Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

 Thor packed his things. He no longer wanted to waste his time on this filthy realm. All of Asgard could rot in the deepest, darkest parts of hell where the God of Death could feed on their innermost nightmare. Either way, he couldn’t stay, and if he couldn’t then neither could his brother. He was fine with the collective decision Asgard made to exile him, but if he was gone, they would kill Loki. He couldn’t allow that. Everything started to change once the AllFather left. Yes, he and his father had a few disagreements on subjects that led to yelling matches, but he never thought his father’s last words would be to get rid of him.

            The original plan was in fact, to kill Thor. Mainly so they could get rid of his infamous brother. Thor had brought the corrupted sapling back into Asgard after they had just begun to rebuild their former kingdom. They prayed Loki would be gone from existence, but Thor flew in with joy, having his little brother in his arms again. Most of Asgard hated him for that decision. They knew the devil child would be nothing but trouble. They knew he would eventually become that same nefarious creature searching for nothing but destruction and anguish in the lives of the asgardian people. It was a poor decision for Thor to bring Loki back instead of leaving him with the midgardians below them. It took Asgard a while to decide, but their fear of the two brothers and  losing all they made led to where Thor is now.

        He didn’t have much to pack, nothing that he really wanted, all he needed was the clothes on his back and Mjolnir in hand. It was late in the night when he decided to run. Tomorrow morning would be the day that Asgard laid the fate upon the brothers. A fate of their mother's choosing. He didn’t think it would be his mother who would make this decision, but after the throne was taken by Volstagg, she didn’t have a choice in this patriarchal society. Her wish not to see her son be punished for nothing made him tempted to bring him with her, but then he thought about her eyes on Loki. They were filled with this eternal truth that she hid with her voice and face. She feared Loki, almost as much as the other common asgardians. She felt unsafe towards her son and felt the need to perform the procedures necessary for such feelings. The thought made him sick, so he left her to fend for herself.

        Right now, he had to save his brother from the hands of Asgard, from the hands of anybody. No one trusted his judgement, and they were out to get them. They really wanted the head of the child on a platter for them to feast on. He planned to take Loki far away, where no one could find him, and hurt him. He was lucky they hadn’t chained either brother. They felt as though it would be disgraceful to treat Asgard’s most valued warrior inhumanely, though none of what they were doing was civil but rash. They didn’t chain Loki as Thor’s final wish before their untimely demise. In fact, he didn’t want them to tell Loki any of this. He didn’t want the child to have the stressfulness of knowing he was going to die by the end of tomorrow. 

        And he wasn’t going to die tomorrow, because Thor had a plan. It was rushed and not well thought out, but he didn’t have much time to come up with a contingency for when Asgard was going to betray the royal family. He never thought he would have to, but things had been rough for a while with the serpent and the ruling leaders of the underworld. People were getting scared and they needed a scapegoat, someone to blame for all the misfortunes in the world, and what better candidate than Loki. Thor followed right behind him since it was his idea to bring him back in the first place. Asgard hated him for it and now they earned enough of the cowardice’s courage to send the brothers running.

         Volstagg had guards block the door of the brothers' rooms. Thor may have been cooperative, but he could read his face. He wasn’t planning to go down without a fight. He kept the entrances and exits of the castle securely blocked, so it would be hard for Thor to leave without Loki getting hurt in the process. That was their way of keeping Thor from going full berserk and rampaging, killing every last Asgardian. Whenever they spoke about his brother he’d freeze, any threat towards him made  Thor subject to unfair treatment and unnecessary cruelty. He knew Asgard and he knew Loki, and in the small state he was in, they would tear him apart. One word from his lips and he’d be burned at the stake. The images of that happening forced Thor to hurry quickly with his plan.

         He set his hammer down quietly as he opened his window. He checked down below to see if anyone was watching and jumped out in the cold night. He hung on the ledge of his window, and checked which side Loki’s room was. Being on the far left of the building, it was going to be a hard climb but he knew he could manage. With every breath and will in his body, he was going to save his brother from the treacherous fate that awaited him. He used the ledges of each window to help him get to Loki’s room. He remembered they had a few guards watching him while he slept. He wasn’t certain of the reason, but that’s what his mother asked.

         Once he reached his window, he slammed his fist against it, shattering the pane into broken glass shards. A few had stuck themselves into his hands, but the pain was ignored. He had way too many important matters than to worry over pieces of glass being lodged into his knuckles. He lifted himself into the window and hid in the shadows of the bathroom only a few feet away from him. The guards that watched over the demon child ran to the broken window. Thor came up to them from behind and slammed their heads violently  against one another. He was angry in a way, after doing so much for Asgard, they repay him like this. He was pissed in many ways, but he had his brother to think about. He watched the blood pour out of the guards’ nose, realizing they weren’t going to get up from this. He glowered but moved.

        Loki was sleeping like a baby, without a care in the world. Thor looked at the innocent face and questioned how anyone would want to harm this child. He knew the previous Loki as well, more than anyone, and he could say for certain that none of him, not even a remnant. rested inside of him. This was a child, this was his brother, and he knew without a doubt that this Loki was good. Thor was going to take him to a safe haven, where his innocence can be conserved. Where no amount of bad could touch it. His soul was going to stay pure and protected from corruption. 

       Thor gently shook Loki to wake. He shuffled in his bed but he hadn’t awakened. He began calling his name quietly until his eyes opened slowly, and he turned to the source of the touching. Loki said Thor’s name in question, wondering how and why he’s in his room for which he guessed was in the middle of the night. Before Loki could ask, Thor shushed him, “we have to leave,” he said as he crouched beside his bed. Loki’s head lifted from surprise as he questioned Thor more.

       “Thor?” Loki said skeptical, “what are you talking about,” he rubbed his eyes to wipe the sleep away. 

       “We can’t stay in Asgard, on Midgard…anymore,” he said, saddened. He lifted his head to look up at Loki. “We don’t have much time,” Thor lifted him out of his bed. 

        “What do you mean,” he questioned, feeling a bit worried about what Thor went on about. “We can’t live here anymore?” His voice sounded desperate for answers, but Thor didn’t have enough time to tell him about it. Thor grabbed his outside attire and handed them to him, ordering him to change. “But Thor, I don’t understand. What happened? Why are we being kicked out of Asgard?”

          “We’re not exiled. We’re leaving,” he knelt down in front of him, grabbing his arm. “Only for a short time, until things get better.” Loki didn’t like questioning his brother, he wanted to put all his faith in his brother but there was something he wasn’t telling him. Thor seemed desperate and in a hurry, and Loki loved his brother too much to disagree with him. He nodded and quickly changed, removing his shirt first and putting his under armor on. He hoped Ikol could have answers to what was going on since Thor kept it hidden. “Where are we going,” Loki asked as he finished putting on his jacket.

         “Far away from here,” Thor admitted as he helped Loki pack. From the face he was making, Loki could tell something horrible had happened. Thor tried hiding it with a smile, but that only gave even more hints that something was awry. Loki frowned, seeing the many reasons that they would have to leave. It was so blatantly obvious that it was stupid that he hadn't seen it before. His head lowered in shame causing Thor to stop what he was doing. He placed his hand on his shoulder as he lifted his head, tears filling his eyes.

       “Is it me? Is Asgard mad at me?” He asked, already knowing the answer. It was common knowledge who Loki was in the past, and although he remembered none of it, everyone else did. He could understand why they would want to get rid of him, so many people had already explained their reasons to him. Child or not, he was a threat and they rather take care of the problem then to wait and see what they already know is going to happen. But it wasn't Asgard he was sad about. It was his brother. He could see he didn't want to leave, but because of his existence, he had to. If Loki would leave, he was sure Asgard wouldn't be angry at Thor and he could still live here. Even with the memory loss of his past deeds, he still felt the weight of consequences that came with them. 

         “No Loki, they're mad at me, but they plan to punish you for relations. I plan to take you someplace safe, where we can both live without the unjust laws of Asgard,” Thor placed both hands on his shoulders for reassurance. Loki held in his tears as he forced them to receit into his eye sockets. He closed his eyes from the stinging that came with it, and felt a tear escape his eye. He quickly wiped it away as he finished packing. Thor may have told him one thing, but he knew the truth. Ikol reminded him too many times for him to think something else. It was his fault, and now Thor had to suffer the price. His heart ached and his feelings became overwhelming, but he forced himself to continue on even if he felt he didn't deserve to. Ikol taught him to keep going even in the rough path ahead of him and he was taking that to his grave.

        Thor checked outside to see the sun was beginning to reveal itself through the mountains. At the break of dawn they were to be tried. He panicked knowing the guards would take Loki first. “Are you ready Loki,” he asked as he turned to him. Loki nodded and sniffled before checking outside himself. He wondered where Ikol was. He’d usually be waiting above his room for his awakening, but he was nowhere in sight. Loki sighed but accepted the fact, figuring the bird was off somewhere, flying with other magpies. He didn't know, he only guessed what birds like to do, not what the remnants of an evil force would do. “Do you trust me,” Thor asked as he grabbed his hand. Loki nodded, a smile growing on his face. “Good,” he said as he stuck his hand out to the farthest wall. “Hold on tightly,” Thor ordered before Loki wrapped his arms around his waist, hugging on tightly. 

        His hammer broke through the walls to get to him. He latched his hand onto the hammer once it reached him and threw the hammer towards the broken window. He heard the door across from him open, and the guards yelled once they saw him. He shielded Loki as he guided him to the window for the exit. Loki ran for the hole in fear of what would happen if the guards got to him. He was even more terrified in jumping, he knew that fall would kill him and he didn’t want to die. Thor pressed him into doing it, promising they would make it out if he did. The fall was so high and the ground was so far, Loki couldn’t help but imagine himself splatting on the ground. The images were horrible and it made him more scared to jump. 

       Maybe Thor was crazy. The guards weren’t going to hurt them. Compared to them and jumping, Loki rather go to them. He felt he could convince them not to hurt Thor, if he were to pay the price. The punishment couldn’t be worse than this fall, Loki thought in his child's mind. His tunnel vision forced him to believe the fall was worse than something that was going to come to him later, where he would have time. The path was in front of him, and he didn’t want to take it. He was too scared, and even more terrified to admit it.

      Thor wrapped his arm around his small body, jumping for him. Loki screamed as he saw the ground get closer to him. Before they were close enough, Thor reached for his hammer above him, being flung back and pushing off into the air. He flew far away from the plains of Asgard, with his brother in his arms. Loki kept his eyes closed in fear before slowly opening them to see the low plains of grass below him. His breathing slowed as the horrific sight of being in the sky, away from the safe ground, became less hard to bear. He hadn’t fallen to his death yet, and that brought much ease to his lower stomach. Loki looked up instead of below, watching the clouds they began to soar through, split into cirrostratus clouds. 

       Loki smiled at the sight, stretching his arms and legs out, imagining his own self taking flight. The worries quickly went away as he felt the breeze rush through him, and the runaway journey became an adventure. Thor looked beside him to see his brother enjoying himself more than he thought he would. It was pleasant to see the stress escape his body while the weight of the world rested on his shoulder. The contrast helped with Thor to cope with the situation at large. They were technically escaped prisoners, and naturally, people were going to be after them. The wide smile on Loki’s face made him smile faintly. He didn’t have a care in the world, and the thought brought him back to his innocence. Thor landed at the nearest mountain where they could rest. Loki seemed to be disappointed they had stopped flying, but he did get a good view of the sun rising.

       He watched in awe as the sun slowly rose, making an orange and yellow horizon on the edge of the lands. Thor paid attention to what was behind them, not focusing on the horizon before him. No one seemed to have followed them, or at least they hadn’t caught up yet and he was glad of it. He turned to the sun, noticing Loki’s blank expression to it. Thor smiled warmly as he walked up next to him, watching the sun rise. “That was fun,” Loki noted as he sat on the patch of grass he stood on. He held his knees to his chest in thought. Without the rush or excitement that came with adrenaline, he was only left with thought. Thor could see it with his furrowed expression, and sat down beside him, placing his hammer between them. He could see the questions that were popping in his head that he was going to have to answer. He didn’t want to answer any, but if he’d ask, he was obliged to answer. 

        “Thor…” Loki said in a questioning tone. Thor looked at him waiting for the question he desperately wanted to ask. Loki was conflicted, not sure what he wanted to say and if he wanted to say it. He read Thor like a book, he didn’t need more on his plate than what he was already having to force down his gullet. Loki contemplated for a while before he could come up with words, “just promise me this will be a great adventure,” Loki said, hiding the worries in the deepest pit of his heart.

      “I promise,” Thor nodded. Loki stuck his pinky finger out, telling Thor to do the same.

      “Pinky promise,” he said seriously, Thor swore on his life before Loki interlocked their pinkies, sealing their deal. He shifted his gaze back to the sun, feeling the warmth of its rays beam on his black jacket. He yawned, tired from the short but long trip to the high mountains. “So, where are we going first,” he said, looking forward to the future that lies ahead of him. 

      “A safe haven.” Thor announced, feeling the rays also coat over him in warmth. Loki looked at him questionably, but he remembered to put his trust in his older brother, and that if anyone knew where a safe haven is, it would be him. Loki planned to put all his faith into Thor, him being the one who hasn’t failed him, and the one who he hasn’t failed. Yet.

Chapter Text

       Loki was wrapped around Thor’s back, holding on as they travelled the lands. Thor allowed him to wear his cape while they travelled, allowing him to feel waves of it as they flew through the air. The cape was heavier than what Loki expected, and much bigger than he could recall. It always seemed smaller when Thor wore it, but Thor was a giant compared to  Loki who was barely the size of a foal. The wind did take some of the weight off of him, but the cape pulled him back which caused his to grab on tighter in fear he would let go.

      Loki saw from behind him, the city of Asgard shrink in size and become a small dot in his eyes. The shadow the clouds casted on Asgard gave him a feeling in the pit of his stomach. It told him what they were doing was right. It wasn’t him who was the problem, it was Asgard. The more he thought of it, the larger the shadow grew and the farther the sun drew from Asgard. It brought him solace, a smile grew on his face as he turned away from the city. He looked forward to the future ahead of him with his brother, although he was now homeless, again. At least he wasn't alone on this trip, Thor had his back all the way through.

       Thor was doing the second part of his plan, finding a new home. The stress was already weighing him, but it was worth it. He had his brother to fully look out for, especially now of knowing Asgard’s true intentions. Neither of the brothers were welcomed in Asgard, and it took him too long to realize it. He was fine, Loki was safe for the time being and he made sure Asgard wouldn't be able to put their disgusting hands on him again. He didn't know how long it would be before Loki would start questioning him. He probably came up with at least a hundred, but Thor could answer none. He owed it to Loki not to tell him what happened, what was destined to happen.

      “Are you hungry Loki?” Thor shouted for him to hear. He guessed he was since it was early in the morning  when they ran and he gave Loki no time to have breakfast.

      “Verily,” he replied confidently.

      “I think you are not using the word correctly,” Thor smiled.

      “Verily,” Loki said making Thor laugh. Thor dived far enough for them to see more than the plains. Thor spotted a nearby restaurant that specializes in breakfast called The Waffle House. He landed swiftly on the ground, leaving a gust of wind behind them. Loki still hung onto his back, pretending to be the placement for his cape as he walked into the small establishment. A woman stood close to the entrance on a podium, holding a large notebook in hand. She smiled to the sight of a new customer, and from what she could tell from the red cape and the underwear over his pants, he was new around here.

       “Welcome to the family run restaurant, The Waffle House. What can I do for you today?” Her smile lowered as he got closer, showing his true size compared to hers.

       “Yes, can we get a booth for which we’d be served.”

        “Oh, are you waiting for people,” she said, looking behind him to see if anyone else plan to show.

       “No, he’s on my back,” he turned around to reveal the small boy hanging onto him with the cape tied to his neck, covering his body. Loki turned to the lady and waved before turning away and resting his head over Thor’s shoulder. The woman nodded questionably and led them to their booth. She placed down their menus and promised their waiter would be there shortly. “You know, my cape has gained some weight. I should put it down,” he said playfully as he grabbed Loki from behind, tickling him to get off. Loki giggled before slipping off his back, pushing his hands away from him. Loki slid into the booth, sitting on the cape and picking up his menu.

       Thor ordered their largest platter of food for them both. He didn’t want  Loki running on an empty stomach as well as himself. He ate a lot when he was stressed, sensing the brain food would help him figure things out in his  mind. Loki seemed to be distracted with his surroundings, watching the few strange people that ate in the establishment. Loki planted his knees in the seat of the booth checked behind them, fixated on a large man sipping his cup of coffee and taking a bite out of his scrambled eggs. Every so often he would glance at Loki, becoming more nervous as the eyes of the boy's never went away. Thor noticed Loki staring at people, losing his train of thought. He pulled the cape Loki wore, forcing him to turn to him confused.

      “Don’t stare at people,” Thor ordered. Loki sat down disappointed, but he followed. “Why were you staring at the poor man anyway?”

        “I recognize him,” he responded, lifting his head. He checked behind him again, against Thor’s request to be certain. He remembered the flannel shirt distinctively, and the same look on his eyes after Leah threw him out the window. “He seemed to remember me as the older, evil me, and he was threatened by it.”

          “Don’t fret over it Loki, he can’t hurt you. Not while I stand,” he smiled reassuringly. Loki sat back down, sadden by more than the thought. Thor frowned to see his kid brother upset for reasons such as this, “why do you hang your head so low?” If it truly was the man behind them making Loki upset, then he would have to do something about it. “You do believe I would never allow anyone’s hands on you,” he wanted to be clear.

           “I know. It’s not that. It’s other things,” he thought about Leah, his only friend. After his deal with Hel was paid, Leah went with it. He missed her as much as he missed Thor when he died, but the difference was she didn’t come back. No one ever knew her like he did, no one knew her at all. She was another memory to be forgotten, but he wasn’t going to forget her because she was his friend. Ikol may want to claim it another feeling or a faze Loki will go through, but he knew it to be more. It would’ve been them against the world if Hel hadn’t taken her away. They would’ve been partners in crime. Much mischief would’ve fallen over Asgard with those two around, Loki being the one coming up with the schemes and Leah providing the resources to pull them off.

         Other times, he thought of them being able to get away from the troubles they faced, and running off to where the sun would take them. He’d find a open plain where they wouldn’t be bothered by the wretched people of the earth and rest under the large oak tree that sheltered them. They were only fantasies, dreams he conjured in the vast plains of his minds where he could be happy, where he wasn’t alone. But she was gone, forever. He wouldn’t be able to take her to the open plains of freedom or scheme ways of getting back at the awful people of Asgard. He couldn’t do anything, he couldn’t even save her. The thought is what made him sad to the brink of tearing, but he hid it from Thor, holding back his tears.

       The process stung his eyes, but he didn’t want to cry in front of his brother. He wasn’t going to show weakness to him, afraid of what might happen if he did. He lifted his head, forcing the crippling emotions aside. He’d hold it all in for as long as he could for reasons unknown, it felt instinctual. Besides, he had his brother to be his friend and he wasn’t willing to give up over a loss. He may have lost Leah but he had Thor, and that should be enough to pull him together. He told himself to help cope with the pain, to give explanation for why someone should be allowed this much hurt in their heart. It was the only way for him to move on, to keep doing what he was made to do. But he didn’t know what he was made to do.

       The thought was a recurring idea for him. Most people thought he was made to grow up to be the same destructive Loki they all knew in the past. He wanted to be different, he wanted to be better. He wanted to fix his already tarnished name, he had to prove himself and he didn’t know why. He didn’t know these people enough to want their approval, but then again, it wasn’t for their approval. Thor on the other hand, meant too much of the world to him. If what asgardians said about him were true, then he wanted Thor to know that he could be better. Thor was the first and only person to believe he could be a good person, and he wanted to show him that he is.

        He wasn’t sure if he was reborn for his brother’s approval, to show his goodness that they said he lacked. He wasn’t sure what he planned to make of himself, he didn’t know if all of what he was doing was him. He’d keep on going whether he wanted to or not, but it was his job, a responsibility he would take. In a way, he thought of it all as that. In the schemes of things, he was meant to save the people he cherished, even if he didn’t know it. People are slowly starting to open up to the new child with the few good things they’ve witness, and the bad things they haven’t. It was good news to hear that and encouraging him to continue doing the good he did.

          “What ails you then Loki?” Loki wasn’t the best at hiding his face, yet. Loki thought up a quick excuse easily, rolling off his tongue as truth.

        “It’s this hunger. It makes my stomach ache immensely,” he managed to laugh out. It was reassuring to see their order being brought to their table. Loki glanced over the plates with eager to prove his statement were true, and luckily for him, Thor believed it. There were an assortment of food to choose from that Thor had ordered. Most of it was going to be eaten by him, and it made sense for him to cover the entire table with different breakfast meals to eat. He was going to need it with all the traveling he had in mind. Loki was going to stay on his back most of the way, just before they'd find a new realm. He was going to need all the energy and breakfast was the start.

         He let Loki grab his set of food first, believing it was the child who should have their plate of food before the adult. It was the exact opposite in Asgard, the societal rules were strict about serving the family, stating the man gets the first meal. With him being no longer asgardian, or at least, no longer associating himself with those animals, he could impose his moral ideas to his brother. That the same morals could be passed on for generations. Loki grabbed most of the batter derived items, picking out the pancakes and waffles with only a few meats on his plate, bacon and some sausage. Thor grabbed whatever was left and filled his stomach with it, gaining the energy he once lost.

      It took longer for Loki to finish his meal, having bigger eyes than his stomach to hold in all the food on his plate. Thor could see the fullness and overflow of food in his eyes, and removed the plate from his side, asking for a box to place the food in. It was sweet to see him trying to be like his brother in similar ways such as large appetite, but there was no reason to force himself to explode from it. Thor was in a haste to leave, not sure how long they had before Asgard caught up to them. He wanted to get on with travelling to their destination soon, and now their stomachs were sated, they would travel with no irritable tensions.

     Loki got up with Thor, receiving unnecessary help being removed from the booth. Loki looked back at the man again, getting one last glance of the fear that flashed in his eyes when he saw Loki staring. He grabbed the hem of Thor’s under armor as they left the breakfast diner. His own fear flashed in his eyes as he realized the man’s fear was a  shadow to the anger and hate he had for him. It explained why Asgard would make him and surprisingly Thor leave, their desire to kill Loki because of their fear of him. It made sense to the point that it scared him. He snatched a side of Thor’s cape and threw it over his shoulder, turning back to door they were exiting from.

     “You ready,” Thor asked as he handed the bags of leftover to him.

     “I’m always ready,” he smirked to which Thor smiled to before having Loki hold onto him and boosting off the ground to flight.

Thor made a pit stop before he was to take them to their final destination. It took a few hours to land, to which Loki had passed out on his back. Thor had carried his little brother into the the strange brick building, causing Loki to wake up from the loud noises coming from it. It was a loud bang against the wall that alarmed him, only to be greeted by a short blonde haired women in a spandex blue, red, and yellow with a star in the middle of her chest. She had shot a bright white and golden beam at a dark skinned man, holding a annoyingly patriotic shield consisting of red, white, and blue, with a white star in the center.

    The woman lowered herself to the ground smirking as she wiped off the dust that might have gotten on her while she was near the roof. The man stepped out of the hole that was created from the blast, and wiped the debris that coated his body. She laughed at the mess and slight discomfort she caused him before noticing Thor had entered the building. Sam was the first to greet him, fixing his helmet that was turned crooked. Carol was tempted to fire again but she figured Sam had enough of being shot at. “It was a nice try but your legs weren’t wide enough, your stance was weak” Sam nodded as he went to put his shield and helmet away.

     Loki was put down as the woman walked over, looking up at her strong figure as she greeted Thor with a one-handed hug. Loki took a step back, stepping on the cape he wore and almost tripping before being caught by his brother. “Where have you been,” she wondered, finally having the chance to ask.

      “Dealing with Asgard,” he said with disdain which she noted for the later future.

      “Is that why you brought the little guy,” she knelt down in front of the boy, introducing herself while simultaneously observing him. Loki felt uncomfortable to have this woman trying to converse with and attempting to pet him. “What’s his name, is he your son?”

       “This is Loki,” she froze when she heard the name, looking into the boy’s eyes as she realized the resemblance. She stopped petting him and stood straight, keeping her composure together.

       “Tha-that’s Loki? The infamous Loki? The god of lies Loki?”

     “No,” she exhaled heavily to hear it was false, relieved by such notion. Sam came back in with another person by his side as he walked over to Thor. “It’s a new and reborn Loki,” she felt her heart skip a beat. Loki took another step back, reading the face of the woman in front of him. He couldn’t get a sound out of his mouth that was agape, only wanting to take steps farther back.

     “What’s this I hear about a ‘new’ Loki?” Sam asked Thor with Kate Bishop kneeling down to examine the boy.

     “I’ve kept this a secret for some time now, but Loki’s alive,” Sam’s jaw dropped to hear the horrible news, “and he’s right here,” he pointed at the small child latched onto him.

     “Are you sure this is Loki, he seems too cute to be,” Kate said as she poked his cheek which had a dimple indented in it. Loki took a large step back and planted his foot on the cape he wore, causing him to fall from the tug it gave him on his neck. He fell onto his bottom, watching all the people staring down at him and felt himself become overwhelm. Their eyes making their judgement before actually getting to know him.

     “So this is what you were talking about,” Carol concluded. Thor helped his brother off the ground and kept him close to him, feeling their judgement as well.

    “Yes, and I need him to stay here for a few days while I take care of some things,” Thor announced.

    “I don’t know, we’re still dealing with the damages from the serpent-” Carol threw out.

    “I know Loki’s has had some rough times with the team and I, but he’s not what you remember,” he looked at Loki, then back at Carol. “He’s different. He’s been reborn,” he was afraid his team would be just as heartless as the asgardians were. He was not making a good argument, and they knew that. It took Sam to decide whether they’d welcomed an old enemy into their home.

    “Okay,” he replied simply, surprising the rest of them. “I’ll inform the others when they get back, that we’ll be having a visitor staying over for the next few days.” Carol, although shocked, accepted the answer and lived on with her life, doing her daily activities in the building.

    “Thank you Wilson, you are a true friend,” Thor said with gratitude as he reassured Loki.

    “I guess a kid would be nice have around, even if it was a nefarious and malice man in the past,” Kate had knelt down to pet Loki before leaving the room, “as long as he doesn’t touch my arrows,” she warned deadpanned.

     Sam decided to show Loki to his room, which was Thor’s since he would be absent while Loki would be there. Thor asked if he could speak to Loki privately before he would make his leave. Sam left the room, waiting outside the door for when he’d finish. Loki unpacked quickly and removed Thor’s cape, planning to give it back to him .

    “No, keep it,” he offered, passing it back to Loki. His face seem to sadden from the response causing Thor to frown. “What’s wrong?”

    “Nothing,” he sniffled. He didn’t want to be alone again.

    “it’s going to be okay. You’ll be safe here while I take care of few things-” Loki sat on the bed, making Thor sit with him.

   “What are you taking care of,” he needed to know why he was already leaving and why he needed to be left behind in the process.

    “There are a few items in Asgard I have to retrieve. I won’t be gone long,” he comforted Loki.

    “What if you get hurt,” he avoided Thor’s gaze, not wanting him to see the tears in his eyes.

   “There’s nothing Asgard can do to me that they haven’t already done,” it made Loki upset more to hear that. Thor hugged his brother to calm his nerves, which it did slightly and released him from the embrace. “I’ll be back in three days. You can stay in here if you feel safer, Sam has no problem with that.” Loki nodded, “you’re strong, I know you can handle this,” Thor said as he stood. Loki cracked a smile before Thor left, leaving him with his thoughts.

     Thor pulled Sam to the side, away from where Loki could hear them. “Keep him safe,” he demanded in a threatening tone. Sam nodded with the same intensity, dismissing him. Sam sighed heavily seeing as Thor had much on his plate, and entered his room. Loki was sitting on the bed, holding Thor’s bright red cape in his small hands and feeling against the fabric. Loki tossed the cape aside when he noticed another being in the room. His body relaxed only a bit when he saw it was the man with the shield.

    “Don’t worry, I’m not here to judge you,” he knew from the way Loki stared at the other people, that he didn’t appreciate it. Loki was reluctant to speak to him, having nothing worthy to say. “I don’t know about you, but there’s an entire building to explore and Thor won’t be back for a few days,” he was hinting. Loki wasn’t quite sure he wanted to leave the room, knowing that if he did, he’d be exposed to the rest of the world. Then again, there was an entire building to explore. All the cracks and corners, secret crevices that only he could reach, it sounded like fun. A small smile formed on his lips as he began to imagine the exploration. Sam smiled and held his hand out, “I can give you a tour of the place, and you discover the rest with your own eyes,” he offered.

   “Okay,” he trusted him a bit more than the others and grabbed his hand, willing to chance and discover this foreign place.

Chapter Text

      Thor flew back to Asgard. Towards it at least, in search for something he knew to be important. He landed a few mountains away from his homeland, questioning whether he would destroy. It was time for a change, and what better way to than to kill all those who oppose change, which in this case was all of Asgard. His hammer grew heavy to the thought and pushed the feeling to the side, saving his anger for when the time came. Mjolnir couldn’t blame him for wanting to save his brother, he knew and she knew that what they planned to do with the child was wrong. Thor would have every right to remove every face on the soil of the earth that was asgardian, for their own crimes against humanity.

    He thought no more of it, finding it to engulf him in the surge of rage he began to feel boil in him. He had a job to do, and he was to make sure it was completed. He slid down the mountain, using Mjolnir to keep him off the ground but below the sky. He was headed for the main kingdom, getting past the outer security easily. Warriors and guards would be out searching for him and his brother, and while they searched outside, he’d be back in. It left Asgard in a vulnerable state that Thor honestly thought was foolish idea, but he was in no position to judge nor in a position to fix it.

    Volstagg had changed a few things about Asgard; there were guards surrounding the perimeter of the castle. He could see once he flew over the wall, the people he had guarding the place. Thor wouldn’t worry about them, knowing they couldn’t stop him from his initial goal, that not being killing Volstagg. He had something far more important to retrieve, greater than all of Asgard and its pettiness combined. He had wings to catch.

     Thor clung himself to the wall of the castle, close by to Loki’s chambers, waiting. He was in the blindspot of where the guards could see him, waiting for the perfect moment before he’d reveal his sudden reappearance. Mjolnir was dug deep in the mortar and stone wall, allowing Thor to hang freely on its handle. Thor’s eyes lowered when he spotted from the distance, his target, darkening as the memories from the past came flooding in.

     Ikol returned to Loki’s room in a rush. He’d been hearing the news throughout all of Asgard, and reported back to the man in charge of the entire scheme. Ikol wanted to make sure Loki was okay for purposes only his master knew. He flew into the window, which he realized was broken. His eyes searching for any sign of the boy before going with the rest of his heightened senses in search for his scent.

