My Father Has Become a Little Senile
"Father."
Centaurus Galaxy, Dark Order, Base.
Summoned back by his adoptive father Thanos with a single command, Beckett knelt on one knee and respectfully bowed to the figure on the throne.
Then came a long period of silence.
Thanos remained silent atop his throne, leaving Beckett feeling somewhat uneasy.
Silence is often the best way to destroy a person's will.
"Father, I—"
After remaining silent for a long time, Beckett finally couldn't help but speak, only to have his vision completely obscured by two pieces of paper the next second.
"Read."
Thanos, concise and to the point, nodded at the paper lying on the ground. His unquestionable tone made Beckett reach out and pick it up without hesitation; he was very familiar with the contents of the paper.
This is the assignment he submitted after leaving the execution ground.
Two 800-word self-criticisms.
The writing was vivid and expressive, filled with remorse.
"Father, I—" Beckett blinked, looked up and was about to defend himself, but was interrupted again by Thanos's command.
"Read."
"Now, Beckett."
"..." Beckett opened his mouth, but the explanation he wanted to give had to be swallowed back. He stood up obediently, held the paper in both hands, and read it carefully word by word.
"Father, after so much reflection, I have fully realized my mistakes. I shouldn't have acted so impulsively, making such a risky choice without any investigation. You taught me that there are always people more capable than you..."
Inside the vast main hall of the base, Beckett's clear reading voice drowned out all other sounds.
Thanos, seated on his throne, simply closed his eyes, leaning against the cold throne, his right index finger rhythmically tapping the armrest until Beckett's recitation ended.
"That's all, Beckett."
After finishing his self-criticism, Beckett no longer possessed the cold and domineering demeanor he had when he was out. Holding two sheets of paper filled with hypocritical words, he stood upright in place, his eyes fixed on the floor beneath his feet.
It was as if flowers had sprouted from the ground of the base.
"Lift your head, Beckett."
Is there anything interesting on the ground?
"Tell me, who wrote these two self-criticisms?"
"Woz? The Other? Or yourself?" Thanos was furious when he saw Beckett like this.
Over the past twenty years, he has ultimately spoiled the child too much.
The most severe punishment I've ever received since childhood has been solitary confinement.
"Myself, Father," Beckett said, looking up with a serious expression.
This is his intellectual property; it cannot be allowed.
Although most of the polite phrases he wrote were brainstormed by Woz and The Other.
"So can I understand that you know you're wrong, but you just won't change it?"
Thanos, pondering how to put pressure on the child to Thanos his personality, narrowed his eyes and asked calmly.
"No! Absolutely not!"
"Actually, the reason I reached Planet Hala was because I wanted to test the new power I had gained."
Beckett categorically denied it.
Although that's what he really thought, it's something The Other would never admit, even if it meant his death.
"Oh? New power?" Thanos, who saw right through Beckett's Thanos, sat on his throne, looking down into the eyes of his adopted son.
"The Other!"
"Here comes His Highness Beckett!"
The loyal sycophant who had been lingering at the base's gate, upon hearing the summons, scrambled over with the Beckett in hand and knelt down, presenting the jewel with both hands.
Clang!
Without the slightest hesitation, Beckett reached out and grasped the Mind Stone embedded at the top of the scepter. A dazzling golden light shone forth without warning, and from Beckett's center, crimson-gold energy gathered into a pillar that shot straight into the sky!
The entire Dark Order, no, it should be said that the entire Centaurus Galaxy saw this beam of energy that almost pierced through the entire galaxy.
"Ah... ah!!!!"
A chilling wind accompanied a roar that rose from a low pitch as a bulging, muscular arm lashed out from the golden light. A terrifying pressure, an imposing appearance, and a completely new form—all these elements combined to create a brand new Beckett!
Even Thanos's Central City flashed with surprise.
"Father, this is what I have found: new power, a new direction for evolution."
"I've already tested it. In this form, I can destroy even the Kree Empire's home planet Hala, with a flick of my wrist." Beckett's eyes were filled with confidence as he spoke of his achievements.
Even the so-called Kree AI God could only retreat in disgrace under his command.
Aside from the slightly insufficient battery life, the power unleashed in this form is enough to fascinate Beckett.
As for whether it was wrong or not, Beckett couldn't care less. His immediate priority was to find a reason to calm his adoptive father Thanos down, otherwise being locked up again would be unbearable.
"You mean, you destroyed Hala?" Thanos, keenly aware of the key Thanos, glanced at his smiling and confident adopted son and followed up with the question.
"Yes, Father, the Star Core, and Hala no longer exists." Beckett's eyes gleamed with excitement as he described the scene to Thanos.
Those high-ranking members of the Kree Empire who fled under the guidance of the Supreme Intelligence now have no choice but to find a new home planet.
That's how it is.
"So, we were prepared to go to the Hala, it wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment decision."
Asgard, Hela's bedroom.
With her frustration finally subsiding somewhat, Hela sat on the steps and recounted her experiences on the Hala Hala to her mother, Frigga, in a rather irritable manner.
She still couldn't understand her father's idea of signing a peace treaty with Jotunheim.
Is he already senile before he's even old?
"... Hela— "
"Enough, Mother. I want to be alone, is that alright?" Knowing what her mother Frigga wanted under the guise of gathering information, Hela didn't give her another chance to speak.
"...Alright." Frigga sighed, hesitating to speak. As she got up to leave and reached the door, Frigga finally couldn't hold back any longer and turned back, speaking seriously:
"Hela, I know you don't understand this peace talk, but please believe your father. He did it for you and for the good of Asgard."
"Go! Now!"
Hela suddenly looked up, a flash of bloodlust crossing her angry eyes, and pointed at the door, shouting angrily at Frigga.
Hela, you are my executioner, the sharpest weapon in my hand. I believe in you, I believe you will one day conquer new territories for me and for Asgard, achieving unparalleled dominance!
The expectations and praises her father Odin once gave her echoed in Hela's mind, lingering there for a long time.
Hela raised her right hand and dialed the channel.
"Hela?"
It was that familiar execution ground again, that familiar examination table again, and that orange cat curled up on the table again. Beckett, who had ten blank sheets of paper in front of him and didn't know where to start writing, raised an eyebrow in surprise as he looked at Hela, who had a gloomy look in her eyes.
"I need the Mind Stone. Lend it to me, Beckett."
"My father is getting senile, and I need to bring him to his senses," Hela said solemnly, extending her hand to Beckett.