Marvel: Starting From The Bottom

Surrounding Eitri's workshop with a barrier, I left to find the Soul Stone. 

But even if I reach the location, recovering the stone would be pretty difficult.

The soul stone was in the hands of a very powerful being. And while it may not be as difficult to obtain as the power stone… It's still pretty complex to obtain.

As it is under the possession of the High Evolutionary— a being that dwells in the cosmic power. And I am fairly certain that his cosmic awareness has already informed him about my search for the stone. 

He was a human but later became a being of power equal to the gods. If I was born a few years earlier, I would have stopped his ascension… But there is no point in crying over something that I had no control of.

I floated over the infinite space as I thought of a way to contact High Evolutionary.

And even if I found him, how am I going to obtain the stone from him?

I don't remember how he got his hands on the Soul Stone but he later gave it to Adam Warlock…

Wait a second.

He gave it to Adam Warlock. He gave it because Adam protected High Evolutionary when he was in his cocoon. The Soul Stone was compensation on his behalf… But that means High Evolutionary doesn't value the Soul Stone enough.

That gives me a chance. 

But then there is the other theory of Adam being perfect. As High Evolutionary had technology that could surpass magic, he probably didn't need the Soul Stone. And he most likely wanted to bring Adam to the peak of evolution or he believed that Soul Stone would be unable to corrupt the pure Adam. 

He was wrong.

However, this meant that I could acquire the stone from him. All I needed to do was contact him.

I spent a long time thinking about it. But was I overthinking?

High Evolutionary has cosmic awareness. So, he should be able to know of my presence.

I am confident that if we fought, I would win. However, that will make his entire cult swarm me. So fighting is a no go.

But since he has cosmic awareness…

Maybe it is not that complex.

I entered the astral plane once again, hoping to find the High Evolutionary.

"High Evolutionary, if you can hear me then answer me." 

My voice echoed through the cosmic plane.

Being in the astral form allowed my voice to only be heard by the person I wanted. 

The space around me distorted as I felt the presence of a strong being behind me.

"Quite the feat for a human to summon me." 

I turned around and found a robotic being standing in curiosity.

"Or well a former human." 

There he was, the being that was able to take science to the absolute peak.

The High Evolutionary.

Both of us floated in the endless space, staring at each other.

"I believe you know the reason that I called you for?" 

He nodded at my question. 

He was smart. With enough preparation time, he could even take down the gods. 

"Yes, and I believe that you know that I need the gem at any cost, even if I have to fight you."

He went into deep thinking. 

"I do." He frowned. "And even if we had to fight, I refuse to give away the gem for free."

I knew it wasn't going to be easy... but I required the stone.

"However, I know that if the two of us fought, I would lose a great deal." He smiled. "So, we can make a deal."

"And what might that be?" 

His smile grew bigger. "Since you contacted me, I believe you must know about my little obsession over genetics and creating the perfect being?" 

I gave him a nod.

I should have expected… He was obsessed with the Warlock because of that exact reason.

"I have tried countless experiments but no one has managed to grow as fast as you. So, if you can reach a point where your ape species can surpass the gods, I will agree to give you the Soul Stone."

"Reaching such a point in evolution is impossible in such a short period of time." 

Not to mention… As I have grown older and gained power… I have come to realise that the word perfect does not exist.

"I don't remember saying that I want to see it now." He smirked. "All you need to do is reach a point in evolution from where no further evolution is possible. We have all the time in the world." 

His grin grew bigger. "Agree and the stone is yours. Disagree and I destroy your planet."

This bastard… 

"There is one question that I want answered. If the answer is to my liking, I will accept."

He seemed curious. "Ask."

He looked at me and stared me down. "There are trillions of planets and despite me originating from earth, I can spare it for the sake of the deal."

That made me smile. "Very well then. I accept your deal."

He grinned. "Well, then… the stone is yours."

As he said that, an orange gem floated between us. It radiated unimaginable power, tempting me to grab it. 

But without having a stable mind, it was suicidal to take the gem. 

I calmed myself and extended my hand towards it, releasing most of my power towards the gem. The gem slowly started to trail towards me, leaving some orange particles behind. 

As I took the stone in my hand, I felt my soul traversing through multiple planes of existence in a mere second. 

I felt my soul being linked to the stone and if not for my will, my soul would have been instantly corrupted. 

"Good, you survived." High Evolutionary nodded. "It would have been a shame if your soul was corrupted by something like this."

"That is true…" I mumbled. 

"Now, I believe my job here is done." High Evolutionary said. "There is something that needs my urgent attention. For now, this is farewell. But I believe that we will see each other soon."

"That we will." I nodded, knowing full well what he meant. 

"Kang's invasion is bound to affect my people and as such, I will have to face him. Yet I hope that when the time comes, you will not stand against me." 

I shook my head. "Our goals are the same. The events following Kang's invasion would be a different thing and it will all depend on the outcome of the battle. So, the best we can do is hope that the war ends in our victory… without great losses."

High Evolutionary smiled. "I will not help you… remember that. I will merely repel his army if he reaches my place."

I expected that. "Then we can have a truce, one that will ensure we don't fight before everything is settled."

"We do."

I know that I would be seeing him soon and whether it would be for the good or bad… only time can tell.

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[[A/N: Next chapter... in about 3 days. Focusing on the original, already have 32 chaps.. Posting them one by one.]]