The faint glow of glyphs on the massive stone wall flickered and pulsed as Ajak, head of the Eternals, poured her divine energy into an ancient ritual meant to summon her creator, the Celestial Arishem the Judge. Her hands trembled slightly, not from fatigue, but from the mounting pressure of uncertainty—uncertainty about whether the memories implanted in her and her kin were real, and whether the so-called "Judge of the Universe" would even respond.
Meanwhile, Robert floated nearby, his sharp gaze scanning the surroundings, waiting for any trace of the Earth's Dimensional Consciousness to emerge. Despite the lack of visible threats, Robert's guard was still up. He had expected the consciousness to intervene in this critical moment, but so far, it had remained hidden.
Robert shifted his focus to the entire planet, extending his senses to every corner of Earth. His concern wasn't misplaced; after all, the Earth's Dimensional Consciousness had repeatedly shown itself to be a cunning and manipulative entity. If it felt cornered, it could unleash chaos on an unprecedented scale.
But despite his wariness, there was no sign of its interference.
On the other side of the battlefield, the Eternals stared blankly at the visions conjured by the Time Stone and the Ancient One's magic. These visions—their true past—revealed an unsettling reality that shattered their implanted beliefs.
The Eternal stronghold, where they had been stationed for eons, had merely been a dormant resting site for their stasis pods. Time flew by in the visions, showing them lying inert, their minds filled with fabricated memories. These memories painted them as Earth's hidden protectors, yet the truth revealed they had done nothing of the sort.
And then, the vision shifted. Time rewound further, back to the moment their pods were dispatched to Earth. Hovering above the blue planet was a colossal figure, unmistakable in its grandeur and aura—a Celestial, Arishem the Judge.
"Arishem!" Ajak gasped in recognition, her voice tinged with shock and betrayal. The realization hit her like a tidal wave. She, along with her people, was nothing more than a tool, a pawn in the grand plans of their creators.
The Eternals, each grappling with their shattered identities, fell into turmoil. Even Ikaris, the most self-assured and headstrong among them, found his confidence crumbling.
"How could it all be a lie? How could everything we've believed in be fabricated?" Ikaris muttered, his voice low and filled with disbelief. "If our memories were false, what about our feelings? Our relationships? Are those lies too?"
The Eternals were no strangers to complex relationships; love triangles and unspoken affections were rampant among their group. But the revelation that their emotions might have been artificially manufactured was too much to bear.
For once, even Ikaris had no snide remarks. He simply stood there, paralyzed by the weight of the truth.
"Still no trace of the Dimensional Consciousness," Robert remarked quietly, breaking the tense silence. He turned toward the Ancient One, who nodded in agreement. Though their combined efforts had unearthed the truth about the Eternals' past, the Earth's Dimensional Consciousness remained elusive.
Turning his attention to Ajak, Robert spoke. "Your connection to the Celestials—can you reach Arishem?"
The sudden question snapped Ajak out of her daze. She hesitated, her gaze shifting to the ground. "According to the memories implanted in me, I should be able to contact him," she said cautiously. "But after what we've seen… I don't know if those memories can be trusted."
"Try," Robert said flatly.
Ajak hesitated for a moment before meeting Robert's gaze. "If I manage to contact Arishem… will you let us go?"
Her voice carried an earnest plea. For all her confusion and despair, Ajak's desire to lead her people to a better future burned brightly. Even though her memories were a fabrication, her determination was real.
Robert crossed his arms and shrugged. "As far as I'm concerned, you haven't done anything wrong. Your lives were stolen from you by the Celestials. If it's freedom you want, I won't stop you."
The Eternals glanced at each other, hope flickering in their eyes.
"Thank you," Ajak said, bowing her head. "I'll do my best to establish contact."
Within moments, the group traveled to the Eternals' stronghold, where their stasis pods and Celestial artifacts lay dormant. The environment was an eerie mix of futuristic technology and celestial magic, an unmistakable testament to the Celestials' power and mastery of creation.
Ajak approached a massive stone wall inscribed with intricate runes and glyphs. "This is the connection point," she said. "If the link to Arishem still exists, it will respond here."
The Ancient One and the Avengers surrounded her, watching intently. Robert, however, stayed a short distance away, his senses still focused on any signs of the Earth's Dimensional Consciousness.
Ajak began the ritual. Channeling her divine energy, she pressed her hands against the stone wall, and the glyphs began to glow faintly. Ancient symbols flickered to life, radiating a soft, golden light. The room was filled with a low, resonating hum.
But nothing happened.
"Is it not working?" murmured Sersi, her voice laced with anxiety.
"It's like a phone ringing endlessly with no one to answer," Tony Stark quipped, though his tone carried more tension than humor.
Ajak gritted her teeth and poured more of her energy into the ritual. The glyphs glowed brighter, pulsating as if trying to pierce through the void of space and time to reach their creator.
And then, the room shifted.
A sudden wave of energy swept through the air, and the glyphs erupted with light. The stone wall transformed into a swirling portal of darkness, its surface rippling like water.
Out of the portal emerged a towering, luminous figure—Arishem the Judge. Though his projection was smaller than the full-scale Celestial Robert had encountered before, the oppressive weight of his presence was undeniable.
"Who summons me?" Arishem's voice boomed, deep and resonant, as though echoing across the cosmos. His glowing eyes scanned the room, falling first on Ajak and then on the assembled Avengers.
For a moment, the Celestial seemed unfazed, until his gaze landed on Robert. His glowing eyes widened ever so slightly.
"Why is he here?" Arishem's voice rumbled with disbelief. "The Saiyan. Why do the Eternals answer to him?"
Robert smirked but didn't respond immediately. He studied the Celestial's projection carefully, noting that it was merely an avatar, a fragment of Arishem's power. "So you did flee this universe," he finally said. "I'm guessing you're just a sliver of what you used to be."
Arishem's glow dimmed slightly, a subtle acknowledgment of the truth. "I won't deny it," the Celestial said, his tone more subdued. "We cannot defeat you. You've grown beyond even the Five Great Cosmic Beings."
Robert's expression turned sharp. "If you're admitting your weakness, then let me ask you: why did you create the Eternals? Why manipulate Earth? And more importantly—why did you abandon this universe?"
The room fell silent. Even the Eternals, who had spent their entire lives idolizing Arishem, waited with bated breath for his response.
"Because," Arishem began, his voice heavy with something resembling regret, "even gods must flee when faced with annihilation. The balance of this universe was broken… and something far worse than even you threatens all existence."
His words hung in the air, chilling everyone to the core.
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