The temple of Ajak Celestia:
The priest Makkari writes the story of what happened. The Progenitor was about to destroy the Machine, believing Eternals couldn’t change. Then Sersi uncovered the Eternal sin to the world, proving they could. The humans wished her dead, and the Progenitor made it so. Sersi is their first martyr.
Realizing its error, the Progenitor undid all the destruction caused since it had judged the world wicked. In the process, it consumed itself. It turned to the priest Ajak for approval. Ajak rejected it, the god had failed. It agreed and, with its last breath, made Ajak a god. She would set her people free.
Ajak Celestia asks if she is finished. Makkari signs she is - Judgment Day - the first book of Ajak Celestia. What will the second be? Standing in front of a statue of Sersi, Ajak replies: heresy.
In the meantime, it is business as usual in Olympia. Zuras’ daily primer includes the following points:
Eros is considered a true Eternal and is the pope-minister of change and advisor to Zuras.
Zuras figures that the secret of Eternal resurrection will be lost when human civilization collapses.
They are in a state of alliance with the mutants and he warns the Tricks (Eternal criminals) not to commit any crimes against them.
Eternal society owes reparations to the human governments in form of clean energy.
Ajak’s ideas are to be considered heresies. Anyone following them will be Excluded.
In New York, the mother of Toby Robson stares at a picture of her dead son while phoning a friend. She admits she can’t talk about it. She has realized Toby must have been one of the deaths caused to revive an Eternal.
The doorbell rings. She opens the door to see a despondent Ikaris standing there. She drops the picture, then slaps him. He walks after her as she heads to the kitchen, grabs a large knife and tries to stab him. It shatters against his skin. Ikaris just states he didn’t know. With a scream, she grabs the skillet full of frying oil and hurls it into his face. To no avail.
Can she do anything to hurt him? she demands. No more than he already is, Ikaris replies. She can carry on if it makes her feel better. It doesn’t. Does it make him feel better? she demands. No, he replies. They both sink to the ground. Mrs. Robson wonders what they are going to do.
Sally walks a street in London, when suddenly Syne the Memotaur appears in the sky. Syne must return to the armories but, before she does, she wants to talk to certain humans. The families of those whose lives she stole. It will not be pleasant. Speaking to Sally is better. It was nice to meet her. She likes her poetry. She asks Sally to do her ‘zine.
Sally bursts out that Syne is a killer and, when she dies, she kills people, and she saw the footage of what she did to the mutants. It doesn’t matter if she joined up with them at the last minute. She still did that! That’s some ‘/&% #§$%! Syne admits it is. And if she is ever released, she will likely do it again. She hopes this is the last the world has seen of her and her sisters. While they stay in storage, she will write laments of all she has seen and done. If she is unleashed again, may she share those poems with Sally or her children or her children’s children? Sally hesitates briefly, then agrees.
Syne announces she must go. She is causing panic and primitive jet planes are flying in her direction. If she is unleashed, she is looking forward to reading Sally’s ‘zine. She is sure it will be excellent. It was good to be her friend, but briefly.
Sally decides to write.
The temple of Ajak Celestia:
The renegade Eternals have gathered.
Eros is there as well. Phastos asks if he will be joining them. Eros is just here to apologize in person. He needs to work with Zuras. He is to save their whole people. He cannot just abandon them. Plus, his parents need to be freed. Then maybe anew Titan? They’ll see. It is up to them to prove that a new way can work. He wishes them luck. If they need him, he’ll be there, but she scares the living hell out of him.
On their way to the others, Kingo Sunen admits she scares him too, yet he is here, filling out the crowd scene. He asks Phastos to be honest. Does he think they have a shot at changing anything? Phastos considers it, then points out Sersi is dead and the Machine cannot return her. That alone should have led to destabilization and destroyed the world.
They reach the others - Makkari, Thena, Ikaris and Sprite – standing in front of the statue of Sersi. It hasn’t, Phastos continues. That alone is a miracle and a chance to begin with, and they can hope for more.
