Rocket felt this was his moment to shine.
He swaggered forward, Hadron Cannon still in his paws, and announced to Tivan with a smirk:
"My friend here asked you to come out personally. He's from Asgard."
Tivan's gaze slid to Lock, appraising him. At first glance, nothing about him seemed out of the ordinary. But then the fire flickering at Tivan's fingertips quietly went out.
"I respect the Asgardians," Tivan said slowly, "but not every Asgardian is worthy of me coming out to greet them."
"Is this enough?"
Lock let a small ripple of divine power pulse through him.
A glowing seal of Asgardian royal authority appeared over his chest, shimmering faintly like molten gold.
Even a common blacksmith in Asgard could recognize that symbol. If Tivan truly had ties to Asgard, there was no way he wouldn't.
Sure enough, Tivan froze.
"The Prince's Seal? That's impossible—there hasn't been any word of a new prince in Asgard."
Lock's expression didn't change. "There is now. Must I send out a proclamation just for you?"
"…I dare not."
Tivan immediately placed a hand to his chest, drew a respectful arc with his arm, and bowed deeply.
"Prince of Asgard. Forgive my ignorance."
Only then did he motion them inside.
Outside, the gathered aliens whispered among themselves.
"Did he just say that guy's a prince of Asgard?"
"A prince… so he's basically a god?"
Someone snorted. "Gods? What's the big deal? Aren't we literally standing on a god's head right now?"
"Shh!" another hissed. "That god's head was cut off by another god. Do you want to be next? There are hardly any mortals who've ever killed a god in the history of the galaxy!"
At that, the murmurs died.
It was easy to grow numb to divinity in a place like Knowhere, stepping on the skull of a dead god every day — but even here, true divine power was still fearsome.
The Collector's "door" looked small and ordinary from the outside, but inside was an entirely different world.
The collection hall stretched high overhead, easily tens of meters tall.
Both sides of the corridor — even the ceiling — were lined with massive glass cases.
Inside them, rare artifacts glittered like stars… and some contained living beings, preserved as part of Tivan's menagerie.
Tivan stopped and turned toward Lock.
"How shall I address you, Prince?"
"Lock."
"Prince Lock," Tivan nodded. "What brings you to my museum?"
Lock glanced at him. "First — what exactly is your connection to Asgard?"
Tivan tilted his head, amused. "Did the All-Father not tell you?"
"I'm only passing through," Lock replied casually. "I didn't ask."
"In that case," Tivan said, spreading his hands, "I cannot say. Unless the God-King himself commands it."
Lock let it drop. He hadn't expected much of an answer — this was only curiosity. There were more important matters to discuss.
"I came here to ask about how to control the Aether."
Tivan blinked, genuinely surprised.
"Why would you think I know how? I collect artifacts, yes — but methods of control? Those cannot simply be collected."
"If you want such knowledge," he said, "you would have to ask the Dark Elves. The Aether was their sacred relic. They never shared its secrets."
Lock shook his head. "I can't ask them."
"Why not?"
"They're gone."
Tivan raised a brow. "Extinct?"
"Perhaps a few survivors hide somewhere," Lock said calmly, "but their empire is gone. Their king is gone. Their armies are gone."
"Who destroyed them?"
"I did."
The room went still.
Star-Lord, Rocket, Gamora, and even Drax all froze.
The casual way he said it — like he was merely reporting the weather — only made it more terrifying.
The Dark Elves were feared across much of the galaxy. Most civilizations avoided provoking them at all costs.
And this man had wiped them out.
Rocket muttered, "Okay, remind me never to piss you off."
Star-Lord, meanwhile, had a stray thought: If this guy's so strong, why didn't he just take the Orb from me back on Xandar?
Was it because they were both Terran?
Lock ignored their looks.
He could tell from Tivan's expression that the Collector truly didn't know anything about controlling the Aether.
And if he did, he likely would have used it against Thanos in the original timeline.
"So," Lock said instead, "what do you know about the Infinity Stones?"
At that, Tivan's eyes lit up. He gestured toward a console, and a massive hologram bloomed into being overhead.
"As far as is known," Tivan said, "when the universe was born — during the Big Bang — six singularities came into being. They were condensed into what we now call the Infinity Stones."
"Each one is immeasurably powerful. Each can reshape existence. Each can destroy an entire civilization with ease."
The hologram shifted, showing a planet shattered under the power of the Power Stone.
The purple gem struck the surface — and the unleashed energy engulfed the planet.
The entire world was consumed in light, burned to ash in seconds.
Rocket's jaw dropped. Gamora's expression hardened. Even Drax's red eyes widened slightly.
They had been tossing the Orb around like a toy — and it could do that?
If it had gone off on Xandar, not only would they all have been vaporized, but the entire planet would have been gone.
Tivan continued.
"There was once a great civilization that tried to wield the Stones together. It destroyed them."
"But that isn't the true wonder of the Stones."
He turned, looking at Lock — and then at the rest of the group.
"Do you know how the universe came into being?"
"The universe began as a singularity," Tivan said, "and for reasons beyond comprehension, it exploded — creating time, space, and matter."
Over billions of years, the stars formed. Worlds formed. Life arose."
"We are… merely dust in a cosmos far larger than we can understand."
He spread his hands.
"So, there are not truly six Infinity Stones. There are seven."
"The seventh," he said, eyes gleaming behind his glasses, "is the universe itself."
For a moment, no one breathed.
They had just seen a planet destroyed with a single Stone.
And now they were being told that a Stone could create a universe.
No wonder their power seemed endless.
No wonder they were called Infinity Stones.
Tivan gave a thin smile.
"This is what I know of their origin. I also know the location of the Soul Stone — if you wish to claim it…"
Lock shook his head, cutting him off.
"I'm not interested in the Soul Stone."
He already knew it was on Vormir — but he had no intention of taking it.
Still, he hesitated. In the original future, Thanos had thrown Gamora from Vormir's cliff to obtain the Stone.
Should he tell her? Give her a chance to avoid that fate?
He glanced at Gamora.
She caught his look, frowning slightly.
"Why are you staring at me?"
Lock said evenly, "Just wondering whether I should tell you that you're as precious as the Soul Stone."
Star-Lord nearly choked.
Oh, no y you don't — that's MY thing!
Gamora blinked, then, unexpectedly, looked away — her green face just slightly darker than usual.
If she were human, she might've been blushing.
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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