Sparking Soul: Ch.27

The still skies of the desolate planet Vormir were shattered by the sound of engines rumbling, the Sanctuary II slowly descending with the ominous presence of a predator looking for its next prey.

The clouds parted as the ship's enormous silhouette blanketed Vormir's jagged cliffs in shadows, touching down upon a vast flat plateau that sat in the shadow of a large mountain.

The loading ramp hissed open as Thanos slowly walked out of the ship, wearing the golden armour that he was known for with the added addition of the Mind Stone shimmering on his left gauntlet.

Behind him, Gamora followed with gritted teeth, the Other following behind her while dragging the broken Nebula behind it.

The woman had an arm missing as well as an eye, Gamora's eyes flickering towards her sister before flinching away as Thanos glanced back at her.

There had been times before when she had seen her sister torn apart, but this time, it was not done to give her enhancement or to teach her a lesson. No, this was done by her father's own hands to serve as a warning.

The Other showed no concern and gave no heed to the pained whimpering of Nebula, its eyes glowing faintly under its hood as it stared at the looming summit of the mountain that held the next stone for its master.

With every step they took, it sounded as if the wind was whispering the words of the dead in their ears while the shadows curled like fingers around them, Thanos gaze focused on the path ahead.

“You're a monster,” Gamora broke the silence, her tone a mixture of furious and resigned as Thanos didn't look back.

“Perhaps, but I am a monster with purpose, daughter.”

“Be careful how you speak, Gamora!”, The Other growled, its grip tightening on Nebula's chains when Gamora glared at it before she turned her glare to Thanos.

“Why did you bring her? I already told you where the stone is.”

“You did. She's here to witness the beginning of the new future,” Thanos answered as they stepped onto the plateau at the top of the summet, obsidian pillars reaching towards the heavens while at the cliff's edge stood a cloaked back.

As the figure slowly turned to them, both Gamora and the Other tensed while Thanos kept his stoic gaze at the red skull-like face beneath the cowl, the figure letting out a hoarse wheeze while looking towards them.

“Thanos, son of A'lars. Gamora, daughter of Thanos. Nebula, daughter of Thanos. O'Kirzz, son of Thanos. Welcome,” The Other along with Gamura looked a bit surprised to hear the figure speak out the former's true name while Thanos narrowed his eyes as he looked to it.

“I seek the Soul Stone,” He spoke and the figure simply bowed his head while gesturing to the cliff behind him.

“I am merely its keeper. Many can come and retrieve it, but very few understand its cost. It lies before you, but to claim it, one must give up what you love most.”

“Hehehe…hahahahaha~!! Oh, this is a joyous day! I was expecting you to get it right away, but fate truly is smiling upon me today!”, Gamora spoke with an ecstatic and relieved smile as she looked at Thanos, giving a mocking smile as she saw the tears brimming in his eyes.

“Tears? You are a pathetic man, Father.”

“F-Father, please. Don't,” Nebula whispered, feeling her stomach dropping while Gamora looked confused at her sister's look of dread right as a large hand wrapped around her wrist.

“I'm sorry, little one,” Thanos' words drew Gamora's gaze back to him before her eyes widened as he began dragging her towards the edge, screaming and trying to get away while the Other bowed its head to thank its sister for her valiant sacrifice.

“Goodbye,” Thanos whispered as he threw her away, her screams filling the void as Thanos watched her body fall. He ignored Nebula's tears and the Other's chanting as Gamora's body hit the floor, blood splattering around her in the rough shape of a stone before he closed his eyes as the world turned a bright white.

When the light began to die down and he opened his eyes, he was confused as he found himself lying in a puddle, slowly sitting up while looking around to see Nebula lying in the water while the Other floated above its surface.

“Sire! Did it work?”, The Other asked and Thanos didn't answer right away as he slowly opened his right hand, watching as the Soul Stone's orange hue filled the area and he slowly placed it onto his left gauntlet.

As it locked into place, Thanos had a pleased smile as the Mind Stone synchronised with it, Nebula letting out a groan as Thanos created an Eldritch crest below her and brought her closer.

“Yes, it is done,” He spoke as Nebula's body twitched, the Mind Stone pulsing as Thanos placed his finger against her forehead and her eyes widened with a gasp.

“I know you hate me right now, daughter, but you do have potential. It is just your fragile loyalty that stops you from wielding it to your full potential,” Nebula's back arched and she let out a choked cry as she felt her mind being torn apart, Thanos rewriting every memory that he saw before lifting his finger as she went still.

