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Nebula's attitude toward Arthur's arrival was almost one hundred percent unwelcoming.
After all, the last time they had met, the impression left behind was nearly all terrible. Meeting again now, there was an undeniable taste of "enemies crossing paths."
By contrast, Gamora actually let out a huge sigh of relief. Yet just as the four of them regrouped, before Arthur even remembered to introduce T'Challa to Gamora, she had already spoken up anxiously: "Arthur, you came just in time. I think I've discovered something really serious!"
Arthur and T'Challa exchanged a glance, then shrugged and said: "I probably already know what you've discovered."
"You know?"
The look on Gamora's face changed, and she instinctively took a step back.
"Mhm… I think you should learn to trust others." Arthur smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not on the same side as Star-Lord's father."
Hearing this made Gamora even more cautious.
"Then why would you know?"
"I thought you were already used to my omniscience." Arthur chuckled, then turned to Nebula: "Long time no see. Looks like you lost again."
"I won!" Nebula glared at Arthur fiercely. "Are you disappointed?"
"No, just surprised!" Arthur blinked, then looked back at Gamora. "This isn't the place to talk. If you don't mind, why not take me to the place where you made your discovery?"
Gamora took a deep breath before speaking. "You're right, I really should get used to your so-called omniscience."
"But he doesn't actually know where we found those things," Nebula interjected. "Otherwise, he wouldn't need us to lead him there."
Hearing that, Gamora looked toward Arthur, waiting to hear his answer.
"Smart women are never popular," Arthur sighed. "Especially bald ones."
Nebula instantly flew into a rage, looking ready to go for his throat.
Gamora hurriedly pulled her back. "Calm down, calm down!"
"Good choice. Suicide is never the solution," Arthur added, pouring more fuel on the fire.
Nebula nearly fainted from fury, and Gamora looked at Arthur helplessly before speaking. "Why does it feel like you've changed a little recently?"
"Maybe I've just rediscovered my long-lost childhood." Arthur winked.
Gamora and Nebula cursed at him in unison.
Arthur sighed and said to T'Challa: "What's wrong with women these days… Oh, right, let me introduce him to you. This is T'Challa, a native-born hero of Earth, from a remarkable country. He's a prince."
The two women clearly weren't interested in T'Challa's identity. Gamora only nodded politely, while Nebula ignored him completely, glaring daggers at Arthur as though waiting for the chance to bite him.
Arthur, unfazed, said casually: "You seem to have some trouble walking. Do you need me to put you away for a while? You've been staring at me with those hungry eyes…"
"No need!"
Nebula simply shut her eyes, unwilling to enter Arthur's Disassemble space ever again.
Who knew what kind of hellish place that was? Every time she went inside, when she came out again, the flow of time outside was never the same as what she remembered.
If this guy wanted, it wouldn't be impossible that she went in now… and came out a hundred years later.
"Suit yourself," Arthur said, not pressing further.
With Gamora leading the way, the group headed toward the strange place she and Nebula had discovered.
On the road, Gamora tried probing sideways, hoping to figure out just how much Arthur already knew.
Arthur felt rather helpless watching Gamora try to probe him indirectly, struggling to phrase her questions. So he simply said outright: "I know, you found a huge number of corpses. And those corpses… they're actually Ego's children."
"What?"
Arthur's words shocked Gamora so much that she practically jumped.
Her expression changed drastically. "You mean… those bodies are… Ego's children?"
"Uh, so you really didn't know?" Arthur scratched his head. "Well, since it's out in the open now, I might as well give you a quick introduction to Ego."
"How much do you actually know about him?" Gamora pressed.
"Not too much," Arthur admitted. "I know he's basically a floating brain in the universe, with extremely powerful abilities. Over countless years, millions of years, he's grown more and more adept at using them. Eventually, he used those powers to transform himself into a planet. Yes, the very planet we're standing on right now! Do you know what the most terrifying thing is across such a long, endless existence? The loneliness of an immortal… Oh, damn it!"
Arthur suddenly cursed, cutting himself off.
The others, listening closely, were stunned. Gamora quickly asked: "What happened?"
"Nothing," Arthur muttered. "I just suddenly understood why certain people once apologized to me."
His lips twitched. 'Yes, the loneliness of an immortal. Wasn't that exactly why Ego needed a child to inherit his power?'
But if such an obvious truth applied so clearly to others, then why had he been so blind to it when it came to himself?
A sudden, creeping fear welled up inside him. Odin had said it, more than once, Arthur would live forever.
But what would that future look like?
Tony would die. Steve would die. Banner would die. Gamora, standing before him would die. Nebula would die. T'Challa would die. Star-Lord, still lost in his blissful dream, would die. Drax, still off somewhere chasing after jokes, would die. Every single one of them would one day reach their end.
And the same went for Natasha. Even Lily… she would die too.
But him?
An indescribable terror began to squeeze his chest, wrapping tighter and tighter, until with every breath he could feel the faint chill hidden in the air itself.
"What's wrong with you?"
Gamora sensed something was off. She gently patted his arm.
Arthur snapped back, then shook his head. "Just thought of… a rather frightening future. It's nothing. That's not something we need to worry about right now. The future's still far away."
And so, maybe not everything was set in stone!
He shook his head again. "Anyway, that's enough about Ego for now. First, take me to see what you've found. Gather some evidence. I still haven't confronted Ego directly, but before that happens, no matter how cruel it seems, we have to shatter Star-Lord's dream."
"And after that?" Gamora asked.
Arthur glanced down at the planet beneath his feet… but gave no answer.