Of the six Infinity Stones, Rowan Mercer already held four.
Space, Mind, and Power had been in his possession for a long time. The Reality Stone had been dealt with during the Convergence of the Nine Realms, when Rowan went to London ahead of events and sealed it away before it could surface. Because of that, the Dark Elves never awakened. They remained buried in cosmic sleep, unaware that the stone they worshipped had already been removed from the board.
That left two.
The Time Stone was currently in the hands of the Sorcerer Supreme. Rowan had already reached an understanding there. When the moment came, borrowing it would not be a problem.
The last was the Soul Stone.
Vormir.
Gamora's coordinates still lingered in his memory. With them, the journey was trivial.
A portal unfolded, and Rowan stepped from Earth directly onto Vormir's surface.
The planet was dead.
Not metaphorically. Not poetically. It was simply gone. Ash-colored soil stretched to the horizon, broken by cliffs and ruins worn smooth by time. There was no wind, no echo of life. Only the weight of extinction.
Rowan studied the landscape with quiet interest. Vormir had once been a thriving world. The Soul Stone had seen to the rest.
Among the six Infinity Stones, the Soul Stone was the most dangerous. Not because of raw power, but because it possessed awareness. It judged. It demanded payment.
To claim it, one had to sacrifice the person they loved most.
"That rule," Rowan muttered, "has always annoyed me."
A presence approached.
A figure drifted through the air toward him, wrapped in tattered cloth, neither fully alive nor truly dead. The Red Skull. Once a tyrant, now a warden. A relic chained to his punishment.
"Welcome to Vormir," the specter intoned. "I am your guide. I can lead you to the Soul Stone."
Rowan looked at him once.
"No," he said.
He raised his hand.
The Red Skull did not even have time to react. His soul was torn free in an instant, stripped of form and identity, reduced to raw essence. Rowan absorbed it without ceremony, consigning what remained to his inner world to be broken down and recycled.
The moment the warden vanished, the planet responded.
A crushing pressure descended upon Rowan, invisible but absolute. The Soul Stone revealed itself at last, flooding the area with overwhelming spiritual force. It clawed at him, probing, attempting to bind him in the same eternal role it had forced upon others.
To replace the guide.
Rowan smiled.
"There you are."
That was the point. Killing the warden had never been about convenience. It was bait. The Soul Stone preferred to hide, to observe, to wait. Dragging it into the open was the only way to deal with it cleanly.
He did not resist immediately.
Instead, he let the Soul Stone's power pour into him.
Then, all at once, every fragment of his soul across his avatars returned to the core. The convergence was instantaneous and absolute. His spiritual presence expanded, wrapped around the invading force, and crushed inward.
The Soul Stone struggled.
It failed.
With sealing magic layered atop overwhelming soul pressure, the stone had nowhere to escape. Ten minutes later, Rowan stood alone on Vormir, the Soul Stone resting quietly in his hand, its resistance extinguished.
"One more piece," he said calmly. "A glove."
He vanished.
When Rowan reappeared, he was standing in Asgard.
The Golden Palace loomed above him, radiant and ancient. Inside the great hall, Odin sat upon his throne, the Eternal Spear in hand. The All-Father's gaze sharpened the moment Rowan stepped forward.
"I understand you less every time we meet," Odin said, awe slipping through his voice despite himself.
The last time they had spoken, Rowan had already rivaled him. Now, even here, at the heart of Asgard where Odin's power was strongest, the gap was undeniable.
If they fought, Odin was no longer certain he would win.
Fortunately, Rowan was Thor's friend. And Asgard had never been his enemy.
"My lord," Rowan said politely, "I've come to borrow something from your vault."
Odin was not surprised. Rowan did not visit without purpose.
"You have aided Asgard before," Odin replied. "Name it."
"The Infinity Gauntlet."
Silence fell.
Odin's eyes widened.
"You're gathering the Stones?"
"I already have them," Rowan said evenly. "All six. I intend to use the gauntlet to unify their power and deal with Dormammu. Permanently. The Sorcerer Supreme is aware and will assist when the time comes. Once it's done, the gauntlet will be returned."
Odin studied him for a long moment.
He knew the gauntlet in his vault was real, even if the stones mounted on it were not. He also knew what kind of threat Dormammu posed. And he knew what would happen if the Infinity Stones fell into the wrong hands.
At last, he nodded.
"If this is to erase the Dark Dimension's shadow," Odin said, "then Asgard will not stand in your way."
He turned and gave the order.
The Infinity Gauntlet would be brought forth.