Impossible!
Quill rejected the thought outright, yet the old man kept walking toward him.
When the stranger placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, Quill's entire life flashed before his eyes—memories bursting through his mind like an unstoppable slideshow, overwhelming him.
Breathing heavily, he stared at the old man before him.
Even if he didn't want to believe it… the images in his head made it impossible to deny.
This man—was truly his father.
"My name is Ego," the old man said. "I know this is difficult for you to accept right now, so I'll give you time. This planet—it is mine. And from this moment on, it is yours as well, my son."
With those words, Ego turned and left the room, leaving behind an eerie silence.
Quill, overwhelmed, stepped out into the open air alone.
Gamora wanted to follow, to say something, but in the end, she hesitated and withdrew her foot.
Quill needed time to process this on his own.
Back inside, Mantis, still shaken, pulled back the white sheet covering Yondu. When Ego entered earlier, she had instinctively hidden him.
This planet had only ever belonged to Ego and Mantis—Ego did not allow outsiders to set foot here.
The only reason Yondu had remained undetected for so long was because Ego had been in deep slumber.
He was completely unaware of what had happened outside his own dreams, nor did he know that Mantis had secretly saved Yondu and brought him here.
Alan, however, knew exactly who Ego was.
Ego was not just some cosmic wanderer—he was this planet itself, an ancient Celestial from an era long forgotten.
But with Quill gone, now was not the time to reveal the truth.
Just then, a low groan broke the silence.
Yondu stirred.
His eyes slowly opened, scanning the room, taking in the familiar faces of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
His expression remained calm, though his injuries were severe—his face was bruised and battered, but his tone was light, almost casual.
"Where the hell am I? And what are you all doing here?"
Alan smiled faintly. "Look around carefully. Don't you recognize this place?"
Yondu frowned, slowly sitting up despite the pain. His gaze swept over the room, taking in every detail.
And then… something clicked.
It had been years—decades, maybe—but the architecture, the design, the aura of this place…
He knew it.
"Now do you remember?" Alan said quietly. "This is the very place where you were hired to retrieve Ego's child from Earth."
Yondu's expression shifted. A mix of anxiety and unease clouded his face.
A long time ago, before he had ever become leader of the Ravagers, he had taken a job from a man named Ego.
Ego told him he had a son on Earth and hired Yondu to bring the boy to him.
So, that night, Yondu and his crew descended upon Earth.
He found the boy, a young Peter Quill.
But when Yondu looked into that innocent child's face—something inside him changed.
He couldn't do it.
Instead of delivering Quill to Ego, he kept him.
He raised the boy among the Ravagers, protecting him, training him, shaping him into one of their own.
Yondu exhaled sharply, his eyes narrowing at Alan.
"How the hell do you know all this?" he asked, his voice laced with suspicion.
...