Destiny Unbound [Marvel X DCU]

Looking at Gamora, who was speechless, Ivan shook his head. Although she hated Thanos, she couldn't deny the years of raising and teaching. How could she have no feelings? She chose to escape from Thanos this time, probably because she didn't know how to face him.

Ivan placed the blue bead used for spatial positioning in Gamora's hands. This time, Gamora did not refuse and put it away carefully. She believed what Ivan said. One day, this bead could be a life-saving item. Of course, it would have been better if they wouldn't met Ego; in that case, this bead would have been just a portable accessory.

Ivan turned around and walked out of the lab with a mysterious smile. The chess pieces had already been laid out, waiting to be used one day. Whether it could be used depended on luck, but success favors the prepared.

Even if this piece weren't used, there would be no loss. Although his behavior was villainous and seemed to use Gamora, it could be considered saving their lives. In the original plot, the Guardians of the Galaxy defeated Ego mainly due to luck. Him helping them solve it could be a mutual benefit.

Time passed quickly, and seven days flew by. This day marked the time when Ivan said Star-Lord would awaken. Ivan and Gamora gathered in the lab. With the sound of running water, the nutrient solution in the glass bin was drained away, and then Star-Lord slowly opened his eyes.

After Ivan opened the glass chamber, Gamora and the others helped Star-Lord. Only then did Star-Lord remember his situation, check his physical condition, and touch himself, finding that his body hadn't changed much.

Star-Lord couldn't help but look up at Ivan and ask, "Why is this happening? Didn't you say that I would awaken my divine power? Why doesn't it seem like there's any change? Are you lying to me?"

Ivan glanced at Star-Lord with contempt and growled, "Don't say such superficial words; it will only show your ignorance. You have to learn to see the essence through appearance. Your power has been stimulated, but you don't know how to use it yet, right?"

"Then what should I do? If I can't use it, what's the difference between having it and not?"

"Don't worry, I can teach you. Now, you should be able to use some of the power of the gods. Listen to my command: calm down, concentrate all the spiritual power in your body, and try to feel the elements in the air. You should now be able to manipulate microscopic particles to form certain objects as macroscopic substances. First, make small objects, such as spheres or cubes!"

It took more than half an hour, but under Ivan's guidance, Star-Lord barely learned to use the power in his body, and a shiny ball appeared between his hands. He couldn't help but feel a burst of joy.

"Very good, that's it. Now try to change the shape of this sphere and find a way to change it into a weapon, such as a whip."

Under Star-Lord's control, the sphere slowly elongated and turned into a light whip about four or five meters long.

"Yes, you learned very quickly. Now try the power of this whip and attack... um, this table." Ivan glanced around and pointed to a table used for experiments.

Star-Lord immediately swung the light whip in his hand and slammed it on the experimental table. With a snap, it was cut into two sections. The table, made of space metal, was comparable to alloy steel on Earth and was cut in two.

"Perfect, perfect. Could you change the way you use it? Try to gather many particles around you and make changes based on your body. See how much you can achieve."

Star-Lord became more confident in Ivan's words. He dissipated the light whip in his hand and began to gather a large number of particles. His body became brighter and brighter, turning into a light man. In front of Ivan and the others, his body grew larger and larger, stopping only when he was five or six meters tall.

"Doctor Ivan, this is my limit. I can't gather more, or I will lose control. I... ah! How did you guys get smaller?" At this point, Star-Lord realized something was wrong. Everyone appeared much shorter, and everything around seemed smaller. He then understood that it wasn't they who had become smaller but he who had become more larger.

As expected, the Celestial group can make their bodies larger than planets because they can control microscopic particles, gather them into massive bodies, and transfer their consciousness.

Ivan, Gamora, Rocket, and the others looked up at the enlarged, shining Star-Lord. He maintained his appearance and original proportions, unlike Drax or the Hulk, whose bodies would grow horizontally and become bulky.

"Okay, Star-Lord, take back your ability. Although you have just awakened, your strength is still feeble. With proper training, you will one day become a true god."

Star-Lord obediently withdrew his power. The gathered particles slowly dissipated, and his four-to-five-meter-high body shrunk to his original Earthling appearance.

At this moment, Star-Lord's face was filled with excitement. The feeling just now was beautiful. This is power. Only now did Star-Lord understand why Drax had roared into the sky earlier. He, too, felt the urge to scream, but remembering what happened to Drax, he suppressed it. He didn't want to be slapped and rubbed on the ground by Ivan. He knew his strength had significantly increased but was still far from Ivan's level.

"Our transaction is complete now. You helped me get the Cosmic Orb, and I helped you strengthen your powers. Now, I don't owe you anything. You can leave," Ivan said, issuing an eviction order after checking Star-Lord's body and confirming there were no issues.

"Wait a minute, didn't you forget something? You haven't told me about my father. That was part of our deal," Star-Lord quickly reminded Ivan, still eager to find his father.

"How could I forget that? While you were sleeping, I told Gamora about your father during our chat. I don't want to repeat it so you can ask her directly." With that, Ivan turned and left without waiting for Star-Lord's response.

Star-Lord turned to Gamora, who looked helpless. Unsure if she should tell Star-Lord everything, she decided to withhold Ego's conspiracy. She shared information about Star-Lord's father and the Celestials but concealed the real cause of his mother's death, hoping to spare him some grief.

After learning about his father's origins, Star-Lord resolved to find him and inquire about his mother and himself.

Feeling famished despite the nutrient solution sustaining him, Star-Lord joined the others at the Black Shadow Mercenary Group's restaurant for some delicious food. Afterward, they bid farewell to Ivan and prepared to leave.

Ivan didn't stop them and only sent someone to see them off. 

When Star-Lord saw his spaceship, he almost exploded with frustration. Rocket had transformed it into a Transformer. During his sleep, Rocket wanted to test his abilities and chose his spaceship as the target. He claimed they had formed a team, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and requisitioned the spaceship as public property.

With a resigned expression, Peter asked Gamora to confirm, and she did. He hadn't expected to join this group without his knowledge. Reflecting on his team of misfits, Star-Lord felt his future looked bleak. But he didn't realize he wasn't much better himself.

Ultimately, Star-Lord accepted the situation. To make amends for taking his spaceship, they made him the team captain.

Rocket piloted the spaceship, taking the Milano away from the Cosmic Walker to begin their new legendary journey. Meanwhile, Ivan was in his laboratory, examining test tubes of red blood, muttering to himself:

"With this awakening, I can further study the gods' abilities. Maybe I can upgrade my armor and enhance my strength."

While Star-Lord was in a coma from absorbing the energy of the Power Gem, Ivan had taken the opportunity to experiment on him and take blood samples. Fortunately, Star-Lord's health remained unaffected.

"Forget it. Strengthening the armor can wait. My strength is the foundation. Now, let's absorb the energy of the Power Gem and increase my power," Ivan said, plunging into a secret chamber to start a new cultivation round.

Time flew by as Ivan immersed himself in practice. He almost lost track of time until he received news from the Red Queen. A S.H.I.E.L.D. base had been invaded, and an essential item was stolen. Among the culprits was a familiar figure: Loki!