CHAPTER 29: THE SEED OF OBLIVION
The asteroid cracked open beneath Billy's feet.
The clash between red and green energy split the rock like thunder, shards of molten dust floating upward into the vacuum of space. Billy's heart pounded, each beat echoing through the universe like a drum. His vines lashed out wildly, green tendrils burning against the crimson ones that surged from the cloaked figure before him.
The figure didn't move like a man. Its body flowed — part liquid metal, part root and ash. Each step it took bled energy into the ground, spreading corruption.
"You feel it, don't you?" the being said, its voice layered and cold. "The Green cries out for balance. And I… am balance."
Billy gritted his teeth, summoning a burst of light that coiled around his arms like glowing vines. "You're not balance," he snarled. "You're decay."
The creature tilted its head. "Decay is renewal. Death is evolution. I am the truth Kain failed to comprehend."
Billy lunged, slamming his fist into the figure's chest. The impact sent both tumbling through the void, colliding with another fragment of rock. Vines burst outward, trying to ensnare it — but the being raised a hand, and the vines turned black, crumbling to ash.
Billy staggered, coughing. "What are you?"
The figure stepped closer, its cloak rippling in the solar wind. "I am what lies beneath life and machine. The seed Kain watered with his ambition… the first thought of destruction."
Billy's eyes widened. "You're the Dark Root."
The being smiled — a twisted, beautiful thing. "Names are for mortals. But yes… I am what the Green left behind when it chose to live."
The words slithered into Billy's mind like poison. He felt the truth of it — the way his veins pulsed not just with life, but with a hunger that wasn't his own.
The Dark Root extended its hand. "Come with me, child of balance. You were never meant to resist. You are my continuation — the next phase."
Billy shook his head. "No. I was chosen to protect the Green."
The Dark Root's eyes flared crimson. "The Green chose me first."
Back on the Ship — The Guardians
The ship coasted through the broken edge of the solar field, silent but for the hum of its engines.
Rocket slammed his fists on the console. "I got nothing! The kid's off the radar, like he never existed."
Nebula leaned over, analyzing the readings. "There's still energy residue — strong, mixed frequencies. Green and red."
Gamora folded her arms. "That's him and whatever's fighting him."
Star-Lord exhaled slowly. "Then we find that energy source and jump right into it."
Rocket spun around in his chair. "Oh sure, let's just fly into a cosmic blender, what could possibly go wrong?"
Peter looked at him, grin sharp. "Everything. Which is why we do it together."
Rocket groaned but started the engines anyway. "You're lucky I'm emotionally attached to all of you morons."
The ship turned, burning toward the unstable region of space where Billy's signal had last flickered. The closer they got, the darker the stars became — as if light itself was avoiding that place.
The Battle Continues
Billy roared and slammed both hands into the ground. Green light erupted outward, tearing through the asteroid's crust and sending shockwaves across the debris field. The Dark Root staggered backward — only slightly — then smiled.
"Impressive. But your power comes from fear. Fear is a poor foundation for divinity."
Billy's vines lashed upward, gripping the monster and dragging it into the air. He wrapped them tight, pouring every ounce of willpower into his hold. The Dark Root's laughter echoed, low and smooth.
"You're fighting the inevitable."
Then, in a blur, the creature shifted — the vines holding it dissolved as if eaten from within. It struck Billy across the chest, sending him tumbling into space. The air left his lungs, vision flashing white.
Through the haze, he saw the being raise its hand. A red sphere of energy grew in its palm — a miniature star, pulsing and alive.
"One seed burns worlds," it said. "Let me show you what rebirth feels like."
Billy threw out his hands, summoning a shield of green energy just as the crimson star detonated. The explosion rocked the heavens.
Planets miles away shuddered. Dust clouds glowed like wildfire.
Billy screamed through the impact, his energy faltering under the force. But he didn't let go. The shield held — barely.
The blast cleared. Billy floated amid ruins of light and dust, his body cracked with glowing fissures. His voice was hoarse. "You can burn everything. But something always grows back."
The Dark Root's grin widened. "Then I'll burn it again."
Inside the Void — A Flash of Memory
Billy's vision blurred — and suddenly he wasn't in space. He was back home.
New York.
A sunny afternoon. The school courtyard, the laughter, the taunts. The bullies shoving him into lockers.
Only this time, the vines didn't come to protect him. The bullies fell silent — their faces morphing into pale, rootlike visages.
Kain appeared beside them, smiling faintly. "This was where you learned pain. Where you first wished for strength."
Billy's throat tightened. "Get out of my head."
Kain's form flickered — replaced by the Dark Root. "I never left. Every wish has a cost. Every desire feeds the seed."
Billy felt something pull at his chest — a green glow twisting into red. He dropped to his knees, choking.
"You can't fight me," the voice whispered. "You can only accept me."
But then another voice broke through — distant, but clear.
"Billy! Hang on!"
It was Gamora. Through the storm of memory, her voice echoed like a beacon.
"You're stronger than what made you. You're not alone anymore!"
Billy gasped — light surged through his chest, brighter than before. The illusion shattered.
Reality — Arrival of the Guardians
The Guardians' ship burst from hyperspace just above the shattered asteroid field. Red lightning crackled across the void. In the middle of it — two figures locked in combat, each radiating enough power to bend reality.
Rocket whistled. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."
Star-Lord grinned grimly. "Well, that's him all right."
Gamora tightened her grip on her blade. "Then we end this."
The ship's cannons charged — green light reflected across the glass as Billy fought the entity. His voice rang through the void, filled with pain and fury.
"Stay back! It's feeding off the energy!"
But Star-Lord didn't listen. He opened fire.
The blasts struck the Dark Root square in the chest — it screamed, the sound tearing through space. But the scream turned into laughter.
"Fools. Every attack feeds the root!"
The energy rebounded, slamming into the ship. Alarms screamed. The hull ruptured. Nebula grabbed the controls, trying to stabilize the spin.
Rocket shouted, "We're gonna crash!"
"Then crash hard!" Peter yelled.
The ship tore through the edge of the asteroid field and slammed onto a massive rock — metal shrieking, flames trailing behind.
The Choice
Billy hovered over the battlefield, his body shaking, his veins glowing like fireflies. He could feel the Green within him — and the Red trying to devour it. The Dark Root advanced, towering, terrible.
"You can't destroy me," it said softly. "I am in every breath, every death, every rebirth."
Billy's hand trembled. "Maybe not. But I can contain you."
The monster paused. "Contain?"
Billy's eyes burned bright. "If I'm your vessel, then I'll be your prison."
The Dark Root lunged, claws outstretched — but Billy moved faster, slamming both palms to his chest. Green and red light erupted, swirling together in a violent storm.
The universe seemed to fold in on itself. Time slowed.
For a moment, Billy saw everyone — the Guardians, Earth, the stars — and felt the pulse of every living thing. Then he whispered, "Forgive me."
The light consumed everything.
Silence
When the glare faded, the asteroid field was gone. The void lay still.
The Guardians' ship floated aimlessly through the aftermath, its hull cracked but intact.
Rocket groaned, crawling from the wreckage. "Tell me we didn't just witness the kid go kaboom again."
Nebula scanned the readings. "Energy signature… gone. Both of them."
Gamora stood by the viewport, her expression empty. "He didn't die. He sealed it."
Star-Lord put a hand on her shoulder. "You think he's still out there?"
Gamora nodded slowly. "He's part of the Green now. Watching. Waiting."
Outside, in the distant dark, a faint glow shimmered — green intertwined with crimson, pulsing like a heartbeat.
A whisper drifted through the void:
"Balance demands sacrifice."
TO BE CONTINUED...