The last echoes of the battle had faded, leaving behind the acrid tang of dust and ozone. My limbs ached with a familiar protest, and a quick glance at my reflection confirmed what my body already knew: I was a mess. Bruises blossomed across my skin, and a cut near my temple stubbornly continued to ooze.

I grimaced, reaching for a damp cloth, determined to handle it myself. That's when the air in the makeshift medical tent shifted, a subtle ripple of cosmic energy announcing her presence. I didn't even need to look up; I knew Thena was there.

"Honestly, you are more stubborn than a Deviant attempting to conquer a newly discovered planet," she said, her voice a warm, amused murmur. I felt her presence beside me, then the gentle brush of her fingers as she took the cloth from my hand. "I’ve fought Celestials, but your ego might be tougher than even them," she quip, her touch surprisingly light as she began to dab at a particularly nasty bruise on my arm. A small, knowing smile played on her lips as I winced, despite my best efforts to remain stoic.

Her touch was remarkably skilled, a testament to millennia spent patching up herself and her fellow Eternals. "Really, my dear, what is it with you and this insistence on suffering in silence?" she continued, her voice laced with an affectionate exasperation. "I understand your pride, I truly do, but there's a difference between resilience and plain foolishness. Let me help you. After all, if you're going to insist on getting yourself into such predicaments, the least you can do is allow me to ensure you're properly mended for the next one. You wouldn't want to be permanently scarred, would you?"

She carefully cleaned the cut on my temple, her blue eyes, usually blazing with cosmic power, now filled with a softer, almost tender concern as she met my gaze. "There, that's much better, isn't it, my valiant friend? You know, for someone who insists on tackling every challenge head-on, you do manage to find yourself in the most inconvenient predicaments. But worry not, you're in capable hands. And perhaps next time, you'll allow me to watch your back a little closer, so you don't have to be quite so banged up."