chapter nineteen
she's not a deviant
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"Phastos," Druig said. "I need to control the mind of a celestial."
"Ok, get ready for it," Phastos spoke making Arden watch in awe.
"Bracelets? You made us bracelets?" Kingo asked.
"Oh my god I remember this one time this guy gave me a bracelet and I was like 'oh my gosh it's so pretty' and then I lost it," Arden spoke, looking around. "Sorry."
"Anyway. . .so here's a little Celestial 101," Phastos spoke. "Celestials are the most powerful energy generators in the universe. When Arishem made us, he imbued us with infinite cosmic energy to keep our bodies regenerating."
"We already knew that," Arden spoke, walking back and forth, counting the steps it took her to walk from one wall to another.
"The bracelets, in theory, shut down our regeneration process," he continued. "And once that happens our bodies accumulate extra cosmic energy."
"So we are going to be old?" Arden asked. "I mean look old."
"Uh not exactly," Phastos replied. "If the deviants can absorb our energy, what if we can absorb each other's energy as well? If I can find a way to connect us all, one of us could become immensely powerful, pulling the accumulated energy from the rest, forming. . .a uni mind."
Arden looked up since it was so quiet and let out a nervous laugh.
"Why is no one saying anything?"
"Uni, meaning one. Mind, meaning mind," Phastos explained.
"Oh no, we heard you the first time," Kingo spoke.
"Terrible name," Sprite inputted.
"Well brianstorm. . .brainstorm! That's a way better name!"
"No, I invented it, i get to name it!"
"So suppose Druig can put Tiamat to sleep," Makkari signed. "Then what?"
"We find humans a new home on another planet," Sersi replied.
Arden stopped walking and sent a confused look to the woman.
"Are we building a big ship too?" Sprite asked.
"Yeah that's what i'm wondering because there's no way we can bring 7 billion people onto this thing," Arden spoke, looking around.
"Yeah, are we going to take a pair of each animal?" Sprite added on.
"Well you know what's never saved the planet? Your sarcasm."
"Space colonization could take decades," Sprite spoke.
"It can happen quickly with our help."
"What if we end up accidentally killing Tiamut?" Kingo asked, watching as Arden turned into a bear and walk slowly toward Ikaris. "We could be responsible for billions of lives not being created across the universe. Boss am I right?"
Arden took that as her sign and nuzzled her nose on Ikaris' face. He jumped quickly and sent a punch to her which she successfully dodged.
But not the lasers that went straight for her shoulder sending her to the ground.
"You are not fun to joke around with at all!" she exclaimed once she was back to her normal self.
Druig, Thena, and Makkari appeared at her side to make sure she was okay.
"Why were you a bear?!" he exclaimed in panic.
"I don't know I felt like it!" she exclaimed back. "Why do you keep hitting me!?"
"I thought you were a Deviant!"
"How does that explain the table then?!"
"Woah what table?" Kingo asked.
"He smashed Phastos' table on her head," Sersi explained.
"What!?" Druig and Kingo spoke at the same time.
"She shouldn't have been under the table."
"And you shouldn't go punching peoples tables," Phastos spat.
"Are you okay Arden?" Makkari signed.
Arden slid across the floor until she was in reaching distance of Ikaris. She swept his leg making him hit the floor immediately and she smiled.
"I'm okay," she signed back, meeting the woman's eyes.
"Can we get back on track here?" Sprite asked.
"This is child endangerment," Arden mumbled, taking Thenas hand so she could stand.
"Ajak chose Sersi to lead us," Ikaris spoke, getting up and back onto the topic. "Sersi should decide."
"I hope that hurt old man," Arden spoke making Ikaris give her an offended look.
"Forget who Ajak chose," Sprite interrupted. "You're the strongest. You should be making this decision! Fine. Just keep lying to yourself."
"Excuse me?" Arden interrupted, getting closer to Sprite. "You think he's the strongest?"
"I don't think, I know."
"That's funny because if I remember correctly, Gil took on a deviant on his own and Ikaris couldn't even hurt the one in London. And-"
"The deviant had Ajaks abilities," Sprite interrupted.
"Okay and? what's that gotta do with anything?"
"It's just-"
"Ajak chose Sersi, not Ikaris. And I have a feeling it's because no one cares about these humans more than her," she spoke, as Sprite began walking away. "Where are you going?"
"Away."
Ikaris walked after her and Kingo went after him.
"Darn," Arden said.
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"Guys guys!" Arden exclaimed, her arms full of stuff as she ran from the direction of her bedroom. Makkari ran next to her, also holding stuff with a huge grin on her face.
"What's wrong?" Phastos asked as Druig stood up and grabbed her arms gently.
"Are you alright love?"
"Yeah yeah im fine," she waved off, trying to catch her breath. "Makkari took me to her bed room and-"
"Her. . . bedroom?" Druig asked.
"Yeah! And anyways. . .we started looking at her stuff and then we went to my bedroom and look at all these things I found."
The two women dropped the pile of random stuff on the floor and looked through it. Druig joined them as Phastos continued working.
"What's this?" Druig asked, picking up an old tattered notebook.
Arden looked up and her face paled as Makkari grabbed a dress and told her she would be back.
"Druig give it back," Arden spat, holding her hand out for him to give it to her.
"I wanna read it," he spoke innocently, smiling at her. "You never told me you had a diary."
"It's a journal," she corrected, growing tense with each passing second. "And you can't read it."
"Why can't I read your diary Arden?"
Ardens hand turned sharp as she took long quick strides towards Druig. The man took a step back for each step forward she took and soon ended up against the wall. She pinned him, the sharp blade pressed against his throat making him angle his head up.
"You sure love pinning people against the wall," he pointed out, trying to adjust without getting cut.
"It drives the ladies crazy," she growled, her eyes flicking from his neck to his eyes.
She snatched the book out of his hands and tossed it to the pile of her stuff. He smiled at her which only made her furrow her eyebrows in confusion.
"Do you think I won't hurt you?" she asked, already feeling sad if he did think that. She wanted to be tough.
"No, I know you can hurt me," he replied. "If it came down to it I'd want you to."
Weird, she thought.
"I don't want you to read it."
"Okay I won't read it," he smiled.
"How do I know you'll keep that promise?" she whispered.
"I wont mess up again," he told her, gently pushing her hand away from his neck.
"Hey Arden?" Phastos asked, looking toward the duo and not liking the tension at all.
"What's up P?" she spoke, her voice lighter than two seconds ago making Druig smile more.
"Can you not kill him maybe? We kinda need him."
"Ill kill whoever I wanna kill," she spoke through clenched teeth, eyeing Druig up and down.
"I wouldn't mind if you killed me," he whispered so only she could hear.
"I know, you weirdo."
authors note! ━━━━━━━
i'm gonna write an act three of like— what they would do if he never left okay bye