Omake: The Hardest Choice
- Location
- Midwest US
In the void of space, a throne sits empty. Its King stands by the observer window, donning a metal suit in silence even Death itself would not dare disturb. In a clenched fist entire worlds have trembled before, he grasps his tool. The overwhelming glow of the behemoth sun before him casting the only illumination through the window in this darkened room.
The sun could not hope to match the King's eyes, blazing a fierce orange, but his eyes do not seek the light. Tool in hand he searches in the darkness, fumbles through it, in the sunless lands of where men weep of and fear to go. He is King! And even this most, most hated realm - it must obey! It must!
His search finds nothing.
He sees, but does not find what he seeks. He hears, but hears not the answer he desperately craves. He has tried and tried, screamed at the universe for an answer. He is King! Defender of the Galaxy! And yet...
Thanos, the King of Kings, stands alone in his throne room.
"Did you call for me, father?" a familiar voice inquires, so softly Thanos could barely hear what he craved most. The Titan snaps, ungracefully, toward the source, eyes losing their orange fury and revealing the uncertain pleading beneath.
"... Morpheus..." Thanos whispers, to himself if no one else. He looks upon his beloved child, the darkness of the room hiding Morpheus' detailed features. That is acceptable - Thanos could never forget the beauty of his only son. He can imagine, if only he could hear his son again.
"Yes, father. You have summoned me, so of course I have returned," Thanos' child speaks softly.
Yes... Yes, of course! A King as mighty as Thanos can certainly do something as simple as summon His most loyal and favored servant, Thanos nods with certainty in his power and begins to see his son clearly.
"Morpheus, I wanted to tell you-" Thanos began to say, slowly, ever so slowly, with effort more monumental than bearing the weight of a star. "I wanted you to know-"
Morpheus lifted his finger, a twinkle in his clever son's eyes. "Father, I know. You don't have to tell me!" he beams loudly. Thanos stares wide eyed, frozen still to his core, but his son continues to smile unabated. "We do what we must, Father. Not because we are strong, but..." the cherished child walks to the observer window, his dramatic son gesturing widely to the heavy construction above the star, "...But because we must be strong. For them."
"... For them..." Thanos repeats, his face dazed. He looks out the window, and with Morpheus' guidance, sees the overwhelming light for the first time in hours.
"Yes. Omega Sol, I believe we dubbed it?" his ambitious son reminded Thanos with pride. "As we spread peace and prosperity to this large galaxy, you encountered doomed planets. Failed ecosystems, unstable geologies, dying suns - and you, Father, would not stand this injustice. Not while you lived," Morpheus reminded to the captive Thanos, who stared with blank eyes at the construction below. "So you ordered a new home - an entire dyson shell - to be constructed. That those who have lost their cherished-"
Thanos flinched.
"-home can start anew. A symbol of hope and regrowth for the empire," Morpheus finished.
"Yes. I did. We did," Thanos remembers. For a moment, the overwhelming light shines through Morpheus's body, and he appears to fade. Thanos' mind begins to clear... and he begins to remember other things. A scene replayed over and over in his mind. Every detail burned inside. A scene of Morpheus falling off a cliff, hurtling toward the ground on that damned planet, his own son looking back at his father with eyes filled with terror-!
"We do what we must, Father," Morpheus whispers, head low. Thanos sees only darkness again. "You still hear my words, Father. But do you understand?"
"I understand enough!" Thanos roars with fury that could wake the dead, if only the mad King could. An empty room before Thanos sees Morpheus' steady gaze again, and hears his damned son laughing. Laughing long, hard, and mocking.
"You laugh at this!?" the Father scolds, the pain more than any man could bear.
"You are my Father. You always will be," he states with certainty to match Thanos' own conviction. The King of Kings freezes once more. "But on that day, on that planet, I knew what was required. And so did you. I did not plummet to the ground for an uncaring god," Morpheus spits with a sneer, "But for a man. A great man, with vision and benevolence. One who deeply cherished his beloved son, but still knew what must be done to not just guide this galaxy-."
"But save the universe," Thanos finishes. His eyes begin seeing not just the light from Omega Sol, but the stars beyond. An entire universe exists, with countless worlds in needless death and suffering. It's enough to make even the greatest King seem... small. Insignificant. But Thanos has seen one man and a vision change everything. In the past, Loki's resources saved Titan. And now... Thanos must save the universe. The Titan's eyes harden as he gazes out into the void and considers his enormous responsibility.
"You see once more," Morpheus says, difficult for Thanos to hear now. "Go. Return. What is sacrificed for the stone cannot ever be restored. But your throne, and the universe's salvation..."
The sentence is unfinished, and Morpheus is gone.
Thanos, the King of Kings, stands alone in his throne room.
Face as stone and eyes burning with rekindled passion, he strides to the throne. He opens his clenched fist, pausing before the throne to view the tool he so desperately tried using. What he endured so much to obtain.
An orange stone.
Such a small looking thing. Seemingly insignificant.
But Morpheus will have died to prove even a small act, compared to the grand scale of the universe, can have tremendous impact.
Thanos returns to his throne, and places the Soul Stone in his gauntlet, joining four others. One empty slot remained. As he plans his next course of action, he gives consideration to what would be the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people.
Sparing Asgard and its inhabitants numbering under a million...
... or destroying Asgard for their final stone, and saving the entire universe?
