Young God | L. Laufeyson

29. I'll Be Good

"Your father Ego?"

"He's a... he's basically a Celestial, an immortal god who can shape his shift from a human being to a whole planet... he's powerful, Malekith is nothing compared to him. And he's a bloody psychopath." Aurora's face darkens in horror at her blind trust in her biological father when she followed him to his planet.

"Mom never told me about you, I didn't know that my dad would be a spaceman! Maybe she didn't want me to be scared of the fact that I'm basically a half alien." Aurora chatters bubbly while the two are walking on his beautiful planet. Their ships landed a while ago and her father shows her her actual home.

"Probably." Ego chuckles lightly at her lively nature. "Your mother was a wonderful human being, I wish I could've stayed longer with her. But I couldn't, it is my duty as a Celestial to protect the world."

"Did you miss her?" She asks curiously and Ego sends her a sad smile.

"Every day. But I'm sure she would've loved to see us both together today." His words slightly confuse her because it doesn't make sense. If Dorothy really did want that, why would she hide the truth then?

"Did he hurt you?" Loki's voice sharpens immensely, a raging hate growing inside him. He doesn't mind that she's a demigod, it doesn't change his feelings towards her. Tears suddenly dwell in Aurora's eyes at his question and a sob erupts from her lips.

A scream echoes through the planet and Mantis hurries to the direction of the noise, finding Aurora in the cave of all the victims of Ego's plan. Thousands of skeletons are huddled as mountains, corpses of only children who were brutally killed. Children that failed to be part of the plan.

"You found it." Ego deduces as he steps into the cave, Mantis remaining silent in fear. Aurora's whole body is shaking, the shock paralyzing her and a nauseous feeling overwhelming her. Please, don't let it be true. Let this be only a bad dream, not the worst day of my life.

"Did you do this?!" Aurora yells and his silence is enough of an answer. "Why?! Why did you do this?! These- these are children!!"

"Children without the Celestial gene. They were useless. How was I supposed to put my plan into practice then?" His gentle mask falls within a second, revealing the evil, cold face beneath the lie. "The Expansion would only work with another Celestial and I need one more for terraforming all life-sustaining planets into new extensions of myself. All these races failed but you... You and Peter Quill carry the Celestial gene with success."

The realization hits her like lightning and the air is stuck in her lungs. Everything's been a lie. Her whole life, her father's kindness, the death of her mother- it's been all an ugly illusion. "You never loved mother. Did she want this, d-did she want to do this? Did she... did she even know?"

Now a sinister smile appears on his lips, a smile that creeps her out. "Why do you think she sent you away?"

"No! No, I won't be a part of this, you monster!!" Aurora screams as tears run down her face, panic overcoming her. Her mother didn't die because of some accident, no, he killed her for letting Aurora go. God knows what else he did to her. Suddenly, the ground starts shaking and tentacles of light erupt from the earth. They stab her in the back to capture her and absorb her energy while she feels a painful burning, as if a sword made of fire sliced her.

"I thought we could do this together." Ego sighs in disappointment, ignoring her painful screaming. "But as long as you're connected to the light, you will never escape me. You are my battery. Forever."