 

Then she turned, and he saw the exact moment she recognized him. 

As his mind cleared, his mask of neutrality was nowhere to be found. He felt his own breath catching as if he had been the one who ran miles to get there. 

“Druig.”

He wasted no time, with a burst of energy, he moved towards her and pulled her in. His arms wrapped around her, careful not to exert too much force, but he couldn’t stop them from slightly shaking. 

“Sprite,” his voice was filled with both sorrow and relief “you’re alive.”

She seemed to be caught off guard by the sudden embrace. Not too long after he felt her returning the hug. Her hands, softly but desperately clung to his arms. 

“You’re back. Oh my- You’re back! Druig, I- The others-“ Her voice broke, and he couldn’t help but stop her with a squeeze to her upper arm. 

“I know. We know.”

She shifted, and Druig released her from the hug, although his hands lingered on her shoulders. 

As if remembering, she spoke, “Makkari was  just here  and then she was  gone  and I thought, I thought I was imagining things. Because it’s been  so long .” Her voice sounded so desperate he had the urge to wrap his arms around her again just so he could rid her of her doubts.  

But then he heard the pair of footsteps in front of the house and so he settled on the words he wanted to say. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry we weren’t here sooner.”

Sprite’s reply was halted as she was swept up in another embrace, and then another, as Thena and Makkari had their turn to reunite with their youngest. Or well,  was  their youngest. 

He didn’t want to think about the time that had passed just yet. 

Their reunion was cut short with the appearance of a teenage boy. Phastos’s kid, he realized a second later. The reality of the passage of time slammed against him again, refusing to be ignored. 

He didn’t have time to dwell on it much as they exchanged pleasantries – and introduction in Eros’s case – then continued to the more pressing matter which was the disappearance of the others. 

They could not, and probably would not gain much staying on earth, and as much as he hated the thought of leaving so soon, he hated even more the fact that Sprite wanted to go with them. Jack too. 

One was his sister who turned mortal, and the other, the son of his brother. He did not want either of them to be in space. It was dangerous. 

And they were mortal. So painfully – and wonderfully –  mortal .  

He lost the argument when even Ben could not dissuade his son from leaving with them. And then Sprite was a whole other matter entirely. Of course, it wasn't like him saying “no” had ever done much good against Sprite in the past and now added to the many human years she had on him, she had won the moment she spoke her mind. 

It didn’t mean he was going to let her or Jack out of his sight for even a single moment once they left though. He promised as much to Ben. 

They were peacefully passing through space, the only sound being a steady and comforting hum of the domo. He could feel the heaviness of sleep descending upon his human sister and nephew. With a word, he had offered Jack his father’s room, to which the boy immediately agreed. 

There was a moment of doubt when Druig had offered, afraid the remnants of Phastos’s things in the domo would do more harm than good, but it was too late to take back his words now. 

Sprite refused to go to her room, the one they had not changed or touched. Instead, she had stayed at the lab, going through whatever trinkets had been gathering dust there. At first, he had stayed to the side, watching her walk back and forth across the room, picking up and checking various things. When he had asked what she was looking for she had said, “Nothing. Just jogging my memory.” 

That had sent a spike of fear through him. He asked if she was forgetting things. She sassed him by saying even  he  could not remember all the time they had spent on earth. 

He couldn’t of course, but it didn’t deter him from asking her again. She had paused and tilted her head. 

“Some things are a bit… faded.” 

She misremembered some details of her own stories. He tried to school his expressions, but he must’ve failed because she had grimaced and told him offhandedly that it wasn’t the most important thing they needed to worry about at the moment. 

He wanted to refuse, to ask more, but also knew she was right. 

Somewhere after their continued conversation, he ended up in the corner, slightly hidden by the mountain of things his beautiful Makkari had collected. He leaned back, resting against the walls of the domo.

Sprite, with her vibrant red-orange hair, was nestled against his shoulder on his side. The room was dimly lit and the silence turned out to be comforting as the former Eternal finally succumbed to sleep. 