   The boy was definitely in here, he smelled his scent, but there was another body in the room. The scent was familiar to him, but he couldn’t determine who it was. The smell was still too new for him to depict and put a face on, and he inspect the room more. He wondered where Loki could have went, he didn’t know why or how but his scent lead to the broken window which he could only guess either Loki broke, or the person who took him broke. He planned to follow the scent since there was an invisible trail that only he could see to the boy.
    His eyes focused on the trail while he used the little peripheral he had to see his surroundings. He flew back to the window, checking the outside before going into flight, seeing as there was a straight away on the path. He hopped down as he opened his wings and flapped to gain momentum. It wasn’t short after that he felt a disturbance in the air. The familiar smell returned to his nostrils and he quickly whipped around to see what bothered the wind, only to be greeted by a large block metal coming towards him.

    Ikol had enough time to get out of the way of the blunt object hurled at him. That didn’t stop the man that hung from the wall who immediately jumped after him, missing his feather by inches. Once Ikol realized it was an ambush, he dashed through the air to escape. He knew it was Thor, but why he was after him, he had no idea. What he did know, was that he needed to escape his clutches. His hammer came back for him and he barely dodged out of the way. He flew high, planning to go through the clouds where he could lose the  deity.

    Thor snatched his hammer, following right behind the bird with a large burst in the air. He was determined to catch this bird and prosecute it. It took him a moment before noticing where they were going, having his eyes hyper focused on the wings and the head of the bird. He threw his hammer again, feeling the manipulation of air he once had dissipate. His eyes widen when he suddenly couldn’t see the bird, thus his aiming was off. He called his hammer back to him, falling too fast in the sky and getting too close to the ground.  He felt his manipulation of air return to him as he boosted off of it, into the sky above.

   Ikol was relieved once he was in the clouds, seeing as Thor wasn’t behind him anymore he was able to move on to what he really needed to do, find Loki. He still had his scent with him and followed the trail he once lost, having more urgence to his flight. He slowly started to gain his breath from the strenuous flapping of his wings. still keeping up with the pace he had before. “Come here bird,” was all he heard before Mjolnir flew through the clouds, aimed for Ikol’s wings. Ikol removed himself from his path and hoped to shake Thor off his trail if he’d travel  incomprehensibly.

    Thor soon after Mjolnir flew out of the clouds, aiming for Ikol, rage filling his eyes. Thor’s hand reached out to catch the bird but fell short from the lack of wind pushing him forward. Mjolnir came back to his hands and he kept his reach, slowly getting closer to his goal, on the verge of snatching it from the sky. His body began to shake from the coldness generated from the thickness of the clouds, seeing as Ikol had no lethal problems with doing so. Neither did Thor.

     The clouds turned to a darker shade of grey as they became dense, more concentrated. Ikol looked behind him to see Thor’s eyes change a different color. A color of which was made up of pure energy, meant to burn those who oppose its power. He knew nothing of the god and his ability to manipulate the sky. From the dark clouds came the lightning, sparks of fire that not only entered Thor’s conducting body, but as well as hit the land of Asgard. The clouds made a spiral around Ikol and Thor, following wherever Thor went and providing him the energy needed to strike the bird. He let the energy build within his hammer, knowing Mjolnir could hold much of the charge before he’d use it.

     All of Asgard could hear the roaring thunder that came from the punishing lightning that came upon them. Rain followed behind the lightning and poured a hard flood upon Asgard and its inhabitants. They knew it was the god of thunder, coming back to finish what he started. The aesirs knew the power Thor possessed, and now he planned to use it against them. People trembled in fear of what to come in the near future, asking their king for protection and guidance.

    Volstagg was quick to send warriors out to the sky to take Thor down, though knowing Thor, they were going to be unsuccessful. It brought some peace to the mass to hear their king was trying something , anything to stop Thor from raining hellfire on their already shattered kingdom . Volstagg knew better, he may have not been the brightest but he didn’t have a death wish. He asked for the rest of the warriors to protect the rest of the kingdom and ordered Heimdall to set the barrier for the palace. The barrier wasn’t completely finished but if it were an aerial attack, they needed their skies protected. Volstagg stayed in his chambers, not wishing to be overwhelmed by the voices that called for his help. He wrote in his notes, wishing he could be back in the banquet hall stuffing his face.

      Freyja was deep in the heart of the kingdom. She stayed there for most of her time being here. The surface wasn’t a place she appreciated any longer. She heard of the attacks happening in the kingdom, and contemplated on what she should. It was her son after, but he was causing the damage. She loved him dearly, but she couldn’t sit around and allow him to destroy the little left of Asgard they had. She hid in the depths of Asgard in search for answers she would not be given. She needed time to think without the distractions of the world to get in her way. She had two choices and only one was the right, and if she chose wrong, her world come crashing down on top of her. She hid, devising a plan that would benefit herself and hopefully, the lives of others.

     She was truly scared of the entire matter. The internal struggle she was faced with, her missing husband, she wasn’t sure what to do with herself. She knew what the right thing was, but she also knew what the consequences of choosing a side a would be. She’d have to be quick on her feet, what would happened next would be an unstoppable effect. Freyja wished she could solve these problems at hand, but she doubted herself too much to believe she ever could. It’s the same doubt that kept her under, and the same that will break her.

     Thor’s eyes burned with a sense of strong purpose. He pulled his hammer back before sending the beam of lightning at Ikol’s direction. By now, Ikol feared for his life which he now truly understood was in danger. The lightning hit the tip of his wing, sizzling off the feathers that grew there. His flight was thrown off as he began to fall from the surprise pain. Thor went after the injured bird, having an upper hand and swooping through the sky to catch him. Ikol saw the hand of the man after him and picked up his original speed, looking for a way to lose him. The magpie was becoming desperate for an escape and saw from below, women. Women on horses, that had wings, and they carried swords with them, aimed for Thor.

      The magpie dropped down and turned around to the direction of the women, figuring they could buy himself time to escape. Thor was focused on where the bird went until he was halted by three warriors on horses, one he recognized to be Sif. Sif held back one of the women’s from pursuing to attack him, calling her name “Helda.”  

     “Get out of my way,” he shouted at the women, his voice booming through the thunder and rain. His hammer still charged with the energy flowing through it, ready to be used against anything or anyone in his way.

     “No Thor, not until you stop this weather and come with us,” Sif shouted back, just as loudly. Thor could see the bird getting away from his vision and realized he had no time to talk. The urgent feeling to catch that bird forced him to use his adrenaline to swing his hammer at her horse electrocuting it and her in the process. They both fell fast and hard, causing the other two warriors to go down after them. Thor called his hammer to him and continued his pursuit on the bird. He looked down behind him, taking a second glance at the fallen warrior  before forcing himself to continue on with his mission.

    Ikol fled for his life. He had gotten a distance away from the maniac but he knew he’d catch up. He was injured, and he was tired, he wasn’t sure he was going to make it. He had a job to fulfill, and now he couldn’t because of a blonde oaf. His life and the next depended on his ultimate, including Loki’s, but he couldn’t go any further. He was the last essence left of the Loki from past lives and he was going to die. With every last of his breath, he was going to escape. He wasn’t sure how but he knew he couldn’t die, Loki depended too much on it

    Ikol headed for land. If he was going to be caught by Thor, he might as well try to negotiate with him. It was in the outskirts of Asgard, far in the forests. Thor wasn’t far behind Ikol when he landed, hearing a loud thud hit the floor after he did. Ikol jumped onto the branch of a tree, observing Thor curiously while being cautious as to watch his moves. Ikol picked at his wound, lifting his wing to remove the feathers that were burnt but stayed on his flesh. He licked the blood that came from the tip of his wing before turning his attention to Thor.

   Thor wanted blood, and specifically the bird’s blood. He stared at the magpie, the settled anger being fueled by the sight of the creature. “I suppose you know what I am,” the bird squawked. Thor stayed silent, planning a way to get close to the bird. “It will only hurt your Loki more, we’re apart of him,” Thor threw Mjolnir at the branch, breaking it and forcing Ikol to fly off the land that no longer existed. Ikol squawked loudly, sounding frustrated while also seeming worried.  

   “Stop running bird, I’ll always be a step behind you.” Thor said, feeling the rain pour heaviest on them. The bird was drenched in water, his wings would be little use to him. Ikol heard more thunder and the lightning soon to come. Ikol stepped onto a higher branch, wanting to keep the distance between he and Thor. Thor stepped closer, raising his hand above his head as more thunder boomed through the kingdom, shaking the heavens. Even the Valkyries trembled to the sound of Thor’s wrath.  

   From behind him, the three lady warriors ran through. Lady Sif on the horse of the other women’s, called to Thor angrily. She was ready to fight the god, and although she knew she wouldn’t win, she would sure as hell leave him with bruises. Thor quickly turned around to the three and frowned to the sight of their return. Sif hopped off the horse with her sword in hand and stalked up to Thor, ready to swing. He blocked her first downward strike, using his forearm armor to block it as he pushed her sword down to the direction he wanted. He heard the bird try to leave its spot and fueled his lowered adrenaline and intensity.

      Mjolnir came to his other hand as he grabbed Sif’s wrist, pulling her down and breaking her sword with one hard clank against his hammer. Once she dropped it, he pulled her up to eye level to witness the electricity in his eyes.  She swallowed hard as he shocked her with his electrified hand pressed against her chest, sending her back the way she came from. The other two  didn’t go after, instead they seeked to avenge her. As they opened their swords out for him on their horses, he looked up at the sky and sent lightning down upon them. A bright light shined through Asgard before the lightning stopped, but the clouds didn’t clear. Thor turned around to see Ikol trying to escape once more, “no!” Thor shouted as a boom filled the sky and a streak of lightning collided with the bird.

       Ikol fell from the sky and onto the soft grass, still feeling every nerve in his body jump. His eye twitched from the mass amount of energy that forcefully coursed through his body that made him static. He could feel his heart speeding up faster than it ever could and he knew it would give out. He felt the presence of Thor tower over his injured body, watching him in grimace. “H-how… much… were y-you given,” he read Thor’s face, his entire story lying in front of him.

      “Enough to save my brother,” Thor answered, eyes darken. He crouched down with his hammer and with Ikol’s last breath, slammed it against his body, forcing blood to spill out his eyes and mouth while his intestines and stomach poured out of his sides, forging a puddle. Thor wiped the droplet of blood that got on his face before standing up. He searched on the ground for a cleared spot. He began to pick up rocks ranging in sizes, and dug a grave for the fallen animal.

      Thor wasn’t sure if he was ever going to tell Loki of what he knew. He wasn’t sure he should know the truth of what he knew or what he did. He only wanted Loki to be safe and by any measure. Loki didn’t need to know of the acts he pulled to ensure his brothers protection. They weren’t relevant for him to be inform. Thor wouldn’t tell him, it would be kept as his little secret. If Loki knew, it would only bring anguish and he didn’t wish that.

    He brought the injured women back to the kingdom, where the guards couldn’t see him, but they surely would find them. He turned away from Asgard, getting ready to leave before taking one last glance of his home. He was truly never coming back to this forsaken place, it was time for change, he and his brother. The past was behind him and so would be their fates. Thor couldn’t seem to find the goodness of it and waved it off, figuring he had much to do, and too much to fix.

    Loki looked at the window, observing his new surroundings. This city was big, and it amazed him though he wasn’t contemplating on it. Day one had past since Thor’s been away, and he couldn’t help thinking about Leah. He wondered what she might be up to while he’s away. It wasn’t as if she could ever lose track of him, she was internally bound to him. She didn’t tell him that, but he knew it. They were too close for it not to be true.  He wondered if she missed him like he did her. He wouldn’t admit it, but he wished she was here with him. He needed the moral support for what he was going through, and she was the perfect escape from it all.

    Loki wondered where Ikol was. He’d usually be with him by now, answering the questions he asked. Ikol seemed to have information on past lives Loki didn’t know about but needed to, but he wasn’t here. The changes he and Thor were going through needed a great deal of answers to. It feels like there’s more to what Thor’s been saying than he wishes to acknowledge. Loki was suspicious and he needed the second head to agree with his skepticism. He sighed, fogging the window from close contact as he thought aloud, “where are you Ikol.”

Chapter Text

       Thor checked off one box in his mental list of task he had to do. He was out of Asgard by the time anyone was able to catch him. Volstagg was clearly not as best of a leader as people were hoping him to be and it served him right. To think he actually knew something about ruling. He couldn’t tell the difference between a meal and a crown even when it was handed to him. Thor scoffed, Volstagg was the last person he thought could ever rule a nation, much less a realm. They put him on that pedestal, now Asgard would have to make what’s due.

     He wasn’t going to Loki just yet. He had one other thing to complete before he could head to his home. He needed to see Hel. He wasn’t sure how, but he would figure a way. His soul was treasured by Hel, she’s only had it once for a short minute, but it was the best time of her life. She had a spot for Thor, waiting in the coldest, darkest depths of Niflheim, where no one could take his soul from her. Of course it was set in the one place Niflheim burned, the center. It was the perfect sacred place to put it, along with other individuals she planned to hang like trophies.

   Hel’s domain was a hard place to get to. Only people possessing the dark arts of magic could ever walk into her home, uninvited and alive. The only person he knew who could do that was Loki, but that was before he died. The only other way to go was to die himself, or at least be hurt enough to make Hel come to him.  He wasn’t sure of his survival, but he hoped his will would be a strong enough force to keep death a distance away.

    If only he could enter Asgard again, the healing chambers had medicine for death threatening situation like the one he planned to put himself through. The palace must be swarming with guards and warriors by now, he couldn’t go back without killing the entire fleet of Asgard. He wasn’t willing to risk it.

    On the hill he rested, Thor knelt down and pulled a cutlass out of his steel-toe boot. It was a small blade Loki had given to him long before their detrimental resent towards each other. Handmade and enchanted by Loki, Thor could see the carving of his name was still planted there. He’s always kept it with him ever since that day Loki gave it to him, the few sweet memories he has of his past. With the power the small knife possessed, he was sure to die. At least for a short time. He turned the knife around so that the blade faced his wrist. It would make it easier to stab himself effectively.

      He lifted his chest, aiming for the heart. It wasn’t easy to decide to kill yourself, and even harder to do it. His mind thought back to his brother, and how important this would be for him. He had to do it. He couldn’t selfish now of his wants, but of what Loki needed. His couldn’t help but feel his heart pounding as the idea became more clear. Was he crazy? He thoughts were now only about his brother now, he made it so. The more he thought of his brother, the easier it was to face these fears he met. It was for a good cause, the only cause and he was going to fall through. He lifted the blade into the air, taking his last breath as he lunged the dagger into his chest, puncturing his heart.

   He choked on his breath and held onto the knife. He felt his heart slowing, and his body going limp. He sat down slowly, using his hand for balance as blood slipped out of his closed mouth. The enchanted knife was meant to damage someone like himself, probably why Loki gave it to him. Thor coughed up blood forcefully, feeling the blood flow into the wrong parts of his organs. It was painful, but he made no sound. Instead he focused on his mind, and his willpower. He had to stay focused and concentrated on one goal, to live. Thor fused his mind with his body and told it not to give out even though he would leave it soon.

     Thor fell onto his back from the blood loss weakening him. He gained the courage and determination to pull the cutlass out of his chest. Blood poured out of his wound, quickening his death. He coughed more blood and managed to tear up from the screams he held in. He felt the light of the sun starting to fade away as his eyes drifted from sight. His body relaxed under the grass that curled over him as his mind began to drift apart. He gargled his own blood as his mouth curled up to a smile. He saw Hel’s footsteps.

   From her eyes, he was twitching every so often. Loki’s dagger did the job it was meant to. The day was finally here where Thor would slip in his antics and his soul would be handed to her. For what reason he decided to kill himself, was one she wasn’t curious enough to find out. What she wanted to do, was collect what was rightfully hers. She strived towards his life depleting body, and reached down to snatch it. She was more eager than she expected, to get this chance. It wasn’t everyday she could get the god of thunder’s soul.

   She was a large person compared to Thor. She was a giant after all, a very powerful giant. When she grabbed Thor’s collar, she was a bit surprised when he turned his head and grabbed her arm. Hel was taken back but did not show it, instead she calmly set the thunderer on the ground, realizing he had the ability to walk to Niflheim. Thor didn’t let go of her, bothering her slightly that he was able to interact with her so well, “we have to talk.” He finally let go of her, and she wiped the dirt she may have collected from the dead.

    “If it is about Loki, I will not protect him-” she could sense his desires but she would not comply to them. She was more than certain Loki was capable of saving his own skin.

    “I know, because you can’t,” he looked up at her, her deathly eyes staring intently at him. She couldn’t read what his end goal was here, strange since she usually could read any dead’s. Something was off about the god that she couldn’t decipher what it was. “I’m not staying with you-”

     “What,” she grabbed his hand, his soul belonged to her whether he like it or not. He felt the pain in his chest from where the wound rested. She was going to make him succumb to his death, and accept the fact he belongs down below. “Your name is on the list, your soul is mine Odinson.” His stance was weaker, but he kept his stature as the hills melted away, and the depths of hell opened up.

    “I’ve only come to talk-” he managed to remove his arm from her grasp.

   “You can speak to me as long as you like, since you’ll be visiting permanently.” She couldn’t believe a soul meant to fight her off. There was no arguing his way out of this, he was going to die soon, his name was being written, he was hers.

   “I still have time-”

   “Not very much.” From the gates of hell rested Garmr, the gatekeeper of this realm, sworn to protect Hel and its inhabitants. Hel ordered Garmr to retrieve her right hand, they were going on a small field trip to drop Thor off. Thor was surprised to see it was the girl no more than twelve, Leah if he could recall. She didn’t glance at the man, she only followed Hel’s lead silently.

  Niflheim was a cold realm, the coldest realm in all the nine. At least in Jotunheim they had a sun, but Niflheim had no heat to give or heat given to it. The dead were the only creatures that lived there, no need for heat to keep them living  when they weren’t alive. Thor was cold, a sign of him being alive which Hel didn’t appreciate. She didn’t know how he was still hanging on to life when he was long past that point of breathing. She forced him to feel the pain of his stab wound, amplifying the excruciating agony that came with it. Thor dropped to his knees, surprised by the sudden aching in his heart that became unbearable.  

   This was part of her game he thought. If he wanted to leave, he couldn’t succumb to the feeling. He wanted the pain to go away, but that was the only indication of him having functioning nerves in his body. He stood up, accepting the throbbing pain as they continued their travel. He looked at the little girl besides Hel, who glanced at the man barely catching his breath. She looked away as she realized he noticed and moved forward. There was a feature off putting about his character that didn’t settle in her stomach right. Leah was never given any affection by the queen of hell, but Hel put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. She sensed her worry near Thor, and needed her to stay calm.

    The fortress Hel laid out for him was that of a large one. It smelled as if it was made of sulfur and ice, and its structure was that of a trap device. His soul wouldn’t be touched by any other than her own, it meant too much for her. She wouldn’t be able to set his foot in there until he died. “This is where you’ll go once you are dead,” she informed Thor. Thor had been silent, forcing her to look at him curiously. She ordered a response by her gaze, and he obliged.

    “I must warn you of something,” Thor held onto his heart.

    “Of the future? I know must of what’s to come,” she had to, to keep track of the deaths.

    “You don’t,” she was beginning to grow tired of his doubt towards her superiority. “Because I plan to change it,” he was determined. Hel stared at him in question, desperately trying to decipher his thoughts.

     He was different than what she remembered. His gaze was that of a man going mad, it was familiar. His words, he believed in them, and that gave her concerns. Why had he not died yet? “What did you do,” she asked him in warning.

  “I’m changing Loki’s fate,” his vision became clear to her, and she gasped. How and why did he know? Who allowed him to see that much and why was he still alive? Hel ordered Leah to give the adults privacy while Thor discussed his terms. “And I’m changing hers,” he said aiming at Leah. “The deal’s off Hela, and she, can’t see Loki any longer.” Leah looked over her shoulder, open ears, eavesdropping on the conversation.

   “And if I don’t agree,” she heard him out, but now it was her turn.

   “Then I’ll kill her-” he said bluntly.

   “Don’t threaten the queen of the dead, you’re dealing with much greater forces. Odinson”

   “I am only warning you. I have a lot to lose and a lot I have already lost, I need to ensure Loki will be safe.” She thought for a moment, what her answer would be, but all she wanted was his soul. Thor already lost Asgard, he wasn’t going to lose Loki.

   “I can assure Leah won’t be a problem, but the deal stays,” Thor frowned to hear that. “Unless you agree to trade your life, for his,” she grinned wickedly. “At the end of all this; your soul goes down to the box, in my domain, forever.” She knew he would have to accept. He cared about Loki that much, he would have to pay a price. Thor was reluctant to agree to anything Hel offered by trade, but it was Loki.

    “The girl doesn’t go near him,” Leah turned away when she saw him glance at her.

    “She’ll be placed at her post for as long as you live,” she promised as she stuck her hand out. Thor clasped his hand with hers acquiesced. He felt his legs grow weak, and he fell to his knees. She didn’t let go of him, tightening her grip around his hand. The pain he endured earlier increased, making him hold onto his chest in agony. He looked up at her, noticing her wicked smile. “Enjoy the rest of your life filled with pain and misery. I’ll be there every step of the way, waiting,” her smile lowered. “Your plan to save Loki is pointless, and a waste of his time,” she placed her other hand on his cheek. Thor held in his screams as her grip crushed his hand. “But then again, asgardians never learn,” she revealed her real face to Thor, since he would be seeing it for eternity when he’d pass away.

     Thor stared into her empty socket, disturbed but intrigued. Her death gaze soon faded as the world did. The pain from his hand disappeared, but his heart was in much pain. His sight had gone blurry until it was black. His body went limp, and he fell face first onto the ground he couldn’t see. His thoughts slowed, and he felt as if he had died. He wasn’t able to check his pulse, but he believed his heart had completely stopped. He lied there for a long moment before he felt a shock of electricity run through him.

    Thor jolted up into a sitting position. He took a deep breath in as his heart beated again. He pressed his hand onto his chest, feeling the wound close. He heard thunder, and looked up to see the sky was gray and cloudy. It began to rain. Thor stood up, picking up his bloody cutlass and putting it in his boot. Thor called to Mjolnir and walked the hills back to the Avenger’s headquarters. He was too weak and tired to fly back.

   He marked off another box in the mental list of objectives. He dismissed the thoughts of owing Hel, that was his way of coping with it. With that in mind, he was pleased to know one less evil would corrupt Loki. Maybe when he returned, they could go out hunting. He always wanted to teach Loki how to hunt, but because he’s been busy, he never got the chance. Once they leave the planet, maybe he could show him a few tricks.

    Hel had sent Leah back to the kingdom of hell. She was ordered to stay there until Hel came back. She had other inquiries to deal with that she couldn’t go back yet. She also said she wanted to talk to Leah, probably about her conversation with Thor. Leah heard most of what they said which she wasn’t happy to hear. She wouldn’t be allowed to see Loki again because of their deal.  It wasn’t as if she visited him willingly, it was usually because he asked for her assistance, or Hel ordered her to. Things changed and time went on, and she started getting used to the nuisance. She got used to it so much that she visited him regularly, for herself. She didn’t like to admit it, but she enjoyed the mischievous creature. He was a small light in her dark tunnel.

    It was going to change soon. She wouldn’t be able to see him, she wouldn’t able to leave. She wished her queen wouldn’t use her for her deals. She was a being too, with feelings after all. Leah waited in the throne room for Hel to return, not particularly excited for her arrival. Leah didn’t want to be stuck in Niflheim until the day Thor dies. Thor, Loki’s brother, the man that tore her away from Loki. The man she was sure she would kill when given the chance. From Hel’s conversation with him, Leah could tell Thor knew something he wasn’t supposed. Something Hel knew about Leah that she didn’t know. She was keeping secrets from her, but Leah was getting punished.

    She felt betrayed. Leah was her right hand in replacement of Balder, she should get a little more respect than what she’s given. She didn’t understand why she was the one who has to suffer through all this. She’s followed every order she was given, and never once has she failed to please her queen. Yet, she’s the one who gets sold into a contract against her will, because for all she knows, Hel thinks she has no will.

    The thought made her want to cry, out of frustration. So much frustration that she couldn’t let out because she wasn’t created to do that. She was made to obey, and it made her want to scream. Loki’s shown her a lot over the past months she spent with him: love, compassion, hate, regret… friendship. Now she had to give it up for her queen. It was unfair and unjust, all for one soul. One soul that wasn’t going to die for a long time. A long time she would suffer through.

    Hel still hadn’t returned for hours, and as Leah contemplated all these bottling emotions, she thought of one solution. To run away. She would do what Loki would and run from the pain, with him by her side. She didn’t care the consequences of disobeying her queen, she couldn’t take it anymore so she was going to leave. She checked the door for if Hel had entered, opening a portal and going through, planning to see  Loki again.

Chapter Text

     Loki had settled into the Avenger’s headquarters. The people there recognized him to be the same Loki they recalled destroying there home, but soon got used to his company as a child. Most of them didn’t speak to him, their memories of his past self stopped them from interacting with the child version. Too much damage that couldn’t be repaired for them to look at the child without anger. They would never lay a hand on him, so they decided to pretend his presence was non-existent. For the few that hadn’t met the infamous Loki often, they were able to put water under the bridge, and see opportunity in the innocent child. They believed it was a new changed Loki, one that couldn’t harm a fly.    

    One of those people who believed in such notions was Kate Bishop. It was her turn to babysit, although Loki insisted he knew how to take care of himself. She only saw him for the nine year old he was, and believe it was her civic duty to make sure this child doesn’t get himself in trouble. She also didn’t want to disappoint Thor in protecting his brother from harm. He put his trust and faith in his teammates, and she’d hate to make him regret that.

    Kate had woken Loki from bed early. Most of the Avengers were out taking care of villainy, and Kate had the mansion to herself. With Loki being the only other person there, and being the adorable baby he was, she thought it was her time to bond with the kid. She made him breakfast of blueberry pancakes since he insisted on the food desperately. She made a mental note of his clearly favorite food, and headed off to their next destination; the training room.

   What better way to bond then to teach a kid how to fight. The training room was graphed area, meant to forge simulations of enemies to fight. There was a control panel in back of the room that Kate was fidgeting with while telling Loki to stay in the center of the room. He watched her as she worked her charm on the controls, taking time for her to figure out how it worked and what she wanted. She was used to someone else setting the course for her, but now it was her doing it for someone else. Someone a lot smaller, and couldn’t handle as much force as she could.

    She sighed in relief from setting the trials successfully. She moved to the corner of the room where a pile of randomized weapons rested. She smiled to the bow and the quiver of arrows besides it, deciding since it was the one weapon she was good at using, she might as well try teaching the kid. “Why did we have to wake up so early,” Loki asked as he rubbed his eyes. She turned around, revealing the weapon in hand.

   “Because… a great archer starts the day before anyone else does,” it wasn’t that early, probably around six o’clock in the morning. She’s waken earlier. She knelt down in front of him, offering the bow and arrows. They were large compared to him, they were meant for a full sized adult. Still, he was a bit excited to be handed a weapon of sort. He looked at her for permission, and grabbed the long bow and a single arrow from the quiver.

   “I wasn’t allowed a weapon on Asgard, they believed the first thing I do was kill someone.” He held the bow with both hands, feeling the weight of it overwhelm him. It was made out of solid metal, even the string was thick and drenched in metal. He used the floor to help keep the bow steady, grabbing the arrow from under his armpit and placing it upon the string. He heard Kate chuckle at his attempts to be an archer, and she beside him to help.

    “You’re holding it backwards,” she chuckled as she turned the bow so that the string faced him, and the handle of the bow was faced away from him. He nodded as he replanted the arrow, “you also have to hold the bow up.” She supported him in lifting the bow up, removing her hands once he had a grip on it. The bow was shaking in his hand, he couldn’t find the balance in his wrist and in the bow. His hand could barely wrap around the large handle. Kate placed her hands on his forearms, moving it farther up where there was balance in weight. When the bow stopped shaking, Kate moved onto the arrow. She walked over to the control panel, and pressed a button which activated the holograms of targets in front of Loki.

   “What you’re going to want to do is, focus on your target and aim the end of your arrow at the point you’re focused on.” Loki did as she said, staring at the bullseye and raising his arrow.  He immediately lost balance in how heavy the entire contraption was, and dropped the bow. He pouted in frustration at the bow, “don’t give up, you almost had it,” Kate encouraged him. He tried again, picking up the bow and searching for the balance Kate showed him. He couldn’t look like a fool in front of a master in archery, dropping the bow from overweight problems.

     He’s been in the Avenger’s HQ for the past few days now, and Kate’s been the few people he’s actually got to know. Her and a little bit about Captain America. Like for one; he knows Captain America’s name is Sam Wilson, and Hawkeye’s name is Kate Bishop. He also knows Kate specializes in marksmanship, and Sam was trained in the military. Why he rather not embarrass himself to an expert, though Kate was a nice person. He easily put trust in her, she was inclusive and open minded. She had hope for the child, and he could find appreciation in that.

       Most people looked at him with malice, but they would never answer him why. They left him in the dark of the gruesome details of the past he never lived, and Ikol was the only creature that shed light to it, somewhat. To see someone just as confused was assuring that he wasn’t crazy. That his cluelessness was justified, and his misunderstandings were reasoned. Loki picked up the large bow, and aligned the arrow to match his sight. When he tried pulling the arrow back, the string didn’t budge. With all the force in his small fingers, he tugged at the arrow to move back, but it didn’t. He lowered the bow and place his foot on the grip. He grabbed the arrow with both hands, forcing it back and aiming at the ground.

      He stopped now that he had his arrow cocked back. He couldn’t remove his foot from the grip of the bow, otherwise it would fly back and hit him in the face. He was stuck in his position. Kate laughed as she walked over to help him making him flush. “It’s okay, this bow’s too big anyway,” she helped him grip it correctly. She rested her hands on top of his as she used her own strength to support his. She lifted his elbow to aim the arrow in the correct direction, telling him to look at his target. Kate slowly released him, telling him to take a deep breath in before firing. The bow shook in his hands and he glanced at Kate. His eyes switched back to his target, closing when he felt his fingers release the bow.

    “Nice job Loki,” she said happily but surprised. She patted him on the back, making him look at what he fired. The arrow was an inch away from the bullseye to which Loki smiled at. “You’re practically a natural at this,” she congratulated him which he obliged to. He jumped with glee at his success, and wished to succeed more. She agreed to teach him the basics, like how to hold a bow, but she saw the prodigy in him. She placed the quiver of arrows in front of him, making him remove one and prepare to fire at another target.  

