Marvel : Super Soldier at the Start

Facing Gamora's skepticism, Blake directly opened a spatial wormhole. 

On the other side of the wormhole was a desolate-looking planet. Blake gestured invitingly with a gentlemanly flourish. 

"What is this place?" 

Gamora asked as she gazed at the scene beyond the wormhole. 

"Vormir—the resting place of the Soul Stone. This is the real reason you're running from Thanos, isn't it? You want to stop his plan!" 

Blake's words made Gamora's expression shift unpredictably. The location of the Soul Stone was her deepest, most guarded secret. 

"I'm guessing this is also why you refuse to stay. You think that if I collect all six Stones, I'll bring disaster to the universe, don't you?" 

Blake continued in a calm, measured tone. 

At this moment, Gamora's face turned pale. No matter who it was, having their most guarded secrets or trump cards laid bare would inevitably lead to a sense of self-doubt. 

Yet Blake paid no mind to her reaction and continued speaking. 

"To be blunt, I currently possess three Stones: Space, Reality, and Power. The Soul Stone is here. As for the other two—Time and Mind—they are on Earth. Or rather, they're within my reach." 

"What?!" 

Gamora's expression finally changed drastically. The six Infinity Stones... Even her father, Thanos, had only managed to acquire the Mind Stone after years of effort, and he had lost it during the failed invasion of Earth. 

"The Chitauri invasion of Earth—was that your doing?" 

Gamora, clearly aware of the incident, asked directly. 

"That's right. The Chitauri army was nothing. The key is your father. Look, I can travel from any corner of the universe in an instant. Working for me is the safest option you have. If you need my help, I can be there in no time, or take you to a place that's safe enough." 

"I don't trust you. You're right—my father seeks to achieve his vision of universal balance by collecting all six Stones and wiping out half of all life in the universe. But what about you? What's your goal? To rule the universe?" 

"I have no interest in ruling the universe or sitting on some lofty throne." 

As Blake spoke, he motioned for Gamora to step onto Vormir. 

"I know you don't trust me, but time will give you the answers. Besides, if I wanted to do something, you couldn't stop me, could you?" 

Blake's words struck a nerve deep within Gamora. 

To him, she had no value beyond knowing the location of the Soul Stone. If Blake truly harbored evil intentions, she neither had the ability to stop him nor the means to be of use to him. 

Seeing Gamora remain silent, Blake continued speaking. 

"The location of the Soul Stone is something you can't hide forever. Thanos will come for you eventually!" 

"I won't tell him. If he ever learns about this, I'll kill myself right in front of him!" 

Gamora said defiantly. 

"Even if you had the chance to do so, what if he used someone to threaten you—like your sister, Nebula?" 

"She's not my sister! Her greatest wish has always been to kill me!" 

Gamora shouted at Blake in anger. 

"Your greatest wish is to stop serving as Thanos' assassin and to become true sisters, isn't it?" 

"Don't look at me like that. I've already told you—the Time Stone is on Earth, and we have someone who fully masters its power. She can see glimpses of many futures, including how your father obtains the Soul Stone." 

...

At the base of the mountain on Vormir, where the Soul Stone altar was hidden, Blake and Gamora stood face-to-face. 

"Let's go up and take a look—at the place that ultimately became your grave," Blake said. 

As they walked, Blake decided to tell Gamora about the fate that should have been hers. As for how he knew so much, he conveniently credited the Ancient One, who possessed the Time Stone. 

Blake didn't mention anything about the TVA or other timeline-related entities for now. After all, Gamora still shared a complicated father-daughter bond with Thanos, and he didn't want to risk creating any unnecessary complications. 

Gamora's face was pale. By this point, she was already halfway convinced of Blake's words. 

If, as Blake claimed, there was indeed a guardian of the Soul Stone on the mountain who demanded a specific sacrifice to obtain it, then knowing Thanos' personality, he would undoubtedly pay any price. 

To achieve universal balance, Thanos would willingly sacrifice even himself, let alone an adopted daughter. 

Gamora found it hard to accept the implication about Thanos' love for her. 

According to Blake, the Soul Stone required the sacrifice of someone the seeker loved most. 

That love could take the form of friendship, familial love, or romantic love. 

But in Thanos' case, there seemed to be no "one of the above"—there was only Gamora. From childhood, he had treated her and Nebula very differently. At first, it might have been because Gamora was stronger. 

Later, however, Gamora gradually sensed Thanos' fatherly love toward her. But she refused to believe it, unwilling to accept it or to let this love bring out her own feelings of familial bond toward Thanos. 

Raised by him since childhood, how could she have no feelings at all? Yet Thanos, obsessed with his grand cause, had no time for sentiment. And Gamora, in turn, suppressed her emotions, unwilling to feel anything for the man who had massacred her family and raised her to be a killer. 

After hearing her story, Blake didn't press her further. He pulled out a chair, lay down nearby, and took out a laptop to enjoy a movie. 

Gamora shot him a deep glance, then gritted her teeth and headed up the mountain. Whether Blake's words were true or not, since she was already here, she had to see for herself. 

Blake had no interest in climbing the mountain. Without a way to claim the Soul Stone for himself, going up would only leave him envious and frustrated. It wasn't worth the trouble. 

Three hours passed. Blake had finished two movies when he finally saw Gamora descend the mountain, looking utterly lost and distraught. 

"Hm?" 

Blake squinted. 

"I told you so much, and you were only half-convinced. No way you'd come back looking like that unless something major happened. What did you see up there?" 

Putting away his things, Blake stood and looked at Gamora. 

She remained in a dazed state, walking to his side and standing there silently for two full minutes—so long that Blake was on the verge of losing his patience. 

Suddenly, Gamora lifted her head and said, "I saw it all—everything. Absolutely everything!" 

As she spoke, she opened her right hand. Resting in her palm was an orange stone: the Soul Stone. 

"Holy sh—! What the—?!" 

Now it was Blake's turn to lose his composure. 

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