The next moment, Thanos stood up as Nebula did the same, her robotic body sparking and creaking as she looked at him with an empty gaze before falling to a knee.

“Father, what is your command?”, She asked, her voice flat as Thanos looked out at the void that was space before nodding.

“We shall return to the shift. Afterwards, you will accompany me to Nidavellir to do something I should have done years ago.”

“Yes, Father.”

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The light of the Bifrost died down as we walked out, Jarnbjorn attached to my back as Father walked out first followed by myself and Loki, but I turned as I saw the last member of our family locking eyes with a frowning Heimdall the moment she stepped through.

“Hmm, it's nice to see a familiar face. The centuries have treated you good, Heimdall.”

“As it has done for you, Lady Hela.”

“Oh, we trained together under Father. Hela is fine,” Hela spoke with a raised eyebrow, to which Heimdall nodded while I blinked as I looked between the two along with a confused Loki.

“You think…?”

“They might have…”

“Yes, we were lovers, but it was a simple fling before we went to war. Nothing more than an exchange between two people wishing to rid themselves of stress,” Hela answered with a nonchalant shrug as she walked past us and followed after Father.

I didn't say anything as I let my brain reboot before a smirk appeared on my face as I slowly turned to Heimdall who stared back.

“Hey, Heimda-”

“No,” Heimdall cut me off, making me groan as Loki looked amused at my misery before we followed after Father and Hela, who was looking around with an intrigued look at everything we passed.

“That is smaller, that is a bit more tilted than it was befo-Oh, that tree grew into a forest. Not bad.”

“Right, I forget that you are as old as the hags of Asgard,” Loki hummed before I blinked as he got smacked in the back of the head by a sword that appeared out of thin air, Hela raising her eyebrow as he winced before glaring at her.

“Would you stop that?”

“I will not. It is quite entertaining.”

“Keep that attitude when I drown you in the lake.”

“You'll have to be stronger than the weakling you are now to be able to do that.”

“Are we sure I am not the adopted one?”, I asked as I looked to Father, who had a slight smirk on his face as both Hela and Loki turned to me before looking at each other.

“…Hmm, we do look alike, I suppose.”

“It's more a thing of you stealing my look.”

“Ha! I am the firstborn. Therefore, you stole my look.”

“And yet, I pull it off better than you.”

“…Yeah, I'm fairly sure I'm the adopted one,” I spoke with a shake of my head before looking to Father as he stopped and looked at me.

“You may be trying to divert the subject, but I will ask. Will you go to Svartalheim?”

“I will. After all, Darcy's murderer might be hiding there,” I said with a shrug, smiling to hide the stab of pain I felt at her name and looking to Hela as she spoke up.

“What Asgardian calls themselves Darcy?”

“One that was a former Midgardian. Darcy is a Midgardian woman I fell in love with when I was banished to Midgard and she died recently along with our mother Frigga when we were attacked by Malekith and his kind.”

“…That's a shame. I really liked Frigga,” Hela murmured, making me raise an eyebrow to Father who shook his head.

“Frigga is your and Loki's mother, yours by birth and his by adoption. Hela's mother on the other hand is the very reason I gathered the Infinity Stones when I was younger, but I lost her when I went to retrieve the fifth stone.”

“What stone is that?”, I asked before I hid my shock as he spoke with a soft sigh.

“It was the Soul Stone.”

“And to get it, he had to sacrifice the one he loved the most in order to get it. At the time, I did not care for her, but I think you sacrificing her life only fuelled the hatred I felt for you over the centuries,” Hela spoke up and both Loki and I looked at each other before he shook his head.

“I can't believe it. And here I thought I was a menace to the world.”

“The person I am today is reviled by the man I once was.”

“Convenient justification for monstrous actions,” Loki muttered with a shrug while I frowned as Father sighed and Hela spoke up.

“Perhaps, but monsters are what the realm needs to chase away those that hide in the shadows. Is that not what you taught me, All-Father?”, Hela asked, Father nodding with his jaw tightening as I looked up at the sky.

I knew that Hela had a different mother, but to think that Father would kill the woman he loved for a chance at power? I was power-hungry, but never to this extent.

'Then again, Thor: Ragnarok did show that the man was far worse when he had Hela at his side.'