    They finished towards the end of the morning and the beginning of the noon. Loki had asked if he could keep the bow and arrows, “it’s not even heavy anymore.” He lifted it into the air to prove his notion, it was still extremely heavy, but he was starting to get used to it. She saw from the corner of her eye, his arms quivering from the weight.

   “Okay… but don’t hurt yourself. I don’t need Thor angry at my doorstep because you stabbed yourself.” She was confident he wouldn’t get himself in trouble, but just in case… “It’s a weapon, not a toy,” she said seriously, warning him of the consequences for playing with it. He nodded to show his understanding  of the consequences. “Good,” she said relieved she was done being the responsible adult, “now, let’s get you a strap.”

  “Mind if we get food too,” he asked, hearing his stomach growl.

 “What would you like,” he gave her a small glance to answer her question. “Pancakes again,” she couldn’t resist his baby face and big glistening eyes, and reluctantly agreed to get him blueberry pancakes. “You’re going to hate those one day, spoiling yourself with them,” she finished cleaning up the training room and they headed for the door.

   “I’ll love them forever,” he said cheerfully.

   “Alright blueberry, keep it moving,” she patted his back to go forward.  She took the bow and arrows from him, placing them on the counter near the entrance, promising they’d be back for it. He said his goodbye’s to the weapon, making Kate roll her eyes to the ridiculousness before they left the building.

   When they returned, Kate had found the perfect strap for his size. Wrapping it around the grip of the bow, she told him to tell no one she gave it to him. The Avengers wouldn’t excited to hear she gave an old enemy a weapon, even if he couldn’t use it properly. Loki carried the bow back to Thor’s room, placing it under his bed for when he returned. Sliding the bow under, he heard the faint noise of someone entering. He turned around to see the door wasn’t open, and he reached for his bow. He turned to the window to see Leah resting on the seal of it. He smiled widely as he stood, walking to her sheepishly. He paused for a moment, in slight disbelief she was here, alive and well. His smile lowered a bit as his eyes teared with joy. Leah stared at him incredulously before turning towards him. He crashed into her purposefully as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. Leah was reluctant at first, but decided to hug him back. He held her there for a long while before speaking, "where were you?" He asked in a tremble. 

     "In hell, working with Hel," she replied, not wishing to tell him of how she came back from what was considered death. She had been stuck with the serpent, but immediately brought to Hel, forever her apprentice, and nothing could change that. Unless Leah wished for it to. 

     “I’ve got so much to tell you,” he said excitedly as he released her to which she wasn’t happy about. “Some good, a lot bad,” he admitted in realization, but shook it away.

     “I didn’t find you in your usual quarters Loki,” she wished for answers, but she was worried she already knew them.

     “Yeah, me and Thor-”

    “Him and you,” she corrected his grammar.

    “We kind of… got thrown out of Asgard,” he twiddled his fingers in slight embarrassment. “But it’s cool, Thor’s finding us a new home,” he tried and failed to say cooly.

   “Thor…” she said with grimace disdain. Loki exclaimed he was his older brother, tall, blonde, to which Leah nodded understanding to get him to stop talking about his brother. She recognized the fellow, the one who imprisoned her and the one she’d kill when she had the chance. Her look was that of someone who had much on their minds. Something was wrong and Loki could tell. He asked if she was okay, but she was reluctant to reply. When she did come up with a response, it was dismissive and against the surface. He knew not to push the matter, otherwise he would suffer the consequences of such action. He would bring it up later when she was better, which his objective switched to.

    “I want to show you something. Something cool…” he went to the bed, dropping down to the floor and pulling out his weapon. Her eyes widen to the large bow in his hand that she noticed he could barely carry. “I’m practically a pro at archery,” he said, attempting to impress her. She was more impressed that his arms hadn’t give out yet, giving him a little credit for not being weak, though she didn’t mind if he was. “I even know how to fire,” he took an arrow from under the bed, placing it on the bow. He searched for a target, figuring the steel door would great practice. The arrows were meant to cut through steel, he knew Leah would be impressed.

     He went into his widen stance, putting his strength into his shoulders. With all his might, he painfully pulled the arrow back. Leah was attentive, which was good enough to make him keep going. He pushed his opposite leg to his trigger hand back, focusing his energy on his target, the center of the door. He glanced at Leah, who was watching him the entire time before letting go of the arrow. The arrow flew into the door, tapping against it before falling to the ground. Loki smacked his hand against his face for how pathetic the shot looked. He heard Leah snicker behind him, and he flushed in embarrassment. “I was only a few feet away from the door. If I was a meter away, the arrow would have gained momentum to pierce through the door.” He tried to explain, but it made her giggle more.

     Loki sighed but ended up giggling with her, happy that he was able to lift her spirits. “Let me try,” she insisted, feeling her worries drift away. Loki obligingly handed her the bow and arrow, stepping out of her way. She copied his stance while pulling the arrow back. She looked at Loki mischievously before staring at her target, enchanting the bow and arrow, making them glow green around their outer shell. Leah smirked to Loki’s jaw dropping before releasing the arrow, firing it through the door to the end of the hall. Loki was speechless for a moment before expressing his astonishment. Cheering gleefully and complimenting her achievement, while also questioning her powers to manipulate objects. It seemed she was the one impressing him.

    Leah blushed to the amount of affection given to her by the trick, but stopped when Loki realized she was. She pushed him away from seeing her face, and he slowly creeped behind her to see her. She quickly turned around to be met with his face, inches away from hers. They both felt their faces turn red before Leah pushed him farther away, making him fall to the floor. She fixed her composure before Loki could help his own, “you’re a mess.” Loki pulled himself off the floor, wiping the dirt off his pants.

    “I do what I can to ensure that,” he smiled immaturely, making her smile faintly that he wouldn’t notice from afar. Loki took the bow from Leah, planning to put it back in its spot. Their smiles lowered when they heard the voice of a woman shouting Loki’s name, and barging in with the arrow Leah had fired, in her hand. Leah was immediate to go in front of Loki for whatever force tried to come their way. Leah wasn’t willing to get Loki injured because of her recklessness.

    “I told you it was not a toy-” Kate stopped at the sight of a girl shielding Loki. “Who are you,” Leah was ready to attack, but Loki intervened, coming in between them. Once Loki informed Leah that she was a friend, she let her guards down, slightly . After a small introduction that no one was an enemy in the room, Kate continued her tangent, “I told you not to play with it. It’s a weapon ,” she specified for him clearly. “What if you poked your eye out with this,” she shook the arrow in her hand. She shook her head, realizing it was a bad idea to begin with, “give me the bow, and the rest of the arrows,” she demanded calmly.

      Loki had no choice other than to comply. He did break the rules, and sadly, he got caught. Loki dug under the bed for the other two arrows she gave him, and handed her the equipment, head lowered.. He felt shame and embarrassment for losing his weapon, being scolded, and in front of Leah. Leah felt guilty for getting Loki in trouble, if she hadn’t tried to impress him, the woman would have never known they were playing with the bow. Kate made her way towards the door when she was halted by the little girl. “You’ll have to punish me instead,” her head was lowered, “I put him up to the mischief. He warned me not to play with the bow, but I didn’t listen. I played with the weapon, and I shot the arrow,” she said guilty. “He had no involvement of my crime,” she looked up at the woman pleadingly.

      “Is that true,” she looked at Loki for answers but was interrupted by the girl.

      “Yes, every last word,” Kate looked at the girl intently. She may have been twelve, but she had the eyes of a century old woman.

      “Alright, fine. But this is the last warning,” she handed Loki the bow and arrows, giving him one last look before leaving the room, “Asgardians, I swear,” she said to herself. After a moment of silence, Loki exhaled the air he had been holding in. Leah turned to him now that the intensity was over, and sighed herself.

     “Why did you take the blame for me,” he said as he placed the bow and arrows under the bed. “You didn’t have to, I was playing with the bow,” he wished he would’ve been punished instead, Leah didn’t deserve the scolding. “I would have been fine with losing the bow, I mea-” Leah put her finger against his lips, making him shut up.

    “Because, that’s what friends do,” she answered calmly. She removed her finger once she knew Loki wouldn’t spew out anymore excuses for why it should have been him. Leah frowned, realizing this would be the last time she could ever bond with Loki like this. She wanted to say what she needed, but her words choked back in her throat. She didn’t want this to be the last time they could have moments like this, this closeness. She needed more time, she was going to make more time. “Want-to, hang out,” she said awkwardly, never having use those words in that order. She’s only heard Loki say that phrase before.

     Loki looked at her shocked, “yes,” he was more than happy to spend the rest of his day with Leah.

     “But do not tell anyone,” he nodded as she opened the window, stepping onto the ledge. She stuck her hand out for him to join, but he was reluctant to jump out of a window again. “Come on,” she waved for him to grab on, and he rushed to her side, excited that he got to hold her hand. “Are you ready,” he squeezed her hand, giving her the signal. It was a second later she jumped off the building, dragging Loki along for the ride of his life.

Chapter Text

    “Any place you’re suggesting,” Loki asked from behind Leah. They were wandering the busy streets of New York, being overcrowded by the average pedestrians making their way to work, or other business. Leah began to push people out of their way, anyone who tried to oppose her was severely threatened.

   “I was hoping you knew of a place,” she revealed, not sure where to go other than away from everyone.

   “I do, this great arcade palace, not too far from here,” he said as he stepped in front of her, leading the way.  He had gotten a glimpse of the place during one of his walks with one of the Avengers. He was eager to finally get to go there, and with someone he liked. He had good memory of each block, which to turn on to get closer to their destination. Rushing through the crowds of people, Loki dashed until he was halted by the flashing lights coming from the inside of the place. Loki was a fast runner, having done that all his life. Compared to Leah, he had no problem dragging her weight to keep up with his pace.  

   Leah shielded her eyes from the brightness, and hissed at stinging she felt on her eyes. Loki’s eye were wide with joy as he stumbled into the palace, embracing the colorful neon lights. Leah wasn’t happy to be entering this place she would soon despise, but Loki appreciated the flashing colors and enjoying himself. She would put herself through a little discomfort, for him.

   The room consisted of large contraptions with screens emitting bright lights. Rows of them lined up, all different shapes and sizes, and from the way people were using them, each had a new purpose. The ones Loki looked upon, he was too small to reach the controls. The games that were his size were simple, meant for a child his age, but his mental capacity wasn’t that of his age. He had a mental grasp on subjects most children couldn’t fathom properly. He had no other choice, in the environment he was forced in, he was only shown the cold-hearted truth. There were no fairy tales to simplify the horrors of the world. He was given the truth literal, and his grasp on life was contorted. But, he had his moments of being a child.

     “This palace is pretty interesting,” Loki looked at Leah for agreement. Her expression was as it usually was, unamused. Loki smiled, pulling her towards one of the machines. On it was two plastic assault rifles, and the screen read in bloody writing; House of the Dead . “That’s where you live, isn’t it,” he connected the name to Leah’s occupation.

   “I wouldn’t phrase it that way,” she said insulted by the name. “Nor would I use that style of writing,” she found it to be disgusting, an eye sore to look at.

   “We should play it,” Leah stared at him, shocked he wanted more to do with this machine. Loki gave her a pleading look to which she couldn’t resist to. She sighed heavily, asking him how they would be able to play. He had no tokens, and he had no money to spend to get the tokens. They would each need four tokens from the label he read, and they would have to pickpocket someone for them. He was good at stealing, but he needed a distraction. This place was still new, he didn’t know the people here and how well they were with self awareness.

     Leah easily agreed to his mischief, willing to follow along with his plan. They searched through the mildly crowded arcade, for their perfect victim. It had to be a person with a lot of tokens. Leah wasn’t sure what a token was, but Loki would show her  once he found the person. It was soon, that they found a group of older kids with cups filled bronze tokens. There was five of them, they were playing a four-person racing game, rotating between the ones that had gotten the worst place each race. “One of those cups should be enough,” Loki whispered to Leah as they crept behind the arcade game. “But I’m greedy,” he grinned, “do you think you could act like brat?”

      “I don’t know what that is,” Leah believed he made up the word.

      “It’s a child that believes everything belongs to him/her.” Loki watched each teen set there cups down by the machine, not bothering to pick it up after a race. “Just wail your arms and cry to remove them from their bikes. Keep them away from the game, and I will do the rest,” she nodded, moving out into the opening.Loki stayed behind, waiting the right moment to strike

      Leah walked up to one of the boys, and tugged on his shirt. He turned to see a pale girl in a strangely formal green dress asking for his, and his friends attention. She hesitated at first, looking at Loki for assurance, who signaled her with his thumbs up. She sighed, then looked up at the tall boy who stared at her in confusion and interest. She did as Loki asked, and began swing her arms towards the boy and closing her eyes and letting out cries. She couldn’t bring herself to actual tears, and only made the noise, disturbing the boy in front of her.

    He backed away from the screaming girl, and bumped into the motorcycle his friend was riding. She shooed him away, but the little girl was still coming after him. Once they all started hearing the screaming, they hopped off their plastic motorcycles to assess the situation. Leah got too close to the older boy, and hit him with her hands. He covered the body parts she was hitting, and called his friend for help. Her hits were shockingly harder than he expected from a little girl her size. It felt as though he was being hit by a man.

    Loki didn’t ask for her to attack them, but that’s what was happening. The older boy was confused and scared, a random girl with the strength of a man walked up to him and began wailing on him. His friends finally assisted him in getting the little girl away from him, she began hitting them as well. Two of them, ran off to get help from security, all of them leaving their post. Loki moved forward, seeing this the moment to steal their tokens.

   Leah saw behind the older kids, Loki pouring their tokens into his pocket and setting the cups down.  Leah dropped to the floor, begging for help and pulling their clothes to focus on her. The boy stepped back, comprehending everything that had happened. Leah pleaded for help and forgiveness, crying her eyes out. The girl helped Leah off the ground, asking her what’s wrong. Leah babbled as she sobbed, pointing in the opposite direction Loki was. She asked Leah to lead her to the problem, and they followed her through the neon lights.

    Loki snickered as he finished pouring the last of the tokens into his pocket. He jumped down, and went behind the racing game, waiting for Leah’s return. She had appeared behind him shortly after the incident. She left the kids confused, and wondering where the little girl had went. The two that went for help, came back with a security guard, telling Loki and Leah to escape the scene before they would get caught.

   Loki was dying with laughter as they walked back to their game. Leah chuckled herself, the moment was exhilarating and thrilling. They both ended up snickering together before being halted by a disturbance. Someone was already on the shooting game Loki wanted to play, and from the pile of tokens next to them, they were going to be a while.

   Loki sighed in exasperation, knowing they wouldn’t be able to remove the man from the spot. “Who even plays a two player game by themself, that’s just pathetic,” he pouted as he turned away. Leah watched the man for a moment, his unawareness to his surroundings. He didn’t have a care in the world, and she knew the world wouldn’t care for him. Leah used magic and pushed the man aside, to the far back of the building. The man yelled as his body moved without his permission, farther away from civilization, and into the darkness of the building.

    Leah tapped Loki’s shoulder, making him turn to see her picking up a gun. She made a stool for them to stand to see the screen. She offered a hand, and pulled Loki up to her level, handing him a gun. He smiled as he put the eight tokens in, pressing start.

     They finished playing once they used half the pile of tokens Loki had, and defeated the last boss. It was Loki who had died a lot, and had to use his tokens to continue. Leah had a good eye for aiming, and dragged Loki to the finish. They wandered the arcade until some other game interested Loki, Leah wasn’t interested in anything, unless it was Loki. “Technically, you were cheating,” he concluded. Leah glared at him, making him take his words back, “you’re Hel’s right hand. Of course your sense are ten times better than anyone else’s.” He rephrased to seem less offensive, but her look told him it only worsen.

     Hel, her enslaver, gave her this power only to be trapped in hell. What a waste. Hel would strip her of her power if she were to return, which she planned nothing of the sort. It became harder for her to tell Loki what she truly wished to ask. He was enjoying himself so much, she didn’t want to ruin it with her problems. She was also terrified he would reject her. If he were to say no, then it would be it for her. She would have no other reason exist in this world, to be heartbroken or tortured eternally, she would choose neither. There would be no point in all these rule breakings she’s done this past twenty four hours with Loki. No point to any of it.

    Loki had set something off in her head that wasn’t positive. He regretted what he had said immediately, her glooming was no good sign. “Want to get milkshakes,” a small smile formed on her face as she looked at Loki. Loki exhaled, not realizing he was holding his breath. He agreed, feeling his appetite increase for a chocolate milkshake.  

    Leah was quick in finding a diner for them to settle in. The place wasn’t completely vacant, they were the few people ordering there. It was surprising to the waiter to see two kids by themselves, asking for a large milkshake. He had to ask if they were truly alone, he wasn’t sure if it was legal serving minors. From their answer, he had a choice to either call the police to find these kids’ guardian, or give them what they asked for. It didn’t feel morally correct to ignore the fact that two small kids were unaccompanied by an adult or someone significantly older.

    His manager showed when Leah planned to complain. After an insult and threat towards the worker, he placed their order. The manager was questioning of the children by themselves, but money is money no matter who it was coming from. Loki chuckled to himself making Leah turn to him, “you’re aggressive when you want things,” he smiled to ease her.

   “Only when I rightfully deserve them,” she moved her bang out of her face as her body relaxed.

   “You have to smooth your way through a situation,” he lightened her to which she rolled her eyes.

  “As you did in the arcade,” she finally learned the name. Loki laughed, shrugging as a response to her rhetorical question. Loki’s laugh died down as he looked around the diner, noticing the similarity between it and the one Thor took him to. A few different colors, but its layout was the same.

   Loki would have to leave soon. Thor could be returning any moment, and he didn’t want to keep him waiting, or worried. He almost forgot that he didn’t tell anyone that he was leaving the tower for a few hours, nor did he need to. Loki would return and, him and his brother could be on their merry way. To where, he still had no clue. Maybe Leah would know, or at least have an educated guess. “Do you know of a place considered a ‘safe haven’?” It was a strange and out of the ordinary question that Leah wasn’t positive she could answer.

   “Is there one,” it would be a miracle if it were true.

   “My brother plans to take me there… to live out the rest of my life,” he knew that he wouldn’t see her anymore and it made him upset. Leah was tired of his brother, and hearing about him. From what she’s learned, all he plans for Loki is a life of misery. Loki clearly didn’t want to leave, but Thor was forcing him to. Loki was still a naïve child. He would follow Thor to the ends of the earth, no questions asked, because he loved and admire him too much. Those questions may be rumbling inside him, but his faith would overthrow the doubt. There was too much trust in the man, and Leah wished Loki could see that. She would have to be the one to show him the truth, that his brother wasn’t such a good, honorable man.

   It was no longer his life on the line, but hers. She was giving it all up, because she had nothing to lose. Thor had made it that she had no life, and Hel would take it. Loki and Leah were in circumstances they were neither happy with, but had no choice in the matter. Hel was all she knew, and Thor was all he had. These were figure they looked up to, put their life in their hand, and in return, they threw it on the ground and stomped it into dust. It was the cruel truth of their creators, that they didn’t give a damn about their creation. They were merely objects for them to use or abuse, and no one could stop them.

    The thoughts hurt Leah internally, the aching feeling to express the truth to Loki. To make him understand the horrible pain she constantly felt in her heart that symbolized the hopelessness she had. She didn’t want to ruin him, bring her down to her level of loss. He had hope and optimism that she couldn’t bring herself to, but she could latch onto until she recovered. No matter what he would say to please her, she always knew he believed there was a better future in the end. For everyone, everything, and he would try his hardest to make it come true. Help as many people, and creature to ensure a better path for everyone.

    She wanted that in her life forever, and with the life she no longer had, she now needed it. “So… you’ll be gone, and I won’t see you anymore,” she asked, staring at him intently.

    “We’ll meet again,” he said not-so confidently, “I’m sure of it.”

    “Loki…” she trailed off, not knowing how to phrase it. “Runaway with me,” she offered bluntly. “Offer your life as I have mine, and come with me to live a story of our choosing.” She reached for his hand, hoping he would accept hers. Loki was shocked to hear what she requested. She had duties to Hel, and now she wished to abandon them. She wanted him to ditch his responsibilities to his brother, and wander the world with her, arm in arm.

    That must have been what was on her mind the entire time. What she wanted to say but couldn’t, and now he had an option to choose. He did want to spend his life with Leah by his side. Leaving with Thor would make it less likely to see her again. It wouldn’t be bad to leave with Leah, he would have some form of protection against Asgard. That could bring some relief to Thor’s mind, if he told him.

    “So… you’re leaving Hel for me?”

    “Who needs responsibility when you have a friend instead,” her hand reached for him to join her.

    On impulse, his mind pointed to the positive effects he would get if he ran away with her. He clasped his hand in hers, his decision finalized. He would go to the ends of the earth with his life in her hands. She was his everything, she was all he would ever need to survive in this world. He smiled widely, making Leah grin, “lets go.” Leah pulled him out of his seat excitedly.

    "I missed you," Loki had the chance to say, and Leah could only nod in agreement.She smiled wildly as she felt her eyes water. For some reason, she didn’t want to reveal the first tears ever leaving her to Loki. Loki could hear her sniffling, and stopped their steps out of the diner.

      He watched a tear roll down her cheek, surprised she was beginning to cry. He looked at her skeptically before slowly moving his hand up to her face, and wiping the tears from it. “This was our choice,” he had come to accept, “we can’t cry about it now. We’ve got somewhere to be.” She breathed a laugh, he still didn’t get it, and that was okay. He was running for her, but her, she was running from everything but him. The feeling gave her a sense of freedom of which she never had. She felt ready for anything. Holding him close, she continued purposed stride to freedom.

Chapter Text

     Thor was happy to return to Avengers HQ. It gave him a chance to be surrounded by people who don’t despise his being, and a chance to see his brother. He knew it would be sad leaving, not only the Avengers, but Midgard itself. His devotion to protecting the Earth was the main reason he became worthy, and it had became his purpose. Now he had a new purpose, one he found to be more important than his previous, and more vital to his well being. He would miss Midgard, but he was sure the heroes inhabiting Earth could protect it the same.

     Thor was greeted by Kate holding a sandwich in her mouth. Talking with her mouth full, she allowed Thor to enter, finishing making Loki’s sandwich. “Your brother’s not allergic to anything,” she asked as she placed the bread on top.

     “Not that I have seen,” he wore a weary and tired smile, masking the real pain he felt internally. The deal he made with Hel still lurked in him, and it would for the rest of his eternal life. Until death, where he would suffer, locked in a cage where the rest of his light could die out. He didn’t give up hope though, the world would have Loki. He would raise him to be just as righteous as he was, so that there would always be a source of light for the world to fall upon. It would be a better future for he, and Loki, possibly a better place with Loki around.

     It was a nice fantasy to imagine later in his life, even if it weren’t to exist. The thought gave him the ability to smile genuinely. The future would be a better place for a better person. “Where is Loki anyway,” he asked, wishing to see his brother.

    “He’s upstairs, hanging out with his playmate,” she walked out of the kitchen holding a plate with two sandwiches, and a glass of juice.

   “Playmate? Who?” Thor’s furrowed expression gave the impression that whoever it was, he knew it didn’t mean any good.

   “I don’t remember the girl’s name,” she frowned to the look on Thor’s face. She noticed a flash of rage in his eyes, and a look of regret that she recognized anywhere. “Leah-I think,” she almost stuttered, realizing she had made a mistake.

   “What,” he looked as if he was going to snap. Clutching to his hammer tightly, Kate had repeated the name, making his grip tighten to the point his hand started to ache.  He was ready to bust a hole in the ceiling, tear the entire roof of the building off, and search every inch of the mansion to find Loki and Leah. Leah was smarter than that, they were already gone, miles away from the mansion with Loki by her side. Still, the rage to tear the building to asunder was poisoning his mind, making him want to more.

     Thor held in the panic, and ran up the stairs, the elevator would only slow him down. He would at least investigate the room, asses the situation, and figure out where they might have headed off to. Kate was quick to follow behind him, her panic becoming vocally present. She knew she should have trusted her gut instincts, but her heart told her it was fine. She wished Loki had not convince her to allow the girl to stay. She should have ask someone else, it was strange how the girl entered the building undetected. Trusting in a small child was foolish of her, and she could have Loki in danger.

     Kate could already imagine what horrible things could be happening to him. She saw how strong that girl was. The arrow she fired was proof of her incredible power, and her ability to manipulate it. That meant no good on Loki’s end, every bone she could easily break in that little boy’s body. The thought made Kate’s stomach churn, the guilt she felt for killing a child was unbearable. She didn’t know what she would do if she saw his dead body, she wouldn’t know how to live with herself. Everyday she would forcibly remind herself of her mistake, blaming herself for every wrong step taken. She would blame herself everyday, and fall into a deep depression and self loathing. She would hate herself, as will everyone else, especially Thor, and she looked up to him. She wouldn’t be surprised if the god of thunder struck her down with a lightning, it would be the least of punishments for her crime.

    The thoughts telling her of her new future if they were to find Loki dead gave her dread and anxiety. Kate glanced at Thor as they sprinted for his room, his face filled with anger, determination, and loss. Did he already know? Was Loki already gone? The feeling pained her, and her quick pace slowed. Thor kept going, but she wasn’t sure she could stomach it. She followed behind him, farther behind him, as he opened the door to his room.

     Kate caught up after he entered, shaking with fear. Thor was crouched at the window, looking out for any sign of where they went to. Kate sighed to see there was no dead body, but the pain still ailed her. Loki was missing, to where, she had no clue of, with a girl she had no idea what her true association with him was. She observed the room for any hints of where they could have went, but found no trace. “How long was she in here,” Thor asked Kate, watching her contemptly though internally he was bound to explode.

      “A couple of hours, she was here since two,” she checked her watch for the time past.

     “I’m going after them,” he turned back to the window, Hel would have explaining to do.

     “I’m coming with you,” she a placed her hand on his shoulder, feeling the tenseness in them, he was not okay.

     “You have done enough Kate,” he said coldly, “this is for me to deal with,” he removed his shoulder from her grasp. He headed for the door, but she stopped him from leaving.

     “This is as much of your problem as it is mine,” her guilt was overbearing to handle. “It’s my fault he’s missing, and it’s my responsibility to find him,” her voice was strained from the desperation.

     “No, it is mine, I am his brother! You are going to stay here and wait,” he raised his voice. She had already failed one job, he wasn’t going to let her fail another. Kate stepped back to his raised, angered voice. She wasn’t ready to challenge a god, but she was going to try.

     “I, am going to find this child,” she pulled out her bow and an arrow, lifting her head high to the god of thunder, “because it’s my job. Not just as an Avenger, but as a human being, to save a child in danger to the best of my abilities.” Thor stared at her for moment before snatching the weapon from her. Kate jumped back before he could grasp it, and aimed the arrow to his eye. She followed her target as he stood straight, watching her carefully as she did him. “Don’t try to stop me,” her eyes were lined above the arrow, her fingers ready to slip if he made any move towards her.

      “This matter is above you mortal,” his words had a darker tone than usual. A hidden meaning that no one knew, or could find.

      “Well until you tell me what that matter is, this ‘mortal’ is going to save your brother.” She took a few steps  back, still aimed for Thor. She checked behind her for the open window. He wouldn’t give her the information she needed, she would have to search blindly. She stepped outside the window, “I’m sorry Thor, and I’m going to make this right.” Once she was fully out the window, she jumped off the ledge. Thor knew she would be gone if he checked, and didn’t bother looking out for her.  His anger fueled him for the mistake he made. He sighed before using all his anger to thrust his fist in a wall. Thor left the mansion, leaving a large hole in the wall.

    Thor was going to search every last inch of the Earth for Loki. He would tear up every building if it meant he would find his  brother. Kill every living thing if it ensured the safety of the child. His mind was going crazy with the missing of Loki. Maybe he did need help, he wasn’t mentally sound to do this search on his own. It brought him some form of relief to know Kate would help, he wasn’t sure he could hold it together long enough to find them. He was already thinking of mass murder on a nation, but he couldn’t-wouldn’t do that. He was going to find his brother, he just needed faith in Kate, and pray to Odin he doesn’t fall under.

   Kate was scouting the area. She climbed a nearby tall building to get a height advantage. She was going to search all of New York and then some to find Loki. She was curious as to why Thor had something against the girl Loki was with. Loki seemed to know the girl close and well, but when Thor heard of her, she seemed to be an enemy of theirs. Maybe it was Loki’s tendency to make friends with bad people, but she a little girl as well, not much older than Loki. She couldn’t be much of a threat, she still had the mind of a child. She was probably confused, and lonely, never meant to do harm. Kate didn’t understand Thor, nor did she understand his family. She was going to focus on the task at hand, finding Loki.

     Kate used her watch as a GPS, and filtered all of New York for places with kids in them. There were many, but she would search the places Loki would most likely go. The nearest to her was the arcade a few blocks away. She remembered Loki mentioning the place to her before, he could be located there. She would start there, and move forward as she went along.  She would investigate without being detected, she was probably going to need help. She saw Thor leave the Avengers building and fly away. She jumped off the building, figuring she wouldn’t be able to search on higher ground.

     Kate slid down the grappling hook on the side of the building. She noticed as she ran for the arcade, police cars parking next to it. She ran faster in fear of what might be the reason for their arrival. She hoped Loki wasn’t there, she didn’t want to be the one to tell Thor the horrible news. As she got closer she saw an ambulance. Two kids were sitting in the back of the vehicle while a man was being reeled into the truck on a medical table. The paramedics placed a oxygen mask on the man as they focused on his abdominal wound.  She saw a few police officers questioning the locals who were at the scene. She walked towards them, overhearing the conversation.

    “She was swinging at him, I mean, she was beating him down.” A child answered the officer.

    “Her friend stole all our money,” an angered kid rebutted.

    “She had a friend?” The officer asked for description of the friend, but none could depict them clearly. “Can you describe the girl,” they each open their mouth with a piece of information on the girl. Black hair, long green dress, she didn’t look like she was from Manhattan, nor any part of New York. One of the kids recalled her face being pale, she looked sick like she was dying.

    “Did she have bones in her hair,” Kate spoke out to the kids making the officer turn his attention to her.

    “Now that I think of it, yeah. It was holding up her hair.” Leah. It was her they spoke about.

    “Do you know any information on the suspects,” the officer asked Kate, but she already entering the crime scene. He attempted to stop her, but she pushed him away, claiming to be an Avenger. The building was empty making it clear to see the cameras set around the perimeter. She set her watch to connect to the film geld in the security cameras near the exit, thanking Stark for the technology.

