《A Twist Of Marvel || Infinity War》74. Hardest Choices
Advertisement
Naomi was, undoubtedly, confused by the Watchers comment. But the situation before her demanded her complete attention, and she had no time to analyze it.
"You know us?" Thanos asked.
"It is my curse to know all who journey here." The Red Skull said. Naomi stood still, holding the floating figure's gaze whenever it fell onto her.
"Where is the Soul Stone?" Thanos's voice tightened, patience wearing thin.
"You should know... it extracts a terrible price." Red Skull answered, a warning that Naomi knew would do little good. The price was Gamora, perhaps the only person Thanos loved. But it wasn't real love. Naomi was quite certain the Titan wasn't capable of it.
"I am prepared." He straightened, thinking himself worthy of retrieving the Stone. Naomi looked at his profile, eyes narrowed. She stood next to an arrogant fool, but a dangerous one at that. She had to tread lightly.
"We all think that at first. We are all wrong."
Naomi stared harder at Thanos. She could see his expression shift at Red Skull's words, but not to caution. His eyes dared Red Skull to get in his way, and promised that he would crush any obstacle in his path to the Soul Stone. Including his daughter.
They were silent until they reached the structures edge, the steep drop off that served as the sacrificial point. When Thanos and Red Skull began to speak again, Naomi did not pay attention. She walked to the edge, though her movements were hesitant. The carvings on the stone under her feet were drawn with cold precision, the half circle stamped into the ground gave no hint of passion in its creation. Only desolate purpose. The center of the ring was cut out, leaving another half circle waiting to be completed, a sick puzzle only achieved by staring directly down the cliff side. Naomi obliged, and toed the edge as she stared down. The missing half of the circle was clear to her, though it seemed miles away. But it brought a small sense of comfort that the stone below was clean, without a trace of green blood spilt.
Advertisement
Naomi turned away, jet set tightly.
"What you seek lies in front of you." Red Skull explained, though Thanos was the sole amount them who did not understand the sacrifice needed. "As does what you fear."
"What's this?" Thanos asked. Naomi evaluated him, the gauntlet catching her eye. She had already known that Thanos only possessed the Space Stone thus far, but the reminder of his limited power was a small victory for Naomi. He did not have nearly the amount of power he had by this point in Infinity War, and it was guaranteed that he would not achieve the Soul Stone now.
"The price." Naomi answered. Thanos's gaze flickered to her, and held her there in scrutiny. Naomi folded her arms and stared back. She would be lying if she said she wasn't intimidated, but there wasn't a chance in hell she would let Thanos think she was afraid of him.
"Soul holds a special place among the Infinity Stones." Red Skull said.
"You might say it has a certain... wisdom." Naomi hissed. The pleasure she normally took from her 'prophetic' party tricks was absent now. The company here left no room for amusement or jest. The very planet was so strict and barren, it seemed to forbid her usual light-hearted nature.
"Tell me what it needs." Thanos demanded, speaking now to Naomi. She rose to the challenge, stepping toward him, head tilted up defiantly.
"The Stone demands a sacrifice." She seethed, "In order to take it, you must lose that which you love." Thanos looked down at her, then to the cliff. His expression darkened as realization dawned on him. He and Naomi shared a thought then, the same name appearing in their head.
"A soul-" The Red Skull began.
"For a Soul." Naomi finished.
Thanos fell silent. He walked to the edge, shoulders hunched. Naomi maintained her focus on him, as Red Skull would be no threat. It was a long time before anyone spoke.
"You knew of this." Thanos stated. He turned to Naomi, eyes narrowed in suspicion. She straightened, then mentally reprimanded herself for doing so. No signs of fear. She nodded. The Titan's face twisted into anger, he stalked away from the edge and toward her. Naomi rooted herself to the spot, and prepared to take a desperate leap of faith.
Advertisement
"It doesn't matter." She appealed, stopping Thanos in his tracks. "Because you don't love Gamora."
"Insolence does not suit you, Prophet." Thanos rumbled, eyes boring down upon her as he resumed his advance. Naomi hated herself for taking a step backwards.
"Don't you see?" She held out her hand, gesturing to the cliff behind him earnestly. "You already proven it to be true- your love for Gamora is a sick lie." Naomi's words were traced with passion, even as she fought to keep her voice monotone. Perhaps spending so much time with the trickster god had worn off on her, for the lies began to come easily.
"You know me as a prophet, do you not?" Naomi asked, breathing harder as she stared up at his towering figure.
"I know you as only a universal gossip." Thanos spat, impatience mixed with contempt on his face like paint on a canvas. Naomi hesitated for a moment, mind racing to find the best possible path to ensure her safety, and Gamora's. She looked to Red Skull, imploring him to answer her question.
"Her knowledge extends beyond that of the Watchers, though I know not of where it came." He revealed, only serving to muddle Naomi's thoughts. Information on the Watchers appeared in her brain, distracting her from the lie she was attempting to craft for Thanos. She forced herself to ignore the Red Skull's words, and cast her limited knowledge on the alien race that he spoke of to the back of her mind. "If Naomi Swanson is not a prophet," he continued, "then I know not what she is."
As confusing as the Red Skull's input was, it appeared to convince Thanos of Naomi's credibility, if only partially. He surveyed her with anger still, but she saw caution in the lines of his face. Thus, Naomi continued. "I have seen this before. I have watched you cast your favorite daughter over the cliffside." She revealed. Thanos's posture sunk slightly. "And it was all for naught." Naomi took a step toward him, then another. Thanos stood his ground, and watched her with a stormy gaze.
