Red Skull looked at Thanos and said calmly, "We all thought we were prepared at first, but we were all wrong."
He led the two of them toward the resting place of the Soul Stone.
As Hydra's former leader during World War II, Red Skull had once sought the Stones himself.
He understood that this was the Infinity Stones' punishment for him.
The Space Stone had banished him, ensuring that a man who craved the Stones could never obtain them and could only guide others in their search.
Of all the Infinity Stones, the Soul Stone was the most unusual.
It possessed intelligence and was revered by the other Stones.
Just as the soul ruled over life, so too did the Soul Stone.
The way to obtain it was the most unusual, and the cruelest.
"A sacrifice. The Soul Stone requires your sacrifice," Red Skull said, revealing how to obtain the Stone.
They stood at the edge of a towering cliff, amid the ruins of a civilization.
At the edge of the universe, that bygone civilization had served the power of the Stone, only to be annihilated in the end.
The ruins remained, with the Gatekeeper continuing to guide new seekers to the Stone.
Red Skull looked at Thanos and said, "To obtain this Stone, you must lose the person you love most."
"A soul for a soul."
The condition stunned Thanos.
Emotions churned in his eyes. He seemed never to have imagined it would require something like this.
John rubbed his chin and said, "A soul for a soul. Equivalent exchange."
Hearing that familiar way of doing things plunged John into thought.
Could this place be a Gate of Matter?
At the same time, a sentence flashed through his mind.
Every John will lose the person he cherishes most.