Ajak Celestia joins them. She also hopes for more. No Gilgamesh or the Forgotten? Ikaris explains they cannot let go of vengeance. They will continue to police the other Eternals. They do not trust any Celestial. Good, Ajak decides. It is possible to have too much faith in an unproven god. They should watch her closely. They all should.
She continues, stating Sersi was a martyr and a deeply flawed vessel. That’s the point - they are not perfect. They are just eternal. If she could transcend her nature, they live in hope of a similar marvel for them. She must be a better god. They must be better Eternals. They will discover what that means.
So, what do they actually have to do, oh big, fancy sparkling new god? Sprite addresses her mockingly.
Ajak announces the humans hate them. And rightly so. Eternals owe them their lives - humans shall have them. Their existence is penance. Walk among them. Know them. It is not enough to follow the Principles.
In the Exclusion, Uranos is busy torturing his new cellmate Druig when he is interrupted by Zuras. He informs him that, as part of the peace treaty, the Arakkii will have access to Uranos’ gifts for an hour at a time and place of their choosing. So, they will let him out again, he grins. In servitude and bound to those who hate him, Zuras warns. Nevertheless, he will be out and until then has a toy to pass the time. Uranos grins: there is nothing like a happy ending.
In Lemuria, Kro and Thena are taking a walk. Thena has just informed Kro the Eternals are moving out of Lemuria. She explains that it is safer for the Deviants, but they will be here for them too if needed. That is part of their penance.
What is that noise? she asks. It is beautiful but strange. Prayer, he explains. It is a new fashion among the Deviants now. It is awful to be loved by a god, it gives them funny ideas. Like a new god who can save them all.
More seriously, he asks whether Ajak will be able to save the Deviants from the curse of excess deviation. Thena believes so and, if not, they will find a way eventually. She will not rest before. Her life is to serve.
He is amused: she is always so serious. She may change, but don’t change that. Her sincerity is a part of her charm. So unlike Sersi, she replies. Did he love her? He doesn’t know. He barely got to know her. Who truly knows anyone? He and Thena had twenty thousand years on and off, and their love is still a labyrinth. Does he think they will ever get together again? Thena wonders. Probably, he admits. Let’s hope not. Thena agrees. After everything, it would be good to move on.
A beach of Krakoa: several mutants are busy cleaning up. Wolverine orders everyone to get to safety - they got another damn visitor! It is Phastos who teleports in, then falls to his knees. Wolverine angrily demands what he is doing here. Phastos explains he is a low heretic. He is on a pilgrimage and penitent. He has a message from one old friend to another. The Machine that is Earth wiped its mind. The being it was is gone, but it left a message for Krakoa.
Wolverine takes Phastos to Cypher and Krakoa. Phastos hands Cypher the message and adds his own sympathies. Cypher reads the message and thanks him, then shares it with Krakoa.
The two men leave. Logan asks what it said. Phastos explains the Celestials arrived on Earth a million years ago. They transformed humans into Eternals and Deviants using them as template. They also created the Machine itself. They looked for inspiration for a huge sentient system that runs throughout the very planet and they found a living island which they used as template for the Machine. What did the Machine say? “Good bye, mommy/daddy / self/other.”
Ikaris, his head now shaven, again stands silently before the Robson house in the rain. Sophia Robson curtly asks him in. She needs a lodger. He can stay. She has a spare room. She quickly adds that it’s not her son’s room. That would be weirder even than this. Ikaris thanks her but warns her that her neighbors will hate her if they realize whom she houses. She snaps, “then don’t let them find out,” and adds, “and #*$§ them if they do.” They all deal with grief their own way. Maybe her seeing him doing stuff will help, give it a reason.
They sit at a table and she asks what is he going to do. Simple, everything he can, Ikaris replies.
Later, a family have a blown tire in the rain and no spare tire. Ikaris plays the good Samaritan and happens to have one with him and quickly changes it. When he is finished, the father asks for his number to send him the money. Ikaris tells him it isn’t necessary. Give it to charity or help someone else.
They thank him and drive on. The father suddenly bursts out that he didn’t have a jack.
All over the world, Ikaris and his friends - now considered heretics – help without showing their identity, playing guardian angel to counteract their shame and pay for the human lives they have taken.
