Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Cull Obsidian.
The familiar faces of the Black Order were vivid, still clad in their distinctive armor. And then there was the figure commanding the entire Black Quadrant. Everything Lothar saw, even with his prior preparations, evoked a unique emotion within him. Even Ebony Maw's face, which he once intensely disliked, no longer seemed so repulsive to Lothar.
"Lord Thanos."
The excited robotic cat, having composed itself, projected from Lothar's wrist and respectfully bowed to Thanos.
"Where's The Other, Father?"
After his gaze swept across the surrounding warships one by one, Lothar gradually suppressed the unique emotions in his heart. He didn't see The Other. He didn't see his former subordinate.
"Don't worry, he's not dead."
"Right now, he's in the Black Quadrant preparing a surprise for you." Thanos was well aware of The Other's covert mission as a 'Voldemort' for over a thousand years, secretly retrieving Odin's son from Asgard to "avenge" Lothar.
"A surprise?"
Lothar raised an eyebrow, then paid it no further mind. It was enough that The Other was still around. However, the two women standing behind Thanos...
After resolving his primary doubts, Lothar finally redirected his gaze to the two figures on Thanos's left and right. One had green skin and long black hair, her face aloof; the other had blue skin and a bald head, half-mechanical.
"Gamora, Nebula."
"Your, sisters."
Thanos pushed one with each hand, ushering Gamora and Nebula forward to stand before Lothar.
"Sisters?" A subtle hint of surprise flashed in Lothar's eyes. What did he mean? How long had he been gone to suddenly have two such grown-up sisters?
"..."
"..."
Gamora and Nebula, pushed forward by Thanos, exchanged glances. They wanted to speak, but the word "brother" remained stuck in their throats, unable to be uttered.
Lothar was, after all, a stranger to them, even though they had always known they had a powerful brother who had killed a god over a thousand years ago.
"It seems you'll need to catch up on those more than a thousand years of missing memories."
Thanos didn't seem to mind.
"???"
More than a thousand years???
The time flow comparison between these two universes... Lothar's pupils sharply constricted: "Odin?"
"Odin is still alive."
Thanos gave Lothar a precise answer. With a time span exceeding a millennium, there was much Lothar needed to learn, and Thanos had no intention of standing there to brief him. He had already reopened information access to Woz, who would naturally inform him later.
"Come on, go see your first surprise since your return." Thanos waved his hand, signaling Lothar to board the battleship.
The Black Quadrant fleet sailed majestically back to the Centauri Galaxy.
Inside the Black Quadrant base, The Other, who had already received the notification, stood excitedly at the warship port, rubbing his hands in anticipation.
His Highness Lothar is truly alive.
His Highness Lothar is truly alive.
His Highness Lothar is truly...
"Meow!"
The orange cat, standing on The Other's head, discontentedly extended a fleshy paw and batted his helmet, signaling him to be quiet and stop pacing.
"They're here!"
"They're here!"
The Other ignored the demanding orange cat. Seeing the large number of warships landing, he gripped the Mind Scepter, which had been sealed away in Lothar's side chamber for a long time, and stood at the port, his posture just as it had been back then.
"Lord Thanos." Though his heart burned with impatience, The Other still remembered to show deference to Thanos. "Um, Lord Thanos, Lothar, where is His Highness Lothar?"
Peeking behind Thanos, his neck unconsciously stretching like a giraffe's, The Other still couldn't see the familiar figure.
"Meow! Meow! Meow!"
Before The Other could react, the orange cat that had been perched on his head let out a joyful cry. Using his head as a springboard, it leaped, scurrying into Thanos's main ship.
"Long time no see, Mr. The Other." The blue robotic cat, with eight mechanical arms extending from its back, gripped the orange cat by the scruff of its neck, letting it meow and protest. Lothar's figure emerged from the battleship right after Woz.
"Lo..."
"Your Highness Lothar!"
It was still that simple black loose combat suit, still that familiar hairstyle. His eyes, showing no signs of aging, and his exposed skin remained smooth. He was just as The Other remembered him. Cold, arrogant.
"Meow! Meow! Meow!"
The Flerken, starved of energy pellets for over a thousand years, was on the verge of rebellion, flapping its short orange and white legs and struggling relentlessly.
"Come find me tomorrow morning." Thanos, with the Black Order and his two daughters, slowly departed.
"Yes, Father."
Lothar bowed respectfully. After watching Thanos's figure disappear from sight, he finally turned his gaze back to The Other.
"Father said you have something for me?" There was no pretense of pleasantries, no clichéd emotional reunion. It was still a condescending question, but The Other savored it.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"I guarantee, you'll love this gift."
The Other twirled the Mind Scepter in his hand, a genuine, fawning smile appearing on his face.
In a dark dungeon.
Loki, trussed up like a dumpling, was still pondering how he could escape when the special metal door suddenly opened.
"Your Highness Lothar, it's him."
Loki cautiously watched The Other push open the door and enter. This scoundrel hadn't beaten him up these past few days.
Who could command such respect from him?
Is this the mastermind behind my capture?
Loki's brow furrowed, his mind racing with thoughts, which abruptly halted when he saw the figure behind The Other.
"What?!!!"
"Lothar, Son of Thanos?!!!"
...
Earth, a quiet night.
Nick Fury, then Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., sat at his desk, meticulously examining the documents in his hand.
"The Avengers Initiative."
That was the name of the file. It detailed several superheroes Nick Fury wished to recruit.
Iron Man Tony Stark;
The Hulk;
Etc...
"Sir, there's activity to the southwest. According to satellite imagery, it seems to be that person named Thor again."
"What did you say?"
Nick Fury, who was leisurely contemplating how to unite this alliance, frowned. He hung up the call with his capable subordinate, Agent Coulson, and pulled up the transmitted satellite footage.
Thor, now dressed in Earth clothing, had a blissful smile on his face as he walked towards his girlfriend's residence.
"Coulson, what's his purpose for being on Earth?"
"I don't know, sir. Our people can't get close to him."
"Go to Jane Foster's house. You go."
"Understood."
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