Starlight › Marvel [1] ✓

037. the great titan

› CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN ‹

"Hear me and rejoice."

Flames danced around wildly around the limp bodies of men, woman, and children. Blood pooled around the motionless beings, many of which Raleigh Ridley recognized. Some of them had fought alongside him when they were defeating Hela's Army and a few others were ones that he had helped protect back then.

The young mother, father, and daughter were dead just a few feet behind him, and what pained Raleigh the most about their death was that there wasn't anything he could do to save them. Heimdall had tried to help but all that ended with was the man laying on the ground just to the left of him, clutching his slashed open abdomen. Thor Odinson had also tried to do something, but even he couldn't stop what was coming. Bloodied and bruised up, Thor laid weakly and defenselessly beside the ruler of the invaders.

Loki's hand tightened desperately around Raleigh's wrist and he nervously raised his eyes to the scraped up knuckles. Raleigh's other hand curled around Loki's sleeve. He was the only one stopping the invading aliens behind him with their weapons drawn from taking and killing him. He was the only one stopping his powers from acting out on their own and the only one making sure he stayed safe.

"You have had the privilege of being saved by the Great Titan." A slim-gray alien walked around the deceased and unconscious bodies. "You may think this is suffering. No. It is salvation. Universal scaled tip towards balance because of your sacrifice."

Raleigh's eyes lowered back to his blood-stained sneakers and he flinched as he heard another blade swish through the air, which undoubtedly followed with a dying grunt from an innocent Asgardian. He subconsciously moved closer to Loki while his breathing intensified as the alien walked around the father and son.

"Smile. For even in death, you have become Children of Thanos."

The hand again tightened, but Raleigh barely noticed it as he cautiously raised his gaze onto the giant that towered over Thor. Thanos turned around and the slimmer of light from the nearest star shined through, glinting the golden armor that covered his body. A single glove covered his right forearm and hand, where a small purple glow admitted from the first index joint.

"I know what it's like to lose." His voice was deep and thick and Raleigh resisted the urge to lower his head again. "To feel so desperately that you're right... yet to fail, nonetheless." Thanos shoved his giant hand under Thor's vest and plucked him off the ground. He walked towards the two and Thor grunted in pain while Raleigh's body trembled. "It's frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. But I ask you, to what end? Dread it, run from it... destiny arrives all the same. And now, it's here.

"Or should I say..." He closed the hand with the golden gauntlet, creating a giant fist. The purple burned brighter against his deep purple skin while a loud sound echoed off the walls. "...I am."