//------------------------------// // Chapter 95 – Soul // Story: Infinity Era // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// 95 The Nation of Wakanda Mount Bashenga 12:24 a.m. Greater than the Tartarian fires upon the molten earth. Greater than the storms of which the winds did tear at the seams of the world. Greater than the power of life itself, Mistress Death descended upon the mortal plane. Her essence illuminated streams of light that coiled around her state of being, slowing, fading away as to let the darkness settle in and surround her. Breathe with her. Exist the same moment the embodiment of death did so. Thanos turned fully around to face what he once thought was truly lost to him. She was just as he remembered… a lifetime ago. The cloak of shadows constrained her body and allowed her feminine figure to take shape. Her hands and feet were bare, as chilling and frozen as that of freshly fallen snow upon the earth. Without a doubt, even colder. Her face, though mostly concealed in that shadow, also held the same color as her skin, pale whiteness upon every wrinkle, every pore. The sides of her jawline held what appeared to be rows of teeth, resembling that of a skull. An ancient symbol remained embedded on her forehead, the cloak of shadows falling down to grace the top of her head and flow downwards. But within her eyes there was something different. Her eyes… were so blank and so black that they seemed unending, a chaotic darkness that traveled forever. One could get lost and never escape once locked in her otherworldly gaze. Thanos knew of such power. He was the only being to fall into them and actually escape. And when Thanos stared into them again… he was no longer pulled in. Mistress Death didn’t seem too disturbed by that fact. If it had been any other mortal being, certainly. But with Thanos… she knew that someone of his stature, his power, his will would be able to achieve what very little could. He had proven that many times prior, and now… there he stood on the edge of infinity. His destiny… if he chose to follow it. And what it demanded. None of the Children of Thanos seemed to notice the dark entity that had entered their plane of existence. They seemed trapped in time, frozen and gazing to their father in a perpetual state of darkness that clouded their vision and silenced their hearing. For what Mistress Death would dare utter before them… only needed to be heard by the one wielding the gems. It had been many, many ages since Death had seen the Infinity Stones brought together. Entropy, Infinity, and Eternity so wished the Stones would be used to benefit life. But as with all things, to control the power of the universe would only end in destruction. With that destruction came creation. The birth of the universe because of what they wished to control. The Infinity Stones were lost to the cosmos, and only Death had managed to discover one of them, the only Stone she deemed the most powerful, the one needing her careful protection to ensure that none would acquire it for their own selfish goals. And if one did wish to acquire it, with a soul as genuine as their intentions, then it would be theirs… For the ultimate price. But only if they were truly willing to give it. So, when she stared upon the face of the one she had lost, there was something different to Son of A’Lars. The young Titan of which she knew so long ago now stood battered, bruised, bloody, weakened, and barely able to stand on his own two feet. Even his smile surely faded, an aged look of utter exhaustion gripping him, holding him and refusing to let go. It was a far cry to the confident, charming, young Thanos that had wooed her that life ago. But as with time, things changed. People changed. And even Thanos, even when he came so far, appeared utterly changed. The weight of the Gauntlet and the five Infinity Stones seemed to weigh him down, Mistress Death analyzing every inch and detail of his person in the minimal seconds of silence she was granted. By then, Thanos sighed and took a step towards her. He caressed the Infinity Gauntlet like a lover, letting both hands sway gently by his sides, head held low. “If I had known the guardian of the Soul Stone would have been you…” The ancient deity’s lips slowly coiled into a tiny smile. “Oh, if you had known,” Mistress Death whispered, yet it was so profound that Thanos heard it over the raging winds filling the mountainside. “If you had known, Thanos, you would not have come.” “There is no power in this universe that can keep me from my destiny,” Thanos boldly declared. He took several more steps forward, until even the distance between them was surely severed. He stood mightily over her, Death itself having to crane her neck backwards to fully gaze into his eyes. And in it, nothing but pure determination. Absolutely nothing else. Especially when he