This is the command room of one of Thanos's main ships. Though it's called a command room, it feels more like a dark cavern, like where an ancient demon might dwell.
The walls are jagged stone, lined with dim light strips that in the gloom resemble slow-burning lava. Beneath those walls, murky, shallow water laps around Thanos's throne.
The throne itself is carved from stone — like a tombstone weathered over millennia. Thanos sits there, eyes closed, hands resting on the armrests. Power radiates from him like a subtle but tyrannical aura.
Gamora gasps the moment she sees him — a soft, stunned sound, as though she's on the verge of tears. But she gathers herself quickly, pressing her lips together.
Her eyes flick to Malrick, wide with shock and unspoken urgency: she wants him to back away. Nebula, standing beside her, tenses. Her calm, mechanical features betray tension at seeing Thanos.
Malrick observes both sisters, a small, knowing smile forming. He raises his voice so it carries to the throne: "Thanos, your two adopted daughters have not seen you in a year. Yet neither of them seems happy to be reunited. As a father… you're less successful than Odin."
He snaps his fingers. The space bindings holding Gamora and Nebula vanish.
The two fall to the floor with heavy thuds, exchanging stunned glances. They cannot believe what just happened — not only did Malrick stay, but he dared to challenge Thanos.
Thanos slowly opens his eyes. His gaze, cold and fierce, fixes on Malrick.
"Who are you?" he asks quietly.
Then he notices Gamora and Nebula on the ground, and he rises abruptly, pushing off his throne's armrests.
"Gamora! How are you here?" Thanos's voice cracks slightly with raw emotion. His chest tightens. He's hunted the Skrulls for a year, and he's been separated from his daughters for just as long — the pain of that separation is palpable.
But his focus snaps back to Malrick, suspicion burning in his eyes. "Did you save them… or are you a Skrull in disguise?"
Thanos steps forward, imposing, drawing his double-edged war blade from beside the throne. The tension in the room stiffens, like a violin string pulled too tight.
Yet Malrick remains calm. He doesn't answer immediately.
Instead, he gestures toward Nebula. Her eyes are dull, as though she carries weight Malrick knows. "You have two daughters," he says softly. "But you favor Gamora too obviously. It's not healthy for any family."
Thanos glances at Nebula. "They are both my daughters," he says slowly. "If you rescued them, I offer equal reward."
His voice darkens. "But if you side with them, or worse… if you are a Skrull, then we have a problem."
He advances, war blade raised.
Suddenly, Gamora relaxes — the tension drains from her face, replaced with a sneer. Something clicks in her memory, and she realizes who Malrick is.
The Skrulls once knelt before him, calling him "Master." A conflict between Malrick and Thanos, with both wounded, might actually work in her favor.
Thanos approaches with grim steps. Malrick is unhurried.
He raises his hand and opens a Portal — the air shimmers, and behind him appears a strange landscape of salt flats and dunes.
He turns, glancing at Thanos, then says, "Follow me."
Gamora and Nebula exchange a glance, hesitating for a heartbeat — then they follow Malrick into the Portal.
Thanos does not go first. His face is unreadable. "Who are you, really?" he demands, his voice low and rough, like metal grinding.
Malrick answers with a slight smile. "Does it matter? What's important is where I brought you."
He flicks his hand, and a portal closes behind them. "This is Vormir — where the Soul Stone lies. Your final chance."
He beckons. "Come."
For a long moment, Thanos is silent.
Then, slowly, he steps into the Portal. He brings no army — he sees no need. He's known the sting of betrayal. The other wars proved it: fleets can be meaningless without resolve.
The Black Order is already gone. He has no one left to command.
When he steps through, the Portal closes behind him. He grips his war blade tightly, expecting an ambush, but sees only sweeping salt plains.
No Skrull hides in the shadows. No attack comes.
He frowns, then follows the three figures in the distance.
A few minutes pass.
Then a figure appears, floating in the air. Cloaked in black robes, its form shrouded in wind-blown folds. This is the soul guide of Vormir, the eternal watcher — Red Skull.
"Welcome," the Skull whispers, his voice hollow.
He names the arrivals. "Thanos, son of A'lars… Gamora and Nebula, daughters of Thanos… and you, Stark's son, though you walk in shadows."
Malrick studies the Skull. "If you mean my foster father, yes — it's Stark."
He nods. "Red Skull, take us to the altar. This ends today."
The Skull's eyes flicker: "You know me."
He bows his head slightly, then continues. "Once, I sought the Stones myself. The Space Stone cast me out. Now I guide those who come here to the Soul Stone. But know this — to take it, you must pay a price."
He leads them up a jagged path to a cliff's edge overlooking a dark abyss.
"The rule here is simple," he says. "A soul for a soul."
He gestures to the altar far below. "To claim the Stone, you must sacrifice someone you truly love."
Silence follows.
Then Gamora laughs softly, bitterly. "Someone we deeply love?" she scoffs, crossing her arms. "You brought us here for nothing. No one here loves anyone. You, Malrick, You tricked us."
Malrick doesn't flinch. He looks at Thanos.
The titan's face is steady now, his expression set. His eyes drift downward, and a single tear tracks his cheek.
Gamora and Nebula stare, shocked.
"He cries?" Gamora whispers. "Because he can't get the Stone?"
Malrick's voice is gentle, but firm. "No. He's crying because he loves you — and he must let you go."
Gamora's voice trembles. "That's not real. You're lying."
She tries to back away. "I don't— I won't—"
But Thanos does not let her go. He grips her arm. His eyes are red, raw with emotion. His war blade glints cold in his other hand.
"If you came to take the Stone, you will leave with nothing," he says, voice cracking. "But I will take what is mine."
He knows Malrick's aim. There are rumors the Skrulls – or whoever Malrick really is – already have two Stones.
If Thanos fails now, he loses everything. This is his only shot.
Thanos steps back, eyes haunted.
Then, heartbreak in his voice, he throws Gamora over the cliff.
She falls.
A moment later, a hand shoots out — slender, impossibly strong — and grips Thanos's wrist, holding both him and Gamora by the edge.
Thanos snarls. "What are you doing?!"
Malrick steps forward, holding Thanos's wrist firmly. "You got it wrong," he says, voice calm. "This is how it has to be."
He punches Thanos square in the face.
Thanos goes down hard. Gamora falls too. Nebula stands frozen, her eyes wide.
Malrick meets both their gazes. "Your turn," he says softly. "If you don't want to spend the rest of your life scrubbing magical creature waste… you know what to do."
Gamora stares at him, stunned. "You want me to sacrifice him?" she asks, voice trembling.
Malrick nods.
Gamora's face contorts in conflict. "I can't! You're insane! He's a monster — a butcher, a demon covered in blood!"
She screams, tears streaming.
Nebula backs away, shaking her head. "No. You don't understand. He's the worst. He destroyed me, made me into this… this thing."
She points to her cybernetic limbs. "How could I love him?"
Malrick watches them both, calm but intense. He knows he's upended everything.
---
Early chapters. Early access.
Join me on Patreon.
Patreon.com/Zphyr_