He had forgotten some things about human health and physiology, but he knew sleeping on the cold floor couldn’t be good for her. So, with some effort, he shifted his weight, swiftly catching Sprite as her head slid off his shoulder. 

Looping one arm underneath her legs, and the other behind her shoulders, he cradled her. As gently, but also as swiftly as he could, he walked towards Sprite’s room. On the journey, Sprite squirmed in her sleep once, which made him stop. But she didn’t wake so he found it safe to continue. 

Reaching her room, he swiftly laid her down on her bed, covering her with her blanket that had long been unused. 

Before he left the room, he heard Sprite sighing contentedly.

He had his sister back, and he was going to get the rest of his family back too. 

Chapter Text

When Druig tried to move away, he was manhandled back into place. An arm slung behind his back, pulling him closer. Despite the split second of stiffness, he found himself liking the comfort rather than recoiling from it. Sprite – the rascal that caught him sneaking away from the festivities – noticed and pulled him even closer to a side hug.

Sprite often played tricks and seemed to enjoy the scorn of her fellow Eternals but behind her sometimes childish antics, she was sworn to her family. It was the reason she had one of the keenest eyes for noticing even the slightest bit of change in a person. Especially if it was one of her people. 

She looked behind her shoulder, one arm still clinging to Druig’s side. As she expected, most of the villagers that met her eyes quickly turned away, ashamed of being caught. Some quickened their steps so they could get home sooner, no doubt done with the late-night festival. She remembered Ajak explaining that not all humans would accept them. Most would probably  fear  them. While for Sprite, the people loved her illusions and story, the opposite could be said for their view of Druig. 

“He controls minds.”

“Do not look him in the eyes-“

“-   who knows what he could do to you.”

Those words she often heard walking through the village. Up till now, she ignored them since they obviously weren’t meant for her. She knew exactly who they were meant for and the man in question didn’t seem bothered by them. Or so she thought. 

Damn. Her keen eyes seemed to have gone dull lately. 

A palm landing on top of her head snapped her out of her thoughts. 

“If you keep glaring at them they’ll start talking about you too.”

She huffed but turned her head to instead look at the Eternal still sitting beside her. “Let them.”

It was Druig’s turn to huff out a mirthless laugh. “You say that now, but when fewer children watch your next performance, do not pout and mumble your troubles to me.”

She glared at him. 

“It doesn't bother me,” Druig murmured, his voice steady. “Let it go.”

She studied his face, sharpening her eyes once more. This time she wouldn’t let a lie slip by. But she found none. Druig didn’t look hurt or annoyed, if she had to say, he looked quite resigned.  That  worried her more. 

He moved to stand, ready to walk away, and she felt as if she couldn’t let him leave without getting rid of this itchy feeling in her gut. 

“Are you sure? Because it’s okay if it does. It- It  should  bother you.” She pressed on, brows scrunching with how sure she was of her statement. 

“I’m here if you want to talk about it.” She tripped over her words as she processed the fact she just offered to lend her ear to his troubles. 

“Or, if you prefer Makkari..” Her sentence trailed off. Who was she kidding?  Of course , he’d prefer Makkari. 

But then before she could throw away her gaze in shame, he met her eyes. There was an intensity behind them that sent a shiver down her spine. Then he  sighed . 

“Talk then.” He replied curtly, the tension in his jaw the only thing betraying his controlled expression. 

Sprite blanked for a few seconds before coming back to herself. She was so sure of her statement that it  wasn’t wrong  for Druig to be hurt by how the people were acting towards him and the wrong thing was for the humans to act that way. But as he waited for her to start talking, he was met with silence. 

Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth as she gnawed on it slightly. She stood up. Eyes darting around, restless, and avoiding, she racked her brain for any supporting reason she could give that would be enough to convince Druig. Because she knew better than to offer empty words of comfort to her fellow eternal. 