“So, what stone were you missing?”

“The Soul and Reality stones and as we both remember, my father had hid it on Midgard in a dimension I could not access at that time.”

“Why not? You had the Space Stone.”

“Yet, his runes denied me entry. No matter how many times I tore them away, they always kept me from entering.”

“I wish to ask. When we first went to retrieve the Reality Stone, did you lie when you said that you barely recognized his runes?”, I asked, watching as the man looked at me before pinching the bridge of my nose as he nodded.

“I did.”

“…Why?”, I asked and the man looked to the side as both Loki and Hela looked intrigued as well.

“Did you wish to see that I would descent that the same path I did? Take out anyone in my path to get them? Sacrifice the one I love the most for a bit of power?”

“…Yes,” He answered, to which I just nodded before surprising him as I shook my head and surprised him when I smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I am a bit disappointed that you would think that of me, but I also understand where you're coming from. We'll talk about this later, but for now, let's get to getting revenge for our family.”

“Should I not be the one saying that?”, He asked and I chuckled before turning to Loki and Hela as I heard her gag.

“Urgh, can you two do that when I am not in your presence?”

“See, now we're in agreement about someth-!”, I ignored Loki's response as my head snapped to the right, my eyes wide as I saw an orange hue appearing far in the distance along with a golden yellow hue right next to it.

“Father, as I am now, do you believe I could face off against Thanos?”

“No, unless you believe you can beat me without losing the stones?”, He asked and I grimaced as I looked at the man before being surprised as Hela spoke up.

“If he truly is a threat to your reign, I could come with and help you.”

“Are you certain you can be trusted?”, I asked and Hela rolled her eyes before I turned to Father as he spoke.

“I suppose with all four of us facing off against him together, it should be possible.”

“Wait, four? Who said I was going to take part in this?”, Loki asked with a frown only to groan as both Father and I looked at him.

“You still owe us for letting you free, remember?”

“…Urgh, fine~ I guess it's back to the Bifrost, then?”, He asked and in response, the Space Stone activated as I pulled all four of us across the universe, appearing in front of the purple behemoth with Jarnbjorn in my hands.

Raising it high, I was somewhat impressed by his quick mind as he was already making hand sigils while drawing Eldritch energy towards himself, quickly creating a shield right as I swung down with the full force of the Power Stone.

His shield did not last long against an Infinity Stone, but it was long enough for him to jump back, creating two Taoist fan like the Ancient One did in the Dr. Strange movie while I stared at the Mind and Soul stones on his left gauntlet.

“It appears that I did not need to come searching for the stones, after all,” Thanos' deep voice murmured as he looked at the three in my chest, to which I frowned as Loki spun Mjolnir while Hela formed her antlered helm.

“Sire! Allow us to assist y-!”, With a wave of my hand, I sent both Nebula and the hideous Dementor-thing through the vacuum of space, right into a prison on Xandar as Thanos narrowed his eyes.

“Where are they?”

“Considering you killed the one you love the most, why should I believe that you care?”, I asked, watching as his jaw questioned and I saw something flickering in his gaze.

'Regret or guilt? Perhaps, but I'd rather not feel something for the genocidal bastard.'

“I did what was necessary. The universe requires correction. It is unfortunate that sacrifice is the price of salvation.”

“You call it salvation, but I call it cowardice,” Hela spoke as she began to walk around the Titan while her swords formed around her. “At least Odin wears his sins like armour.”

“Interesting coming from one that calls herself the Goddess of Death. How many worlds have you razed under your father's command?”

“Thousands, but I never pretended it was mercy,” She answered and a heavy silence settled in between us before I tightened my grip on Jarnbjorn and took a breath.

“Let us not pretend we're anything alike, Thanos.”

“Are we not, son of Odin? We both seek the stones for our own purposes, but unlike you, I am wise enough to realize that trying to stop one who wishes to bring balance will do nothing more than bring chaos.”

“You think balance comes from death?”, I asked and shook my head as he nodded. “Real strength is found in shouldering the burden of life, not ending it because you wish to.”

“Then show me your strength, Odinson!”, He spoke as the Mind Stone shone and he created a portal in front of him, the Power Stone doing the same for me before the battlefield erupted.

A/N: In all honesty, I'm getting slightly tired of this Thanos arc because I kind of made him way too OP which I realized is an irritating thing I do.

Anyway, next chapter: Battle of the Gods.

As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!