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*****
Ego's Planet
Ego's world was not large—smaller even than Earth's moon—yet it was a living planet.
Ego himself was the consciousness of this world, and the man known as Star-Lord's father was merely the humanoid vessel Ego had fashioned to carry his mind and power.
The moment Mike and his group touched down on the planet's surface, Ego sensed the presence of these uninvited guests.
More precisely, he felt Star-Lord.
Star-Lord had inherited Ego's Celestial gene; there was a special link between them.
"Who is it?"
Ego stared into the distance in shock and excitement, looking toward the spot where Mike's party had landed.
He closed his eyes. Strange radiances streamed from his body, and his form seemed to melt into the planet beneath him and vanish.
At the same time, as Mike and the others stepped off their ship and marveled at the dreamlike landscape, threads of pale blue light rose before them, weaving into a humanoid silhouette. Flesh, skin, and clothing formed rapidly over that body of light until an elderly man with a graying beard stood there.
This was Ego—or rather, a duplicate he created, a convenient human-shaped body for moving about.
Everyone stared, stunned.
Mike's eyes flickered thoughtfully.
So this was Ego's avatar-creation ability? And that light just now—the Light of Creation?
Ego's gaze locked on Star-Lord within the group, brimming with emotion.
Star-Lord gaped, then couldn't help glancing at Mike. "Him?"
"That's right—exactly who you think," Mike confirmed.
Upon hearing this, Drax instinctively looked between Ego's legs.
Just now, when that body of light became a man… was that part there or not?
He strained to recall.
Smack!
Star-Lord swatted Drax hard and glared at him. "Don't be gross."
Drax remained solemn.
"This is a very important question."
Important, my butt! What's it got to do with you?
Star-Lord grumbled inwardly—only to see Ego, overcome with emotion, striding toward him.
"My child."
Ego's voice trembled as he approached.
He could feel the awakened Celestial gene within Star-Lord, could feel the link between Star-Lord and the planet—between Star-Lord and himself.
"Who even are you?"
Star-Lord slapped away the hand reaching for his face, unable to keep from snapping.
Just walking up and touching his face—who could stand that?
Ego blinked and recovered, a trace of embarrassment flitting across his expression. Then he said gently, "I am Ego—your father. This is my planet."
Star-Lord froze and glanced at Mike's calm face.
So… everything he'd said was true?
Wait.
Star-Lord stared at Ego. "You say so and that makes it true? What proof do you have?"
"Haha!"
Ego chuckled and said, "My child, open your hands."
Though confused, Star-Lord complied.
Open my hands? What, is he about to hand me a paternity test? he muttered inwardly.
"Close your eyes. Focus. You can feel it—feel… the light."
Ego's voice guided him, thick with expectation.
Though Ego could sense their connection and the Celestial gene inside Star-Lord, only one who could perceive the Light of Creation—and even wield it—would truly be acknowledged as his child and qualify to join his grand design.
Half-skeptical, Star-Lord closed his eyes.
Instantly, he felt the connection between himself and the planet beneath his feet.
When he opened his eyes, they shone. Bright, gentle light spread across his hands.
"Whoa—what is this?"
Star-Lord yelped. The Guardians stared, equally astonished.
Delight flooded Ego's face as he watched the glow on Star-Lord's palms.
"Excellent, excellent! That's it!"
At last—an heir who had inherited his power.
"This is the light of this planet," Ego explained. "Focus—and shape it."
Steadying his excitement, Star-Lord pressed the energy into a sphere.
Ego watched, thrilled, then clapped lightly and motioned for Star-Lord to toss it over.
Star-Lord looked at Ego's smiling face and, for an instant, saw his younger self—a child who had only a mother and yearned for a father.
He tossed the energy ball gently.
Ego caught it, squeezed, compressing it into something denser, then lobbed it back.
Grinning, Star-Lord played catch with Ego. A tender BGM all but swelled in the background.
Mike's family and the three Guardians looked on with collective distaste.
They had thought there was only one fool like Star-Lord. Who knew… there was also an old fool.
Watching the two of them throw a glowing ball back and forth, Rocket muttered, "Ha. See? I told you they're dogs. Only dogs play fetch like that."