    She paid close attention to the footage, searching for any sightings of Loki. She switched to different cameras with no signs of the boy. She forward the film until something caught her eye. She noticed a man flying past the camera towards the back. He went by fast, and his feet were off the ground as if he had been thrown. She believed it to be the man who was being reeled into the truck. He must have been impaled on something when he was thrown. The force needed had to been great, what impaled him went straight through him.

    Kate continued watching. After a while she had sped up the recording to see two kids running out of the arcade. She rewinded it to see Leah holding Loki’s hand as they ran. Kate could consider it as force, but Loki seemed to be smiling as they ran, in fact laughing. She knew Loki to do bad deeds, but this kid would never murder, nor attempt it. Leah had to been influencing him in some way. They weren’t here anymore, she would continue her search. The fact they went to the arcade told Kate it was Loki’s idea. Even the locals saw Leah as a foreigner, she couldn’t know New York. At least not enough to know an arcade was a few blocks away.

     Kate stayed at the arcade, wishing to hear what other people had to say about the situation. Hopefully someone had a lead to where the kids ran to.

    “We’ve got another case a few blocks north-east. Apparently the same kids were there,” one of the officers spoke to another. She nodded before entering her car, and leaving to the scene. Kate decided she would follow the vehicle to this alleged crime scene. She stayed near on foot, taking shortcuts through alleys, but keeping track of the car.

   The car parked in front of a diner. Strange place she thought Loki would go but maybe he wanted pancakes. The police entered the diner, a man already in their face about the complaint. Kate entered inconspicuously, taking a seat at a booth near the conversation. The man sounded outraged as the officers asked him a few questions. He wasn’t happy to answer miniscule question. He seemed angered the kids didn’t pay for their food. He offered them hospitality and they didn’t even bother to leave a tip. “Yeah, we’ll be sure to add ‘stolen three dollars and eighty cents’ to their charges,” the dark skinned officer replied sarcastically.

   “Just tell us if you saw where they ran off to,” the woman asked, writing down a few notes.

   “Georgie,” he pointed at the man he named, sitting a the counter drinking coffee. “He was their waiter. He probably knows more than I do, for the first time,” he added before leaving the officers to work. Once his afternoon coffee was ruined, George was timid around the police, around anyone really. He wasn’t reliable towards the end of their questions. Most of his answers were either ‘I don’t know,’ or ‘maybe.’  He was a very uncertain person, but it was clear he was hiding something. The police couldn’t hold anything against him yet, and decided to move onto better sources. They quickly left the diner to make it back to the arcade.

     The man seemed to be leaving the public area, but Kate wanted to ask a few more questions. Before he left his stool, she took a seat next to him. His social anxiety told him to leave, but if he were to be a functioning person in society, he would talk to her. “Hey Georgie, I’m going to try to keep this brief; you’re hiding information about the kids who came here early. I want to know that information now, by any means necessary.” She spoke her threat nonchalantly.

    “Who are you,” he wasn’t willing to reveal anything.

    “I’m the person trying to find a missing child,” she assured. He relaxed a small amount, but not enough to trust her.

    “Do you work for the feds,” he tensed before she shook her head.

    “I work for no authority. I’m just looking for the child I lost.” He was still unresponsive, but she didn’t have time for this. Kate grabbed a lock of his unkempt hair, pulling on it, “tell me what you know or allow me to bash your face in.” Fear worked since it got him to speak incoherently. He begged her to let go, and he’ll tell her anything. She reluctantly let go, holding onto his shoulder in case of escape.

   He exhaled deeply before speaking, “I thought they were mutants,” he whispered. “After what the cops said, I knew they were just runaway mutants.” She knew that to be false but she let him continue his rant.

   “Did you hear where they were going?”

  “All I saw was the girl upset. The boy comfort her, and they walk out together.” Kate was not satisfied with  their conversation and he could tell.

   “Was there anything else, something they said, about a location?”

   “Well, the boy asked if she was leaving hell? Metaphorical I guess.” Kate shook her head before leaving her seat. She asked which direction they ran to, and he pointed to the right. She left before he could put in another word.

    Kate fired an arrow to the rooftop of the diner, grappling to the ledge and climbing to the top. She noticed the sky was a lot more gray than earlier. The clouds covered the sky, but she recalled the sun being out only moments ago. It began to rain soon after, hard rain. She blamed climate change before following the direction she was pointed to.

   She stayed above, travelling from building to building, looking down at the crowded streets below for two kids. They were small and could easily been hidden by the other people on the sidewalk. She may have better equipment being an Avenger, but she was new at the job. She didn’t have access to all the tech provided. She wouldn’t need it, she had eyes like a hawk hence the name.

   The clouds covering the sun made the day dark. It was hard for her to see from the rain drenching her vision. She wiped the water from her face as she continued her search for the missing children. She began to hear thunder through the dark clouds, and it was then she realized who was behind the rain. She never witness the thunderer cause actual thunder, let alone know the reason for it. It was motivation for her to keep searching, knowing Thor was going to be on her neck about it. She didn’t want to be on his personal list of enemies. She needed to work faster, work smarter, they were only kids.

    Kate wondered what Thor was planning to do the little girl if he found them. He seemed furious to hear she was with Loki as if she was a threat to him, but throughout this entire day, it seemed as though they were best friends. There was nothing forced on Leah’s part, in fact, it was Loki who was the conniving one. She just was capable enough to run along with his mischievous plans.

     Kate wasn’t ignoring Leah hurting people. She heard what those injured kids said. She was a dangerous individual, but maybe she didn’t know what she was doing. Leah might not know how much strength she possesses. Kate’s heard of many superpowered people who didn’t know how much power they harness, and it going haywire because of it. Why shouldn’t she validate Leah as a possible contestant.

   Kate would have to base the search on instincts, and her instincts told her they were both still developing children who didn’t know better. By that thinking, she could consider Thor a villain. He was after that girl like she was a common criminal. Sure she may have attacked some people, but she had to assess the situation. Understand both sides before prosecuting. It wouldn’t make any sense for a kid to try killing someone without probable cause. That’s what Kate planned to find out, but she was certain she  planned no harm to Loki. Lightning struck the streets below her. The roads were becoming unsafe to travel, and people had to head home. Thor was starting to be dangerous towards civilians. She only hoped it wouldn’t escalate.

   The sun was down by the time her search lead to a dead end. She was frustrated, there was no sign of Loki or Leah anywhere. They seemed to gone underground as if they didn’t want to be found. It were true, they are running, but from what Kate had no clue. Nighttime hit and the rain had  stopped. She guessed Thor was either asleep or was gone. Since he was paranoid, she could guess he wasn’t sleeping. Kate was feeling stuck, she had nowhere else to go. She would have to start picking random areas, but if she chose wrong, they could be long gone. She needed to rethink this through, come up with a new plan, a more efficient plan.

    She heard sirens down below. She walked to the edge of the roof, watching the cop cars fly past her building. Maybe the police had a better lead than she did, or it could be something completely different.  She had no better choice, and she followed the cars. It was when she began running, did she feel a force pulling against her. She couldn’t see it, but there was something holding her back.

   Kate turned around to see nothing, and continued to run again. She was yanked by her shirt, and was pulled onto the floor. She didn’t if it was a ghost or invisible man, but she wasn’t getting dragged without a fight. She turned on her bottom, pulling her bow and arrow out to point at the direction she felt the force. She fired her arrow, watching it leave the general area. She stood quickly and grabbed another arrow. She felt a slight wind to which she believed the be the person attempting to touch her, and she pivoted and fired the arrow.

      She was fighting invisible man. The arrow was caught mid air, and the figure revealed itself. Kate was shocked to see a woman in black armor with green symbols etched into it. Kate could not see her face from the mask that covered everything except her black lips. Kate realized it was a helmet from the ebony black branches grown out of it. The figure had a slight dark glow to it that enabled Kate to see her as clear as she did. She was holding a staff with a emerald green orb encased in it like flesh. She was holding the arrow in her other hand, and snapped it with her thumb.

    That didn’t stop Kate from pulling another arrow and aiming for the head. Kate smelled the stench of death on the tall woman. If she were fighting death, she would fight it to death. She fired her third arrow, but it went through the woman. The woman walked towards her, and Kate backed away. “What are you,” Kate asked disturbed. Kate touched the edge of the roof, falling unbalance. She felt the same force pulling her from getting away by the woman.

    “I need to have a chat with you,” her voice was low and raspy. Kate was hesitant to listen to her, “I am Hel, ruler of Niflheim, goddess to the dead.”

Chapter Text

     Thor’s first destination was hell. Hel would have explaining to do. It was near Asgard where he called Hel, each time louder than the last. His fury growing, he shouted loud enough to make the earth shake below him. He was angry, he was tempted to kill what can’t be killed. She came after a few calls before he walked towards her, hammer in hand. Before he could let his anger get the best of him, Hel lifted a finger making him stop in his tracks. “I’m not afraid to break every bone in your body until you are nothing but a sack of flesh. You are a mortal with luck, do not push it.” She released him after throwing his hammer far away from him.

    “Did you know about this,” he said with just as much fury.

    “Only moments ago by my einherjar.”

    “We need to find th-”

    “I don’t need to find anyone. It is only you making a pathetic attempt to isolate Loki,” she insulted but Thor could do nothing about. “And if you are wondering about our deal, it stands.” Thor looked at her flabbergasted, making her smirk, “the deal was Loki would not owe me his soul if you gave up your soul.” She was business woman, she knew how to make transactions that favored her. Thor wasn’t a trader, only a fighter, he wouldn’t know the first rule of deals; read the contract.

     Thor had no words, all he could do was let the emotions sink in. He was upset, but it wasn’t towards Hel, it was towards himself. He was a fool to believe this would ever work, now his doubts peered through and Hel was showed the truth. His fear.  

  Hel wasn’t falling for the pity. She was a girl who fell for wit and cleverness which Thor lacked much of. Thor summoned Mjolnir, he certainly wasn’t happy for what he would have to do. Hel watched his eyes change to a grim darken look that she recognized to be death. His stare was enough of a threat for her to put her physical hands on him. Her hand latched onto his throat, squeezing tightly as she lifted him off the ground to her eye level. He made no struggle in her grasp, he knew of what’s to come, and Hel wasn’t stopping it. She read it in his eyes, his conviction, his boldness, he was truly a determined mortal.

    “I gave you mercy because of sympathy,” a bone snapped, “despite the fall of mercy shown from any of you sons of Odin ,” a mistake she would make no more. If he wanted to take her Leah away, she would have to take something from him away. Nothing would ever be equivalent to  the worth of her left hand, but she still wanted him to feel the pain she was hiding to feel. She had a lot of built up rage towards Asgard and all its inhabitants, but the royal family, she had a personal grudge against. She could call it petty to hold their past crimes against them, but killing her and her family is a valid reason to hold every sin against them.

   Thor was an idiot. He didn’t know the things Hel knew. He would know soon, the path he’s following, he will know all the terrible truths of this world. This choice, he made it a long time when he cut her father’s head off. She lifted her hand, prepared to remove a piece of him before looking into his eyes. Those crystal blue eyes had a flash of gold replace them, that familiar color she recognized. She dropped him.

   Hel kept her composure, and the distance between them were the same. Thor did not recover from her attack, and stayed flat on the ground. She wasn’t too late. Her anger gone, she had nothing left but leave and hope for the best. In the end, Thor belonged to her, and she was going to enjoy every second of his eternal suffering. Baldur would have to be thrown in the cage, Thor was going to be her new subject of torture.

   Thor had turned his body over, catching his breath while coughing up blood. He could feel himself breathing his own blood as it poured down his esophagus. He began healing, and the blood flow halted. He lifted his head and turned as blood fell from his mouth. When he filtered his throat, he laid on his back, shifting his eyes to Hel. She was a larger being than he, and resting at her feet made it even more so. “Choose your battles Odinson,” she grabbed his armor and pulled him to his feet, “because you’ve chosen one with me.” With that, she was gone with the stench of death being the only remnant left of her.   

     Thor dropped to one knee. He caught his strength and wiped the blood coming out of his nose. He laughed to himself. He may have not gotten what he needed from Hel, but he did get something out of her; her fear. His small laugh gradually turned to outbursts. It was painful to laugh and he eventually started coughing up blood, but in this crazed induce hysteria, he was a bit happy. No one has ever been able to shake Hel and he was the first. Of course, he wasn’t an abuser to use the fear against her. He was still mortal in her eyes, and he wasn’t smart enough to trick Hel. The only person able to accomplish that was her father. It would be a moment he would remember when he’s being tortured by her, it would lighten the mood a bit.

    Death would have her day, but until then, he had a brother to save.

    Hel knew that so, she was going to need help. She didn’t enjoy asking for help, it showed weakness and vulnerability which she had none of. She was fully prepared to hurt this mortal if she tried to use her reliability against Hel. The mortal didn’t look or sound dumb enough to try, so she had nothing to worry  about. Her fear gave Hel control of the situation, and control over the woman.

  She knew exactly who she was, what she called intuition was clairvoyance to the rest of the world. “Kate Bishop,” she nodded, disturbed.

   “Ruler of Ne-fellh-mmm,” Kate didn’t remember what she said she ruled. Her mask covered her eyes, and white shined through them. Hel stared at her for a moment, observing her carefully as she figured Kate out. “Hel you said?” Kate asked nervously as she took a step back. She was on the ledge of the building, ready to jump but the woman had a hold on her.

   “Small talk is a distraction, you have something I want.” Her lethal smell was killing Kate, she smelled of a rotten corpse.

  “I don’t know who you are. How could I have something of yours?” Kate said befuddled, she was close to escaping. Hel pulled her from the edge, and closer to the center of the building. Hel tossed her around roughly, resulting in Kate being on the ground. Kate reached for her bow and arrow that fell to the ground, but a force restricted her from moving.

   Hel walked up to her fallen body, “the Odinson plans on killing a child by the start of tomorrow. I want to ensure it does not happens.” Kate was given the ability to stand again, and she wiped the dirt off herself before reaching for her weapon. She quickly snatched it from the ground, and aimed at Hel. She thought the mortal was smarter than that, but she was proven wrong again.

   “You’re lying. Thor would never do that,” Kate was certain, but from the way he’s been acting lately, she had her doubts. Still, she would defend him, she still didn’t know this lady and she knew thor.

   “You don’t think I know my own family,” she said with her deathly voice that brought shivers through kate’s spine. Kate was shocked, but in disbelief. This large shadowy woman could not possibly be related to Thor, there was no resemblance.

   “Family how?” Kate was two seconds from firing, but it would do nothing.

   “It has no relevance. Where is the child?” She demanded, taking Kate back. No matter, she kept a strong stance even with the menacing fear driven woman glowering over her.

   “I’m not saying anything till I know who you are, your relations to Thor, and how you know Loki and Leah.” Kate wasn’t putting those kids’ lives on the line for the witch. Hel could blame it on her attire, she didn’t look friendly, she was more fit as an adversary but she promised she was on her side. Kate was stubborn, and wasn’t spilling a word to Hel.

   Hel was a patient person most of her life living, but she was impatient towards blinded ignorance. A trait she received from her father. She was close to touching the mortal and killing her, but she was her last hope in finding Leah. She would have to pull through, and tell Kate what she wanted to hear. She was growing to hate mortals.

   “I am Leah’s birth giver,” she realized immediately as she spoke, how unnatural it felt and sounded coming out of her mouth. “... I’m her mother,” with her sympathy cards laid out, Kate lowered her weapon. Hel sighed to herself but continued with her tale. In her Hel way, she described her “daughter” and how much she misses her. In reality, most of what she spoke was true. Hel was never going to hurt Leah, but she broke the trust  between them and it forced Leah to lash out irrationally. Leah didn’t want to see Hel, because in many ways, she didn’t know Hel. Who she was or what she felt. The few times she’s seen Hel “express” herself was with hate and rage, or threats and intimidating glares, and she couldn’t help it. She was wired to be assertive every since she was born, it was how she’s survived this long. Everyone, even the ones she loved, feared her, and it was that misconception that made Leah run.

   Maybe it was the child Loki that made her think differently. He may not be the father she had, but it was her father in there. She thought her connection with him long since passed, but she always did have the shaking feeling that he had influence to who she was. He may be another faze of Loki, but her connection to him was still present and she was learning a new trait from him, compassion. Describing her fake love for Leah made her realize her true care for the apprentice… and she did not like it.

    “Okay.” Kate could sense a small amount of desperation from her hidden voice and agreed to work with her. “I don’t have any leads on them,” she admitted she was stuck. At a dead end with no way back.

      Hel’s “intuition” returned and she saw it in Kate, “an item was given by you to Loki. Find use in it.” Hel needed to leave, she was gone from her post for too long and had to return. Leah didn’t want Hel to find her, so she sent someone else. Before she left, she gave Kate a warning, “be careful around the thunderer,” she tapped on her mask near her eyes. “He has golden eyes.” Her black figure was gone in an instant as she arrived.  

     Kate looked around, making sure there weren’t anymore dark forces attacking her. She thought back to what Hel said. She needed to remember the day before Thor showed up. Before Leah arrived. Kate was spending quality training with Loki in which towards the end, she gave him a weapon. A bow and arrow.

   She smiled to herself, could he still have it? If he did, then she could track it. It was Avengers property, and everything in that mansion is wired. She had to head back to the mansion, she had databases to be checking. Maybe, just maybe, she could track down Loki and save Hel’s daughter.

    Feelings were getting heated between Leah and Loki. They had finished their trail up a mountain outside New York and towards Maine. Getting off the island of Manhattan required teleportation which Leah hoped Hel didn’t catch. Her magic was directly linked to Hel’s prowess, and she would sense when it was being used. Hel was distracted which Leah could appreciate, leaving her and Loki alone.

   It had been hours since they decided to leave, and they had taken a break to eat. Of course, Loki was the one to steal the food from a market they long since passed. When offered food, Leah decline, having no need for nutrition. She watched as Loki engorged himself with the various different treats and sweets. His face looked so dumb as he fed, and she loved it. She took a seat next to him, scooting an inch closer when he wasn’t looking until they were shoulder to shoulder.

   Loki wiped whatever leftover residue from the food, trying to cover his mess. He turned to Leah who laughed, “what?” He asked genuinely before being shown ‘what.’

  “You still have white powder on your cheek,” she wiped it off with her finger, having a taste herself. She hummed to the sugar on her taste buds, and snatched a powdery pastry out of its package. She shoved the pastry whole in her mouth before Loki could take it back. She held him back as she finished the last donut, being stronger than him, he didn’t have a chance to stop her.

   She let go once he stopped struggling. She wiped her hands on the sharp grass, ignoring the pain that came from smashing her hand on the hard grass. Loki noticed the powder on her face, and wiped aa portion off while her guard was down. He enjoyed the savoury sugar before Leah grabbed his hand, “what are you doing,” she couldn’t have been serious to ask that question.

   “You still have powder on your cheek,” he smirked before using his other hand to get another finger worth of powdered sugar. She grabbed the other hand, pushing both hands down onto the rough grass. She pinned him but he found another way to the sugar. He pulled his head up and quickly licked her face.

   Leah jumped and released him, wiping her face vigorously. She was disgusted, Loki was lucky he had gotten this far without her pulverizing him. When she was done scrubbing her face, her anger flourished. She turned to Loki with rage in her eyes, and he was almost afraid to be next to her. He flinched when her hand lifted, clenched tightly. It was going to hurt.  Loki shut his eyes to her trembling hand considering this would be the end of him.

   Leah was tempted, she wanted to punish him for making her uncomfortable, but in a flash the anger was gone. She made a conscious decision not to hurt him. She pulled him away from home, and he cared enough to run along with her. She would allow his revolting action as reimbursement to his sacrifice. Loki sat up once he knew he was safe, and he stared at Leah, surprised she hadn’t killed him. He was looking for an explanation, but all she did was shove him. “You’re lucky I-” she cut herself off. She didn’t have the guts to it say aloud.

   Leah was bound to speak it. Loki gave her the look of anticipation, mesmerized by her thoughts and her words. It was hard for either of them to admit it, but it was Loki who was willing to give it up. He couldn’t look at her directly, but he was able to work the courage, “I like you too.” He saw Leah blush. She turned away when she felt her face warm.  She covered her face trying to cool it from the emotions overwhelming her. Loki grabbed her shoulder, pulling her attention to him again. She seemed speechless, having no words to say, “I like you a lot. More than I’ve liked anything. I think… I lo-”

      She covered his mouth. She covered the words that were undeserved. Loki was shocked by her sudden change in behavior. With all her bottled up emotions, she couldn’t hear it from him, she wasn’t ready to hear it. She removed her hand slowly. She wasn’t thinking, her heart was beating too quickly and her mind was racing. She glanced at Loki before leaning towards him.  He wasn’t pulling away as she inched closer, closing the space between them.

    Leah was a young woman who was self aware, but she was distracted from her senses. For once, she tugged away from them and let her instincts take over. Her lips pressed against his gently, never in her life had she done this. She was hesitant to move forward, but Loki leaned in, deepening the kiss.

    What felt like an eternity of bliss was only a short moment  cut off. Leah’s heart rate slowed, and she had the confidence to speak her feelings, “I like you a lot too.”  The diction she would never get used to, but Loki was fine with that. He scooted back to give her space, knowing how Leah was about her personal bubble. She backed away nervously, moving her bang behind her ear which she wasn’t known for doing.

      They were feeling awkward, both having their own miniscule movement indicating their embarrassment. They were afraid to look each other in the eyes as they were both pleased. A glance from Loki, a look from Leah, until their eyes finally met. Loki rubbed the side of his arm ashamed to ask, “wanna… do it again?” He suggested, he knew he wanted to but he didn’t know Leah’s thoughts.

      “Yes,” she said more eager than she had wished for. They closed the large space between them, Leah grabbed his face and Loki wrapped his arms around her waist. She didn’t understand why it made her happy kissing him, but she wasn’t going to reject it. She was feeling passionate for the first time, and she was releasing it all to him. She loved him so much, he was the only person who loved her. She was ready to let herself go to be with him for eternity.

   She had put her weight on him, and Loki being distracted by her affection didn’t support her weight. Loki was surprised by Leah expressing herself, a chance like this comes once in a lifetime. He was enjoying the choice he made, considering it to be his best one. It was hard to tell her his feelings, she was not a normal being with normal thoughts. She followed in Hel’s footsteps, but now she was being honest with herself. He was being honest with himself, and with her, and the truth was he wanted her in his life.

     Loki fell over before kissing her. He was given much pleasure from kissing her and he didn’t know why. Leah began having thoughts in the heat of moment. She was at the age and mental development to have these thoughts. With the love of her life in front of her, why wouldn’t she think of what she’d like to do with him?  The thoughts were flooding in, and her passion became intimacy. She was on top of him as she kissed him with endearment. She was dealing with so many emotions that she became self aware of what she was doing. Leah stopped herself from continuing, her thoughts were running but she wasn’t ready to act upon them. She didn’t think Loki was either.

     Leah got from on top of him to lying next to him. She felt strange with these new feelings, but she held onto them dearly. Loki was far from against them, and encouraged her to embrace them. Still, she didn’t want to overwhelm him with her compassion, and held onto him by his waist. “I guess we should get going,” Loki said as he helped her onto her feet, “the sun’s going down.”

    “Do you have a particular place to go,” Leah asked in a sarcastic tone.

    “Yes actually. Civilization down this mountain.” Leah wasn’t happy to hear they were going where other breathing and talking creatures lived, but unlike her, Loki does get cold and he couldn’t stay out long.  She agreed to leave eventually before interrupting their departure.

    “I have a gift for you,” Loki turned around in curiosity, “for your… sacrifices to me.” She closed his eyes and told him to hold his hands out. He peeked a few times, but she soon after covered his eyes with her hand. Loki could tell the gift was in his hands when his hands lowered from the weight of the object. She removed her hand to reveal the bow Kate had given him, “you left it on our way out.” She had in her other hand, a quiver and arrows.  Loki seemed to be distracted with his weapon but he finally looked up at her, he hugged her tightly.

    “Thank you.” From his reaction, Leah could considered the bow a good gift. She may have found it useless, but Loki was excited to have a weapon of any kind. Maybe next time she would give him a knife.

Chapter Text

     Kate had went back to the mansion, she snuck in of course. People were currently residing in the mansion, people who knew of her babysitting and knew she and the child she was responsible for were both gone. She turned off her cell to keep anyone from knowing what she was doing. She slipped through the same window she exited, and recuperated in Thor’s room. She was tired, working every moment to find the child she has lost was draining. She could not stop, and she would not stop. One small breath and she was quick to search in the room. The woman from earlier mentioned an item Kate had given to Loki, but she had forgotten what.

    She thought long and hard, having to go through her day before Loki ran. Why did he run? She could have sworn she did everything right. She basically allowed him to do whatever he wanted as long as it wasn’t breaking the law. Why did it have to be her when he decided to leave? Putting this weight and distress on her hands for reasons unknown to her. She even gave him a weapon as a sign of trust and loyalty, but he still felt the need to defy her. She didn’t know where he could be or what he could be doing, but from the footage she witnessed earlier, it was not good. She only hope he didn’t use her gift to cause havoc.

     After a moment of thought, and reminding herself unconsciously, she remembered the weapon being a bow. A bow with a tracker, a tracker she could locate Loki. She tired of repeating her discoveries in thought and hurried to the training room where there was a center com for her to find Loki. She quickly inconspicuously crossed the rooms to get to the training room.

    She went online and checked the database of the training room, (courtesy of Osborn International Server ; also known as O.I.S.) looking in search if each weapon was accounted for. There were a few missing, at least a handful of different kinds, but she was happy to see only one bow was missing. She clicked the icon of the bow, and gotten a view of the it, sighing in relief to see it was the one she gave Loki. She put the passcode to see the location, and smiled to see Loki was headed towards Maine. She knew it would take time since they were coming from New Jersey, cutting through the water to go north. He was a clever boy, but he didn’t know his geography.

  Kate would tell Thor the good news, but something told her to hold back on informing him. There was a bad feeling in her gut that Thor was having an issue she could not decipher. Once she knew the two missing kids were safe, then she would allow Thor to know of their whereabouts.

    She slipped out of the training room, and out the nearest window only to have her spandex suit be snagged by an object. Kate looked behind her to see it was a hand, and she was dragged back inside forcefully. She protested but was ultimately forced to explain her absence and Loki’s. It was Captain America who tugged on her purple and black suit, staring at her disappointed. “What happened to Loki?” Sam asked, noticing the lack of mischief in the building. Kate was planning to lie with an oblivious joke in between, but then she thought of Thor.

   Her mouth closed before she could answer quickly and exit swiftly. She frowned as she looked back at Sam, his brows furrowing to her sudden despair. “I have to go get him, I know where he is, I just need to get him first.” His grip loosened on her by her sternness and her foot stepped out the window.

   “What are you talking about. Is he in trouble?” Sam asked with a hint of worry, ready to rescue the boy if it were the case.

   “Hopefully not, but Thor… there’s something not right about him,” she said with repulse, clearly disturbed by his previous actions now that she had someone to tell. In the moment she didn’t have time to think about it, but now in this space to reflect, his attitude was gloomy with murder on his mind. Kate found that unsettling to think about, and shook the feeling away.

     “Thor came back?” His tone lighten to hear some good news, not catching her part about him not being right in the head.

     “Yeah, but he wasn’t happy to see his brother gone,” Sam gave her an incredulous look sarcastically, understanding where Thor was coming from.

    “Well, he put his trust in us to protect his brother and we failed him.” He said, putting the weight of this burden on his shoulders as well.

    “No, but here’s the thing; he looked like he was planning to murder the little girl which is why I have to stop him,” Sam was distracted by confusion, and she had made it on to the other side of the window. She shut the window before Sam could grab her. She waved goodbye before grappling her way off the building. Sam watched her grapple from building to building until she was out of view, sighing heavily before informing the rest of Kate’s leave.

   Leah used magic to steal them a boat. Loki had taken a compass off of the captain of the ship, and gave them a direction: north. Leah was quick to learn how to steer a ship, even without having prior knowledge to the functions of a ship. The compass was useful for her to know when to turn, but she also wanted to keep them away from land, where civilization rested.

   Loki was playing with his bow and arrows, firing them into the water. He had a towel wrapped around his wet shoulders, drenched from the atlantic waters moments early when he accidentally fell in before having a ship. He did blame Leah for not stopping him, but she knew he would forgive her for her “betrayal.” When he pretended to sulk and ignore her, she gave him a boat. He smiled widely, and they set sail. The joy in his laughter made Leah smile.

   Being on the ocean in wet clothes did make him freeze, shivering to keep warm. Loki would have wrapped his arms around Leah, but her body was even colder than the weather, and he didn’t think she would much appreciate that. She would smack his hands away if she was not in the mood to be touched, and she had the strength of twenty men. He kept his distance, sneezing every so often when the cold got to him. Leah would look back each time with a questioning look, never having seen Loki do such an act.

     After his tenth sneeze, Leah released the wheel, allowing the schooner ship to steer off course staring at him annoyed. “What are you doing?”

    “Sneezing,” he said right before doing so again, with a cough following up. “I’m cold,” he said as he rubbed his triceps vigorously to make them warm.

    “The inside of the boat is insulated. You can rest there until we hit the shore.” She turned back to steering heading port.

    “Aye aye captain!” Loki stood straight mimicking the Navy. He began coughing, and Leah practically had to push him inside, commenting on his childish mortal behavior. “I’m human at heart,” he admitted laughing as he entered the ship.

    Inside the narrow boat was an oak table, four chairs, a couch to lounge, and a small kitchen. There was no oven, but a small fridge and a microwave. The place was roomy, and it was warm to be in. Loki took his top off, drying himself off with the towel given to him. He sat on the couch soaking in the warmth, sighing as his nose stopped running. He saw a bathroom across the kitchen, and entered, grabbing tissue to blow his cold nose. He dried off his soaked ebony black hair to an adequate dampness when he heard a the feet of another creature in the next room.

   Loki stepped out of the bathroom calling out to who it was scampering in the small living room. He called, asking if it was Leah, but no response. Now he was really thinking it was Leah, it wouldn’t be the first time she decided to ignore his request to know her presence. Multiple times when he would wake up in the middle of the night to a quiet sound in the dark corner of the room, he would have to go over and touch her for her to respond. He had told Leah how creepy it was to be hiding and watching, but she only scoffed. After a few times catching her hiding, he no longer woke to the quiet sounds, figuring it Leah watching over him.

     Loki saw the shadow of a person passed behind the couch into the kitchen, and Loki quickly went after her. It must be Leah trying to hide, but she was caught once again. He cautiously entered the kitchen, keeping his steps silent. He was surprised to see the person huddle in the corner was not Leah, but a void black creature turned away from him. It sounded as if they were whimpering, and Loki stepped towards them slowly, careful not to be known yet.

