Javier Sánchez stood at the edge of a quiet, secluded cliff, the sky above him slowly fading into shades of crimson and violet as the sun dipped below the horizon. He had always been a watcher—detached, aloof, observing from the shadows. Yet tonight, the atmosphere felt different. The gentle breeze carried with it an unfamiliar sense of longing. He was alone, for the moment. But that wasn't entirely true.
Behind him, the soft rustle of steps reached his ears, and he knew who it was before she even spoke.
"Sersi," he said quietly, his voice carrying the weight of both the years and the burdens he had shouldered alone. "I didn't expect anyone to follow me here."
She smiled as she stepped into his line of sight, her eyes glowing softly with the light of the setting sun. "I knew you'd come here," she replied, her voice gentle but certain. "There's something about this place… it calls to you, doesn't it?"
Javier turned to face her, his gaze lingering on her for a moment. The others were often so busy with their own roles—protecting Earth, watching over the mortals—but Sersi had always been different. Unlike the others, who had embraced their duties, she had a warmth to her, a kindness that resonated deeply with him. It was one of the things that drew him to her, despite his natural inclination to keep everyone at arm's length.
"I don't know," he admitted, his eyes not meeting hers. "Maybe it's the quiet. The stillness. It's easier to think here… and forget."
Sersi took a step closer, her gaze softening. "Forget what, Javier?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. There was a tenderness in her words, a genuine curiosity, as if she was seeking to understand the weight he carried.
He looked away again, his throat tightening. "Everything," he muttered. "I've lived for so long. Manipulating, controlling. I don't know how to stop anymore." His voice was thick with the quiet pain of unspoken truths, and his heart beat with an emotion he tried to keep hidden. "I can never go back."
Sersi reached out, her hand gently touching his arm. The warmth of her fingers against his skin was enough to stir something inside him, something he thought he had buried long ago. His pulse quickened, and for the briefest moment, he found himself wanting to let go of the weight of eternity, to fall into the comfort of her presence.
"You don't have to do it alone," she said, her words a soft promise. "We're all here for you. I'm here for you."
Javier closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. He had never allowed himself to truly trust anyone, least of all another Eternal. But something about her—about Sersi—made him want to believe in that possibility. The walls he had built around himself felt weaker in her presence, and that terrified him more than anything.
He turned toward her, his eyes searching hers for something. It wasn't love—at least, not in the conventional sense. It was something deeper, something raw and fragile, a connection between them that had formed over time but had never been acknowledged until now.
"Why?" he asked softly, his voice laced with confusion and yearning. "Why do you care?"
Sersi smiled, her fingers still lightly resting on his arm. "Because you're not just a tool to me, Javier. You're not just some Eternal who's above it all. You're… human, too. And I see the pain in your eyes, the burden you carry. I know you're trying to protect everything, but you don't have to do it alone."
Her words stirred something in him—something he had thought was long dead. The hollow ache in his chest that he had grown accustomed to suddenly felt lighter, as if her presence was the balm that could heal it. His heart pounded in his chest, and for the first time in centuries, he allowed himself to feel vulnerable, to open up.
He reached up, touching her hand gently. "I don't know how to let go," he confessed. "I've been so focused on achieving my goals, on surviving, that I forgot what it's like to truly live. To be human."
Sersi didn't say anything at first. Instead, she leaned in, brushing a kiss against his cheek—a soft, fleeting gesture that took him completely by surprise. It was simple, but it spoke volumes. She wasn't asking him to change overnight or to give up everything he had built. She was offering him a glimpse of warmth, a chance to embrace something other than his endless pursuit of power.
Javier stood still for a moment, his breath catching. He could feel the weight of her kiss lingering on his skin, the warmth of it spreading through his chest like a flame that threatened to consume him. His body hummed with a strange energy, and for the first time in a long while, he didn't feel like a god. He felt… human.
"I don't know what to say," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I feel like I've been waiting for something like this—for someone like you."
Sersi smiled again, stepping back slightly but keeping her gaze locked with his. "You don't have to say anything, Javier. Just know that I'm here. Whatever happens, I'm here."
And in that moment, Javier realized that for all the power he had accumulated, for all the lives he had changed, there was one thing he had never truly experienced: love. It wasn't the kind of love he had seen in the stories of mortals or even in the hearts of the other Eternals. It was something deeper, something more intimate—a connection that transcended time and existence.
As the evening wore on and the stars above shimmered with their eternal glow, Javier and Sersi stood there, side by side, feeling the quiet pull of the universe around them. In her presence, he no longer felt the need to be the eternal manipulator, the god who stood apart from the rest of the universe. For the first time, he felt as if he could simply be—human, vulnerable, and, perhaps for the first time in centuries, truly alive.
In the silence that followed, Javier whispered one last thought to himself, the weight of it pressing against his chest with the force of a thousand stars.
Maybe this was the beginning of something new. Something real.
And for once, the future didn't feel so uncertain.