With her mind full of thoughts of unfairness, disgust, and anger, she didn’t have time to process her actions before she lunged forward. She threw her arm around Druig’s middle. Unsuspecting, he stepped backward but his arms reached out instinctively to prevent her from falling to the ground.

She enveloped him in an embrace. Her hands grasped desperately at his arms and back, hoping it would convey all her anger and sadness on his behalf. 

Druig, stoic as ever, held her stiffly, but he tolerated the hug, Sprite’s weight wholly on him. 

After a few moments, he murmured gently, “Enough,” pushing her off of him. 

Sprite did as he asked, backing away, her head hung low. 

Expecting Druig to walk away – perhaps to the Domo or to find Makkari – he surprised her by taking one of her hands. Not quite holding it but more of lightly clasping her palm in his. If she pulled even an inch, their hold would break. So, she moved closer.

Carefully, she took focus on her hands, making sure she didn’t waste the rare show of trust Druig was giving her. 

When she was near enough to his side, and  only  then, did she let her gaze wander. She didn’t look at him, knowing he had received enough attention from her for the day. 

A light squeeze of her hand told her he was grateful. 

She realized halfway through their track, that they were heading back to the domo. And by the look of it, it was most likely almost early in the morning. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but the air wasn’t as cold as it was before.

The domo was in sight. Sprite’s hand automatically rose to cover her mouth as she yawned, no longer linking with Druig’s. Her eyes watered as her sleepiness hit. 

“Haven't you done enough crying for the night?” A voice from the previously ever-so-silent Druig, spooked her a bit. 

She shook her head. “Just tired.” Right on cue, she had to cover yet another yawn.

“Off to bed then.” His voice was nonchalant, and she would have taken his words as another one of his jokes prodding at her child-like immortality, but the look in his eyes made her think otherwise. 

His eyes were relaxed, tired even, with no hint of his usual snapping half-hearted insults in them. Then there was the soft smile – almost unrecognizable in the dim lighting – plastered on his face. 

He was tired, probably both physically and mentally. Sprite was half to blame for that. But his gentle actions now were genuine, and she took his words as a rare show of concern. 

“I will,” she answered simply, then replied, “you should too.” 

She didn’t wait for an answer and made her way up into the domo, to her room, where her bed awaited. 

After everything that happened, she wanted a long-deserved nap. 

Chapter Text

Contrary to what people seemed to think, it was very rare for her and her fellow Eternals to join in human festivities. They only participated once in a while and even when they did they always kept to themselves, even the more extroverted ones such as Kingo and Sprite herself. Sure Kingo would mingle with others, and she would tell her stories, but not too long later they would always seek out one of their own.

Most of the time, Sprite enjoyed these parties. Still, there are times when she doesn’t, like tonight’s party that needed her to be “well-dressed” and decorated apparently. The small eternal would rather simplicity and practicality rather than extravagant dresses and the kind. Especially since they didn’t do much to attract the kind of attention she wanted. When she told her stories the eyes that watched her were shining and amazed by her illusions, not leering on her.

The preparation was a whole other problem she didn’t want to go through. Makkari had tried to help, but the speed she did it made her more meddlesome than helpful, Sprite had exasperatingly sent her away. Not too nicely either, she’d have to tell a few of the speedster’s favorite stories at the party later.

Now she still stood in front of the mirror, having picked out her outfit but not knowing what to do with her hair, which she had grown out and was reaching her shoulders. She’d tried just tucking it behind her ear, but it kept falling in front of her face when she moved her head.

The door creaked open, and feeling self-conscious her head snapped around to see who it was. Druig stepped in.

Great.

Not seeing or rather not acknowledging her exasperation, he threw her a grin as he looked at her still-undecided hairstyle. “Having trouble?”

Letting a scowl set on her face, she huffed. “None of your business. If Ajak sent you to remind me- or even tell me to hurry up, I’m trying, okay?”

She turned to face the mirror again, subtly noticing druig walking closer from his reflection.