    The person was small, the same size as he. They were pitch black, and Loki wasn’t sure to consider it human since black smoke evaporated off its body. “Who are you,” Loki asked curiously as his hand reached to touch them.

   They looked over their shoulder, revealing their holy white eyes, burning to stare at for too long. “Loki,” the creature spoke, a deep voice escaping its lips. Loki retracted his hand, afraid he was caught attempting to touch him. He turned around revealing his face, and he stood. Loki froze, it was like staring into a black mirror. It was him, he recognized the facial features even through the darkness that made its body. They were the same height as him, same mass, but he was the void of him.

   “What are you,” he asked, more intrigued.

   “You,” he placed his onyx hand on his bare chest, cold as ice but Loki was drawn to his eyes that he didn’t flinch, “…were mine.” His shadow dug his hands into his chest, but let go when it felt a burn on its black skin. Loki was unaffected by the creature’s attempt to harm him, but he was surprised when a golden aura surrounded his body, burning the boy’s hand. It hissed, and held its hand close to its chest growling at the protective shield over Loki. Knowing he was safe, Loki stood tall, crossing his arms over his chest.

   “Now, who are you,” he remembered seeing the creature at the dinner but mistook it as an illusion.

   “Many things,” his deep soothed voice echoed in the room, almost like there was a second to his own. The shadow stared with his bright white eyes at Loki and smiled, “ask Thor what happened to Ikol.” The darkness began coughing up a lung, black blood pouring out of its mouth as it fell to its knees.

   “What would Thor know?” He ignored the boy in pain, seeing as he tried to hurt him seconds ago. It wouldn’t be possible that Thor knew of Ikol, or of the bird’s creation, would he? The black ooze pouring out of the void creation landed on the floor, and made a large puddle Loki backed away from. The darkness incarnation laid on ground bleeding profusely, and  sunk into the pit it created, disappearing in the dark.

   When Loki believed the evil spirit to be away, the black thick liquid did not. It grew even without a supplier, branching at first slowly throughout the kitchen to which Loki stepped out of. The darkness grew and with it, the place began to disappear. Loki was shocked at first, processing what was around him before feeling the black water touch his feet. He jumped out, snatching his shirt off the couch and running up the stairs to Leah.

    Leah was concerned to see Loki sprinting towards her with fear in his eyes. He grabbed hold of her taking a deep breath before speaking, “are we near shore?” He asked as he look back at where he had come from.

    “Almost, why?” She stared at him intently, requesting an answer, “I sensed dark magic, is everything alright?” She placed a hand on his shoulder for comfort. Loki shook his head and her brows furrowed in worry. She looked behind him to see a dark energy escaping from the inside of the boat to the outside. Her eyes widened to the sight, seeing every sinful, malicious, damnable act done by the being responsible for becoming darkness itself. It scared Leah.  She didn’t want to be near it. She didn’t want anything near it.

   Leah wrapped her arm around Loki’s waist, pulling him close to her and she stepped on the railing of the boat. She looked at Loki, “do you know how to swim,” asked demandingly.

   “Sort of…” he learned but he wasn’t that good at it. Treading, he was excellent at. The response was fine enough for her, and she leaped off the boat, Loki with her, getting far from the boat before landing in the water. She watched the boat crumble from the dark entity taking control over it, and the boat sunk, leaving the black goop to float on the water. Leah turned away from the horror, and swam in the direction the shore was, Loki following behind her.

   They made it to a port, out of breath and tired; that is, Loki was. Shore was farther than Leah anticipated, but she knew they couldn’t stay on that boat much longer. They sat on the edge of the port resting, and understanding what had happened an hour ago. “Who was that Loki?” Leah asked, a sense of dread in her slightly trembled voice.

    “My dark shadow,” it looked like him, he might a well claim it as such. “I don’t know why he’s here, but I think it has something to do with Ikol. I think something’s happened to him,” Leah knew of the bargain a long past Loki made with her mistress that Hel was unclear of. All she knew was that the Loki she cared for came to existence because of the deal. Loki told her about how he found Ikol, and she always questioned how the spirit of the past Loki lived, and why he helped this version of Loki. It felt as some trick, but Leah could never find evidence to prove her accusation. She also wouldn’t know what to do if she were correct, she couldn’t do anything about it.

   Leah wasn’t exactly worried that Ikol was missing since she wasn’t fond of the magpie. She was afraid of Loki’s dark shadow, it was similar to the aura Hel had, but stronger, more nefarious. Leah was uncertain if that was Hel when she was mad, or someone else, but it was unsafe to be near. She barely showed, but she quivered at the thought of the dark beast. She could read dark forces, being one herself, but that was pure evil. “He told me to ask Thor what happened.” Loki said getting her attention.

    Leah thought for a moment, hearing that name again made her wince. She wondered if Thor did have something to do with what’s happening. It made sense, Thor trying to separate Loki from her, attempting to send him away, and now sending a vicious creature to kill him. She believed maybe because he was his brother he wouldn’t think like the other aesirs, but also wished for his death for the “better.” Loki was too blinded to see his brother’s deceit, but she wouldn’t stand for the betrayal any longer. She planned to keep his brother’s contract with Hela to herself, but Loki needed to know. Holding it back would only cause harm.

    “Loki, I have bad news about your brother,” she started, barely gazing at him in fear of his reaction.

    “What-” he said anxious. The last time he was told bad news about Thor, it was of his death that Loki had caused. He knew Thor came back, but he still had nightmares of that day, and of that funeral. When he thought about it too long, he would cry as well.  Leah was interrupted by the call of another woman’s voice shouting.

    “Loki!” Kate shouted, seeing him at the end of the dock. She was relieved to see his face again, recalling seeing the tracker in the water. She sprinted for him, but the girl grabbed his hand and pulled him to run. Loki was a bit hesitant to not call to Kate, but when Leah told him to run, he did. Kate sprinted for the runaways, turning towards a building they headed for. She sighed, taking out her bow and a net arrow. If they were not planning to comply, she would force them to.

    Loki was right behind Leah as they ran in any direction, trying to throw Kate off their random path. Leah made as many twists and turns that were available, practically tossing Loki over a fence before hopping it herself. Leah looked back to see no one chasing directly behind them, and allowed Loki to catch his thoughts. “Why are we running?” He brought his breath to normal standing straight.

    “Your brother is plotting…against us,” she checked behind the fence and saw no one. Her eyes went back to Loki, “he prays for our separation, he wishes to keep you isolated.” She said in a rush and panic, holding onto Loki for support. He looked at her incredulously, confused what she was talking about.

    “Thor wouldn’t do that, right?” He asked in doubt, Thor wouldn’t betray Loki. He promised to keep him safe, but at what cost? They heard the scurrying of someone’s feet, and continued running. They soon found a dead end alleyway, and hid behind the  large green dumpster. Loki was in disbelief that Thor would try to separate him from Leah, he didn’t even know about her. Leah captured his attention, holding his face in her hands.

    “He made a deal with my mistress. He traded your soul for mine and his.” She may have been told multiple times by Hel she didn’t have a soul, but she felt sentient and conscious enough to have one. Her feelings could not be this strong if she lacked the very component needed to give her emotions.

       Loki face saddened, if it were true-which he knew it to be since Leah would never lie to him-then he couldn’t be with Leah. He didn’t understand; why would Thor find Leah a threat? She had not done any wrong to him or Loki, she did nothing wrong. It explains why she left Hel suddenly after all these months she's been gone, without Hel ordering her to. Why she didn’t confront him of his crime against her, why she wanted to runaway.

    It was unfair, he only had her for a day. Loki had so much to tell her, to show her, he didn’t want her to go. They heard feet run past the alley way calling out to the missing kids, and Leah poked her head out the back of the garbage bin. She turned to Loki again, “we must leave this place, you must leave your brother,” she demanded more than proposed.

   “I-I don’t know if I can,” he said in a whisper as his mind was being torn. He didn’t want to believe Thor would do a terrible deed as take his only friend away, but he didn’t want to risk the chance of losing Leah again. Loki admired the god ever since he caught him pick pocketing a businessman, and loved his brother for being the few memories he recalled of his past. He clung to the thunderer, being the one familiar creature in Asgard, and the only one to trust him. He was his guardian, but now Loki didn’t know what to think.

   “Yes you can. You are strong, stronger than any of us,” his mind still held doubt and reluctance. Leah clasped her hands against his own, holding them close together as she lowered her head. “Please Loki, don’t leave me,” she said in desperation as her face was hidden. She was tired of being alone, alone with Hela, alone with the serpent. She was tired of being used and having no will. Loki gave her freedom, and she didn’t want that gone, she wanted it to stay.

     At that moment, he knew he would destroy the world if it meant he could be with Leah. He squeezed her hand, making her look up at him, sadness in her eyes. “I’m never leaving your side,” he said smiling as he helped her on her feet. “Let’s get out of here,” a wide smile formed on Leah’s lips that colored her beautiful pale face to a mesmerizing flush of vibrancy. His hand didn’t let go of hers as he lead her out from behind the garbage bin.

    Their moment of bliss was cut short when he was stopped by the sight of Kate staring at him.  Kate stared blankly at him, almost as if her eyes weren’t focused on him even though they looked at him directly. Leah stepped from the large dirty box only to freeze at the sight of Kate. “Leah,” Kate’s attention went immediately to Leah whose eyes widened in fear. Loki saw Kate Bishop the archer, but Leah saw who hid in her skin, Hel. Leah let go of Loki’s hand as she stepped back, shaking to see her mistress.

    “She’s not an enemy,” Loki stepped in front of Leah, blocking her from Kate. He wasn’t sure why Leah had fear over Kate suddenly, but he wouldn’t question it now. He would protect the person he loved even after death.

     “Step away Loki, this no longer concerns you,” Hel shed the skin she was wearing, pulling her person out of Kate’s body. Her true self being much larger, Kate fell to the floor unconscious. Loki stepped back out of shock it was Hel. Hel walked towards the pair, reaching for Leah but Loki was the wedge between them.

    “Not as long as my soul’s apart of the equation,” Hel looked at the boy curiously, deciphering what he meant. He looked between Hel and Leah who stared at him warningly. He made a decision spontaneously that he knew Ikol would (not) be proud of. He thought quick on his feet to ease the problem while satisfying both groups, “my soul for hers.”

    “She has no soul,” Hel said just so he knew he was trading his soul for nothing.

     “No Loki, you are not doing this,” Leah interrupted. She didn’t want Loki to suffer the same fate as she had her entire life.

     “You do see how paradoxal that is. Your contract will contradict your brother’s; now what am I to do?” She said sarcastically, knowing if Loki’s deal is made, she would win either way. Having both brothers’ soul, those would be nice souvenirs. This Loki was definitely weaker, throwing himself in the fire any chance he gets, she knew that not to be practical.

     Leah stepped in front of him, pushing him away from Hel’s grasp. “No! We will give you nothing,” Leah shouted holding her and Loki back. Hel stood straight, showing her towering figure as she glowered over Leah. Hel didn’t comment on her disobedience, instead she just acted. Her arm stretched for Leah as she pushed herself and Loki against a wall. Loki felt in front of him, a knife in Leah’s  hands form. It was green and made out of her pure energy. When Hel was close enough, Leah brought it to view, and lodged the blade into Hela’s right hand.

     Hela’s hand retracted to her body at the stinging it brought. The blade went through her back hand to her palm. Hela took the moment to observed her injured hand, and Leah grabbed Loki’s hand and ran for the exit. “That is unfortunate,” Hel said with a tone of disappointment. She pulled the small dagger out of her hand and turned to the running children. Her bleeding hand lifted, and Leah stopped moving.

    Loki pulled on Leah’s arm to keep going, but she was unresponsive. Leah glanced straight ahead before turning around the direction they came from. Loki called her name, but she was focused on Hel only. He began to panic when Leah started walking towards the queen, slowly, calmly. The clouds grew close and dark, and Hel looked at them warily. Loki got in front of Leah talking to her, trying to stop her, but he wasn’t strong enough to stop her feet. She didn’t look at him, she didn’t hear him as she paid her attention to her queen’s call.

   Leah’s motion halted to Hel’s dismay when Loki wrapped his arms around her. They all heard the sound of thunder shatter the Earth, and Hel needed to leave. The dark grey clouds began to pour and Loki was getting drenched. “Please Leah, don’t go,” he begged, holding her tightly. She forced her arms to wrap around him, against Hel’s wish. Her few last moments of free will she held.

   “I’m sorry,” she whispered to him, and her hug tightened. She didn’t have a soul, she had no will, no freedom. She wanted it so badly, but Hel showed her reality and she had no choice but to accept it. She was her slave for eternity, and nothing would change that. “Don’t feed yourself to her for something as myself.” Leah wanted him to promise.

   “I’m sorry for what I did,” he never got to apologize for his mistakes. “I just missed you so much, I knew I wouldn't see you again,” he wished he hadn’t put her through that pain and the pain she now endured. Lightning struck the street behind them and thunder roared.

   “I am not, it gave me a second chance to see you,” she smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek. “But promise me…” she said in the tremble of her voice.

   “I promise…” he smiled in remorse. His smile faded as his frustration and anger builded, “I will get you out of hell, and we will leave this place.” He swore on his life, he may not know when or how, but he was going to retrieve Leah from her bars and free her from her chains. Loki released her, and she continued to walked towards Hela, wiping the tears from her eyes. Hela placed her hand on Leah’s shoulder, and with a green shimmer, she was sent away. Loki stared at Hel with grimace and rage, she had not seemed to be getting wet from the water.

    Hel told him Leah had no soul, yet he insisted on having her. This version did remind her a lot of her father, and the determination in his glare proved her point more. She would be seeing him again soon, and she wondered if her father would still be in there or if he would be someone completely different. The lightning paused her train of thought, and she left with another shimmer.

   Loki was alone. Kate was unconscious on the wet ground, and by the sound of thunder, Thor was close. He felt numb, Leah was gone, never to return. He promised to find a way to bust her out, but he didn’t know where to start. He couldn’t ask his brother to help since he was the cause of her imprisonment. Ikol was missing so he couldn’t receive advice, which he was now certain Thor was the cause of. Loki was alone, and there was nothing he could do.

   He sat on the ground, pulling his knees close to his chest before he began crying.

   Loki ignored the loud noise of ground breaking beside him, and of the person he was beginning to resent who had landed. He heard a cough and turned his head, his dark shadow lying against a brick wall smiling. Loki coughed forcefully and he looked at the creature suspiciously. He saw the wet golden metal boots come closer to him, and Thor’s hand held out for him. “We have to leave this planet Loki, now,” he said eerily calm.

    Loki looked at his brother’s hand, a sudden reluctance to take it. He heard another cough from his shadow, and a coughed followed after from himself. He took Thor’s hand, being pulled to stand, but he didn’t lift his head. He wasn’t sure he could look at his brother, afraid he would see the lies in his eyes. He wiped the tears swelling in his eyes, realizing he would have to question Thor when the time came. For now, he was going to think, think of his mistakes and figure out a way to fix them.

    Thor didn’t question Loki of what happened since he had a good guess. Thor picked up Kate, telling Loki to hop on his back, and he threw her over his shoulder. He checked for any other bodies, before throwing Mjolnir to the sky, dragging them along with her.

Chapter Text

Loki picked up his small bag of items from Avengers’ Tower. Thor was in a rush and dropped Kate off. Loki had suspicions over his brother, but he didn’t waste his brother’s time. Quickly grabbing his clothes and trinkets, Loki was hesitant to take Thor’s cape. The feeling of bravery and security, was altering to treachery and lies. Leah was gone, and it was Thor who was at fault. He felt tricked unfairly, why would his brother do something like this? It didn’t add up. He put the cape in his bag, he couldn’t help but have hope his brother wasn’t truly causing him this distress. Maybe Leah mistaken someone else for Thor, maybe she saw a worse version of himself. His old self was common to shapeshift to other people.

   He sat on Thor’s bed contemplating. Loki stared at the red cape in his bag questioning himself, everything he’s known, questioning his doubts, his truths, his lies. He questioned his existence, why he was brought to life, why his older self is evil, why he is evil. He didn’t feel evil, but he knew he was. It wouldn’t be logical if he wasn’t. He was the god of lies and chaos, why was he trying to save people? Why not prove asgardians right? He didn’t deserve a second chance, did he? He shouldn’t do good, try to show his heroism. It was all a façade, as Thor’s is a mask.

   His negative thoughts were cut short when he heard Thor enter the room. Loki still couldn’t glance at him, he was wrapped in his mind, second guessing all he knew including his feelings on Thor. Thor sat next to him placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder comforting his clearly upset sibling. “What distracts your thoughts brother?” Thor asked concerned, he noticed his brother’s silence and lowered head since he found him. Thor hadn’t ask during his moment of rage, but knowing his brother held a frown, brought a sadness to him.

     Loki heard his brother’s opening voice and he winced. He stared at the red cape, mesmerized by the patterns made to stitch it together as his thoughts became one. He could see a swirl in the pattern, and the illusion brought a sort of stillness to his worry. Loki felt Thor’s grip tighten on his shoulder to catch his attention, and he hadn’t realized he was wrinkling the cape with his balled fists. Thor stared at his silent brother warily, searching for answers in his narrowed eyes.

    “You can tell me Loki,” he reassured him, but he was quiet. “Anything Loki, tell me anything,” he almost pleaded, tired of the silence from his younger brother. Loki didn’t want to believe Thor would try to hurt him, he is the only one who hasn’t. Or hadn’t? Loki wanted to interrogate his brother, find out the truth through his deception. Or was it? Why were they thrown out of Asgard, he needed to know in detail. Why they resided on Midgard while Thor ran “errands.” Pieces were being left out, and Thor was the only one to supply them.

     At that moment, Loki wanted to confront Thor. He was hiding something from him, and he needed to know what it was. His grip on the cape tightened, and his body trembled. He couldn’t. He loved his brother too much to question him, to think him as a deceiver, and he was angry at himself. He shouldn’t have let Hel taken Leah away, he should have tried harder, should have fought harder for her freedom.

     He was pathetic, attempting to blame his brother for his own crime. It was his fault she’s gone. He shouldn’t have wrote that story in that forsaken book, but he did. He was weak and pathetic, and he grew frustrated with himself. His head hung low to his thighs as his grip tightened on the cape his forehead rested against. His teeth grinded against each other with irritation as he sighed exasperatedly.

    Thor heard a sob escape Loki’s lips.

     Loki was horribly confused, conflicted with emotions. Loki loved his brother, but if he was lying to him, he didn’t know what to do. What could he do? If his brother wished to end him, what would stop him? Who would stop him? No one. Not a single person on this Earth wanted Loki alive, except for Thor. He had no one to turn to other than Thor. The thought made him cry more, and he latched himself to Thor.

    Loki’s arms were wrapped around Thor’s stomach and he cried into his metal chest plate. Loki calmed himself as he looked up at his brother teary eyes, “Leah was taken away,” Loki spoke honestly. He was the one person he trusted to speak the truth. Thor wrapped his arms around his brother, patting his hair. He winced internally to hear Loki talk about that child, but he allowed him to cry about his loss. “She didn’t do anything wrong, she wasn’t hurting anybody,” he spoke louder, not directly accusing Thor but watching for any hint of guilt. “It was…Hel who separated us,” he spoke slower, seeing as there was no guilt in Thor’s eyes.  

    “She told me things and…” he swallowed hard, finding it hard to ask him the real question. “Why did we leave Asgard?” That wasn’t the question he wanted to ask, but it was the one that came out. Thor released Loki, sighing heavily as he thought of what to say. Out of all the things he was keeping hidden from this child, he had to tell him at least one truth. Loki sat up straight, watching Thor cautiously, tracking every movement and sound. Thor hadn’t been looking at him until his mind made a consensus.

    “They were going to kill you and I,” he said in a low whisper of grief. “Get rid of me so when they executed you, they wouldn’t be punished for their sins,” Loki was unpleased by the information, but he didn’t expect it to be good. “Volstagg was afraid of the citizens, and Freyja…she was afraid of you,” he hated to admit. Loki couldn’t help but think why. His head hung low as he was ashamed of himself for causing fear in people, he didn’t mean to. “I’m sorry Loki,” he said sincerely, “but we are runaways and Asgard is after us. Whatever quarrel Hel has with Leah, I promise we will find a way to fix it, but we have to solve our own problem first.” He spoke out of his neck.

   A smile formed on Loki’s lips as the hope of saving his friend became an option with the support of his brother. He just had to solve their problem, and then they would get Leah from her cage. He grew optimistic, and Thor fell to his good grace again, once again being his hero. Thor breathed a sigh of relief, seeing his brother’s weariness towards him had faltered. Thor patted Loki on the back, “really,” he didn’t want to get his hopes up just yet until he was sure.

    “We don’t leave the ones we love Loki, we will save her,” he gave him a hopeful smile that lighten Loki’s mood. He lied. He lied, and lied again, anything to keep Loki from knowing. Thor stood, picking his hammer from the ground, the weight heavier than he remembered, and told Loki to ready for their departure soon.

     When Thor left the room, Loki  began coughing.

     Thor went to Kate who was resting in her room. She had woke to footsteps of Thor’s heavy metal boots clanking to the metal underground. She sat up weakly licking her dry lips, “what did you tell the others,” she spoke of the other Avengers.

     “I resigned my duties to Midgard,” he was permanently attached to Earth by connections he was still unsure of, but his love and admiration for this developing world forced him to keep in touch. His brother came first, and he knew his duties to this planet would discontinue.

    “Did they blame me,” Kate said incredulously making him chuckle.

    “No, they were very understanding,” as he knew them to be. He rested against the door frame observing Kate’s weak state. He was astonished she had survived Hel’s possessing, he’s never known a person who lived to tell the tale. Silence filled the room for a long while as no words were exchange from the two. “Thank you-” he said lowly, and Kate looked at him worried.

   “Were you actually going to kill the girl?” It was a question on her mind the entire time she saw Thor.

   “I thought I was ready to,” he sighed. She was a soulless creature, her death would bring no end to the universe, but an end to Loki’s. “Then she ran away for Loki, and I realized she had just as much compassion and humanity as you and I.” Kate still found it disturbing he was planning to slaughter a child, his reasons were twisted. The air was dead around them, both of them finding the space awkward but both having words to speak.

    “I had that little girl’s mom inside me,” she spoke calmly, “she hates you a lot,” she said emphasizing the adjective.

     “For valid reasons,” Thor admitted, knowing how complicated he made life for Hel in the underworld. “How was she…in you?”

     “Powerful and dark,” she rubbed the back of her head as a distraction. Kate had something to tell him about Hel, and her plot against him, but she suddenly decided against it. She would let Thor deal with his own affairs, she no longer wished to be apart of them. “Where do you plan to go?”

    “Jupiter. There is a force that calls me there.”

    “Wow, that’s far. Isn’t Jupiter a gas planet,” he wouldn’t be able to live there, so what did he want there? He smirked, making her even more curious.

    “Good-bye Kate Bishop,” he would be gone for a long time, his ties to Earth being cut.

    “Hey, Thor,” he turned to her before he left by her call. “What are you going to do with Loki,” she knew Loki was a villain in the past, but she watched this boy who had passion and sincerity. She knew how much he cared for the ones he loved. Hel showed her he would break laws, and restore laws for them. That boy was conflicted with wants and needs, he wanted to satisfy everyone so he satisfied no one. Kate hoped what Thor was doing, would do the kid right.

     “Raise him,” he said before leaving her room. Kate sat on her bed contemplating, she would never figure out Thor. What was wrong with him or right, she will never truly know. She prayed for the safety of Loki, seeing as Thor was going through changes that could be for better or for worse. She really didn’t know anymore. She watched her window, seeing Thor leave the manor with his brother in his hands. She smiled faintly to see Loki wearing the oversized red cape on his neck, his innocence prevailing.

     She watched him look back at the mansion and he frowned. Her smile quickly faded at the sight of him in deep thought before Thor told him something. Thor gave a brief glance to the mansion as Loki hopped on his back, and with Mjolnir in hand, he shot off into the sky. Kate sighed heavily before focusing her energy on resting her tired body.

    Loki didn’t know how he was holding on to his brother at the speed he was going. They left Earth with a gust of wind, and Loki watched as the atmosphere escaped them. He held his breath and closed his eyes tightly, having no air to breath in his lungs. Thor was quick to get to the next planet; Mars, he knew he and Loki could filter the atmosphere of the second Earth to catch a moment’s breath. Loki coughed out the ingestion he held in while flying. “Are you alright?” Thor asked, having caught his breath a while ago. Loki couldn’t speak, and only nodded, “each world will be farther than the last, are you sure you can handle it?”

    “Yes,” Loki said determined, he wasn’t going to be weak in front of his brother. He removed the cape from his shoulder, tearing parts of but having a struggle from the pounds of layers of cloth sewn into it. Thor helped him rip parts of the cape to tie to Thor. He reattached the cape to himself, wrapping it around his waist to stick to his brother. The velocity at which Thor was going through void, would shred the heavy cape in an instant, but it brought relief to believe he was secure.

   Loki let in one final breath before giving the word for Thor to leave. “Once we pass the asteroid belt, hold close, we will be going faster than this.” Loki sighed heavily before working the strength to nod his head. Thor smiled to reassure him before flying out of Mars’ atmosphere. Loki closed his eyes tightly, hoping desperately this trip would not last long.

   Thor believed Loki had passed out after the asteroid belt. He was tired, hungry, needed oxygen in his lungs. Thor was close. He held to Loki, holding him in one hand as his other guided Mjolnir. He was going fast, faster than he ever expected he and Uru could. He was close to mach twenty-eight, and anything and everything that was in his way, was obliterated. The one reason he and Loki were not avicerated by the thirty-three thousand kilometers he travelled an hour, were because of magic protecting them from the harsh condition of the empty space surrounding them. If past Loki could see Thor now, he’d like to believe he would be impressed.

     Thor’s energy wielding ability was child’s play compared to past Loki’s, but every so often he’d learn a trick or two. It was Mjolnir who guided him to chanel magic, bits and pieces but it was magic, and it was her helping him now again. The mystic power his hammer held was part of the reason Loki wanted it badly, and part of the reason Thor was the only one who could stop Loki. “What-” Thor said to himself in shock. “How did he die?” He asked as if there was someone out in the space to talk to.

     The memories flashed in his eyes, but he could not comprehend them. Brief instances of lives he can’t recall, but he looked at his belt. He watched, on his side a flash of a head appeared on his belt. A decapitated head tied by string, resting on his belt. “Who did this,” he asked desperately out of pure despair and shock, he almost dropped the Loki in his hand. He closed his eyes, and reopened them slowly to see nothing looking back at him. He sighed in relief before focusing ahead of him.  He was close.

    Thor crashed right into the moon orbiting Jupiter, the one he knew was calling him. Midgard had a name for it being the largest moon, but he called it something else; Yggard, treeland. There was only one tree on this entire astronomical body, the one he heard the voice of. He travelled across the lands to find, and now he was in the desolate place, with only his brother as company.

   Loki woke in his brother’s arms, rubbing his eyes open and rolling onto the floor. He landed on his feet before his face could touch the floor. Thor helped Loki up, announcing they had finally arrived at their destination. Thor laughed out of relief and joy, “that wasn’t so bad was it?” He looked at Loki who was getting a good look at the place, mapping it out in his head. Loki stared at his brother’s teasing with annoyance.

   “I’m sure I’m brain dead now,” Loki smiled, making Thor’s smile wider. “How long was I out?” He wondered as he paced the grovel land, picking up what he would considered dirt, but this wasn’t Earth so it had to been something else.

    “Time has no effect in space, so a year or two at least.” Loki looked at him skeptically, disbelief in his features. Loki relaxed, and didn't question the fact he was in a coma for a year. He asked what they were going to do next. They were far from Asgard, as far as they could go, but he wasn't sure how they were going to survive this isolated area. Thor only smiled, and made him follow him to their next spot. Without hesitation, Loki walked with his brother to the unknown section of Ganymede.

     Loki's eyes watered profusely at the sight. It was always a beautiful sight to witness. He didn't know it would reside here, or at least an older version of it, but it did and it was gracious in it's old age. The roots of Yggdrasil dug in the non-existent earth below, and forced life to grow. The golden tree was enormous, covering at least a third of the moon and counting. Its branches grew far and wide, they were large enough to make homes out of them. The wrinkles in the bark made patterns of old runes, symbolizing its age over the eons.

     Life was abundant in the vicinity. Yggdrasil took its time replenishing itself from the centuries of maltreatment, and the effects left the land with life. The tree of life was a sight to see, and Loki had not realized he had tears in his eyes until Thor wiped them away. He looked down at himself, and touched his face to feel the wetness of it. He was confused at the sight before he saw Thor walking towards the tree. “No, don't,” Loki said in fear from past experiences with the tree.

     The Yggdrasil in Asgard was dangerous, touching it could make any person mad with knowledge. Being near it could cause any Aesir, to see things, things they wish they never had. Loki knew first hand what it was like to be next to the tree. He still had nightmares of what he saw, he could still see death in his brother's eyes. “It's okay Loki,” he grabbed his hand, and pulled him towards the tree.

    “No Thor please,” he pleaded as fear settled in, and he panicked. He squirmed as he tried to be released from his brother's hold, but he was much stronger and he was determined to make him touch it. He stared at his hand that was reaching for the bark of the tree, and more tears welled in his eyes. He looked at his brother, death hanging over him as it once did. Loki wasn't ready to to see it again, he wasn't ready to grief over loss, he wasn't ready to touch the tree of death.

    Thor let go of his hand before it touched the tree, and Loki fell back from resistance. Loki backed away from the tree quickly, pushing dirt up from his feet and gripping it in his hands. Thor went to his side sympathetically as he attempted to calm his brother's dread. “Why are you so fearful of the tree of life?” He helped his brother sit up straight, and he wiped the dirt off his pants.

     The tree of death , Loki thought it. Pain was sure to follow after associations with Yggdrasil. He wiped the tears from his eyes and calmed himself down quickly. He looked up at Thor with worry in his eyes, and Thor decided not to press him into answering his question. It was going to be harder for them to live if Loki feared Yggdrasil, but Thor was willing to give him time. Thor walked to the giving tree, tearing a small piece of bark off.

      Thor placed his hand down on the rock that was Yggard, his other carrying the small piece of bark. Loki watched his hand glow bright above the hard ground, and soon after, the ground brightened. When the light faded, Thor took a deep breath, and shoved his other hand into the floor. Loki scooted closer only a little to see the reaction with the earth beneath them turn: from rock, to soil, to grass, to plants, to fruits, to food. Thor pulled out a green leaf that its roots were orange and edible. Thor brushed most of the dirt off of the carrot, and offering it to Loki. Loki immediately after, heard his stomach growl, but he was still afraid of Yggdrasil and its contents. “You have to eat Loki, you will die if you don’t,” Thor said blatantly before offering again.

