As his words fell, he turned to look at Silver Surfer Norrin Radd, who stood quietly beside him, his entire body shimmering with silver radiance.
At this moment, the dark, vicious aura the Silver Surfer had suppressed for countless ages had completely dissipated. The starlight flowing around him was clear and pure, no longer carrying even a trace of the cold oppression born for destruction.
Freed from Galactus's shackles, he stood tall and unclouded, his gaze open and lucid, having truly reclaimed the heart of a sage and protector.
"Your promise just now need not be so solemn," Loren said softly.
"You were never in control of your own fate. Your sins came from coercion, not your true heart. Turning from darkness to the light today is a new beginning."
The Silver Surfer lowered his head slightly, his manner respectful yet resolute. "After countless ages of slaughter, thousands upon thousands of stars perished because of me. Those sins have long seeped into my bones.
"If not for your guidance and rescue, I would eventually have become Galactus's eternal puppet, until my origin was exhausted and my soul was utterly destroyed."
"I have no way to repay you. I can only devote the rest of my life to serving you, guarding the deep heavens of all realms, and shielding you and this peaceful world from every threat beyond the domains."
Having said that, he voluntarily opened every channel of his origin, his starry contract, and the imprint upon his soul, offering them all to Loren for inspection without reservation.
Seeing this, Loren did not refuse again. He raised a hand and lightly tapped the void, and a thread of gentle silver-white temporal power slowly entered the depths of the Silver Surfer's soul.
Crack—
The intangible void contract that had bound Norrin