"That won't be necessary," Rowan said lightly. "You just need to guide the way. I'll handle the fighting."
He paused, then added casually, "By the way, can one of you help me register as a bounty hunter and open a personal account?"
His awareness blanketed the entire ship. Every system response, every whispered conversation. He'd heard all of it. The escape talk didn't bother him. Wanting freedom was natural. He had no intention of caging them forever.
Once Thanos and Ronan were dealt with, and formal contact with the Nova Empire was established, he planned to let them go.
They weren't assets meant for cosmic wars or Celestial threats. At best, they were guides.
"If Peter ever fully absorbed Ego's power," Rowan mused privately, "then maybe he'd be useful."
"I can do it," Gamora said, already pulling out a compact device. She scanned Rowan and began registering him into the universal network.
For a spy of her caliber, forging identities was trivial. She carried hundreds of verified personas across species and regions, all clean, all functional.
Within minutes, Rowan Mercer officially existed in the galactic system as a Terran rookie bounty hunter with a universal credit account.
"Accept the bounties on Thanos and Ronan," Rowan said.
The two listings sat at the top of the board. Thanos carried a billion-credit price tag. Ronan followed at eight hundred million. Both were infamous. Both were untouched.
Entire worlds had put money together to see Thanos dead. Ronan, a butcher wrapped in law, had destroyed or enslaved countless planets under the Kree banner.
Rowan smiled faintly.
He needed funds anyway. Eighteen hundred million credits would do nicely.
"Oh right," Quill muttered, eyes lighting up. "We forgot about that."
Yondu and Rocket had the same reaction. Those bounties were legendary. Too dangerous for sane hunters, which was why everyone pretended they didn't exist.
Then reality set in.
None of that money would be theirs.
They'd still be working for free.
"Do well," Rowan said, patting Quill and Rocket on the shoulder, "and when this is over, I'll give each of you a hundred million."
He leaned closer, smiling.
"But if you think about running again, I'll follow the contract. You'll disappear. Body and soul."
Their initial excitement turned into pure terror.
A hundred million credits was life-changing. Yondu's entire crew could grind for decades and never see that kind of money. No wonder the Tesseract's bounty had drawn half the underworld toward Earth.
If Rowan actually paid, loyalty suddenly seemed very affordable.
Then the last sentence sank in.
Cold sweat broke out instantly.
He had heard everything.
"Haha, Headmaster, you joke so well," Quill said quickly, forcing a grin. "Must be your first time off Earth. Look at that view. Space is incredible, right?"
"I was joking," Rowan replied pleasantly. "Don't take it personally."
He turned toward the viewport. Stars scattered across the void like spilled diamonds.
"It really is beautiful."
Reward and threat. Simple, effective.
Credits meant nothing to Rowan. Even after payouts, the wreckage from Thanos's fleet alone would sell for hundreds of billions. Still, bones had to be thrown if you wanted people to work willingly.
"Stop the ship."
The sudden command caught everyone off guard.
Yondu hesitated but complied, halting the carrier far from the jump point.
"Apparition."
Rowan vanished and reappeared outside the ship, suspended in open space.
He closed his eyes.
No hull. No glass. No distance.
Stars burned quietly around him. The raw presence of cosmic light pressed against his senses. For the first time, he truly felt the energy of suns, moons, and distant constellations without any barrier in between.
Something clicked.
The magic he'd struggled to grasp stirred.
Fairy Radiance.
One of the three supreme spells. The purest force of annihilation. A magic that gathered the light of celestial bodies, compressed it into a radiant prison, and erased whatever lay within.
Being here, immersed in starlight, deepened his understanding instantly.
Inside the ship, Quill stared wide-eyed.
"That guy's not even wearing a suit."
Even among galactic civilizations, species that could survive naked in space were almost nonexistent. Gamora's enhanced body would last minutes at best.
Rowan floated there effortlessly.
A monster in human form.
After a long moment, Rowan opened his eyes.
"Gather," he murmured, voice carrying through the void.
"O river of light guided by the fair folk.
Shine forth.
Judge evil that bares its fangs."
"Fairy Radiance."
A vast magic circle bloomed into existence against the backdrop of the stars.