The moment Soren's destroyer-class battleship slipped out of the wormhole and into Ego's planetary domain, the god, who was the planet itself, felt the disturbance ripple through his entire being.
Someone had trespassed onto his world.
Before Ego could even identify the intruders, an overwhelming surge of spiritual pressure crashed straight into the planet's core.
The weight of it made the very surface tremble, and Ego's human avatar visibly faltered.
"Yondu…! Damn it~ I should have finished you off back then!" His expression twisted.
He knew his star's coordinates were a secret known to almost no one. To him, only Yondu, the traitor who once worked with him, could possibly have brought outsiders here.
And if Yondu was here… he hadn't come for peace.
"Dad? What's going on?" Quill standing nearby, frowned in confusion at his father's sudden agitation.
"It's nothing," Ego replied tightly. "Just an uninvited guest. Stay here and I'll handle it and be back shortly."
But as he spoke, his thoughts churned.
It was too coincidental… Peter had only arrived on Ego's planet, and now Yondu had shown up immediately after.
This was no accident. And if Peter carried no Celestial blood, Ego might have been willing to let him and the Guardians leave… for Soren's sake, if nothing else.
But Ego had only recently confirmed the truth, Peter possessed a divine spark strong enough to further Ego's grand design.
And because of that, Ego could not… would not.. let his son go.
"I'm coming with you," Peter insisted. He had only just reunited with his father; he wasn't ready to be separated again.
Ego hesitated, then relented. "Fine."
With a wave of his hand, he summoned a sleek white spacecraft. Moments later, he and Peter were airborne, heading straight toward the point where Soren's battleship had landed.
Down on the surface, Soren felt a disturbance before he saw anything. A flash of bright white streaked across the distant sky, closing the distance in seconds.
When it slowed, Yondu's eyes widened.
"Soren, careful. That's Ego's ship!"
He gave orders and the Ravagers instantly moved into a defensive formation. Yondu knew Ego better than most and he knew the Celestial wouldn't hesitate to kill his own offspring if they got in his way.
The oval-shaped craft touched down, its engines humming softly as it opened. Ego stepped out with Peter Quill at his side.
Seeing Peter alive and unharmed, Yondu blinked in surprise.
"Peter!" He called out.
Peter turned toward the group of 'uninvited guests' his father had mentioned. Shock flashed across his face, especially when he recognized Soren.
"Soren… hey!" Peter greeted, sounding both relieved and guilty. They had lost contact after the ship crash, and he had feared the worst.
Gesturing between them, he quickly introduced the two. "Father, this is my friend, Soren. Soren, my father… Ego."
Hearing Soren's name, Ego's expression immediately stiffened.
Soren. The Great Devil. Ego already knew of him and had heard the reports across the cosmic network… the battle with Ronan, the time-space destruction, the death of the Galactus duplicate.
Soren was no ordinary warrior.
Why was he here? For Peter Quill? Ego's first instinct surged with irritation and curiosity. But when his gaze fell on Peter, standing before him, a new realization struck.
The Celestial blood coursing through the boy's veins was irresistible.
Ego's mind made its decision in an instant, the power in his son would be his.
No one could stop him.
Yet Ego didn't show it.
"Soren, so it's you," Ego said smoothly, his tone almost casual.
"My son mentioned you. You saved him… I didn't expect you to come to my planet. In any case, allow me to thank you properly."
In truth, Ego's mind was racing.
He already planned how to trap Soren and the others, bide his time, and eventually drain the divine power from Peter's body.
Even if Soren resisted, Ego felt no fear.
Soren's gaze, however, was steady. He could clearly sense the connection between Ego's humanoid form and the planetary core itself.
He already knew Ego had discovered Peter's Celestial secret.
"Ego," Soren said unwavering, "No need for pretenses."
"I don't want to use force today. But Peter Quill is my friend, and I still have questions I need to ask him. You understand what I mean, don't you?"
Ego's expression remained unreadable, but Soren could feel the subtle shift in the planet itself… the faint pulse of agitation, the tension rising beneath the surface.
"…??" Peter's own reaction was confusing.
Though he had just met his father, his feelings were conflicted. Soren noticed the subtle contradiction in the boy's demeanor.
Before Peter could speak, the temperature around them dropped sharply.
This was no illusion, the planet was Ego, and his emotions manifested physically. The air itself seemed to tense with his fury.
"He is my son! Everything he possesses belongs to me!"
"Do not even think of taking him away!" Ego's aura began to rise, the planet shivering under the pressure of his wrath.
"Father! What are you doing?" Peter's face went pale
"I told you, Soren has helped me… he's my friend!" Fear and confusion warring within him. He could feel the overwhelming energy mobilizing across the planet… Ego was preparing to strike.
Seeing Peter so unaware of the danger, Yondu could no longer stay silent.
"Boy!" He shouted. "Wake up! Ego isn't protecting you, he wants to eat you! He's going to take your power for himself!"
Peter spun on Yondu, eyes wide with disbelief. "Yondu! Stop it!"
"I will not let you insult my father!" He refused to believe the words.