"Because the Stone did not present itself to you." Naomi lied. "How could it, when you did not fulfill its sacrifice?"
"Then what, Prophet, does it require of me?" Thanos fumed. Out the corner of her eye, Naomi could see his hands ball into fists.
"You do not understand me. You cannot fulfill the sacrifice, because you love nothing, no one." She whispered, her voice pitying as though she were explaining it to a child. Naomi stepped toward him once more, standing a mere few feet apart. She craned her neck back to meet his eyes. "How could you possibly love Gamora, if you would choose the Stone over her?" Naomi implored, a foreign sense of betrayal seeping into her words.
Thanos reeled backwards, gritting his teeth against the harsh sting of her silver tongue. His breath hissed between his teeth, the Space Stone glowing brighter in its socket for a millisecond. Naomi stilled. After a moment, Thanos did the same. "I do not expect you to understand, Prophet." He said. "The hardest choices-"
"Require the strongest wills." Naomi interrupted. "But sometimes the choices don't need to be made."
Thanos peered at her for several, tense seconds. He stalked toward her. Naomi didn't move. The Space Stone's light filled her vision as he extended the gauntlet toward her. She placed her hand on top of the gauntlet, accepting the Titan's silent invitation.
"To Earth." Thanos said. Despite herself, Naomi smiled.
"To Earth." She nodded, and allowed the blue-and-black smoke of the Space Stone to overtake her.
Advertisement
-
In Serial27 Chapters
Palus Somni
It is the final days after the end of the world and you only have one month left before the last sanctuary erupts into chaos. There's a dead body hanging from a tree and cadaverous giants watch you sleep at night. The end is already here, you just don't know it yet. Now rated in the top 3% of all novels on Royal Road! Palus Somni (‘Marsh of Sleep’) is a worldbuilding webnovel about what happens when your God forsakes you. Inspired by gothic horror and mingled with British myth and folklore, join the Alucinari nuns as they struggle with day-to-day life after the world has ended. Every night when the sun sets the monstrous Gol, colossal beings with too many teeth, awaken and roam the marshlands. Only those with a faithful heart will be spared. Young acolyte Wille has never seen the walls fail, but when a fellow nun is murdered within their sanctum the very safety of the monastery is thrown into question. Did the Gol find a way to breach their defences, or is there a human traitor amongst them? The answer lies both far in the past and deep beneath the earth, through the maze of ancient catacombs. With a cast of over thirty different characters, watch as your friends and enemies spiral into inevitable madness at the hands of a callous and unforgiving world. Discover the secrets of Palus Somni through letters, diary entries and notes found scattered across the monastery. Uncover the mystery of the grotesque giants that stalk the night and bring your challenge to the Gods themselves. Each character has their own handmade pixel art, and every update includes a music recommendation for a dark atmospheric dungeon synth album that you can listen to while you read. Slice of life meets cosmic abomination: Palus Somni is a collection of intertwining stories, some chapters are stand-alone tales while others feed into the overarching narrative. It is an exploration into a community, and rather than focusing on any one character the story meanders through the convent, exposing the hopes and fears of its inhabitants. Story updates every full moon.
8 54 -
In Serial29 Chapters
You Don't Know Me
Adam and Taylor Preston got married and had 9 kids. Eric, Summer, Matthew, May, Sage, Kevin, Devin, Marc and Sky.Guess which one is me. Yep that's right- I'm Summer. It's bad enough having 5 brothers and 3 sisters. But when my annoying brother invites his football buddies over it's like hell on earth. Especially when Anthony Walton stumbles through my bathroom at 2 AM. { Book 1 of the Preston series }***E-BOOK AN PAPERBACK NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON***
8 209 -
In Serial16 Chapters
The Legend of the Legendary Xu Xian
This is the epic tale of Xu Xian which consists of his life, death and after death. Read prologue for a better understanding.
8 454 -
In Serial13 Chapters
Nine Rebirths [Title in Progress]
A young boy forced to cultivate a Devilish Technique that greatly overdrew his vitality drew what he thought would be his last breaths on a blood soaked battlefield. However, nearing the end of his life, he meets someone that helps him restore his vitality, disperse the vile cultivation and start anew again. This is the story of Ji Curo, a young man on his path to the top.
8 116 -
In Serial17 Chapters
Healer
Molly Elisabeth Winter is twenty years old woman she is also a wolf ,living in a small cabin alone within in the white moon pack. She lost her parents two years ago when there was a rough attack. Never popular in the pack but since losing her parents she has somehow become the pack slave.she cooks, clean, washes, She is a size twenty where others find her repulsive she finds herself loving her figure. She once asked her alpha if she could leave the pack the answer She got was a no accompanied by a public beating, the only way she would get out of this pack is if She finds her mate.Austin Lee Orton is a feared alpha all over the world. He loves to see the fear in there eyes when they see him, he hasn't found his mate yet and he doesn't want to he can run his pack by himself. The only thing he cares about is making his pack stronger and more feared.
8 111 -
In Serial20 Chapters
r a i n y d a y s >>> greys anatomy
"you don't hate me?" "no, i don't."•nobody knows where they might end up, not even madelyn grey. • started 04/30/18status: discontinued. <>@mschubert 2018
8 146