said, “Not even you.” Though there were no visible movements, Mistress Death shuddered at that statement. A clear reminder of her past with the Titan and the choices that came with it, the kind that haunted her still. She wondered back then why he wished to court her of all beings, but soon discovered it was to quench the lust for his own destiny, to cleanse half of all life from the universe in a sick, twisted perversion to save it. He imagined that she could achieve that for him in exchange for his love. It was before he had known of the Infinity Stones and what power they held. Despite his promises, despite how she felt in return to him, Death knew that such decimation on such a scale was something she could not do. It went against the order of balance. When she denied him of that… he abandoned her, pushed aside whatever life he had intended with her, and sought to acquire his destiny for himself. That part of him was lost, and the pain that followed filled Thanos with all the more reason to fulfill his significance for living. There was a reason Death had spared him out all his race when the destruction of Titan came. And yet she denied him of it. So, he turned away from her. No matter how much it hurt. If she had a heart… perhaps Mistress Death would have felt it break. She never even told him about her knowledge of the Soul Stone. Maybe to protect the universe… or maybe as a means to strike Thanos where he had struck her. He was already hurt when he forced himself to leave her, follow that twisted ideology of his and achieve his destiny for himself. Now there they stood, just one more barrier until Thanos could actually achieve that which Mistress Death denied him. All of those painful memories of what could have been flooded into her. She imagined Thanos felt the same way, the noticeable twitch in his facial features and the crumbling in his eyes being indicators of that. She nodded sadly, whispering, “Yes… you have made that quite clear before.” There was a moment between them. No wind. No sound. Just the two trapped in what could have been an eternity of solitude, their own personal bubble safe and secure from the rest of the universe. Though Mistress Death saw it as such, Thanos only saw a prison intent on keeping him from what he was born to accomplish. Yet it wasn’t him who broke that moment. It was her. She took a step forward, her cloak dancing madly behind her. She never looked away from his gaze, even with it so hostile towards her. Even how much it hurt. “Do you ever imagine what life could have been had we followed our desires? I think of that every single day, yet when I stand before you now… I find no strength to say it as I had intended. I see no love in your eyes, Thanos. What has become of the man I once loved?” Her hand rose up to grace his cheek, but Thanos pulled away. Death did so, as well, like a startled animal. Pulled herself away as Thanos sighed heavily through his nostrils. “He evolved,” Thanos responded. “Past the false desires his love offered. He didn’t need her anymore to attain his rightful destiny.” The words hurt, but Death fought through it all the same. Her tone took a more aggravated approach, the Mistress declaring, “You speak of destiny so easily, but never once considered what is needed to acquire it.” Thanos scoffed. “You don’t think I’ve considered?” He caressed his right cheek, his abdomen. “Not from the blood I’ve shed, the lives I’ve ended, the worlds I’ve burned? Those who stood in the way of my goal realized that I would stop at nothing… absolutely nothing… to see to it that the universe would be saved of the fate that befell my home world. A fate that you… allowed to happen.” “By natural order, yes,” Mistress Death argued. “But what you desire is beyond natural, Thanos. No matter how many lives you wipe clean from existence, there will never be that peace you so desperately acclaim. But even now… by my word I cannot stop you. So… I won’t.” Thanos opened his mouth to offer his retort, but fell into that silence once again when she uttered those final lines. For a guardian of the Soul Stone, Thanos at least suspected he would need to best her in some way. When he realized it was Death of all beings, however, there was some hesitation in his intent. Of all the beings in the universe, she was one of the few he hesitated to. Even with whatever past they may have held, Thanos would not allow that hesitation to cloud him and his actions any further. “However…” There was that hesitation again, and once more Thanos felt himself falling into it because of her. He stared on, watched as Mistress Death approached even closer, the black orbs that were the endless pits of her eyes gazing into him. He nearly let himself fall into that as well when she continued. “Know this, Thanos. The Soul Stone holds a special place amongst the Infinity Stones. One could say it