With that thought, Syd pulled out a black backpack from behind him.
As the backpack opened, three glowing items were revealed in separate compartments: the Tesseract, the Reality Stone, and the Mind Stone, which had been pried from the scepter.
Since the scepter was too large, he had discarded the staff itself, keeping only the gem at its top, encased similarly to the Tesseract.
It turned out that having or not having the scepter made no difference; Syd found he could still utilize the Mind Stone effectively.
In the next moment, light energy flickered in his palm as he grasped the Tesseract.
Meanwhile, Syd hesitated for a moment before he began envisioning the planet where the Orb was located.
The Orb, like the Tesseract, contained an Infinity Stone at its core, specifically the Power Stone.
He wondered if the Tesseract could transport him to that planet…
If not, his plan to obtain the Infinity Stones might be in jeopardy. After all, the Celestial body was not yet at level five, and he currently lacked the ability to survive in the vacuum of space indefinitely.
Far away in a distant, unfamiliar star system, a dim planet lingered in the void.
Lightning flashed sporadically through the atmosphere, casting a gloomy, overcast ambiance similar to Earth's stormy days.
This planet was Morag, a forsaken wasteland.
Rain pounded and the wind howled.
A figure clad in a brown leather jacket and a red-eyed mask appeared on the scene.
If Syd were here, he would recognize him immediately: it was Peter Quill, better known as Star-Lord of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
If Iron Man stood as a mortal aspiring to godhood, then Star-Lord represented a god aspiring to mortality.
Peter Quill, also known as Star-Lord, was the son of Ego the Living Planet, a Celestial. Though Ego was a god-like being, he was incomplete, possessing divine power but not a divine body.
Initially, Ego was just a brain, gradually forming into a planet over time. Though incomplete, his power was formidable—enough to obliterate entire fleets with a mere gesture.
Quill inherited half of Ego's bloodline. Although he was quite human-like in appearance, his physiology was uniquely enhanced.
At present, Quill was on Morag, searching for something.
Soon, with the aid of his technology, he arrived at an abandoned palace.
As he walked through the ruins, he began dancing awkwardly.
Clearing out a few dirty critters along the way, he arrived at a grand hall.
Inside the hall, bathed in glowing beams, was a silver sphere the size of a fist—the Orb.
The beams served as a protective barrier for the Orb.
Evidently, breaching the beams to obtain the Orb would be challenging.
Fortunately, Quill was prepared. He set up a small gravity device on the floor.
Instantly, the Orb was drawn toward the gravity device, breaking through the beams and landing on it.
As Quill was in high spirits, he was unaware that two spacecraft had followed him to this location. As he picked up the Orb, a warning sounded.
Several aliens stormed in.
"Put it down!"
The leader, a black-skinned alien wielding an energy gun, threatened Quill. "Now, drop it!"
Faced with the situation, Quill reluctantly dropped the Orb. Seeing the guns pointed at him, he quickly raised his hands, trying to defuse the tension. "Hey, calm down. I've put it down. No need to get worked up!"
The black-skinned alien picked up the Orb and questioned, "How did you find this?"
Quill, caught off guard, quickly made up a story. "How could I know about this? I'm just a scavenger, picking things up here and there!"
Unfortunately, the aliens were perceptive. The leader responded coldly, "You don't look like a scavenger. You're wearing Ravager attire!"
Realizing that his identity as a Ravager, a space pirate, had been exposed, Quill continued his feeble defense. "I found this outfit too!"
After a tense exchange, as it seemed they would take him away, Quill saw an opportunity. He kicked the Orb towards the aliens who were holding him.
The Orb glowed brightly as it collided with them.
The ensuing scene was terrifying.
The Orb unleashed a torrent of energy, disintegrating the aliens into mere particles from head to toe.
Drawing his two energy pistols, Quill shot the black-skinned aliens away and quickly retrieved the Orb.
With the Orb in hand, he made his escape.
Energy blasts exploded behind him, creating craters as he fled for his life.
After a frantic chase, Quill managed to reach his spacecraft. Laughing triumphantly, he boarded and took off.
A while later, once he was safely away, Quill received a call from his adoptive father, Yondu.
Yondu, who had taken Quill from Earth, was tasked by Ego to retrieve him. Upon realizing Ego's sinister plans, Yondu chose to raise Quill himself to prevent Ego from controlling him.
Yondu's call was to inquire about the Orb, but Quill, unwilling to surrender it, chose to defy him.
After a heated conversation, Yondu hung up and issued a bounty on Quill.
On Morag, a figure dressed in white appeared, holding the blue Tesseract.
It was Syd, now donned in his white superhero attire.
"So, this is Morag?"
"The Tesseract really is incredible; it truly brought me here…"
Surveying the bleak and desolate surroundings, Syd frowned slightly.
Unwilling to linger in this grim place, he began his search.
After a while, he paused, examining the battle remnants on the ground.
"They've already left…"
Fortunately, he knew where Quill would head next.
In the next moment, he reactivated the Tesseract.
With a flash of blue light, Syd vanished from Morag.
The blue light flickered again, and Syd's figure materialized on another planet—Xandar.
Upon arrival, Syd's eyes widened with curiosity.
The environment here was reminiscent of Earth, yet the architecture and surroundings were far more advanced and pristine.
He floated in the air, intrigued by his new surroundings, while below, the aliens on the streets stared in awe, their mouths agape.
(End of Chapter)