For the first few minutes, the atmosphere was a bit awkward. Then, everyone began talking about their lives since they had parted ways.
"I can't believe we're all together again," Sersi said with a smile.
"I've been working at the Natural History Museum. Human history is fascinating; they always manage to create miracles within their short lifespans."
Phastos sighed. "I just hope this gathering ends quickly. Ben is at home taking care of the kid, and he can't handle that boy's bedtime stories on his own."
Sprite still looked like a teenager, but her tone was full of resentment. "It won't be quick! Calling us all here certainly wasn't for a tea party."
"And at least you have a family. What about me? I never grow up... For thousands of years, I haven't even been able to go to a bar!"
"The one who sacrificed the most is still me." Kingo wore an exaggerated custom suit and a glittering gold watch on his wrist. "I had to postpone the filming schedule for two Bollywood blockbusters. After this is over, I still have to attend a film festival awards ceremony tonight."
Gilgamesh just stood quietly by Tina's side, constantly monitoring her condition to ensure he could soothe her immediately if her Mahd Wy'ry flared up.
Druig swallowed the apple in his mouth and sneered. "I haven't seen you for hundreds of years. Generations of humans have come and gone, yet you haven't changed a bit. Still so boring."
"At least I bring people joy, Druig," Kingo retorted. "It's better than you hiding in the Amazon jungle, controlling a bunch of primitives."
Makkari quickly signed to Ikaris.
[Where is Ajak? You said she was the one who summoned us.]
"Yeah, where is Ajak? Why did she have everyone come here?" Druig looked around. "Could it be she wants us to team up again to deal with the Deviants? I thought they were all dead."
Just then, the iron door at the end of the warehouse slowly opened.
Ajak walked in.
Her steps were heavy, and her face showed none of the joy of a long-awaited reunion, only a countenance weighed down by heavy thoughts.
The others, who had been talking, fell silent one after another upon seeing Ajak's expression.
Everyone sensed that the situation might be more serious than they had imagined.
"Ajak." Sersi stepped forward, looking at her with concern. "You look very unwell. What happened?"
Ajak didn't answer immediately. She walked into the center of the group, her gaze sweeping across each familiar face in turn.
"Ajak," Kingo asked tentatively, "what was your purpose for summoning us here?"
"Arishem the Judge is coming to Earth," Ajak said in a low voice.
Everyone was stunned.
"The Creator is coming?" Sprite straightened up, expectation rising in her eyes. "Is our mission over? Is he going to take us back to Olympia?"
At the mention of Olympia, a glimmer of hope flashed in most of their eyes.
After all, that was their home, a source of longing throughout their long years.
"He is not here to take us home." Ajak shook her head, her tone heavy.
"He is coming... to destroy this Planet."
These words were like a sudden thunderclap, shaking their very souls.
Sersi took a step back in disbelief.
"Why?" Sersi couldn't understand.
"We have protected humanity here for over seven thousand years. We have witnessed their proliferation and the development of their civilization. Why would Arishem the Judge want to destroy them?"
"Because the civilization on this Planet has interfered with the Emergence," Ajak stated the reason bluntly.
"Emergence? What is that?" Kingo was full of confusion.
"And the new mission he has given us..." Ajak didn't answer Kingo's question immediately, but continued to relay Arishem the Judge's instructions, "is to find and find a way to seize the infinity stones hidden on Earth."
Everyone looked at each other.
The term 'infinity stones' was equally foreign to them.
"Ajak, make yourself clear." Druig stared at Ajak with a sharp gaze. "What are the infinity stones? And what is the Emergence?"
Ajak looked around at these comrades who had been with her for thousands of years, knowing she could no longer keep it hidden.
"The infinity stones are the embodiment of six powers from the dawn of the Universe; they possess unrivaled power," Ajak explained.
"Arishem the Judge discovered that the power of the Stones has appeared on Earth. He believes this power is the source of the anomaly in the Emergence, so he has ordered us to seize them."
"As for the Emergence..."
Ajak's lips trembled slightly.
"Deep within the core of the Earth, a celestial seed lies dormant, named Tiamut."
"We came to Earth seven thousand years ago to protect humans and eliminate the Deviants solely to allow the human population to grow in an orderly fashion."
"Humanity's intellectual energy is the nourishment for the celestial seed's incubation. When the population reaches a critical point, Tiamut will awaken."
"And the process of his awakening is the Emergence."
Ajak's expression was filled with sorrow.
"And once the Emergence happens... this Planet will be torn apart, and all life will be destroyed."
"No... that's impossible." Sersi backed away two steps, shaking her head desperately.
"We came here to protect them! We taught them farming, taught them language! How could it just be to raise them as food?!"
Phastos held his head in his hands, filled with panic.
"My family, my husband and son are all here! We've been helping human development, and in the end, we're just feeding a monster that will destroy humanity?"
"He is not a monster, Phastos," Ikaris said firmly.
"This is Arishem the Judge's grand design. Only with the birth of a God can more galaxies and life be created. Sacrificing one Planet in exchange for the prosperity of the Universe is our mission."
"You already knew." Druig suddenly spoke, then turned to look at Ajak. "He already knew, didn't he?"
Ajak nodded. "Yes, only I and Ikaris knew the truth."
"You... you knew all along? But you never told me." Sersi looked at the man she had once deeply loved, feeling he was a complete stranger.
Ikaris avoided Sersi's gaze; his silence was an admission.
Makkari quickly signed.
[If we find those stones, will he spare Earth?]
"Finding the stones is only to ensure the process of destruction is foolproof," Ajak answered woodenly.
"Oh God..." Kingo rubbed his hair irritably.
"This is crazy... So my acting career of nearly a century, the wealth and fans I've accumulated, it's all going to turn to ash?"
[What about us? Even if Earth is destroyed, we can still go back to Olympia, right? As long as we return to our home...]
Makkari was more concerned about whether they could return to Olympia. She had lived a lonely life for thousands of years and just wanted to return to their home Planet as soon as possible.
"There is no Olympia."
Ajak interrupted Kingo's words.
She decided to reveal the entire truth without reservation.
"What do you mean?" Kingo was stunned.
"We never had a home."