"In a way, Yondu filled the role of a father for you all these years. I suppose I should thank him for raising you well…" Ego's gaze lingered on Star-Lord, pleased with his own foresight. A child he didn't even have to raise, yet still bore tremendous potential—Ego was naturally quite satisfied. He could sense that Star-Lord's talents were exceptional, rivaling even his first child to awaken divine powers. He was confident Peter would soon awaken his own.
"Why are you just staring at me without saying anything?" Star-Lord asked, noticing Ego's intense gaze, which left him feeling slightly uneasy.
"Oh, I was just thinking about how regretful it is that I wasn't able to be there for you as you grew up," Ego replied, snapping back to the present. His choice of words, however, only made Star-Lord feel even more uncomfortable. Something about them sounded off.
"So, why didn't you come for me all these years? And… was it you who took me from Earth? Most importantly, why did you leave my mom?" Star-Lord took a deep breath, pressing for answers.
"It's true. I asked Yondu to take you from Earth so I could see you and raise you myself. But… for some reason, Yondu kept you hidden and even evaded me for years. Tracking down a band of Ravagers proved nearly impossible," Ego explained, casting Yondu as the obstacle in their story.
"I found clues about Yondu's whereabouts more than once, but every time I got close, he'd disappear with you again. It wasn't until recently, when I heard about the Kree and Nova Empires, and the infamous 'Star-Lord' under Yondu's wing, that I realized you were with him. That's when I began searching for you and eventually found you being chased by the Sovereign."
"Yondu…" Star-Lord muttered, caught in thought. Yondu had never told him why he had taken him, or what his original purpose had been. But whatever Yondu's reasons, Star-Lord had felt real, fatherly care from him, unlike this strange, aloof interaction with Ego.
"So, why did you leave my mom? Was it because of other women?" Star-Lord asked, his suspicions growing. He now knew Mantis was likely his half-sister, a sign that Ego had more than one family. Though Star-Lord had his own fair share of romantic escapades, he couldn't accept the thought of his mother being cast aside by someone like that.
"That was… my fault, I admit, but it also has to do with who I am," Ego said, his face adopting an apologetic expression. "You see, Peter, I'm not like you. I am… not what you would call a normal being."
"Wait, what?" Star-Lord chuckled bitterly. "We've all had rough childhoods here, but that doesn't excuse someone who abandons their family, let alone repeatedly."
"Childhood? I never had that," Ego replied, pointing to a projection of cosmic particles. "I wasn't born like you. Countless years ago, I was nothing but a brain, floating in the void of space. I have no memory of how it began, only of flickers of consciousness. You might call it a heartbeat, or breathing, though obviously there's no air in space."
"Hold on—you were just… a brain?" Star-Lord's eyes widened in disbelief.
The Guardians stared at Ego, their astonishment palpable. Star-Lord's father being an alien was one thing, but the fact that he was once just a brain in space was mind-boggling.
"Yes, that was my core," Ego nodded, unfazed.
"But… if you're just a brain, and my mom was… well, human, then… how did you…" Star-Lord trailed off, struggling to find the words.
"Let me explain," Ego chuckled. "I drifted through space for eons, eventually gaining control over nearby molecules. As I grew in strength and intelligence, I began building layers around myself, creating what you now see as this planet."
"You mean… you are this planet?" Star-Lord was still reeling, unable to process this new reality.
"Yes, that's me. It took me eons to become what I am now, but I was still unsatisfied. I wanted to know why I existed, if there was other life out there," Ego continued, his tone increasingly animated.
"For ages, I never encountered any other life. I even wondered if I was the only being in the universe!"
Rocket nodded thoughtfully. "It's true. Even in a universe teeming with life, encountering others is never a given."
"I believed that life existed elsewhere, and I was determined to find it. To do that, I constructed a body in the likeness of intelligent life as I imagined it," Ego said, projecting an image of a humanoid form made of cosmic energy.
"Did you… make yourself a… you know…" Drax interrupted, his expression neutral but the question awkward.
"Seriously?" Star-Lord glanced at Drax, dumbfounded.
"Is there something wrong with you?" Gamora asked, shaking her head.
"I mean, if he didn't… have one, how did he make Peter? He'd crush her…" Drax explained earnestly.
"Can we not discuss my parents'… ugh," Star-Lord's voice faltered, deeply embarrassed by the conversation.
"Yes, Drax, I did create… that," Ego responded, smiling without a hint of discomfort.
"Thank you," Drax grinned, looking oddly pleased with himself.
"And it works quite well," Ego continued, ignoring the awkwardness of the conversation. "I wanted the full human experience—everything, including pain and digestion. I wanted to truly feel what it was to be a person."
"So, I explored the stars, searching for the secret of life. And eventually, I found it—I met another being. Then I met your mother."
"But… what about my mother?" Star-Lord asked, interrupting as Ego's story grew sentimental but lacked specific details. From Ego's tale, it sounded as if his mother had been just another encounter, something that irked Star-Lord deeply.
"It wasn't long after," Ego said, turning to Star-Lord. "When I met her, I truly understood love at first sight. You were the result of that love…"
"Then why did you leave her?" Star-Lord pressed, his eyes locked onto Ego's.
"I didn't want to, Peter. I wanted to stay, but I had to return here to reconnect with my core. If I stayed away too long, my form would deteriorate…" Ego's face twisted in what appeared to be pain.
"Then why didn't you come back? Why did you have Yondu come for me, of all people?" Star-Lord clenched his fists, demanding an answer.
"I loved your mother! But when I learned of her passing, I couldn't bear to return to a world without her!" Ego's voice grew louder, his face filled with intense sorrow. "You can't understand what that feels like!"
"I know exactly how that feels! When the Chitauri attacked Earth, I had no choice but to watch her die alone!" Star-Lord shouted back, his words silencing Ego.
"I've made many mistakes over the centuries, but you are not one of them, Peter. Give me a chance to be the father she would have wanted," Ego replied, looking directly into his son's eyes.
"I have so much to tell you—about this planet, the energy at its core… They're part of you, Peter. Your name 'Star-Lord' is wrong; you're not a mere lord of the stars. You're their heir—a Celestial."
"What?" Star-Lord, who had started to cool down, looked utterly baffled by Ego's words.
"Give me your hand," Ego said gently, reaching out to guide him. "Close your eyes and focus. Let your thoughts sink into the core of this planet…"
As Star-Lord followed Ego's instructions, a blue light suddenly flared in his hands.
"Yes! I knew it!" Ego exclaimed, startling Star-Lord out of his focus. The light vanished from his hands.
"Don't worry, Peter. Relax and focus—you can do this," Ego encouraged, visibly thrilled. Star-Lord, sensing the power awakening within him, allowed himself to sink back into concentration.
The blue energy in his hands began to glow once again, and Star-Lord realized he was truly awakening a whole new power within him.
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