    Loki was reluctant, he was hungry and paranoia could not overthrow his survival instincts. He slowly reached for the carrot, using his longest finger to graze the sustenance. When nothing happened, his entire hand gripped the long carrot. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he held in as he pulled the item from Thor, and he rushed in taking a bite out of it. Loki’s tensed body relaxed once he knew he was safe from the hallucinations and visions. He took another bite out of the crunchy vegetable, much larger than the last. He smiled slightly at Thor before finishing the food quickly, savoring the bitter with a hint of sweet taste.

    Thor smiled to Loki’s compliance and, tore another bark from the tree. He offered it to Loki, and he declined to the touch it. Thor sighed heavily, but accepted it would take time, and performed the process of planting again. He pulled Loki onto his feet, and made him walk with him. Loki noticed that each step Thor left, life would grow, and he stared at his brother in wonder. The rock turned to soil, and his feet fertilized the ground for life to grow rapidly. Loki was disappointed to see his footprints didn’t do the same, and he was positive Thor had to be the source of  growth. “How are you doing that,” Loki asked before covering his mouth to cough.

    “Doing what,” Thor smirked, knowing exactly what. Loki stopped his footing, and lifted Thor’s heel to see grass digging out of the ground. The curiousness in Loki’s voice made Thor chuckle, and he couldn’t help but tease.

    “How are you-” Thor knelt beside his little brother, placing a hand on his shoulder as he talked to him closely.

     “A simple ingredient brother…” he thought quick on his feet, as quick as he could, “spit.” He said plainly, “coat your feet in saliva and trees will grow,” Loki looked at him repulsed but intrigued.

     “Are you serious?” He asked honestly, he knew nothing of Thor’s ability other than thunder. Maybe he had a green toe for plants. Thor nodded his head confidently with a smile. “Eww, you licked your feet,” Loki replied in disgust.

     “And you ate the carrot made out of it.” He turned the mockery back on Loki, and his realization of his mistake caused Thor to laugh.

     “Ugh, you’re right,” he wiped at his tongue to rid himself of the germs he had been infected with. He shook his head in shock he was now infected with gross germs, and he began panicking. Thor laughed at his brother’s expense, before stopping him from freaking out. He calmed his voluptuous laughter and gripped Loki’s shoulder.

    “Don’t fret Loki, you’ve been tricked.” Loki paused, staring at Thor with suspicious confusion. “The solution was not spit, but spirit.” Loki's face did not falter, “I'm the god of fertility Loki.” Loki's eyes widened to the realization and his lips formed a smile.

     “So you can get people pregnant by a touch,” Loki said with excitement, and gloss in his eyes.

     “No, but I make them-wait…why do you know how pregnancies work?” Thor asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at his brother who shuffled nervously. Loki supposed he had been on the internet for too long, searching a few different ideas here and there. It wasn’t his fault, Ikol was the one who informed him he could, and would get pregnant. He just wanted to be sure what he was getting into.

    Loki was not going to say his name, but he did mention what he did. “They told me I could be a girl,” he said embarrassed, his cheeks turning a tinge red. With no one else to influence him but Thor, Thor knew he could be the only person to inform him correctly. Knowing that brought relief to him, and a laughter arose deep below his diaphragm. Loki’s face darkened in red, and his pale face was the color of a ripe tomato. Thor placed a hand on his shoulder warmingly before his laughter stopped, and looked Loki in the eyes comforting.

    “Of course you can, you are jӧtun, but that doesn’t mean you will bear a child. You have to conceive first.” Thor was truly enjoying the innocence radiating off of Loki. Wiped away from the corruption that was his sociopathic mind. All he had was his humanity, his morality, his sanity.

    “What’s that?” Loki asked intrigued, and Thor only smiled.

    “Another conversation for another time,” He patted Loki’s back as they continued their walk. Loki huffed and whined, but Thor wasn’t going into detail how intercourse works with his little brother. He wasn’t old enough...yet.

     Yggdrasil provided shelter for Thor and Loki to sleep for the time being. It’s roots grew out of the ground, and made a hovel for them to rest under. Loki kept his distance from the giving tree, but Thor wanted him under the root for protection. Against his better judgement, he laid under it, staring at it warily incase it were to attack him. Thor went to grab more food for nutrients, and left Loki alone with the death tree .

    When Thor came back with the fruits and vegetables, he saw Loki quivering in fear. He went out from under Yggdrasil, and stared at it cautiously. Thor crouched to his brother’s level, comforting him, “what happened?”

  “I heard it,” the dread in his eyes told Thor he had past experiences with the giving tree.

  “Loki, tell me,” Thor demanded, and Loki knew exactly what he meant. Loki did not want to share his burden, the thought of making Thor even more stressed sickened him. Loki denied him his tale, and when he asked again, he shook his head. His lips were sealed, and he tried reassuring Thor it was fine. That he was fine, but his words were lost to him. His mouth was sewn, his vocal cords were cut, he had no words to speak.

    Loki managed to cough. Then again. And again. He had a mini coughing fit, and Thor looked at him concerned. Was he sick? “Loki, what's wrong,” he begged for an answer.

   “I'm very tired,” Loki responded before ungracefully laying his head against the earth that was Yggard. “We've travelled for a long time, I'm poot .” Excuses he forged but Thor argued no longer and he smiled. Thor sat next to him, passing him a golden apple, and Loki ate quickly. The apple had much nutrients, and he felt his energy coming back to him. He melded to the ground from how comfortable he was, and he fell into a deep slumber soon after. While he slept, Thor picked him up and put him under the Yggdrasil before heading towards the bark of the tree.

       Thor stared deep into the golden wood with intent. His footing faltered, and he watched the giving tree curiously. His face lowered, then lit. He pressed his hand against the bark. He watched warily, the radiating glow of Yggdrasil. His expression shifted to something unrecognizable, a mix between solemn and worried. Thor leaned in slowly, his ear turning to the wood. He hesitated to get closer, reluctant to do. His warm burning ear placed on the cooling wood as he listened carefully. Thor looked up, as if he could see the other person, then to his left where the tree was absent. Both hands were now on the tree of life as he felt the roughness under his nerves.

       Each nerve felt an attachment to the golden wood. Thor didn't resisted, he had no fear and in fact, felt ease by the touch of Yggdrasil. His skin molded with the bark, and he felt himself sinking in. He no longer could move his face to look around, and he closed his eyes. His body inched closer as he accepted his momentary bliss. He smiled before his head merged with the tree. The rest of him became wood, and he was consumed by the Tree of Life.

Chapter Text

     Thor jolted into a sitting position. His face was flustered as he looked around to see where he was, realizing he had been dreaming the night before. Loki was laying next to him snoring, and Thor breathed a sigh. He rubbed his head from the confusion he felt. The sensation felt real, he remembered distinctly his skin fusing with the wood. His mind expanding to the outer realms, reaching far beyond the landscape of the universe. He frowned slightly to know it wasn't the case, and he stared at Yggdrasil daringly. When nothing happened, he turned to glance at Loki.

     He was still dreaming, and Thor would keep it that way. He removed himself from the child without waking him, preparing to make them breakfast. He wandered to the Yggdrasil, slightly weary to be around the life giving, and the life taking. He heard the voices, and he walked up to the tree. His hands shook as they lifted, he hesitated to move an inch. Continuing forward, his hand slowly maneuvered through the atmospheric air around it, pressing into the unidentifiable wood that made the Yggdrasil.

   Nothing. It was wood. As solid as the earth they stood on. He placed his forehead against it to hear something, anything. The voices were faint, but they were too far to reach. He sighed once more, disappointment evident in his voice. He backed away from Yggdrasil, and he began picking the fruits and vegetables nearby.

    Wheat began forming, giving him a chance to make bread, once there was yeast around. He wasn't sure if animals would ever come to be-

   He heard it. The command, the action and sacrifice he must perform. He listened carefully, but he had no knife. No knife that would kill him anyway. Nothing to make this any more easier. He didn't care. He would do everything for Yggard. For Yggdrasil. Crunch.

      He took a bite of his middle finger. Spitting the chunk out of his mouth, he observed it carefully. Blood poured from his severed fingers. Drooling down his hand, and reaching his wrist joint before falling to the ground. His sharp kanines sunk into the first joint of the finger, leaving much to heal and be used. The piece that was torn off dangerously easy, left a pool of red liquid in the palm of Thor. He stared at the swirling thickening burgundy splatter. His eyes widened once he realized what he did to himself, and worry flooded him.

    He looked back at his injured hand, the realization hitting him harder. He looked between his wounded finger and the portion that was separated, and he slapped his head with his bad hand. Why did he do it? He dug a small hole next to Yggdrasil, burying a piece of him in the dirt below. “I hope it's worth it,” he told the tree with more coldness than what the sentence meant.

    Making it back to Loki, the boy had already woken. He was as far away from Yggdrasil as he believed necessary. His back was facing Thor, and he was clearly in deep thought. “Loki,” he turned around, and a small smile formed on his lips.

   “Yes,” he questioned as his typical smirk shaped his lips. Thor lifted his arms to reveal the food he gathered, and Loki frowned.

  “From the… tree,” Thor nodded and Loki sighed. It was their only source of food on a desolate non-living organism planet. He ate from it before, he could eat from it now. He walked over with slump, and ate what was given to him. “Will there be meat?” He was hungry, and soon, vegetables and fruit would not be able to suffice his energy.

   “Soon.” He looked at his bleeding finger, and Loki tilted his head to the image.

  “How did that come to be,” he pointed at it. His face showing clear signs of concern and scared. Thor could not lie, he wouldn't know how to lie about this.

  “I bit it off, and buried it beneath Yggdrasil.” He stated as simply as he could, but now he wondered why he did it. Loki jumped back, taken back by the calmness he held.

  “... Why?” He did not know how to approach this. Thor treated the situation as if it was a common thing for asgardians to do.

  “You will see,” Thor no longer wished to dwell on this conversation, and focused on his food.

   “Do you need help… wrapping it?” Thor chuckled, enjoying his brother's want: to help.

  “I'll be fine, it barely hurts.” It hurt, but he wasn't going to worry Loki with little pity pain. Loki was dissatisfied, his response not easing his worry. He wouldn’t push Thor on the subject, but it would be hard for him not to stare at the very open wound.

   “What’s our agenda for today,” Loki knew what he truly wanted to ask, but he would be patient. Patience truly was a virtue. Thor took a bite out of the pear he held, eating half of it in one bite.

    “Train,” he spoke in between chews, “you need to learn how to defend yourself Loki. Asgard kept you from learning because of their fear of what you would become-” He got Loki on his feet, “I know they were wrong,” Thor smiled warmly. He was confident now, a hundred percent certain his brother could never become evil. They were off the path, and so they had the choice to make it their own. “Are you ready?”

   “What will I use?” There was nothing but tree on this planet, and fruit. His bow and quivers were left when Leah left. A gift by Kate, passed down by Leah, and left on the realm of life, death, and happiness.

  “I know of Kate’s present to you. The long ranged weapon; bow and arrows.” How? He wasn’t there nor did Kate ever mention it. Loki believed his conversation with Bishop on Earth led to that subject, answering the question of how, but that was false. “I will show you how to forge weapons, and we will make a new bow.” He smiled which Loki returned, before he felt an impulse to force the air out of his lungs. Thor patted his back to help seize the constant coughing, and Loki passed it off as not being used to the air around them.

   Thor used the Yggdrasil’s wood as the base for the bow. Loki immediately refused to help. He would not associate himself with the malicious tree. Thor had been patient in encouraging his brother to touch the tree’s pieces when separated from the tree. Several days and trials to get Loki to touch the base for the bow. When he finally did, it was a joyous day for the brothers, and they were finally able to carve out a bow.

   Thor would say his sacrifice was worth it as, weeks later, animals started rearing. They were mixed bred, splices of animals. There was bore mixed with cattle that Loki named Catlore, also known as Jupiter pig. Another strange animal popped out of the ground, a cat-fish. Water shaped out of the blood of the Odinson, and streams covered the land. Yggdrasil flourished with the two inhabitants, and Thor was feeling as though he was an Odin.

    They spun string with the silk of a scorpion arachnid. “The strongest thread in all the nine” Thor described it, and they tied it to the bow, completing the task. Quivers came easier than they thought. Made out of the root of the giving tree, Loki was loaded and ready to train. It was nightfall, and Thor advised it best to train in the light. Loki agreed and readied for bed. Still cautious around the living Yggdrasil, he shook under its branch. “The tree shall protect you as you protect it.” Thor sat beside his brother, capturing his hand in his own, “just touch it,” he smiled at him to bring some sort of comfort.

   He pulled his arm to graze the branch, to feel a slither of its essence. Bright, glowing, luminescent essence that filled Thor’s soul with life. Loki resisted, but as his finger tips zoned in, his fingers began stretching for it. The call… Loki let out a long breath before the material forced itself upon his fingers as his fingers forced themselves on it. He felt it. The call. It was calling to him. He was trapped in its trance, the pain depleting within him. No more Asgard, no more Leah, no more sickness-

       cough cough

   His hand moved from the tree as he covered his mouth. Reality settled in, and he had to admit, he was glad it did. The tree brought life, and happiness, but it was not true. Leah was still trapped in Hel’s dominion, and Asgard was still after them. This was truth, and no tree would tell him otherwise. Thor seemed to have said something to him that he didn’t catch from his panic of the world tree, and the future of his friend. “Do you fare well Loki? I know the atmosphere is slightly different than that of Earth.” Loki didn’t respond for quite some time before he finally looked at his brother.

   “When do you think we can save Leah?” Loki noticed Thor’s face turning a slow pale, keeping his composure together.

   “We have barely settled Loki. We must give this time to ready ourselves for returning. Asgard must lose interests in the Odinsons before we can march on those same fields.” Excuses, excuses, excuses. Deceit and lies by the humble Thor to save his brother. Never must Loki know of the truth, Thor dug himself an even bigger hole and now he couldn’t come out. Mjolnir disapproved Thor’s actions, and the hammer became heavier because of that.

   “You’re right, I’m sorry,” though saddened, he knew how out-of-turn he sounded. The subject would not be brought up again anytime soon.  

     By early morning, Thor had gotten Loki up and ready to begin training. Ironically, Thor was the target. “I don’t want to shoot you,”  Loki whined. He truly didn’t, it irked him, rubbed him the wrong way to say his brother is the target when in the past that was the case. At least, that is what aesirs said, and his dreams that used to whisper to him at night. They ceased to exist after the disappearance of Ikol. He no longer had the horrors of his past to ail him, and he was glad of that. The one good thing out of this situation.

    “I can handle it Loki, it won’t hurt me. I promise,” he spoke from a large distance away, his booming voice covering all the land. Loki pulled out the bow and an arrow to start with. His eyes were locked on his target, well if he insists…

    “You will kill him.” Who said that? Loki turned his head to the source, behind him. He saw it-him. The dark shadow of a boy who tried attacking him on the boat. He was no threat, he could not harm him for reasons unknown to Loki.

  “What are you doing here shadow?” Loki smirked, completely unintimidated by the creature, he in fact, was stronger.

  “Where you go, I follow,” it said in its many voices, “you will kill your brother-”

  “Come on brother-” Thor shouted for his attention, but it was transfixed on the shadow that wished to vex him.

  “No I won’t, not by an arrow,” irritated, Loki aimed for Thor, his grip tighter than before. The shadow spoke more whispers into Loki’s ears that drove him mad. He was a smart boy, he would not show himself breaking, not openly that was. “Unless you have come to attack me again, than I suggest you crawl back into your puny, dark, crevice, from whence you came, and leave me to my hunting,” Loki said boredly, expressing his tiredness of the shadow.

   “Aim for my chest, not my head,” Thor warned, interrupting Loki’s conversation with the shadow.

   “Gotchu,” Loki shouted back, attempting to ignore the darkness that surrounds him. He aimed for the metal plate, the farther left side to miss his heart in case the arrow pierced through his armor into his flesh.

    “Face it Loki,” his name sounded vile on the shadow’s tongue, “all of this is your fault: Leah, Asgard, might as well end your brother’s life to add to the list of bad deeds,” the shadow snarked, and Loki snarled.

    “Shut up,” he wasn’t his past self, body nor soul. He is good. He was good…

    “You know I only speak truth,” the shadow walked towards Loki, reaching for him, his spirit.

    “No you are wrong,” Loki shouted, his guilt getting the best of him. Why was he falling for the shadow? He would never want to kill his brother. He never meant any harm. It was Thor who brought him to Asgard, not him. Asgard wanted him to be evil so badly, if they insist…

   No. Norns no. Odin's no. Thor, no . What was he thinking? He took the bow, and arrow, originally meant to target Thor, and turned it to the shadow. He’s clouding his mind, playing with his emotions, his thoughts. He knew who he was, and he was not that Loki. He was not evil. He would die before he ever became like him. He wanted Thor to kill him if he ever did. He never told him that, he never thought he would have to, but this shadow was pushing him. Testing his trueness, his virtue, and Loki would not break.

   “Do you truly believe an arrow will hurt me? You are dumber than the last o-” The arrow pierced through his eye. His bright white eye died out and in replacement, darkness. It was shocked, surprised, and afraid. It hurt, the arrow sent a rushing pain through its entire body that left it weak. It dropped to its knees as it coughed up black ooze that contaminated the ground with its poisonous venom.

   “That is what’s marvellous about words; they are only words,” Loki stated as he let out the breath he was holding. “Leave me now demon, or face the wrath of Loki,” he said with malice as he aimed for his one good eye. The shadow paused before chuckling to himself. He pulled the arrow out of his gushing eyes, blackness pouring out of him. He coughed, followed by Loki doing the same.

  “For now,” he said before the darkness fused with the floor, leaving only the pool of shadow as evidence of his presence. Loki stared into the abyss, his eyes never leaving the pool, not even to blink. It was that same abyss from long ago. The one he saw with his curious mind. How stupid he was to follow that trail. How he now regretted his curiosity. He was distracted by the never ending black hole before him, he didn’t realize Thor had walked up to him.

  He shook his shoulder, “are you alright brother?” There was a hint of worry in his voice, he wasn’t sure what Loki was staring at.

  “You know, you ask that a lot,” Loki said as he turned to his brother, grinning widely. Thor smiled softly at the reassurance, before leading him to the rivers made from his sacrifice.

  “Here Loki, we will have a new target, a meatier target.” Across the way was a deer-moose that Thor was sure Loki would come up with a name for. Thor helped him set up his stance, taught him the way to hold the bow and arrow. Loki was happy to not have Thor be the target, he clearly wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility. With his shadow bothering him, putting thoughts in his head, he had to prepare.

  “Thank you,” Loki relieved after a long silence of them observing the mammal. Thor looked down at his little brother quizzically.

  “For what,” he said with a smile creeping up his face. Loki for a moment, didn’t know what. Without Thor, he might have become the monster he hated long before Thor found him. He had no words to describe how thankful he was to have Thor in his life. His saint, his savior, an angel meant to protect him. He wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for him, and he was grateful.

    “Thank you… for being my brother.”

Chapter Text

      Training required vigor, and rigor. Loki was not used to this kind of work, (typically working his mind not body) but he would work as hard as he could to be as skilled as his brother. He was a master at the arts of archery, a “prodigy” as Kate had put it months ago. Loki wondered how the second Hawkeye was doing, he hoped well as he hoped all the people he met were doing well. Relatively speaking. There were others who, he wouldn’t say out loud, deserved to suffer. He tried focusing on his weapon, and not the negative thoughts. 

       Months had passed of the brothers living on the moon of Jupiter isolated. The days had gone by smoothly, and the next thing they knew, it was New Years on Earth, and Yule had gone and passed them by. With only each  other as company, some days could drag on. They would become worse when the shadow appeared, disrupting the mindset of Loki. A moment or two, stolen away from him for the amusement of the darkness, but Loki would not crack. Whenever he was close, he would shoot the blackness away, freed for another day.

     His shadow never showed unless he was alone, far away from Thor. One could say he was afraid to meet the fellow. Loki couldn’t blame him, anyone who tried to hurt Thor’s little brother would get his boot. The shadow was no exception. While Thor was off doing… what he does on days like these, Loki decided to wander the moon. 

   Jupiter was nothing he had seen before. It was so close to them yet so far, he felt as if he could touch it if reached far enough. He was mesmerized by the beautifully blended colors of different volumes. The different shades of orange, brown, and green, collapsing on top of one another to make layers of the gaseous planet. He couldn’t get a far away view of the ring surrounding the planet, only a cluster of rocks orbiting around Jupiter. Still, it was an astonishing view that no one else could witness. 

    Leah wouldn’t be impressed , Loki smiled to himself at the thought of her. She wasn’t one to appreciate life, until a piece of life warmed her stone heart. He missed her. He could push the feeling aside to focus on the priorities now, but every second thought was her and how their relationship was left. With her being dragged against her will to hell. How broken her nonexistent soul was to be separated from the one she loved. It was motivation for him to keep going, to follow his brother, to leave Midgard. All of it, for him to save her. He was determined to find her again. 

   Being distracted by his thoughts, he didn’t notice a serpent wrapped itself around his ankle. He looked down when he felt the pressure of his ankle increase. “Hello snake,” he picked the snake off his leg, letting it slither up from his hand, up his arm. He didn’t allow it to get to his neck, and let it repeat the cycle of wrapping around his arm. “You’re not spliced with another critter?” It couldn’t respond with words he understood, but it made snake noises that Loki assumed was him agreeing. “Then you shall be named Splicer , the un-spliced snake. Kinda funny huh?” Loki asked the sliding reptile, but the creature couldn’t answer his question. If it were, it would sorely disagree with him.

     He travelled a while more with his new pet reptile, before turning on his heel. Thori ran by his thoughts briefly of what he will do. With Loki gone, who would take care of him? Volstagg had in the past, but now, with him being a tyrannus king, he wasn’t certain he would do one simple favor for the god-child. Thori could look after himself, but that is what the problem is. He may cause destruction and chaos because of his hel-wolf nature. He might hurt people, and he might be put down because of it. Loki didn’t enjoy his thoughts, he needed to return to Thor soon.

      Thor was finished with talking to Yggdrasil, for now. He didn’t even remember doing it for hours. One moment he was awake, the next, he passed out next to its roots. He decided not to dwell on the questions of where time had gone, and decided to fetch his brother. Luckily for him, his brother came for him, and he was holding something in his hands. “Thor!” Loki shouted as he ran towards his brother. 

       Thor was caught off guard, and Loki was able to tackle his large, burly, brother with his own ninety-pounds-wet mass-self. Thor tumbled on the dirt, grabbing hold of his brother and lifting him into the air. “Why did you do that?” Thor asked curiously, still wondering what it was he held in his hand.

     “Well,” Loki looked away briefly before opening his hand, “a gift from me to you.” Thor stood himself and Loki back up, staring at the gift before him. It was orange, a nice citrus orange with a sunset red lining against its scales. A snake, a regular, average snake. “I call him, Splicer .” 

     “Because he isn’t spliced,” Thor glanced at Loki who nodded excitedly, searching for his reaction to the joke. He chuckled a laugh when Loki’s smile lowered, “Joking never was your strongest suit.” After a while, his laugh died down, “why?” 

     “It’s our first Christmas together, our first Yule-mas together. I wanted to start it off with giving you a gift.” It was coincidental that Loki found the snake, but it gave him the idea to celebrate the holidays. Thor was taken aback by his brother’s statement. He had spent many Yuletides with his brother from the past, many leaving good memories in his heart, and some leaving him with regret in his soul. This Loki was different, he knew it to be true, and he would thank the stars for all he had been gifted with. His brother being the one gift he ever needed. 

     Thor pulled his brother into a hug, “thank you Loki, I am sure to treasure him forever,” he spoke for more than just the snake. “But now I have to give you a gift,” Thor pouted jokingly as he released him.

     “You don’t have to do that,” Loki responded shyly, kicking up a pile of dirt. 

     “Oh? But I am obliged to, to prove my worthiness and honor of this gift.” Loki chuckled, making Thor smile. Loki always found asgardians to be dramatic with their wording, but at the same time intriguing. The truth may be a great start. Thor frowned, if only he could say what he would eventually have to. The longer he waited, the harder Loki would take it. He might hate him forever, it might turn him evil. Thor couldn’t risk that. He sacrificed everything to keep his Loki, his soul forever belonged to him, though he did not know that.

     Here’s a gift; what happened to Ikol? The question came to mind whenever his shadow was nearby. Loki covered his mouth as he coughed, and was on the verge of spilling his thoughts but he held back. He forced them to remain as they were, just feelings. He would not become suspicious of his brother, he would not. But the question would always linger, and it would always leave him weary. Loki tried covering his worry with a smile on his face, finding some sort of happiness in this situation. It was the only way for him not to break. “Well, since you have made the initiative, we'll begin celebrating Yule Tidings.”

     Loki jumped with glee of the idea. He'll finally get a Christmas that didn't leave him bruised and beaten. Hopefully. “Let's do it.”

    “First thing we'll need; a tree-oh look-we have the biggest tree in the nine.” Thor pointed to Yggdrasil, “next we'll need presents, I have mine, and yours is being made as we speak.” He glanced to see Loki's reaction which was of disbelief and astonishment, “A night sky, and a brother to share the holiday with. I think we're set for Yule-mas.” Thor smiled, Loki laughed. 

   “Aren't there usually festivities-”

   “You are much too young for some of the games I would typically play.” Thor remembered when his old Loki would play those drinking games. He would be incredibly drunk, spilling out truths that most people wished they hadn’t known. They weren’t about him, more about all the secrets he knew about everyone else. Asgard collectively hated when Loki drank, yet Thor insisted he’d have fun and allow his brother a few cups. Of course, there were no secrets for Loki to spill about Thor. He was an honorable man at the time. “But there will be games,” Thor smirked as he placed his hand on Loki’s shoulder. “Well, let Yule-mas commence,” his voice boomed while Loki cheered, and the holiday began.

      Thor wasn’t sure if the Yggdrasil had been overhearing their words, but the tree shined brighter for the time being. The weather was colder than usual, and next thing Thor knew, it began snowing. Thor’s first activity was to build shelter. For the first night, he and Loki used the wood from different trees birthed from Yggdrasil as their base for their home. The ground beneath them held a form of stone that only the moon of Jupiter could retain. With Thor’s heavy hammer, he slammed and broke the ground below to acquire the unique rock. Loki was not only a prodigy in archery, but also in architecture, having helped shape the stones to be the beams to the home. 

    By the end of the first week, they had an official house. A place to call home. A little cabin it was, for Thor it was. He was a large man, and an even bigger god. He could settle with a small hovel. For now, it protected Loki from the cold which he was being highly affected by. He was coughing ferociously, and sneezing as extra. Thor insisted Loki rest after their work, but Loki kept pressuring, claiming he was fine. It would take more than a few coughs to knock the infamous Loki down. Thor reluctantly agreed, and allowed Loki to help him with preparation. Just with decoration, nothing insanely impressive, but enough to give the cabin the Yuletide spirit. 

       It was night when Thor passed Loki a freshly milked horn of goat milk. The goats were surprisingly not spliced. Thor didn't have much to drink, he had forgotten to ferment some fruit, so he was stuck with the same ingredient as Loki was. He was fine with that. He was fine with being with his brother. That's all he needed, all he ever needed. “To Christmas,” Thor rose his horn, indicating Loki to do the same.

    “Merry Yuletide,” he giggled, tapping his horn against his brother’s. He tried downing his drink as Thor did, but his stomach could not contain the amount of milk he was pouring down his gullet. If he was honest with himself, it wasn't good either. He was a midgardian at heart. He winced at the taste, but continued to drink it. Thor laughed his pompous laugh, placing a hand on his brother's horn and lowering the substance. 

    “You don't have to drink to impress me,” he smiled innocently. “Goat milk is not for the faintest of hearts.”

   “I can do it, I swear.” He tried once again to down the liquid, but the taste was horrid. Thor laughed louder than before he grabbed the horn from his little brother. Loki watched as Thor laughed, and he smiled, enjoying entertaining his brother. Thor downed the milk quickly, and threw the horn onto the hardwood floor of their home. Loki stared at the horn surprised. It had been attacked by the thunderer. 

   “Ahh,” he sighed, his unquenchable thirst quenched. "That was awful."  Loki coughed, covering it with his arm, and Thor’s smile faded. Loki waved him off immediately, and changed the subject before it could begin.

   “Where is my gift to you,” Loki asked before coughing again. 

   “Loki-” his concern was present in his voice and Loki gave him a stern look. Even as a child, he could still get his brother to freeze at his glance. He decided to move the subject as his brother had nonverbally asked. “I left him in my helmet in the corner,” he pointed at his silver, winged helmet in the corner of the cabin. The green snake slithered around in his armor, finding a comfortable spot to sleep. Loki smiled at the sight before holding his sickness in. “Which reminds me,” Thor said before walking over to his boots and pulling a blade out. 

    “My gift to you.” Thor handed the knife to Loki and he held his palms out for Thor to place the weapon on. Loki observed the dagger with intrigue, noticing the magical glow to it, and the etchings of nordic letters on the rims. The signs of enchantment. Loki had studied an afternoon of runic letters and he read it, understanding the words. 

   “For my only brother: acid?” Loki looked at Thor for answers and Thor only smiled. 

   “You gave me that once. Back when we were both kids.” 

    “Loki despised you, even then?” Loki sounded horrified and saddened. 

   “Not hate, more of malicious intent. Loki found cynicism funny, and giving his brother a deadly dagger meant to kill him was his way of showing affection.” Thor told him that everyday, convincing himself of that notion. After all his brother’s crimes and attempts to kill him, Thor still believed that. In a strange way, Loki gifted him the brother he was always wanted, the one he remembered from their childhood.  

      Loki stared at the dagger and smiled. He would hold the history and sentiment of this small blade to heart. “I hope my snake was enough malicious intent then.” He glanced back at the snake, then at Thor who stared at the gift fondly. 

    “Unless that snake is poisonous, I don’t think your gift is nearly as malicious.” The snake seemed docile, very attached to anything asgardian it touched, or disowned asgardian thing now. “But the affection is the same.” Loki sneezed and shivered afterward. “It’s time for you to rest,” Thor declared and made his brother lay in bed. Loki didn’t argue, he was feeling quite tired. He yawned and stretched but he didn’t help but question. 

     “Where will you sleep?” Thor chuckled before patting his head. 

     “A warrior never sleeps, not while there is evil afoot,” Thor declared and Loki sat up.

     “Then I can’t rest…not while…evil is afoot.” Thor pushed his brother down with a finger and denied him no rest. 

     “No, no no, you will get rest, and get this midgardian cold out of your system.” Thor said before standing up. He glanced back at Loki to make sure he wouldn’t get back up, and once he was positive, he left.

