Ronan the Accuser stood proudly, the Cosmic Spirit Orb clutched tightly in his hand, a faint, confident smile curving his lips.
But in the next instant—
Something was wrong.
The air around him froze. Every Kree soldier that had accompanied him stood motionless, their eyes lifeless and hollow.
Only the eerie violet glow of the Power Gem illuminated the darkness that had swallowed the world.
"What… is this?" Ronan muttered.
He reached out and pushed one of the soldiers beside him—and in that moment, the man's body crumbled into dust, disintegrating before Ronan's eyes.
"What's happening?!"
Moments ago, everything had been fine.
This was Morag, a barren world long devoid of life after countless interstellar wars.There shouldn't be anything alive here—let alone something capable of doing this.
Even the Planet Devourer himself would find no sustenance on such a dead rock.
And yet—the very moment Ronan had gripped the gem with both hands,everything had changed.
He stepped out from the ruined vault, still holding the Cosmic Spirit Orb.
One step into the open—and the world was no longer the same.
The sky had taken on a strange, otherworldly hue,and the landscape around him rippled with impossible colors.
"Where are my ships… my army?"
Ronan's voice echoed into the silence. He gripped the orb tighter.This was his chance to rise again—his path to reclaiming his honor.
No one could take it from him.
"Could it be… Thanos?" he murmured, eyes narrowing. "Has he come to steal what's mine?"
But he shook his head immediately. Impossible.
Not long ago, the so-called Eternal Titan had exhausted nearly all of his cosmic power.He hadn't even been able to approach the solar system after his defeat.If not for the intervention of Death herself, Thanos might have perished.
After that battle, he vanished.Only once did he contact Ronan—to reveal the secret of Morag's hidden relic.Since then, no one had seen him again.
Now, under this crimson dusk and in the shadow of a dense alien forest,Ronan found himself utterly alone.
The landing craft was gone.The fleet—vanished.The air reeked of decay.
"What kind of place is this…"
The wind moaned through the forest.Leaves whispered.And above, black crows burst from the trees, shrieking into the darkened sky.
This was no longer Morag.
All around him lay broken ruins and the remnants of an ancient civilization—and in the distance stood a great, mysterious temple,half-shrouded in mist.
It seemed to call to him.
Ronan moved forward, step by cautious step,crunching dead leaves beneath his boots.The stench of rot grew thicker with each breath.
Soon, even the light of the Power Gem dimmed.And then—he felt it.
His divine strength… gone.The cosmic energy within him, stripped away.Even the Power Gem felt inert, unresponsive in his palm.
"What—what is this place?!"
Panic flickered in his eyes.The power granted to him by the Supreme Intelligence,the very energy that made him an Accuser,was gone—leaving him hollow,weak,mortal.
It was as if he had been reduced to nothing more than a commoner of Hala—a powerless, blue-skinned wretch.
Still, the temple beckoned.
He couldn't explain it, but ever since obtaining the Cosmic Spirit Orb,this enormous structure had appeared before his eyes—as though it had been summoned into existence by the Gem's awakening.
The Power Gem shouldn't possess such an ability.It was not the Time Gem, to twist chronology.Nor did it hold the Reality Gem's power to shape dreams.
So what was happening here?
The only way to find out… was to step forward.
He walked for what felt like hours,but the temple never seemed any closer.No matter how far he went,the distance between them remained the same.
Could it be…
"A dream world?" Ronan whispered.
He pressed onward, fatigue gnawing at his spirit.The dark sky loomed above,motionless and infinite.
Finally—just as he was about to collapse—the temple appeared before him, vast and blindingly real.
He raised a trembling hand.
And then—
A strange, invisible force—cold yet gentle—wrapped around him like hands of mist.It lifted him off the ground, pulling him forward.
The scene shifted instantly.
Suddenly, Ronan was inside the temple.
All around him, the walls were carved with glowing runes—ancient, alien, indecipherable.Even he, a being of immense knowledge and cosmic authority,could not understand them.
"Wh—what is this place…"
And then, the walls began to shine.
With a resonant hum,a golden coffin-like structure—a divine holy cabinet—materialized before him.
Every instinct screamed danger.
Yet another voice within him whispered seductively:
"If you can claim what lies inside…even Captain Marvel will fall before you.You could rule the Three Great Empires—you could command the entire universe."
Ronan stepped closer.
Slowly.
Reverently.
And just as his shadow touched the coffin's edge—
Four silhouettes emerged from within the golden light.
Not as projections—but as beings.Ancient, translucent, divine.
Before he could react, the radiance around them dimmed,the holy cabinet's power fading to nothing.
A voice echoed through the hall—calm, ethereal, and mocking.
"You are the one who disturbed my slumber?""A pitiful, insignificant creature… What could you possibly seek?"
"Who are you?!" Ronan demanded.
At once, a crushing force pressed him to the ground.His knees buckled, his body trembling under the weight of divine energy.
A faint, almost lazy reply drifted down from above—
"I am the god who governs the realm of dreams…"
"Phantasos."
(End of Chapter)
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