Drax nodded gravely.
"They are very childish."
Gwen murmured, "So immature."
Fortunately, the cringe-inducing scene didn't last long.
Ego casually dispersed the sphere and said to Star-Lord, "You see, my son—this is the best proof."
Star-Lord nodded, excited. He switched off the Walkman at his waist, and the tender music faded.
"I have just one question—why did you leave my mother?"
He stared into Ego's eyes, waiting for an answer.
Ego's face filled with sorrow, as though in unbearable pain.
Softly, with deep feeling, he said, "I loved her, my son. But if I don't return here regularly, this body collapses and fades. I had no choice."
He patted Star-Lord's shoulder. "We can talk about this later—just the two of us. Shouldn't you introduce your friends first?"
He looked over at Mike's group; his gaze swept past them and paused on Mike, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
Star-Lord made the introductions one by one. Ego played the part of a kindly, witty elder, greeting everyone.
"Thank you for saving my son," Ego said to Mike with gratitude. After a brief pause, he added, "A Kryptonian."
"Heh. I'd thought Kryptonians were extinct. I never expected to see another—what a miracle."
Clearly, a being who had lived long enough could recognize what Mike was.
Kryptonian?
The Guardians glanced at Mike in surprise—they'd never heard of such a race.
"See!" Star-Lord cried, pointing at Mike to Gamora and the others. "What did I tell you? I said he wasn't from Earth!"
"Aren't you also not from Earth?" Rocket deadpanned.
Mike looked at Ego and felt… disgust.
If he didn't know the story—didn't know the old man's true face—he might have been moved like the others by this performance.
But now there was only one feeling:
Disgusting.
As a father himself, he truly despised this old monster.
From his birth to the day he turned himself into a planet, Ego had endured ages upon ages.
Lonely after so long, he fashioned a humanoid avatar—this very "father" of Star-Lord—to seek other life.
But when he found it, he was disappointed.
Those lives were simply not on his level.
So he devised an expansion plan: he planted seeds imbued with his power on world after world, intending to consume them and remake every planet into extensions of himself.
Alas, he couldn't achieve it by his strength alone.
Naturally, he formed a new plan:
Create a descendant with the Celestial gene—a child who could control the planet's light—and have that heir help him complete his expansion.
And so, to satisfy his hunger to expand, Ego bred with beings of countless species to produce innumerable offspring. He then had the Ravagers deliver those children to him. When he discovered that any given child had not inherited his Celestial gene—could not wield the planet's light—he murdered them all.
Such a creature didn't deserve to be called a father. He saw children only as tools to reach his goal.
Mike looked at Ego's smiling face and was tempted to expose him to Star-Lord on the spot.
But…
Would Star-Lord believe him now?
What proof could Mike present?
Besides, if he spoke now, Ego could spin a dozen excuses, hide his true nature, or even strike at Mike immediately.
Mike had no interest in thankless, counterproductive theatrics.
And he didn't need to.
If events followed their (original) course, Ego—drunk on triumph—would soon reveal his plan to Star-Lord himself, even boasting that the brain tumor that killed Star-Lord's mother had been his doing.
When the truth came out, it wouldn't be too late to put this old monster down.
Settling on that thought, Mike gave Ego a faint smile. "Think nothing of it."
Ego nodded and, after a long, penetrating look at Mike, turned to the others. "Come, everyone. I must thank you properly."
In the distance, an egg-shaped craft drifted toward them and set down at their side. As he led them toward it, Ego said, "Where I live is a bit far from here. After all, this is only a small planet."
He held his hands apart to indicate the size.
"Wow. He's so modest—just like me," Drax said in awe.
Rocket curled his lip, then glanced at the flowerpot where a sprout—now with the faintest outline of a face—had emerged. He couldn't help grinning.
Raven slipped her arm through Mike's, taking in the surroundings with curious eyes, while Gwen clutched Mike's hand, already wondering what heavenly delicacies this Celestial might serve them.
"Master."
A pretty young woman with antennae stood at the craft's hatch and bowed her head to Ego.
"Just a servant of mine—Mantis," Ego said casually.
Mantis looked the visitors over with open curiosity, then led everyone aboard.
(End of Chapter)