“Nobody sent me, well maybe Makkari. She worried about her giving you more trouble than help,” he lightly slapped the back of her head, dislodging her hands which were trying to braid one part of her hair “Sending her away like that wasn’t so nice, even for you.”

She glared at him, but uttered a small apology, promising to make it up to Makkari later. Surprisingly he didn’t say bring it up again, instead, he kept looking at her.

“What?” She snapped.

“Your hair problem, I can help.”

Sprite raised an eyebrow. “Help? You? With my hair?” To be honest she’d take Makkari’s overly helpful idea with her hair than Druig’s.

He crossed his arms. “Yes, or no?”

Sprite thought it over in her head, she’s been at this for hours already, and she was losing her patience. Might as well.

“Okay.” She faced the mirror, giving her brush to him expectantly.

He seemed to second-guess himself before accepting the brush. “Don’t expect anything extraordinary.”

She rolled her eyes. “Like I ever could.”

He untangled her attempt at a braid, his hands moving unexpectedly gently. He sectioned, twisted, and pinned her hair. Throughout the process they settled into a comfortable silence, sprite feeling herself dozing off slightly.

“Sprite.” She felt her shoulders get shaken slightly.

Her eyes focused on the mirror and her reflection. Despite her sleepy eyes, Druig had done great work with her hair, turning it into a simple updo. She turned her head from side to side, examining his work. It was exactly what she wanted.

“It’s,” she couldn’t exactly say perfect, not to druig “better than I expected.”

A huff. “You’re welcome.”

She let a small smile tug at her lips as she looked back at him. “Thank you.” She exaggerated.

A gentle pat on her shoulder was her reply.

Chapter Text

If asked, Sprite would answer that she missed her cosmic powers very much. But none of her Eternal family would ever dare—or be cruel enough—to ask her that. She missed the wonders her mind and hands could create, missed the glimmer of adoration that would appear in the eyes of those lucky enough to witness her illusions.

Which is why she was now curled up in bed, rotting in her thoughts.

She was allowed to mourn the loss of something that had once been as natural to her as breathing.

Then there was a knock at the door. She didn’t answer or acknowledge whoever was on the other side. Yet still, the door opened.

Sprite lifted her face briefly as Druig stepped inside. Their gazes locked for a few moments before she returned to her previous curled-up position on the bed. She felt the mattress dip as Druig sat down beside her.

She let the silence continue. And so did he.

Of course, it didn’t last long.

“What are you thinking about?” Druig asked hesitantly. It might have seemed like a simple question, but she could hear the weight behind it. He really meant it and wanted an honest answer. Still, it took him a moment to find the courage to ask.

“My powers,” she answered reluctantly.

“You miss them.”

“Yeah.”

Another bout of silence followed, this one less awkward and more contemplative. Both seemed to be turning over the other's words in their minds.

“It’s like something’s missing,” she added softly.

Druig nodded. He understood in a way. He couldn’t imagine himself without his powers—without his mind control. Even though it often walked the line of ethics, his ability had its uses. Its absence would leave a void, like a limb suddenly severed.

The silence stretched, teetering on the edge of becoming too long, when a thought struck Druig.

“I have an idea,” he said suddenly.

“What?”

He tilted his head, holding out a hand toward her. “Trust me.” The words were posed almost as a question, and almost as a plea.

Sprite hesitated before placing her small hand in his.

Druig closed his eyes, and she felt the familiar tingle of his powers brushing against her mind.

And then, it was as if the room transformed. Light shimmered, colors blooming and dancing before her eyes. An intricate illusion—a world of her own making. She saw the wonders she used to craft, the breathtaking beauty her powers had once been capable of creating. It was as if she were shaping the illusions herself.

For a moment, she let herself relish in it. Her heart swelled with a bittersweet mixture of joy and sadness.

But the thought crept in, unbidden: this wasn’t real.

She glanced at Druig, who was watching her with an expression that was both soft and unreadable. “This is your power,” she said quietly, though there was no anger in her tone.