holds a certain… wisdom. You cannot acquire the Soul Stone, you cannot hope to obtain the power and knowledge that comes with it… unless you are willing to part with one of the most essential… truths of life.” It would not have been easy. When it came to the power of the universe itself, it never was. The Infinity Stones took a part of Thanos he never even realized, made the battles he fought so much easier… yet somehow kept pushing him further and further down. By Death’s words, the Soul Stone would be no different. And for Thanos it would be no different to acquire it all the same. Turning around, Thanos approached the crevice of what once was Mount Bashenga. The darkness within, illuminated by the light and warmth of the Soul Stone’s glow deep in the heart of it all, could not contain what was rightfully his. “What does it need?” Thanos asked, the orange light shimmering on his face. “The Soul Stone… demands a sacrifice.” He narrowed his eyes, almost flinched at that. Despite such revelations, he remained unmoved, Thanos twisting his neck slightly right and asking, “Of what?” An answer… even Thanos wasn’t truly prepared for. “You must be willing to give up that which you truly love. A soul… for a soul.” His brow furrowed at that, almost as if he couldn’t understand what he heard. He spun fully around and met her facial features, but could already tell the second he turned… that her words were truthful. Mistress Death remained unmoved. Why would she lie over something such as this? And with that realization, the horror that came with it struck the Titan where he stood, deep in his heart and remaining there. Thanos’ face fell apart. His eyes softened, a look of despair filling his expression when he knew of what the Stone demanded. He dropped his head, his gaze, and stared blankly to the earth by his feet. He only came back to reality when he felt that chilling cold pierce his chest, the open palm of Mistress Death resting over his heart. He could have sworn he witnessed her expression soften, almost break into sorrow. She steadily took in that breath of air, exhaling with a painful cry. Even then, she remained strong, lifting her blackened gaze to meet Thanos’. All the universe silenced for them. “I dreamed this day would come. Even now, as the universe burns above you… crying out to you and saying… no… you always find a way, Thanos. There was always that barrier that stood in your path, and every time you would cross it anyway. Through blood, fire… death… you would achieve it. So, would you achieve this? One last sacrifice?” To that, he brought up his head. His eyes fell into hers but he was not lost in them. He saw their past once again but he did not lose himself for it. Instead, he saw the pain and chose to turn away from it. Thanos laid his right hand over hers and said, “There was a time… where I would have given in to such carnal pleasures. That time… is gone.” Prying her hand off his chest, Thanos was slightly surprised to see her retaliate. The Mistress ripped her hand away from his grasp, staring with hurt melting off her expression. With that pain came the quiver in her voice, Death saying, “You wound me, my love.” “You and I both know that’s not true. Not anymore.” She seemed to nod her head, accept that statement and see through it. See the truth in Thanos’ voice and especially… his heart. “And so, it is true. No love for death… No love for life… What do you love, Thanos?” The question was open but Death knew there was only one end to it. She could see it in his expression, the loss of strength and crushing of his character. His very being. Mistress Death narrowed her eyes onto his, pressed her palm gently over her chest, and declared, “Even when my soul is not for the taking… you would not even consider me. But… there is still another… one I felt in your heart.” Thanos nearly fell apart at that, every shred of him that time. The words pierced him harder than the revelation from earlier, because he knew for certain… she knew for certain… what was needed. Death continued. “You must choose now, Thanos, between your love for destiny and the love still beating in your heart. You must ask yourself, as you have proven that you will not listen to Death…” She faded away, but he could still hear her voice lingering in the air, whispering in his ear. Asking that one, simple question that Thanos just couldn’t seem to answer. “How far can one’s love reach?” There, he was left alone, the reality of the world returning and the Black Order gazing onto their father’s backside. He faced the open crevice where that orange light continued to shower below, above, fill the nation of Wakanda with light. Shower on top of him and leave Thanos with that choice. His destiny lied before him and yet… he couldn’t move. Because he knew exactly how to acquire it. He closed his eyes, a tear falling down his cheek.