"I see you, Thanos. I see where your planet is too—Titan."
The words echoed through the hollow silence of Titan, reverberating inside the mind of Thanos like a direct provocation carved into his skull. His massive frame stiffened on the floating throne, and the calm, oppressive aura he usually carried shattered under a surge of raw fury. It had been countless years since anyone dared to speak to him like this, let alone threaten him so brazenly.
"Superman," he growled, the name grinding out between clenched teeth. His eyes burned with a dangerous light as his awareness locked onto the invisible presence peering into his domain. "So you finally show yourself in front of me… hm. This is the power of the mind."
His expression twisted as realization deepened. "You filthy thief. You stole my Mind Stone."
The anger didn't stop there. It only escalated as he continued, voice rising with each accusation. "Not just that—the Power Stone, the Space Stone… you even stole my Infinity Gauntlet."
The pressure around him intensified, invisible energy rippling outward from his throne as his rage bled into the void. "I didn't expect that in this universe, someone would understand the secrets of the Infinity Stones… and actually master them."
His voice dropped, turning colder, heavier, like a verdict being pronounced. "I will make sure you die for this."
There was no hesitation, no theatrics—just a pure declaration of intent. "Even if you kneel before me now, I will not forgive you."
Though Ethan Drake was physically nowhere near Titan, the connection formed through Proxima Midnight's memories allowed the two to face each other across distance in a way that felt almost real. The fact that Thanos could even sense him so clearly through that indirect link spoke volumes about the Titan's mental strength.
Ethan found it genuinely interesting.
He hadn't expected such resistance, nor had he expected Thanos to react so precisely to a mental intrusion filtered through another person's memory. This wasn't just brute strength—this was a mind honed through years of wielding cosmic power.
Still, when Ethan heard the accusations, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Come to think of it, I should thank you," he said casually, his tone almost lighthearted. "Last time we crossed paths on Earth, I didn't get the chance. So let me do it properly now."
The mock politeness only made the insult worse.
Thanos's purple face darkened further, veins tightening along his jaw as the fury built again. It had been a long time since anyone dared to ridicule him so openly, and the sheer audacity of it pushed him closer to losing control.
"Don't be so angry," Ethan continued, his voice calm and almost amused. "You'll need to get used to losing. If you keep trying to take the Infinity Stones from me, this won't be the last time you come up empty-handed."
He tilted his head slightly, as if considering something trivial. "Not just the Stones I already have. The rest of them too—they'll all end up in my hands sooner or later."
The next words came out even more casually, as if he were discussing something mundane. "Your people? They're dying one by one already. And maybe someday… don't be too surprised if I take one of your women too."
"Shut up!"
The roar erupted instantly, cutting him off mid-sentence. Thanos's voice thundered across the connection, laced with unmistakable rage. "How dare you speak of my woman like that? You've just added another crime to your list."
Ethan raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised at the reaction. He hadn't expected that line to provoke such a violent response. If anything, that outburst revealed something far more valuable than any secret he had extracted so far.
"How dare you even think of her?" Thanos continued, his voice almost shaking with intensity. "The one I serve is the goddess of death herself. That is not an existence you can even approach. The gap between you and her is the difference between dust and eternity."
There was something different in his tone now. It wasn't just anger—it was obsession.
Ethan's expression shifted slightly as the pieces clicked into place. This wasn't the idealistic warlord image that some narratives tried to paint. This version of Thanos wasn't acting out of cold logic or some twisted sense of balance.
He was driven by something far more personal.
The realization settled in with almost amusing clarity. The so-called great Titan, feared across galaxies, was chasing the favor of the cosmic embodiment of death itself. Everything he had done—every conquest, every massacre—was tied to that singular fixation.
Ethan almost wanted to laugh again.
"So that's what you are," he said, his tone carrying a faint trace of disappointment. "Not quite what I expected."
Thanos forced himself to calm down, though the anger still simmered beneath the surface. He had already drawn a conclusion from the situation. If Ethan could reach Titan through mental probing, then one thing was certain.
"You killed Proxima Midnight," he said coldly.
Ethan didn't bother denying it. "She's still in my hand, actually. Barely alive for a moment longer, but not for much longer. Looks like you've lost another one of your Obsidian generals."
For a brief moment, silence hung between them.
Then Thanos spoke again, his tone dismissive. "She was a tool. If she's dead, she's dead."
But even as he said it, the slight tightening of his expression betrayed that the loss wasn't entirely meaningless to him.
"And you should take care of your own people," Thanos added, his voice turning sharp again. "The Kryptonian Empire has already been destroyed once. You don't have the numbers to waste."
Ethan's smile returned, faint but unmistakable. "You might want to worry about your own side instead," he replied. "Maybe one day I'll drop by Titan for a visit. Wouldn't want to miss the scenery."
That line hit harder than expected.
For the first time, Thanos paused, realizing the full implication. His planet's location had been completely exposed through the mental link. Titan, already a dead world, had never needed heavy defenses—but against someone who could bend space itself, that didn't matter.
Still, he didn't show concern outwardly. Titan held nothing of strategic value anymore. It was a graveyard, a monument to his past, and he alone remained to sit among its ruins.
If anything, it only meant he would need to relocate future operations.
Then, just as suddenly as the connection had formed, it began to fade.
The oppressive presence lingering in the void vanished, and the mental link snapped shut. Thanos could no longer feel the probing force watching him. The silence returned, but this time it carried a lingering weight.
Far away, Ethan released his grip.
Proxima Midnight's body went limp in his hand as the last trace of life left her. Whatever thread had kept her barely alive was gone, and with it, the bridge that had allowed their exchange.
Ethan glanced down at her corpse, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Should've kept you alive a little longer," he muttered.
Still, the outcome had already exceeded expectations.
He had obtained far more than just coordinates. Titan's location was a minor gain compared to what truly mattered—the confirmation of Thanos's connection to the cosmic entity of Death. That relationship hinted at something deeper, something far more dangerous than simple brute strength.
If his assumptions were correct, then Thanos's resilience, his terrifying ability to recover and endure, likely stemmed from that connection. That alone made him a far more complicated opponent than most.
And yet, for now, there was no reason to rush.
Ethan's gaze drifted toward the distance, thoughts already shifting toward the next step. Killing Thanos immediately wasn't the optimal move. There was still something the Titan held that Ethan needed him for.
The Soul Stone.
A faint smile formed on his lips.
"Gamora," he murmured softly. "I'm looking forward to seeing how that little family drama plays out."
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