“It is,” Druig admitted. “But it’s still yours too, Sprite. I only helped you see it.”

She looked back at the illusion, her chest tightening. It wasn’t the same as creating it herself. It made her sad, but strangely, it also brought her a sense of fulfillment. Druig hadn’t meant any harm. He’d done it for her, to give her back a fragment of what she’d lost.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Druig gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and the illusion faded. The room returned to its dim stillness, but something had shifted. She wasn’t whole—not yet—but she was a little closer to it.

Chapter Text

Her decision to spend her first few weeks as a human with Sersi wasn’t one she regretted. At first, she had—when the guilt was still fresh and raw, clinging to her like an old wound that refused to heal. But a single conversation—one filled with tears, quiet confessions, and shuddering sobs—had changed everything. Sersi had listened, truly listened, and when Sprite had finally broken down, the older woman had only pulled her into a warm embrace. There had been no resentment, no anger, only the unwavering kindness that made Sersi who she was. It had been enough to convince Sprite to stay.

Today was the day Dane would visit. Ever since he had learned the truth about them, ever since the world had nearly ended and they had fought to stop it, it had become routine for him to check in on them from time to time. Sersi always welcomed him with a gentle smile, and though Sprite often pretended to be indifferent, she secretly appreciated his presence. It grounded Sersi. It made things feel just a little bit more normal.

They had decided to go for a walk in the nearby park, and Sprite had agreed to join them—though only because she had seen the way Sersi and Dane wouldn’t stop asking until she said yes. She kept some distance as they strolled, hands buried deep in the pockets of her coat, watching as Dane spoke softly to Sersi. From the way he leaned in, the way his brow furrowed in quiet contemplation, it was clear he still had questions—ones he likely didn’t know how to ask. Understandable.

The air carried the crisp bite of the approaching winter, the first true sign that the year was coming to an end. A chill seeped into Sprite’s bones, and she gave a small shiver before shaking it off. She wasn’t as resilient as she used to be. Not anymore. But that wasn’t what unsettled her.

It was something else.

Something was wrong.

Her body tensed, instincts sharper than they should have been. A lingering remnant of her past existence as an Eternal, perhaps. Her eyes swept her surroundings, searching. Everything looked normal—people walked past, leaves rustled in the wind, and up ahead, Sersi and Dane remained wrapped in their own little world. And yet, the unease clawed at her insides, a familiar dread creeping up her spine.

Then, she saw it.

For the briefest of moments, she thought she had imagined it—thought that maybe, just maybe, her powers hadn’t completely vanished when she turned mortal. Because as her gaze lifted to the sky, the clouds parted, peeling away like paper torn at the seams. And there, in the vastness beyond, stood a figure she once worshipped.

Her blood ran cold.

There was no time to think, no time to hesitate. Her body moved on instinct, ignoring the way the biting wind burned against her skin.

“Sersi!”

The name ripped out of her throat, sharp and desperate, the first word she had spoken since they had started their walk. She barely registered the startled reactions—the way both Sersi and Dane snapped their heads toward her.

Sersi was already moving, as if something inside her knew—knew that something was horribly, irreversibly wrong.

Their eyes met, locking in an unspoken exchange.

And in that fleeting second, Sprite knew Sersi understood.

She saw it reflected back at her—the same fear, the same silent plea.

Don’t leave me alone.

Sprite reached for her. Sersi reached back.

But before they could touch, before their fingers could so much as brush, Sersi was gone.

Vanished. Pulled away by something far beyond Sprite’s mortal reach.

And just like that, everything was normal again.

The sky was clear, the clouds undisturbed. There was no sign that Arishem had ever been there at all.

But he had. Sprite knew he had.

The world around her blurred as her knees buckled. She barely registered the impact as she hit the ground, the sharp jolt rattling through her bones. A distant, muffled ringing filled her ears, drowning out the noise around her.

Sersi was gone.