"Because I learned the truth then, Sersi." Ikaris gave a bitter smile.
"I left because I couldn't face you. I couldn't tell you that the world you loved so deeply was destined to be destroyed."
"And now, you know nothing... about the Celestials' power."
"Arishem's will cannot be defied. Opposing a Celestial will only bring total destruction."
Ikaris's breathing grew faint. "Only by remaining loyal to Arishem, only by obeying his arrangements... could I have a chance to meet you again in the new world."
"Everything I did was so that, in the next cycle... I could love you again."
"I love you, Sersi."
This confession, spanning thousands of years, seemed especially desolate upon the empty ice field.
Tears slid down Sersi's face, and a sharp pain gripped her heart.
She hated his betrayal, yet she could not completely sever the bond that had endured through countless centuries.
"I know, I know. Everything..."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
A violent gust suddenly swept up. Two figures, one after the other, skidded to a stop on the ice.
Pietro was in front, breathing slightly heavily.
Makkari stopped beside him, looking somewhat disheveled.
Pietro raised a hand and, with perfect casualness, plucked a twig tangled in Makkari's hair, a mischievous grin on his face.
Makkari's cheeks reddened slightly. She instinctively slapped his hand away and shot Pietro a fierce glare.
The atmosphere between them was rather strange.
But Makkari's attention was quickly drawn to the scene ahead.
Her gaze fell directly upon Ikaris, who lay in the icy water.
The image of Kro's chest being pierced by a golden beam flashed through her mind.
For thousands of years, among the Eternals, she and Kro had been the closest of friends.
In an instant, rage ignited within her.
Whoosh!
Makkari crossed more than ten meters in