     Thor couldn’t sleep. He wasn’t tired, and even with all the work they did, that he did, to get here he wasn’t tired. Thor was always valiant, he had faced enemies greater than the entirety of Asgard like Galactus or Mangog. Even with their strength and power, they could not tire the God of Thunder. He tried using that thinking to explain his tireless night. His constant fidgeting, and need to move. 

    Maybe it was his worry. He knew in his thousands of years of life, neither him or Loki had gotten sick over a cold. He was coughing profusely, as if he were a true  Midgardian. Thor stripped him of whatever Midgard aspect left in his godly body and mind. He didn’t know what reason for this illness but he’s been told what to do for the situation as this. For Loki to get as much rest as possible. 

   There was more making him pace back and forth. There were voices. He swore, in the back of his mind, he could hear voices. They were not of his own, or it was not of own. It was one voice that echoed into multiple, but it was one source. He had supspicion to not listen to the voice, yet the calling was strong and soothing. Thor was hypnotized, and he listened to the voice. He followed the trail it spoke and he found himself walking towards the Yggdrasil. His legs felt weak, and he dropped to his knees. His head lowered unto the bark of the tree of life, and his consciousness left him. 

     Loki laid in bed, sneezing. He wished he wasn’t sick, not during Yuletides day. New Years would be soon, and he wanted to celebrate that without being in bed, but his sickness just seemed to be getting worse. Rest was his best option, hopefully in the next week he would be well, or better enough to stand. “Your brother…” Loki heard a voice call and Loki sat up to find the source. He frowned when he saw it lurking in the corner, his shadow breathing raggedly. 

   “Leave,” Loki ordered, before coughing. His shadow chuckled. He walked towards the boy, holding his hand out to touch him. He smiled as he got closer to touching him, and Loki made small movements away from his shadow. He still was unsure if he was immune to the shadow’s advances, but he wasn’t willing to take the chances. The shadow hissed when his hand was burned by the golden shield protecting the devilish child. Loki’s confidence was instantly restored, and he sat straight, glowering at the shadow. “I won’t ask again,” the shadow retreated to its corner, sulking. 

    Loki may have been weak, but the source was clear. The shadow would wait, and do what he did best, stay behind the scenes. He did like games, and he specifically liked playing them with Loki. “Look at you, lying comfortably in bed while your friend is wasting away in hell.” That seemed to get his attention since his brows creased at his accusation. “She sacrificed her freedom for this-”

    “Shut up,” Loki didn’t have anything to combat his words. He wanted the words to stop before they begin.

    “You promised her you wouldn’t leave her, but that’s exactly what you did. You broke your promise Loki, but she pays the price-”

   “Shut it-”

   “You get to drink milk and be with family while Leah is rotting away in a cold, dank cell wondering when her prince will save her from the clutches of death. But what she doesn’t know, is he isn’t coming.” The shadow moved, and Loki shook his head in denial. He had no words to speak, because the words he spoke were true. He left Leah even though he promised not to. He left with his brother, leaving behind his responsibilities. He spent this last week enjoying himself, while Leah has been waiting for his rescue. He was a terrible friend. He was a betrayer, a liar, and a cheat. He didn’t deserve the miracles he was given, he belonged in the clutches of Hel instead of Leah. 

    “I can read your soul Loki,” the shadow stalked toward him, “the guilt you feel. You should feel guilty. Why does a monster like you deserve a second chance? You will always be the God of Evil, and no matter what you do, nothing will change that.” The shadow was touching his bed. Loki tried ignoring his instigations, but they both knew the truth. Loki was a selfish creature, only out for his own hide. Leah was sadly, a victim of his nature. “Why do you fight these feelings Loki? Give in to your evil nature, let the dreams come to reality. Let go of your inhibitions-”

    “No!” Loki pressed his hands against the shadow, and forced him back. The shadow was shocked by the force of his attack, sending him back in the corner where he belonged. “I have not forsaken them.” This was not just about Leah. It was about everyone, and everything. He would not be a bad person, he was going to save Leah. He was not going to let a shadow determine his thoughts or feelings. He had control of his fate.

    The shadow recovered from the blow, slowly standing up but keeping the distances the same. “You have, and it’s only a matter of time before the fates reverse the effect. Will you be prepared?” Loki stared at the shadow as it dispersed with the rest of the darkness, his anger boiling inside him. The frustration he wanted to let out, but kept at bay. The crippling infamy he felt that led to self-loathing. He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t feel that. He had responsibilities, and he was going to own up to them.

     Loki sniffled, but it wasn’t from the cold.

     Thor woke up from a dream. When he was back in his body, he headed home. Loki must have been asleep by the time he woke since it was the dead of night when he left the Yggdrasil tree. Thor had no solution or explanation to Loki’s ailment, but tomorrow he would work on fixing it the human way. The race was good at fixing problems that gods would find menial: disease, war, and people. They found appreciation and knowledge that gods could never understand. 

    Thor loved Midgard, and he did miss all that Midgard brought into his life. He blamed the gods for his running from responsibility. He was a protector of Midgard, the place his mother created and nurtured. Where people's lives are shorter, so they live life to the fullest. Where Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the X-Men, and Fantastic Four reside to protect the everyday people from world threatening villains. Creatures like Spider-Man, or Daredevil sticking up for the little guys when the “big shots” had no time. Midgard was filled with different life, and each better than the last.

     He was truly going to miss those people. All of them, even the ones he didn’t know, but he made his choice and he was going to stick by it.
    He made it to the door before he heard the sounds of talking. Thor paused for a moment. He didn’t open door upon reaching it, instead he waited and he listened.

    “I don’t know what to do. I-It’s just so hard to…” Loki took a deep breath, “Even if you were  around I would still have a hard time.” He coughed before continuing, “But I just wish you were here. It would make things a lot easier.” Thor cracked the door open to see who he was talking to or about. Thor’s eyes widened to see a projection of the little girl he locked away, standing in front of Loki. She was an image, displayed by the magic Thor seemed to have missed when meeting his reborn brother. Loki lowered his head in what looked to be defeat, but he rose with determination on his face. “I will not forsake you.” The image disappeared, and he sighed heavily before sitting back down.

    Thor’s gut twisted, and shame fell over his head. He couldn’t allow Loki to see that girl again, but the pain it caused Loki made him rethink his plan. He couldn’t risk Loki’s death, and he couldn’t tell Loki of what he knew. The move may be catastrophic. Especially after learning Loki knew magic, even though he had not displayed it in all these months of him being alive once more. Thor wasn’t sure what else he had hidden underneath the skin he wore. 

   Thor wondered what he meant about “it” being “hard”. Was “it” living here? Being isolated, or being who he truly is? He remembered when he found the mortalized version of Loki. When he brought out his godly mind and body, and Loki spoke of dreams. Terrible dreams of people getting hurt by an evil force. It was a brief statement that Thor waved off, but maybe they were more than dreams. Maybe Thor was underestimating the malicious power that was the past Loki. 

     But he got rid of Ikol. He got rid of Leah and Hel. The problems were not Loki’s to bear anymore, he should have no worries. Yet he did, and Thor was the only one who could stop it. The questions were; what would it cost? His brother’s trust, or his life?

Chapter Text

      Loki woke to the smell of soup. He didn’t receive  much sleep because of his coughing fits, and the overbearing temperature rising and dropping in his body. It was clear he was having a fever, but he managed to sit up to find the source of the smell. Loki noticed Thor’s bed was empty, and he assumed it was his doing for the smell. Loki attempted to stand up, but he was becoming weaker by the minute. His teeth chattered when he removed the furs, and he quickly tucked back in. He was tired, and he wasn’t necessarily hungry. He decided to sleep instead of worry about food he smelled. 

    He couldn’t close his eyes before Thor opened the door, holding a bowl of porridge in his hand. "Did the aroma wake you?" Thor asked before setting the plate down on the small table near his bed. Loki shook his head and Thor chuckled. "It's for you," he pushed the bowl toward Loki, and he grabbed the wooden bowl. "Eat all of it, it will give you strength." He swore, and what he said was law. Loki began drinking the contents inside, and the taste wasn't unpleasant as he expected it to be. It may have looked like a blob of mesh, but it was far from tasting like that. The flavor was sweet and savory, making a perfect balance of the two and Loki didn't mind it. 

      When his stomach felt full, he set the bowl down. Thor chuckled and pointed at a particular spot on his face where it wasn't clean. Loki attempted to lick it off but his tongue wasn't long enough. He wiped the contents on his sleeve, but it smeared instead. Thor laughed, but he didn't tell him why. He found it funnier that way. "What are we doing today?" Loki asked with enthusiasm before coughing.

    "You? Nothing. If you feel better later on today, maybe I will let you help me." Thor headed toward the exit.

    "But I am better," Loki whined and Thor turned his head.

    "No, you are worse."  Loki loathe to admit, but Thor was right. He was more sick than before, and the illness did not get better. He could not be weak at this moment. He had to prove to Thor he was ready for a long strenuous journey in search for his friend. And he was. He was tired, weak, and practically on his deathbed, but he would trek thousands of miles to get to her. No one, not Asgard, not Hela could stop him. Now his only blockade was his brother.

    Loki did not ask what his brother would be doing while he lay away in bed, and he wasn’t worried about Thor’s activities. He made his promise, and it was time he kept it. Thor left the cabin to do his work, and Loki removed the furs covering his body. He felt the chills and goosebumps going up his arms and legs. His teeth chattered, but he ignored the pain he was feeling. The spitting headache, or the churning stomach. He had to become stronger. He had to have the will and volition to find Leah.

    He sat on the wood floor, crossing his legs and he began thinking. It wasn’t the normal thinking. Thoughts within a person’s head that had a chance to be processed. No, this thinking was search. Loki planned to tap into his prodigal gift, magic. He managed to perform a trick the night before. A projection of the girl he cared deeply for stood in front of him. She didn’t move, didn’t speak, but she was there in his hour of need. Emotion was a good way to channel magic. In Loki’s previous life, his hate and rage was the fuel for some of his greatest feats. This Loki lacked the hate and rage in his heart, so all he had to go off with was hope. 

    He did not have a teacher, or a hint how to tap into the mystic arts. He just had to go with his guts, as his predecessor before him. Loki was still, all of his kinetic and potential energy going into the astral plane. If he were able to enter the astral plane, he could traverse the entire universe, and he  would find Leah. With enough hope, he may even be able to touch her. 

      Thor was afraid to leave Loki alone. He was ill, and needed to be watched over for his safety. He was in danger…of himself.

       Thor wanted to know any other tricks his brother had up his sleeves. Yggdrasil kept Thor distracted with the constant talking, and requests, but that was beginning to be a curse, less than a blessing. Thor picked the harvestable fruits and vegetables, milked a few cattle, and hunted a turkey-duck breed. Their stock was full, so Thor took the time to stare down the giving tree. He sat down next to it, placed his palm against the bark, and pressed his head against the bark. He felt a glow surrounded him when he was in close proximity with the Tree of Life. He listened carefully, as the glow consumed him.

      Loki had thought long and hard for two hours. His hope was faltering with the lack of results, but he had to realize the process would be slow. Especially for someone like him, a person who used to have all the mystic power, now had none. It would take a moment for the universe to be forgiving to a person like Loki. He was flustered and frustrated, at this rate, he wasn’t going to save anyone. He broke out of meditation and huffed. He was getting nowhere with sitting. Leah was probably being tortured into submission by Hela. And he was sitting on the ground. Meditating. He slammed his hand on the ground in anger.

   “You couldn’t have thought that would work,” multiple voices spoke, and Loki looked up for the source. His shadow stood in the shade chuckling. Loki sighed, now he would have to deal with this occurring black smudge, while also tapping into his inner sorcery. Loki sat down, and tried ignoring his shadow, he was not threatened by its presence. “I mean, it works, but for someone like you, it won’t. You have too many thoughts, you can’t stop and think one thing, you’re thinking about everything.” Loki groaned, he was right because he was him. 

    The shadow took a cautious step towards him. “But I know a way of speeding the process up.” Loki’s ears opened, but his face did not show any interest. It didn’t matter, the shadow knew he was listening “Me,” the shadow said maliciously, and Loki became worried. Loki quickly crawled to his bed, and grabbed his bow and an arrow from underneath. He aimed at the shadow, ordering for the darkness to leave. “Just hear me out,” he held his arms up in surrender. Loki did not let up. “Attacking has gotten me nowhere, so striking a deal is my best option.” Loki was ready to fire, but he stopped himself.

    “Is this a trick?” Loki asked, lifting his bow with confidence. 

    “No tricks, just the truth,” the shadow guaranteed. Loki was reluctant, but he eventually lowered his weapon. The darkness grinned.

     Thor saw the battle, the asgardians being slaughtered by the army of Loki. Frost giants, and storm giants rushing into the kingdom, and tearing down the protective wall for the trolls to come in. It was a masacre, and Thor was too late to save them all. His father was the last to fall, by the hand of Fenrir, and Loki was the center of it all. Thor held his ax, Jarnbjorn, the only weapon he had left. He fought his brother with pure hate, concentrated rage, and complete annihilation. It was one clean slice, and his head came off. Thor’s madness had taken hold of him, and he picked the head up. His own eyes permanently white, stained with the knowledge he gained through his death on the tree. He connects the head to his belt, and he travels the deserted terrain while conversing with his brother. 

    Another siege on Asgard, and Thor stops the attack before it could reach critical damage. His brother is imprisoned within a tree, never to be heard of for centuries. When he is freed, he brings hell to Earth for vengeance. Lives are lost, and Thor mourns only briefly before hunting down his brother. Death was imminent.

     Loki is dead, sacrificing himself for Asgard, but truly for himself. Thor was free from the burden, the constant knife in his kidneys. Odin was dead, his biggest burden, and he finally had Sif. He was alone in the world of Asgard. His father dead, his real mother bringing life to Earth, and his brother was dead. He was lonely, very lonely, that it crippled him. He couldn’t take the loneliness any longer. He missed his brother, and he was going to bring him back.

    Thor opened his eyes, and the voices cleared. Darkness , there was darkness everywhere, and Thor didn’t know how to halt it. He stood, picking up his hammer and he walked back to the cabin.

   Loki stood in front of his shadow, his white eyes staring into his soul. He considered his options, questioning whether he should accept any deal from the black goo beside him. “You need magic, I am magic incarnate. Granted, I am black magic, but you will need dark to enter Hela’s domain.” Loki was still unsure about the deal. He has made deals before, and he typically came out on top at the end, but with his shadow; he wasn’t certain that would be the case. It would be the death of him at best, but then again, what’s his life compared to the girl he loves. He hesitated. 

     “Think about Leah. Cold, weak, dying below, and all you have to do is share blood and it will all go away. Everybody wins,” the shadow chimed and Loki frowned.

     “What do you get in all this?” He asked as he narrowed his eyes. The shadow smirked, and turned away, walking over to a corner.

    “A chance to live again. I used to be flesh and blood like you, before I died and turned into…this.” Loki was uncertain. His trust towards his shadow was as great as his height. Loki began coughing, and he covered his mouth, though he was positive his shadow could not catch a cold. The shadow repeated the same actions as him, but his coughing left blood on the floor. Black blood. Maybe he could catch colds. “Can’t you see? We are dying. A slow and awful death. This deal will save us both.”

    “What are you talking about?” Loki’s curiosity and concern got the better of him.

    “The longer we are separated, the closer Hela is to collecting both of our souls. We are supposed to be one, but instead, we are two.” The shadow walked slowly towards Loki, but he didn’t attempt to touch him. “This deal will benefit us in more ways than one,” the shadow said as he wiped his mouth of blood. “So, do we have a deal?” 

    Loki was reluctant. This most certainly was a ruse to get him to do something for the shadow that would ultimately come back to haunt him, but he wasn’t worried about that. Loki was ready to sacrifice himself for the people he loved, for the greater good, or just because. He wasn’t a saint, and he fought hard to try to prove he could be, but that wasn’t reality. He has stolen, cheated, tricked, and manipulated. What’s murder when added to list of sins he has practiced. 

   What he wanted was to ensure that no one else would be harmed because of his negligence, because of his existence. “If I do this, I can save Leah?” The shadow nodded as he smiled. Loki lowered his head, Leah wouldn’t want him to do this. She didn’t want him to do this, but it looked like he was going to anyways. “What will happen to Thor? What about all of this he has created?” Loki knew a shadow didn’t have all the answers, but he had a strange suspicion he did. He reminded him of someone he knew, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

     “He shall endure for as long as he allows it.” The shadow smirked, Loki knew he wasn’t going to live through this. “You and I both know, Thor was never going to help. He was only going to make it worse.” Loki’s eyes lowered. He couldn’t hide the truth from his shadow.

     “It was a nice thought,” to think for a moment, his brother may be truthful and help. The shadow chuckled, but only briefly

     “No.” The shadow responded, and Loki let out a chuckle. 

     The shadow lifted his hand, and he pulled out a knife from his mouth. Loki acquiesced, walking towards the darkness. He wanted to say goodbye to Thor before he struck this deal, but he supposed the thunder god would not have approved of this. He moved thousands of miles away from Earth, away from home, just to save Loki. Only to have him leave anyway. He was sorry, but he had to do it. 

     Loki grabbed the knife, “at least, if I die, I won’t have the dreams anymore.” He cut his wrist, and did the same to the shadow. The shadow lifted his arm, feeding his black blood to Loki. The contents rolled down Loki’s throat, and spread throughout his body. He felt the power of the darkness filling his body, and he began to have a coughing fit. This one was worse because he stopped breathing altogether. He fell to his knees as he desperately tried to find air, but the coughing kept coming. 

    “Get up,” the shadow said outraged, as he tried picking him up. The act burned him, and he wasn’t able to touch Loki. “Finish the deal!” the shadow shouted as Loki was dying below him. Banging interrupted his shouts, and he knew it to be the big oaf. 

    “Loki, are you in there!” Thor shouted as he tried to open the door, but it would not push through. He did not install locks, so he knew it had to be the work of magic barricading the door. “Loki, open the door.” He shouted but the door did not budge. His magic could not have been strong enough to keep Thor from entering, he had to have help. Thor just did not know who.

   The shadow swung his bloody arm, and flicked black blood at the door. The black droplets stretched on the door like branches, reinforcing the door to be unbreakable. The black slowly covered the room as the shadow grew more angry. “Loki, get up. Get up right now!”

    Loki felt the blood flow through his veins, the effect causing excruciating pain. He screamed in agony with the little breath he had left. He cried, but the tears were not clear, they were black. He began convulsing, and the banging became louder. His body was attempting to resist the virus that was the shadow, but how can he fight what he was? The shadow knew it was related to the golden aura that protected him externally. It probably protected him internally as well. The shadow seethed, he did not have time for resistance, he needed end product. 

    The shadow grabbed Loki’s bleeding wrist. The burning was great, and he felt his body disappearing from the light he illuminated. He just needed one drop of his blood and it would be done. He reached, his body in incredible pain, but he ignored the pain for the blood. The light was pushing him back, but his hate was great. His hate was his soul. The banging continued, and thunder was heard outside. The shadow ignored the noises, he would get what he wanted because he was an unmitigated evil. He was Loki.

       Thor struck the door with lightning, and it blew open. He didn’t hesitate, he threw his hammer and gripped the strap, flying directly at the shadow. The shadow was on the verge of drinking Loki’s blood, but a silver, blunt object sent him far away from his target. He screamed in exasperation, breaking through the cabin walls and falling on his face on the hard rock.

    Thor took Loki in his arms while his foe was down. “Breath Loki, breath.” The words seemed to work, and Loki took a deep breath. His convulsing stopped while in his brother’s arms, but the black filling his veins kept spreading. Thor saw it staining his face and he frowned. “Why did you do it? Tell me, why?” He was worried for his brother’s health, and Loki was unable to answer him.

   “Yes Loki, tell him why you made a deal with the devil,” the shadow said as used the broken wall for support. Loki’s eyes were fluttering shut, but he answered as best as he could.

   “I-I’m sorry Thor,” he was fading in and out of consciousness. 

   “Because he’s not an idiot like you,” the darkness shouted. “He can see the lie and deceit in your eyes. You were never going to save his friend, because you put her there.” The shadow morphed. His limbs began to snap, cracking at different intervals, and growing. His ribs popped out of place, and healed as quickly as they broke. “If he can’t trust you, who can he trust?” His face shifted, his jawline straightening, his bones sharpening. Horns grew out of his head, and he grinned wickedly as he watched Thor’s reaction. “Me.” He answered his own question, and Thor growled. 

   “Loki,” he grimaced as his grip on Mjolnir tightened. Loki’s smile widened. 

   “Yes Thor, it’s your real brother. Here in the flesh, or, I will be once I get hold of the boy.” Loki said as he calmly walked towards Loki. 

   “You will not touch him cretin,” he growled, “as long as I breathe.” 

   “We’ll just see about that then,” Evil Loki went to full sprint towards Loki who was too weak to run from the danger. Thor stepped in front of Loki and threw his hammer at the shadow of evil. The shadow dodged the attack, and merged with the floor before Thor could snatch him. Thor turned around to see the shadow reaching for Loki. He pivoted, and grabbed the back of its head, throwing him across the room. 

     Evil Loki was thrown at a wall, but the wall didn’t break. He rubbed his sore head, but he didn’t falter. He disappeared into the earth as Thor ran for him. He reappeared behind the Odinson, and put him into a headlock, attempting to crush his windpipe. Thor struggled to get him off. He grabbed his arm to pull it off but it would not budge. “You have interfered with my plans for the last time Thor. Once you’re dead, I will destroy everything you loved. Starting with myself.” His words brought a surge of anger through Thor, and his strength increased ten fold.

    He broke out of the choke hold, and called his hammer back to him. He swung, and the hammer smashed Evil Loki’s face in. His jaw was twisted, but he seemed unaffected by the attack. He laughed, “you can’t hurt a shadow.” A trail of black ooze followed Thor, “but I can hurt you,” spikes shot out of the darkness. Thor jumped out of the way, but a spike shot through his boots, into his foot before he escaped. He groaned, but he held in the pain. 

    “No,” Loki said as he tried standing, but the coughing fit began. The shadow turned to him, but Thor leaped forward, and attacked the darkness. Thor slammed his hammer on the ground, but the shadow dispersed. Thor quickly stood and searched for the malicious beast. “Come out you coward, and face the wrath of Thor!” He screamed, and the shadow did as command. Darkness surrounded Thor’s face, and he was thrown out of the cabin. His body broke a beam supporting the home, and through the wall. 

    Thor was momentarily distracted with catching himself. The shadow glowered at Loki, “finish the deal. Now!” Loki was frightened. He didn’t know how he could, any time the shadow tried to touch him, he was burned. Loki coughed up black blood, and the shadow snatched his arm. The golden glow protecting him seemed to strengthen, and the light blew up in the shadow’s face. His face burned, and he dropped Loki as he screeched. There were white marks where the light did damage upon his skin and he grumbled. “Seems Thor is in control of this, so I will eliminate him first.”

    Loki could do nothing, the power was trying to take control of his body, and his body was attempting to attack it back. He was in a war within himself, and he seized for the moment. 

    The shadow went after Thor, his hand turning into a claw. He heard thunder, and he looked up to see clouds rolling in. He saw Thor standing up on his feet, electricity occasionally hitting him. Evil Loki had to be careful, he was already suffering from the burns, he was not sure how he would handle being struck by lightning. 

    Thor flew for him with lightning in his eyes, and just as fast. Even being a shadow, he still had to perceive what he was seeing, but the act was so quick, he did not have a chance of blocking it. At full force, Thor rammed into his evil brother, holding him by the neck, and burning through his dark flesh. He screamed as his anger filled his lungs, and his grip tightened around his former brother’s neck. Evil Loki grabbed his face, and the black blinded him. He could not see where he was going, and he crashed into his new home. Another hole, the house began to wear.

    Evil Loki’s other hand shaped into a long blade, and he forced his hand through Thor’s stomach, out of his back. Thor coughed up blood, and his grip loosened as he tried prying the blade out of him. Thor shoved Evil Loki off of him, and he caught a moment’s respite. The blood poured out of his mouth like water out of a sewage pipe. He checked his wound and saw the red stain it left on his armor. He wiped his mouth and stood straight. “You’re weak brother. You spent your energy protecting me, and now you can’t handle a stab wound. Pathetic.” The shadow chastised, but Thor would not fall for his trap.

    “You are not him. You, are the shadow.” Lightning struck the earth, distracting the shadow momentarily, and Thor threw his hammer past the lightning. It missed the shadow by inches, and he laughed at his mistake. Thor only smirked. 

   He called his weapon back, but it brought light with it. Striking Evil Loki from behind, and sending him towards Thor. He vanished into the earth before Thor could get another hit, and snatched Thor’s feet and lifted him off the ground. Thor slammed his hammer on the terrain and bashed the shadow’s brains in. He was dropped immediately, and he recovered quickly from the dirty attack. Evil Loki came up, and backhanded Thor, his back hand being covered in spikes. Thor hit a bedside, stopping his momentum, but he was discombobulated from the multiple points of pain he felt. 

     Thor touched his face to feel the wetness that came from the hot liquid drooling down his cheek. The bruise he felt forming in the back of his head added to his dizziness, but he caught sight of Loki. He was losing consciousness, but his body kept fighting the illness that filled his blood. Thor had to help Loki somehow, but he didn’t know what that monster did to him. Black blood dropped from his mouth, and Thor knew it had to have been an assault. “Loki, it’s okay,” Loki glanced at his brother. The guilt he felt for causing Thor this much pain because of his stupidity was too much to bear. He would endure the pain, he would endure it all if it meant his brother’s life. Thor grabbed his leg and pulled off his boot.

    Evil Loki entered the structure, and went after Thor. Thor lifted his hammer to strike, but his blade was inserted into his stomach in the exact same spot. Thor finally writhed in pain. The shadow smiled and chuckled in triumph. “No, it’s not.” The lightning left Thor’s eyes, and Evil Loki gripped his head, lifting him off the ground. He shoved his face onto the ground as hard as he could, and Thor grunted in defeat. 

    Thor swung his hammer, but Loki dodged the attack easily. A third arm sprouted out of his side, and grabbed Thor’s hammer arm. “You won’t be needing this,” Loki bent his elbow backwards, making it unusable. Thor screamed, but he was quickly silenced because, his head was shoved onto the earth once more. “Tell him Thor. Tell us all the sinful deeds you’ve done to save us.” Loki was staring at himself, smiling nefariously as he crushed his brother’s skull. Loki whimpered in fear and sadness.

    “How you lied to our face. We knew Asgard only wanted our blood. They would have never killed you, as long as Loki was out of the picture,” Thor’s response was muffled since each time he tried, Loki slammed his head against the wood. “How you tried to kill Leah, and forced Hela to lock her away for as long as you live.” 

   “No,” Thor said as his face was rubbed against the wood, splinters covering his wounded cheek.

   “Tell him Thor,” Loki ordered more than chastised. He wanted to hear him admit his actions, he wanted to grovel in everyone’s agony. “Tell him how you tried to kill me. His home, his nature. The only person he can trust, because lying, manipulating cheats like you can’t be.” Thor’s face was beaten and bloody. His eye was swollen shut, his nose had broken in the process, blood poured out of his mouth. He thought killing Ikol would get rid of him, but it only freed his bonds that Loki placed upon him. “Thank you Thor, for freeing me, again. Giving us another chance to wreak havoc on all living things.” He began crushing his head within his hands, making his death as painful as possible. 

    “No,” Thor’s only response.

    “You tried saving us, but you can’t. You never could, and now you’ll pay the price for your ignorance.”

    Loki was in total fear, but he wasn’t going to let Thor die, not by his past person’s hand. He crawled towards his bed while Loki was distracted with pulverizing his brother’s face. His body calmed, the effects of darkness subsiding and settling within his soul. The mystic power was now his to control, and he would put his dark power to good use. 

    Loki took his bow and arrow, aiming for the monster’s head. “Demon,” Loki looked at himself, a momentary pause at the sight. He had his weapon aimed at him, and he growled.

    “You can’t believe that will do anything to me,” he smirked but Loki didn’t reciprocate. He used the only emotion he knew. Even with fear eating his heart, and self pity beating his soul, he always had hope. In the future and in himself. He believed he was a terrible abomination, but he never gave up hope that he could become someone good. His body ached and burned, but he put the energy he kept holding in, into the bow and arrow. A purple aura surrounded the bow and arrow, and Loki held his stance. “We had a deal,” he said outraged and cheated.

    “You should’ve learned; you can’t trust yourself.” He fired, and it punctured his skull. He laughed, but purple began to glow brighter, until the arrowhead exploded. Brain matter splattered everywhere, and half of Loki’s face was missing. He let go of Thor who was slowly healing from the previous assault. The shadow stepped back, tripping over something he could not see. He used his sixth sense to find Loki, and he charged at him with rage. He took his sight away, and he would take his life away.

    The shadow couldn’t reach before Thor jumped on his back, using his good arm to hold onto the shadow. He lifted his bad arm, which held a small, enchanted dagger. A gift from his former brother, charmed to kill anything it comes in contact with. Thor knew it was never for him, because Loki always knew it would be inserted into his neck. Thor stabbed him in the throat, crying out in pain. He repeated the process, and the shadow struggled to remove his brother off of him. “We were both mistakes of this universe, destined to kill each other to restore the balance. My time will come, but I am the only one who can kill you.” Loki grabbed hold of him, and threw him. 

    He fell to his knees, covering his neck wound, but the onyx blood kept spilling. Thor caught his breath, and he called his hammer. While the shadow took a moment to heal, Thor called his thunder and lightning. Thunder boomed outside, and rain began drenching the earth, and drenching his home. The winds picked up ferociously, and Loki looked up to see a storm brewing outside the cabin. Sparks of electricity struck next to the dark creature and he scooted away, but another hit his other side. “No,” Loki said in anguish. He searched around for answers, but his eyes landed on Thor who was absorbing all of the electricity. He was going to smite his brother. 

    “I can’t be forgotten, I can’t die a shadow of what I once was.” Loki retreated into the ground quickly, and Thor frowned. The floor was stained with black, spreading throughout the fallen home. Thor went over to Loki who was passing out. He picked him up, and checked his breathing briefly. He was alive, but his breath was ragged. The cabin shook, and the roof collapsed from the lack of support. Thor exited the cabin with Loki in his arms just in time to witness the cabin be consumed by the darkness. 

    Large arms shot out the black spot that was once his home. It gripped the ground, and a head popped out of the center. Thor ran for the Yggdrasil, setting Loki down at the root. “Please, protect him,” Thor begged, his hand touching the bark. The tree granted his wish, and he felt his previous wounds healing instantly. His smiled before turning around. He threw his hammer, and hopped a ride by holding its strap. 