Such a simple answer.
After all, his only child was insignificant to saving the universe.
"I understand enough," the mad King whispers to himself, plotting Ragnarok...
The sun could not hope to match the King's eyes, blazing a fierce orange, but his eyes do not seek the light. Tool in hand he searches in the darkness, fumbles through it, in the sunless lands of where men weep of and fear to go. He is King! And even this most, most hated realm - it must obey! It must!
His search finds nothing.
He sees, but does not find what he seeks. He hears, but hears not the answer he desperately craves. He has tried and tried, screamed at the universe for an answer. He is King! Defender of the Galaxy! And yet...
Thanos, the King of Kings, stands alone in his throne room.
"Did you call for me, father?" a familiar voice inquires, so softly Thanos could barely hear what he craved most. The Titan snaps, ungracefully, toward the source, eyes losing their orange fury and revealing the uncertain pleading beneath.
"... Morpheus..." Thanos whispers, to himself if no one else. He looks upon his beloved child, the darkness of the room hiding Morpheus' detailed features. That is acceptable - Thanos could never forget the beauty of his only son. He can imagine, if only he could hear his son again.
"Yes, father. You have summoned me, so of course I have returned," Thanos' child speaks softly.
Yes... Yes, of course! A King as mighty as Thanos can certainly do something as simple as summon His most loyal and favored servant, Thanos nods with certainty in his power and begins to see his son clearly.
"Morpheus, I wanted to tell you-" Thanos began to say, slowly, ever so slowly, with effort more monumental than bearing the weight of a star. "I wanted you to know-"
Morpheus lifted his finger, a twinkle in his clever son's eyes. "Father, I know. You don't have to tell me!" he beams loudly. Thanos stares wide eyed, frozen still to his core, but his son continues to smile unabated. "We do what we must, Father. Not because we are strong, but..." the cherished child walks to the observer window, his dramatic son gesturing widely to the heavy construction above the star, "...But because we must be strong. For them."
"... For them..." Thanos repeats, his face dazed. He looks out the window, and with Morpheus' guidance, sees the overwhelming light for the first time in hours.
"Yes. Omega Sol, I believe we dubbed it?" his ambitious son reminded Thanos with pride. "As we spread peace and prosperity to this large galaxy, you encountered doomed planets. Failed ecosystems, unstable geologies, dying suns - and you, Father, would not stand this injustice. Not while you lived," Morpheus reminded to the captive Thanos, who stared with blank eyes at the construction below. "So you ordered a new home - an entire dyson shell - to be constructed. That those who have lost their cherished-"
Thanos flinched.
"-home can start anew. A symbol of hope and regrowth for the empire," Morpheus finished.
"Yes. I did. We did," Thanos remembers. For a moment, the overwhelming light shines through Morpheus's body, and he appears to fade. Thanos' mind begins to clear... and he begins to remember other things. A scene replayed over and over in his mind. Every detail burned inside. A scene of Morpheus falling off a cliff, hurtling toward the ground on that damned planet, his own son looking back at his father with eyes filled with terror-!
"We do what we must, Father," Morpheus whispers, head low. Thanos sees only darkness again. "You still hear my words, Father. But do you understand?"
"I understand enough!" Thanos roars with fury that could wake the dead, if only the mad King could. An empty room before Thanos sees Morpheus' steady gaze again, and hears his damned son laughing. Laughing long, hard, and mocking.
"You laugh at this!?" the Father scolds, the pain more than any man could bear.
"You are my Father. You always will be," he states with certainty to match Thanos' own conviction. The King of Kings freezes once more. "But on that day, on that planet, I knew what was required. And so did you. I did not plummet to the ground for an uncaring god," Morpheus spits with a sneer, "But for a man. A great man, with vision and benevolence. One who deeply cherished his beloved son, but still knew what must be done to not just guide this galaxy-."
"But save the universe," Thanos finishes. His eyes begin seeing not just the light from Omega Sol, but the stars beyond. An entire universe exists, with countless worlds in needless death and suffering. It's enough to make even the greatest King seem... small. Insignificant. But Thanos has seen one man and a vision change everything. In the past, Loki's resources saved Titan. And now... Thanos must save the universe. The Titan's eyes harden as he gazes out into the void and considers his enormous responsibility.
"You see once more," Morpheus says, difficult for Thanos to hear now. "Go. Return. What is sacrificed for the stone cannot ever be restored. But your throne, and the universe's salvation..."
The sentence is unfinished, and Morpheus is gone.
Thanos, the King of Kings, stands alone in his throne room.
Face as stone and eyes burning with rekindled passion, he strides to the throne. He opens his clenched fist, pausing before the throne to view the tool he so desperately tried using. What he endured so much to obtain.
An orange stone.
Such a small looking thing. Seemingly insignificant.
But Morpheus will have died to prove even a small act, compared to the grand scale of the universe, can have tremendous impact.
Thanos returns to his throne, and places the Soul Stone in his gauntlet, joining four others. One empty slot remained. As he plans his next course of action, he gives consideration to what would be the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people.
Sparing Asgard and its inhabitants numbering under a million...
... or destroying Asgard for their final stone, and saving the entire universe?
Such a simple answer.
After all, his only child was insignificant to saving the universe.
"I understand enough," the mad King whispers to himself, plotting Ragnarok...
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