Avengers: Destiny Arrives

Breaking His Own Heart

Vormir was probably the saddest and most desolate place Gamora had ever ventured to. Though she'd vowed to never return, in her heart, she always knew she'd come back to it. The barren planet was situated at the heart of celestial existence and its surface was veiled in shadow. As a result of a permanently eclipsed sun, the planet's sand-covered lands were trapped in a perpetual state of night.

The sand dunes that Thanos and Gamora materialized on looked out over the vast stretch of nothingness. Only more sand dunes greeted their vision, broken up by the presence of shallow pools of water. Further in the distance, Thanos spied a mountainous formation jutting out from the sand, its peaks stretching to the depressing sky.

"It's there, isn't it?" he asked, his voice cutting through the howling wind.

Gamora didn't answer him. What was the point? He knew already.

"The Stone had better be up there for your sister's sake," he threatened before beginning to walk toward the mountain.

Gamora hung her head and followed. There was no other choice now. She was trapped on this desolate rock with him.

They reached the paths that led up to the mountain's summit. As they walked, Gamora looked down at the paths, noting their well-worn surface. It seemed there had been many who had made this journey before. Many and yet the Stone remained here. Before she could ponder why, they reached the summit and came face-to-face with a figure who lurked in shadows.

"Welcome, Thanos, son of A'lars. Gamora, daughter of Thanos," the figure greeted them in a ghostly voice.

Gamora and Thanos watched as the figure emerged from the darkness. His presence fit the sound of his voice, for he looked very spectral as he floated above the ground. His black robes flowed around him and his visage was hidden beneath a hood. But, as he floated closer, the restrained light of the sun found his face- red and gaunt.

Thanos regarded the specter with interest. "You know us? How?"

The specter smiled sadly. "I am the keeper of the Soul Stone. It is my curse to know all who journey to this place. And there have been many."

Gamora looked beyond the Keeper, sighting the presence of a cliff.

"The Soul Stone- where is it?" Thanos asked.

The Keeper looked at him unflinchingly. "The Soul Stone is here."

Thanos lifted his glove. "I will have it. And if I have to kill you, I will. I've certainly taken more lives than I can count just to gain these three Stones."

The Keeper laughed and the sound chilled Gamora.

"Oh, I will not stand in the way of your prize," he assured him. "I am not the obstacle you'll face to obtain it. I am merely...a guide."

"Then, by all means, guide me."

"The Stone exacts a terrible price," the Keeper warned.

"I am prepared."

"We all think that at first. And we are all wrong."

"How is it you know this place so well?"

The Keeper smiled as he remembered. "A lifetime ago, I, too, sought the stones. I even held one in my hand. But it cast me out, banished me here. Guiding others to a treasure I cannot possess."

The Keeper led them to the edge of the summit, toward the cliff. Thanos and Gamora looked over the semicircular edge. A sheer drop into the abyss below looked back at them.

"The Stone lies before you. As does what you fear."

Thanos scowled. "What is this?"

"The price. The Soul Stone hold a special place among the Infinity Stones. You might say it has a certain wisdom.