"What do you need from me?" Magneto's voice echoed sharply within his own mind, responding to the mental link Charles had forcibly opened.
"Not help for me, Erik," Professor X answered. "Help for all of us."
"Earth is facing an unprecedented catastrophe. If we fail to resist it, Mutants and humans alike will be erased."
As Charles spoke, a projection of his form materialized inside Magneto's consciousness, standing before him with a solemn expression.
A disaster capable of annihilating the entire planet? From anyone else, Magneto would have dismissed it as paranoia.
But Charles… Charles did not exaggerate. If he said doom was coming, it was coming.
"What exactly are we dealing with?" Magneto asked, all irritation forgotten.
Professor X exhaled slowly, then relayed everything Jean had told him… Thanos, the looming invasion, the threat of a being who laughed at the concept of mortality.
Magneto fell silent. "You're telling me this… Thanos… possesses immortality?"
"And has the strength to destroy planets at will?" He asked at last. "Such a creature exists in this universe?"
"He does," Charles confirmed grimly. "And he commands an army unlike anything Earth has ever faced."
"But we cannot surrender. We must bring every power we have together… Mutants, Avengers, Soren, everyone."
Magneto's expression tightened. If Soren could not defeat Thanos… then the Earth wasn't even dust beneath his feet.
"I've told you all I know," Professor X said quietly. "How you choose to respond… is your decision." His psychic projection began to fade.
"Wait! Charles." Magneto's voice cut through the dissolving image. "Do you take me for a man who clings to life and fears death?"
Charles said nothing, only offering a knowing smile before his presence vanished.
Magneto stood alone.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Elsewhere, news of Thanos's advance rippled across the hidden corners of Earth. Avengers prepared. Rogues and lone wanderers took notice in their own ways.
And at Soren's side, a determined young voice broke the tension.
"Teacher! I already told Johnny about Thanos," Little Danny declared, pumping his tiny fist. "He promised he'll come help!"
"And I'll fight too you and me together! We'll beat that big purple bully!"
Freyja and Jean exchanged amused smiles. Both adored Danny.
They ruffled his golden hair at the same time, earning a dramatic pout from the boy.
Soren, however, didn't indulge the enthusiasm.
"Your strength isn't enough," He said bluntly. "This battle is too dangerous. If you come with me, I can't guarantee your safety."
Danny's face fell, but Soren's tone was firm. Against Thanos, even Soren wasn't sure he could protect anyone.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Far away, in the frigid darkness of the Sanctuary's domain, warships drifted into formation like a metallic storm. The air thrummed with the preparation for war.
Thanos sat upon his throne as the last reports came in.
The pact with the Grandmaster was sealed.
The armies were gathered. The invasion could begin.
His target was simple… Earth.
He would kill Soren.
He would reclaim the Infinity Stones in Soren's possession, and he would seize the Soul Stone promised by the Grandmaster.
And then nothing in this universe would stand in his way.
…
In the sanctuary domain, the cold metal throne room lay empty. Thanos no longer sat there.
Instead, he walked alone through a colossal corridor of obsidian. Before him, a massive door groaned open, releasing a wave of dust and forgotten memories. Thanos stepped inside.
This was the Temple of Power, a palace he had built ages ago, intended to stand as a shrine to Death herself.
Here he had envisioned presenting his devotion, offering entire civilizations as tribute.
But after slaughtering his own people, after destroying Titan with his own hands… Death still did not look his way.
He had offered genocide and he had offered planets.
He had offered everything.
And still, she remained silent.
For the first time in his life, Thanos had felt an unshakable inadequacy. His gifts were not enough. His devotion, unmatched in the universe, unreturned.
So he abandoned the temple. Let it rot. Let the dust bury his shame.
But one thing he never abandoned… was the pursuit of ultimate power.
The Infinity Stones.
The six primal forces of creation.
Space. Time. Power. Mind. Reality. Soul.
Each one a fragment of the universe's birth.
To claim them all, he forged a weapon unlike any other, the Infinity Gauntlet, a golden vessel designed to hold and merge the stones' energies.
With it, he could command the totality of existence. Life and death would bend to his will.
With a single snap, he could extinguish half of all life in the universe.
A gift worthy, finally, of attracting Death's affection.
To achieve this, Thanos had razed worlds, ripped apart armies, and bent countless species to his will.
And now, at long last, the trail had led him to an unexpected obstacle and opportunity…
Soren.
Thanos had studied the footage of Soren's battle with Ronan.
The display of temporal suspension and spatial distortion left no doubt… Soren possessed the Time Stone and the Space Stone.
Ronan's death meant the Power Stone had also fallen into Soren's hands.
And Loki's scepter, containing the Mind Stone, had been delivered to Earth by the Chitauri at Thanos's own command.
Through Loki's defeat, that stone too should have found its way into Soren's possession.
Four stones.
At least four.
Possibly more.
The thought was almost absurd, even to Thanos. "One man, with four of the universe's fundamental forces…"
But absurd or not, it was true.
And that truth set Thanos's ancient blood alight.
If he killed Soren…
If he claimed those stones…
If he added the Soul Stone, promised by the Grandmaster, then five stones would rest in his hand.
With five stones, the sixth would call to him.
With six, he would become the universe's final authority.
And perhaps then…
Death would finally see him.