    Loki was waiting for him, and he slammed his fist on top of him. He lifted his hand to see Thor was unaffected by his attack. Lighting coursed through his veins as the darkness coursed through Loki’s. “In the beginning there was darkness, and darkness will be the end too,” Loki promised but Thor didn’t take his word for it. He shot a beam of pure lightning out of his hammer. The light sliced through his hand, making a clean cut. 

    Loki winced, and he shoved his arm into the earth, and the black spread. “If I must lose, I will take everything with me.” The darkness grew and it was reaching for the Yggdrasil. The shadow latched onto the branches nearby, and the plant died upon impact. Thor gasped, the pain hitting him harder than expected. He felt the branches wither, the grass dry up, the animals die. He felt it all, and he knew he had to protect the Yggdrasil. He had to protect Yggard. 

   He swung his hammer above him, calling a raging storm. Loki’s assault did not slow or stop, but Thor was going to stop him. He swung slowly, gradually building speed as the storm began to form. Besides Loki, lighting struck his appendages, but he was planted to the ground. He could not move even if he wanted to. Thor called forth a tornado, and sent it to consume his brother.

   Loki was befuddle at the sudden swirls he saw instead of the clear skies of Jupiter’s moon. He watched as the swirls enveloped him, and he realized he was in the eye of a storm. Mixes of lightning and his own body made up the tornado. He saw Thor fly into the tornado to confront his brother and his misdeeds. “You can’t save him Thor, he’s already corrupted. It’s only a matter of time before he turns on you.” Thor landed gently on the ground, his confidence did not waver.

     “You’re right, I can’t save him.” He quickly swung his hammer for momentum, and threw it at Loki. The light struck his face and it left white in his skin. “Because he saved himself.” Thor forced Mjolnir to circle around the darkness as it conducted electricity. The electricity constantly latched onto the shadow, bringing light to the darkness. “I have to thank you Loki, for showing me the truth.” He leaped forward and grabbed his hammer, swinging downward on Loki’s head. The darkness was receding  back to where it was produced. “For showing me the error of my ways, and giving me a second chance with my brother.” The years he spent in constant battle with his brother ended today. His archnemesis would no longer be the person he was raised with since birth. The cycle of the gods would cease, and it begins with him.

      The tornado closed in on them, and Thor shouted to the heavens. One last bolt entered the tornado, and burned through Loki’s being. Wiping it off the face of this plain. Loki screamed as his flesh turned to dust, and his mind, into matter. His screams could be heard throughout the moon, and past Jupiter. His screams would fill the stars, and as he vanished, his screams became echoes in the wind. He spoke one last time. He sent his last ominous note to the world to leave his mark forever in the living. It’s too late. Thor heard it, but he thought little of it.

   The tornado dispersed, and the storm cleared. Thor’s landing was far from graceful, and he fell to his side as he rolled with momentum. He was spent, fighting his brother took a lot of energy out of him. Hopefully, it was over now. Truly over. Once he caught his breath, he stood up and walked towards Yggdrasil. 

   Loki had passed out long ago, but the corruption resided within him. The last bit of Evil Loki rested deep in him. Thor rushed to his brother, and picked him up. “Loki,” Thor stared at his brother, shaking him to wake up, but he didn’t. Thor saw the black veins on his pale skin, eating away at his body. 

    Thor looked at the Yggdrasil for answers, “help him,” he ordered as he set him against the bark of the tree. There were no results. Loki did not wake, and he did not heal. Thor’s brows furrowed, “why?” He said as his blood boiled. The tree neglected to help, and Thor frowned. He did all that the tree asked and then some, but it couldn’t perform this small request. 

      He called his brother, either one, to answer. Neither did.

     Loki was right. It was too late. All of his lying and deceiving to save his brother caused his brother’s death. He was worse than Loki, worse than Asgard and its godly inhabitants. He was worse than Odin, his abandoning father. He could lie to Loki, and all of Asgard or Earth, but not to himself. Loki wouldn’t have done this to himself if Thor was honest, or if he didn’t try to shield him from corruption. He couldn’t help himself. His selfishness forced him to perform these heinous acts. His fear of being alone caused him to speak lies, and he had no other person to blame but himself. The guilt fell through his legs, and he walked over to Loki’s fallen figure. Thor sat down in defeat, dropping Mjolnir in between him and Loki. The weight of the hammer grew heavier and heavier, until he knew. It was never being lifted again.

Chapter Text

      Thor chopped bits of Yggdrasil’s branches with an ax he forged with the strange rock that made Jupiter’s moon. He brought the wood to a pile he would use for fire before walking over to the Yggdrasil. Loki lay there, resting peacefully against the bark. Thor smiled at his brother’s sleeping form. They had been through much the previous day. The evil version of Loki swept through, threatening to destroy all Thor held close and dear. Thor was able to stop him with the help of his brother, Good Loki. He used his mystic powers to enchant his bow, and Thor spawned a storm of lightning to burn the bad man away. 

     “Wake up Loki.” Thor said, and his eyes opened slowly. Loki yawned, and stood up. “Our new home is ready,” Loki’s arms reached out, and Thor did not hesitate to pick him. He threw his body over his shoulder, his other hand carrying the wood. His body went limp on his shoulder, and his weight increased. Thor rubbed his back, but he did not get any reaction out of his brother. He frowned, but he kept moving forward. As long as he heard his breath, there was a chance, Thor had a chance. 

    Thor dropped the wood in front of the doorway to the house. He neglected to build a door for Loki’s safety. “See, I added a fireplace to keep you warm.” He placed Loki gently on his new bed. Thor saw the black veins filling out his face. His frown deepened, and he touched his forehead. He was cold to the touch, and Thor placed his hand on his heart. It’s beats were small, but they were there. “Please wake up,” he begged but he didn’t. Thor knew he wasn’t going to wake from his pleas. He already tried over a hundred times. 

     It had been two years since Loki’s assault on Yggard. Since Loki fell into a deep coma which he would never wake from. Since Thor became unworthy of his Mjolnir. He was stranded on Jupiter’s moon for two years, alone. He was having hallucinations. Thor had to figure out how to stop the visions. Seeing his brother wake up, when the truth is, he got him into a coma. Only Thor could get him out, but he didn’t know how. Yggdrasil stopped talking to him, so he had no guidance. No hint how to solve this dilemma. 

    “We have to eat,” Thor dismissed his thoughts as the hallucinations continued. He started a fire outside, and cooked a slab of meat. He placed the meat on a grill, and he occasionally flipped the meat over. He sat in silence as the meat took time to cook. He personally liked his meat well-done, and he did not enjoy the fat as much as Loki did. He liked lean, while Loki was content with fatty. They truly were opposites, even in preference to meat.     

       Thor chuckled at the thought. They were opposites in almost every way, but they still managed to find enjoyment in each other’s company. They were brothers after all, but Thor liked to consider their tolerance more than just sibling etiquette. He liked to consider them as friends. Thor always saw the evil within Loki, but part of him wasn’t worried about the evil in him. He believed Loki and him would be side by side in anything they do. What a life it could have been. If the brothers were on the same team, good or bad. They would have been an unstoppable force.

    The norns took another turn in fate, and Thor was left with nothing. No good brother, or bad brother. He removed the slab of meat, taking a large bite of the dry meat. He was trapped in his thoughts, that he hadn’t smelled the burning flesh. He wasn’t bothered, or more, he didn’t care that the meat was well done to burnt. He just didn’t care about any of it.

   He threw his food a mile away. His frustration surfacing suddenly as it usually did during hallucinations. He smacked the wood fueling the fire, ignoring any burns given to him. He shouted  incoherent slurs and curses to the heavens. He yelled to the sky because he had no one else to blame. No one else to blame but himself. He screamed until his lungs gave out, and being a god, it took a while. He shouted until his voice became hoarse, until his body shook. He wanted to destroy everything, but that wouldn’t solve his problems. His brother wouldn’t wake up, and he wouldn’t become worthy again. He was trapped. Forevermore. 

      Thor sat on his bed, telling Loki a bedtime story. His step mother told him bedtime stories when he was Loki’s age, mostly because Thor wanted to know the different brave, and honorable people of the past. He supposed it was Loki’s time to also get intune with the same stories. “The story begins with Siegfried and his father Wulf-” They lived in a peaceful hut with Seigfried’s mother and his twin sister. His father, Wulf, always had enemies, and he trained his son to become the best warrior on Midgard. 

    One day, when the son and father came home after a hunt, they were met by a raging fire consuming their home. Siegfried’s sister and mother didn’t make it. His father, out of pure rage and anger, went after  the murderers, the Neidings. His son followed quickly behind him, and they hunted down the clan that slaughtered his family. They were slain quickly with Siegfried’s blade, and when the sounds of the roaring battle ceased, Siegfried’s father disappeared. Siegfried was alone, an outcast to all those who came across him. All he had was his trusty sword, and his father’s cape. He would wander the world, a lost spirit, a lost soul. 

     While he wandered the Earth, he heard the sounds of crying from a woman. Siegfried searched for the cries, and saw a woman being carried out of her own by a dozen men. She squirmed and whined, but the burly men ignored her pleas. Siegfried couldn’t bear the sight, and he sprung into action instinctually. He sliced, and he stabbed. He cut off, and he snapped. Bodies were dropping,  but the woman’s cries did not stop, they continued with more ferocity. When half laid dead, the woman finally called out, “stop! You are killing my brothers!” By the time the words were heard, they were all dead. More were destined to come, and Siegfried had to leave. The woman cried in shock and in mourning, and Siegfried thought of killing the woman. He didn’t need any more enemies, and she would surely seek to avenge her brethren. 

     “Who told you this story,” Loki asked as he sat up in intrigue.

     “Odin’s eye,” Thor responded nonchalantly.

      “Odin’s eye?” Thor nodded his head but Loki was still skeptical. “How?”

     “Odin is an omnipotent, powerful, all-knowing being. When he severed his eye to the well of souls, his eye gained an omnipotence of its own.” Loki ceased asking, his body relaxed under the furs, covered in black spots. “It was when I first met the celestials, and where I met my birth mother, Jord…Hehe, Odin was mad, but he could do little to stop me from knowing my mother. He was dead…I had many personas,” he continued to talk to the air, but reality hit him once more. He closed his eyes and opened them to see the truth. What was wrong with him?

      “Hoo boy,” Thor turned around to see a blond man wearing a sweater vest and holding a large stick. 

      “Eric Materson?” Thor stood up to touch the man that has been dead for a long, long time. 

      “Yeah buddy, it’s me, the New Thor, or at least I was. For a time, but I could never live up to your glamor.” Thor was too shocked to see the illogics of this meeting. He was too happy to see an old friend to realize the falseness of it. He just wanted to live in the moment. “How’s my ex-wife and kid,” Thor frowned at his question and he turned to Thor fully. “Right, they're gone too. They disappeared, but not like I did. See, being dead is fine, but being forgotten, now that’s a bitch.” 

    “They didn’t, I never forgot you or your family,” who ‘they’ were was the question. 

    “No, you did, but you see the truth. You’re starting to see past the lies and the past will reawaken.” Materson went to sit down on Loki’s bed, and Thor flinched, “I’ve never been good at this hero thing, but we want to help you, Thor. I’ve done bad things; got Jackson killed, betrayed my son’s trust. Man, I was a terrible hero.” Materson laughed, but Thor was ready to interject. “Calm down big guy, I’m getting to the point.” He thought for a  moment, or he was reluctant to speak. “I don’t regret what your dad did for me, even with the mistakes I made, I’d do it again. I’d pick up that hammer, and I’d die by Mongoose’s hand.” 

      Thor shook his head, the guilt he felt for the nonsense he pulled Materson in weighing as heavy as the first it happened. He wished he could’ve saved Materson. He wished it would have been him who died instead of Eric, sealing his fate. He would have taken his place gladly, and he could have protected him from Bloodaxe if his father didn’t stop him.

      His father, the man that started it all.

      “We’re going to get you out of the hole.”  Even with his past, and what led Materson to his death, he was still a good and honorable man. It was why he was worthy of Mjolnir in the first place. Thor chuckled, and Materson looked up at him strangely.

   “You can’t. I am too deep…in the hole to escape-”

   “That’s quitter talk!” Materson went in Thor’s face as he lectured him, “when you were banished and Mephisto took Mjolnir, I still went after you. I took my mortal, fleshy, easily broken self and went to hell. I fought Mephisto with just a gun in my hand, because even though I felt hopeless, I kept going. Even though I was scared, I kept fighting, because of you. Because I believed in you, and the good you bring. Because I knew, if you were me, you would’ve done the same thing. So don’t give up on your brother. Don’t give in to your self pity, and fight! Fight for what you believe in.” Materson became an echo in Thor’s head and his person was gone.

     “What do I believe in,” Thor said as he glanced at his comatosed brother. Did he believe in his brother? That’s why he went on this journey. To protect his brother, because he didn’t believe his brother would not become corrupted. He didn’t think he could handle the real world, which led to this runaway adventure. Not Asgard, not Odin, not Loki. It all started with Thor, and so it must end with him as well. “What am I going to do?” He said in despair but no one answered him, not even Materson. 

   Thor sat next to the Yggdrasil, praying. Gods weren’t known for praying, they didn’t have a deity to pray to. Earth still rested in his heart, the mortality in his spirit still burned bright. He used magic to keep Loki alive. His life support was Thor’s life support. His life was long, but how long would his life last at this rate? His brother has fallen into a vegetable state, and Thor was losing his mind. How long before he fell into Warrior’s Madness ? A madness that could lead to the destruction of the world in the mind of the favored Odinson. 

    Thor didn’t believe in his brother. He didn’t trust he couldn’t be corrupted. He wanted to hide him away from the world filled with sinners, aching to take a piece of his brother. No. He would not allow that to happen, so he ran, shielding his brother. He couldn’t save something he didn’t believe in. He could cut his loss and go back home, but then again, he never really had a home. He was born on Earth, but raised on Asgard. He was a warrior of Asgard, but he held compassion and understanding for the foes he faced. He was a godling once, then a mortal the next. He was never whole, even when he thought he was. He was as broken as he ever was, this time was no different. But he couldn’t put himself back together, and he failed to know why.

    “Why, that is the question.” 

    Thor turned around swiftly to catch Loki sitting in a chair near a newly forged table. He had his golden scales slithering up his chest and back, and his green armor wrapped around his sides and shoulders. Thor lifted his hand as if to call Mjolnir, but soon remembered the situation he was in. “You’re dead.” Thor reminded himself, and his heart rate leveled. 

    “As long as good exists, evil will live beside it.” For a long moment, Thor chooses to ignore the apparition. He waits for him to disappear like Eric, but no luck. He was stuck with him as usual. “Things were much simpler when I was your arch enemy.” Thor tried not to admit it, but Loki was right. “You were the favored son, I was the hated fiend. I was the destroyer of Earth, you were the protector.” Their relationship was complex, but it was simple to understand. Loki was the dark, Thor was the light. They combat each other, and in a sense, they brought balance to their world.

    “When one is gone, what do you think happens to the other?” Loki asked as if he had read his mind. 

    “The other is thrown off the scales,” Thor said in defeat. He fell off the balancing board, and he was left with his own insanity. It was as Thor said before, he and Loki were monsters of their realm, destined to end each other. Loki was gone now, it was Thor’s turn next. “Why couldn’t you have been normal?” He asked suddenly, and Loki laughed. 

    “You still don’t get it? This is normal for me. That boy you have comatose over there is not me. That is a clay molded by me to fit your image.” He turns towards the boy sleeping in the bed, arms crossed over his chest. “What a colossal waste of time that was…” he scoffed but he neglected to look at Thor. Thor mulled over his words, realizing what the subtext behind the words were.

    “You changed, for me?” 

   “I changed for Odin!” He shouted as he glared at Thor, “everyone was different-you were different. You managed to disappoint our father, drive him away, you! The son he favored over his own life, and I figured I finally had a chance.” For his words of hope, he spoke in the tone of defeat. Thor shook his head, questioning what his chance was. Redemption? Or was it love? “I got nothing out of it. There was nothing I could do that would make Odin hate me any less. He still left! That boy was a failed experiment, and he should be erased.” He rambled on, but Thor no longer listened to his crazy brother. 

      Odin, his father, had left them. When Asgard needed guidance, he left for his own devices. He put his son in charge of these simple minded gods, his son who was half elder god. His son, who fought celestials for a living, and lived on Earth the majority of his life. His son, who most asgardians didn’t know or didn’t want to know. Thor, who was feared among his people, which led to him being kicked out of the home he rebuilt. For them! 

     Loki had long since disappeared, another figment of his imagination. Thor sat quietly and watched his little brother slowly die. Black veins were reaching his heart and brain, and when that happened, he would perish. Time was running out, and Thor wanted to scream. 

     Why did Odin leave him? Thor had disobeyed numerous times, and it never drove his father away. They had their fights as families do, and they made up. This time was different, and it was deep in Thor’s bones. His father betrayed him by leaving. He caused Thor so much anguish and pain. Splitting him and reshaping him over and over again to somehow benefit him and their people. Thor was forced to live multiple lives, multiple stories in favor of Odin, and it left him shattered and broken. He was Siegfried, he was Eric Materson; he was Jake Olson, and Sigmund Jarlson, and Red Norvell, and, and-

       “What about me?” Thor took a deep breath, and watched Donald Blake stand up with a lame leg. His hair was cut short, and he wore his lab coat over his small shoulders. He gripped the wood stick, and leaned on it for support. “Do you remember what I was?” 

        Thor’s throat tightened at the sight. Odin wanted to give Thor humility. He was made up of nothing. He was not the body of another individual such as Eric and Red, nor was he Thor, brainwashed to believe he was a different person such as Siegfried or Jarlson. He was Thor, but human. He was Thor, but different. Blake was his first persona, his first other half, but he held more than just his humanity. “You were my conscience.” Put in the forefront, his conscience paved the way for him to be more than just a god, but to be a hero.   

        Blake nodded approvingly, “without the invincibility of a god, you learned to care.” 

         Thor shook his head, “Odin created you as he did the rest.”

       “No. He made the embodiment, I was always with you. I have never gone away.” Unlike the rest, who left once their story ended, Blake came back when he was needed. Whether Thor was sleeping in the “place that does not exist,” or whether he was stranded on Jupiter, Donald Blake was there to help him. He was Thor’s Jiminy Cricket, and no matter how far he strayed from the path of good, Blake would pull him back. 

        Thor glanced up at Blake and eyed him. “Does that mean-” Thor said, and Blake held out his hand. He was hesitant to reach back. The other two companies were hallucinations, past thoughts and feelings. They were speculating about what happened and what’s to come. Blake smirked at Thor’s weariness. His figure didn’t falter or fade away. He was as solid as if he were truly present with Thor. Thor finally clasped his hand with his, and marvelled at the fact that he, indeed, did exist. Blake lifted Thor onto his feet, and patted his back. 

        “You have to remember why this happened, so you can make it right.” Donald Blake said, and Thor frowned. He recalled vividly why this happened. Asgard wanted to kill Loki, and Thor would not allow his brother to die because of past deeds. “No, you have to remember why you went on this crusade.” Killing Ikol, removing Leah, it was all a part of a greater scheme. 

       “For my brother,” Thor said absently.

       “Yes, but how did you know Leah and Ikol?” The cogs were moving, and the memories were coming to him carefully. He stared at Blake befuddled. “You know why Odin left. Truly.”

       Flashes of what happened years prior appeared before Thor. There was… a war. Loki was in the middle. Thor gained the knowledge from the world tree, hanging himself and removing both of his eyes to the well. He had the Odin power combined with his celestial gift, and he warded off Loki’s forces. He combatted Sutur and destroyed the universe, ending the story of the gods, and the story of Thor Odinson. God of the people, man of the gods. 

      But there was something else. There was more. 

      Donald woke him up from his slumber of nonexistence. His job was unfinished, and it was time he got back to it. He rebuilt Asgard, and used the Odin Force to bring back all its people. With the Odin Force expelled from Thor, Odin could come back from nonexistence. Odin knew there was something wrong with the cosmos as soon as he reentered the world, and he gave his gift to Thor. He told Thor, “I cannot be here. There is something inside of you.” He left, and Thor wasn’t sure what he meant before. Soon after, Thor died and came back, feeling strange. 

     “You see it now? Why were you gifted with knowledge you lacked before?”  

     “Yggdrasil. It was trying to tell me something,” that was why he heard the call, and why he went to Jupiter. The world tree was attempting to communicate, and Thor neglected to really listen. So it stopped talking altogether. “You think it will save my brother?” 

      Blake shook his head. “No. YOU will save him, because that is who you are. You believe you can help those who cannot help themselves. You give humanity a small push to drive the need for change, and for the better.” He smiled proudly before it swiftly fell. “Fighting evil is what you will always do because you care, whether it is battling or protecting your brother, you oppose evil.” His smile returned, more solemn but encouraging. “That is why you must go through these mistakes and trials. To evolve, and become better than the gods you ran from. To be better than your father, and do the right thing.” 

     He was gone as soon as he finished, and Thor wished he had stayed. He soaked in all that he had spilled, and all he had realized. He grabbed Loki’s arm, and pulled him into a sitting position. He was practically lifeless with his limpness and colorlessness. Two years had passed, and even though Loki had been unconscious the whole time, his body aged. Two years were gone from his life and he wasn’t there to experience it. No longer would that be the case. Thor was lucid, and he furrowed his brow. He had been in a daze for a while but he was cleared headed now. He was determined. He knew he had to confront himself, and understand what happened these last few years. Yggdrasil was the gateway to that understanding. And the answer to saving Loki. 

      He petted his hair, “I’m so sorry Loki for what I did, but I promise I will fix this. Whatever happens, I will fix this.” He moved away from his brother, and headed outside. He stomped toward the world tree, and felt the vibrations of its essence. He needed answers for his knowledge, and his thoughts. The power within him was strong, more than what he was given. Years of holding this in was enough, and it was time for him to solve this mystery. He would discover why he went on this campaign to defend his evil brother. 

Chapter Text

      He stood in front of the trunk, staring the magical tree down. He was nervous it would ignore his call, as it had been for two years. He planted his hands on it, and a rush of force and whispers assaulted him. It was loud, and demanding, and he had not expected the force to blow him away. Thor held on and he listened to it. He pushed aside his prerogative, and let the tree release its anger. He stayed, and he didn’t complain, he accepted his punishment. The tree finished shouting at him, the wind turned into a calm breeze and the voice singular. Thor smiled, “thank you,” he said and he pressed his face into the bark.

     He thought it was a dream before. The portal within the tree. He had become one with Yggdrasil before, when he was good, but now he must do it when he is broken. Thor rested against the tree as he asked, “let me in.” The voices were a murmur, and they did not heed what he booned. “Please. Help me understand what happened.” He looked up at the tree, hoping to see it staring back at him, but it was a plant. Incapable of looking at him. 

    He was sorry for not listening when he had the chance. The tree tried to tell him, but he wanted to ignore the obvious signs of disarray and live a life of lies. “No more,” he said, he promised. He was an honorable man before, he would be honorable once again. “No matter what it takes, I will free Loki from his prison. Even if it costs my life.” He slammed his fist on the bark, and he felt the vibrations run through him. 

      His connection with the tree was strong. It was closely knitted, and even though it neglected to speak to him, it still needed him. “Talk to me,” he ordered, and he slammed his fist again. A burn went up his spine, but he was the God of Thunder, and he was resilient. He smashed his hand on the tree, but he sunk his nails into it. He latched on and pulled, ripping the outer layer of the magical tree. “Let me in,” he said as he thought of his deeds and Loki. He gripped the bark and tore. Splinters stabbed his fingers, and friction scrapped the flesh off of them. He kept going as long as the tree resisted. “Let me,” he said, unrelenting as he slowly made progress. The tree screamed when it broke through the first layer. It told him in a booming voice, “stop!” The voice felt familiar, but he could not pinpoint its robustness. 

       Thor sat at the tree, and listened silently. He expected it to speak to him, to finally tell him, but it didn’t. Instead, he heard a heartbeat. Deep in the core, beyond the roots and phloem, and the xylem, rested a heart. Thor followed that rhythm, and matched it with his own. All those black outs, and moments of obscurity. The reasons behind them were starting to clear as he gained access to the mysticism of Yggdrasil. 

      His fingers reached, and pulled the tree open. Blood oozed out of it, and it fought to prevent the wound from expanding. Thor could feel the pain of the tree. The red liquid drizzled down his hands and arms, tapping off onto the dirt below him. He winced and cried as the slit grew, and he found it hard to breathe. He coughed and tasted the iron on his tongue, but there was a hint of sweet like sucrose. He understood why the tearing felt like agony. A burning sensation nestled deep in his bosom and he realized he needed to open his eyes.

       Thor gasped and peered down at his chest. He had stabbed himself with a piece of Yggdrasil, and he had shoved his hand into the cavity. His hand was rummaging, searching for something that the world tree wanted. The pain was immense and unbearable. He wasn’t sure how long he could go on like this. The corner of his eyes filled with tears as the fear of failing overwhelmed him. The pressure lasted for eternity, and the tree did not relent. It told him to keep going, until he found the source of his growing insanity. He dug, scraping his vital organs, and pressing into his heart. His breathing stopped. 

     He felt the even beats, and the power buried deep inside. His lungs caved from all the prodding, and he had a short window to grab the piece. He willed his fingers to pierce his heart, and he seized. He convulsed and twitched. His body was done with the assault, and forced his brain to shut down by over-circuiting. He kept digging, even with his body and mind against him. He made a promise, and he was going to keep it. 

     Thor touched the essence of the Old Yggdrasil inside him, and he felt a burst of energy pass in and through him. The tree sang, and his vision faded in bright, white light. In his blaring vision he heard someone call him. “Thor? Thor--please.” They begged, and Thor thought that voice was familiar. 

     “I’m going to get you out okay?” Thor heard himself say, but his lips did not move. 

      Loki smiled, “thank you.”

      His brows furrowed, there was nothing for him to thank him for. He failed, and now he had to face his mistakes. “For what?”

      “For being my-” 

      The light blinked out, and Thor realized he was submerged in darkness. The place, he could recall. He opened his eyes and gazed at the void. His body left its material aspects. He had no clothes, he had no outline or shading. He had no color to his body. He was as nothing as this place. It was so empty, and yet it was full. Of nothing. He remembered this plane vividly, for he slept here for an eternity. 

      Five shadows appeared in the blackness. They were lighter than the surrounding area, but they were as translucent as a shadow. Thor searched in the recesses of his mind to explain who these five beings were, and why they were invading his space. Each one of the five opened their white orbitals, no pupils, and Thor vaguely remembered a Loki looking just like them. Everything was so distant in this place, it was hard to tell. The shadows stared him down with looks between disapproving and enraged. Thor wasn’t sure why they were mad at him until he glanced at himself. In his chest was a colorful piece of tree, that kept him not only alive, but invulnerable from the shadow’s attacks. 

       “I had the power of the gods,” Thor said to the shadows. “And you were the god eaters,” he commented sourly. 

         “We are the gods of gods.” They responded in unison. Thor shook his head. He remembered them. They tried to stop him when Ragnarok happened. He ensured that it happened, but he also made sure that the shadows would not be able to continue the cycle. They would not feed on the gods any longer. He had sworn an oath to that. “You have disobeyed us for the last time,” they said as they reached for him, but he still had the one thing up his sleeve. 

         “I am not just a god,” Thor said absently. “My mother was an elder, she gave me the power to fight celestials,” his real mother, Jord, gave him the courage to battle creatures who forged the multiverse and the power of stories. In the darkness laid nothing but truth, and he remembered his family. He could fight the shadows again, and he knew he could win, but that was not why he was here. “What happened?” His question was general but they all knew the specifics of what he asked. 

          They were compelled to answer considering the power he wielded over them. In a voice similar to his father, the shadows said singularly, “you were never supposed to keep the power of the Yggdrasil. No one was sure what was going to happen to you, but we knew you were supposed to leave this plane of reality.” The memories faded in view, and Thor reminiscenced. 

      He was the maker of his own story, and the story of this reality, and he had the choice to leave and explore the infinite Eternity. He instead decided to stay and sleep. He knew he would be needed, and he frankly liked this reality. “You are a spoiled brat,” his father’s artificial voice spat. Thor sighed. He was known for having his cake and eating it too. But that wasn’t a crime. He wanted to save Earth, and he wanted to help people. “There is a limit to how much you can help before you end up doing the work for them.” Thor looked away in shame. That was his problem, wasn’t it?

     He decided to move the topic away from him, “what about Loki?”

     The shadows looked at each other before staring at him. “He had his own story to complete, but once again, you ruined it!” They shouted the last part at him, and he knew if he was a lesser man, he would not be able to hear right now. “He was never supposed to be separated from his evil side, but you intervened .” They slithered the last word as if it were a curse to his name. His ire grew with their exponential hostility, but he tamped it down. He reminded himself that he was to blame for any difficulties, and the shame rolled onto him once more. 

      “Even with my intervention, he still became infected with his nature. Now he is dying, trying to combat it, and I do not know how to fix it.” Thor said, feeling as lost as when he first woke up. 

       The shadows observed him for a while, taking in his unspoken request. They judged him with their crystal white eyes, never wavering, and always piercing. They leaned forward, and Thor had to somehow look at five pairs of eyes without breaking contact. “We owe you nothing,” they seethed, and their voice resembled his brothers. Before the rebirth. 

       Thor glanced up, “yes, but I owe you everything,” he bowed to the shadows, and they regarded him once more. He would not be their enemy when their objectives aligned.  

       They nodded. Speaking in Loki’s devilish voice, “we so love it when you do that. Humble suits it.” He could not see detailed faces, but he knew they were smiling haughtily. “You came back to this plane, but you still were a celestial trapped in a god's body. That is why you knew everything. You must return your gift from whence it came, and lock the power given by your mother once again. Mortalize yourself, and the cosmos will consider you.” His sanity will return, and with it, his conscience. 

       It was hard to separate the branch when he had a physical body. It was going to be impossible to do it in his metaphysical one. He reached into his nonexistent chest, and latched onto the Yggdrasil. He yanked and tugged, and felt his soul was tearing in half. He screamed outwardly and prayed the pain would end. He felt this was the end, and the shadows had tricked him into killing himself. No, they would be incapable of doing so, and he knew this was the right thing. 

      After crying out, he felt the tree release his ball of energy, and turn into a seed. Relief flooded him, and he fell into himself. He gripped the seed tightly in his hand, and he kept it close to his chest. They were apart, but he wanted it near him. Between breaths he said, “how… do I save… him.” He was curled in a tight ball, quivering from the cold that washed over him. The loss of his power. 

     “He must become what he always was; your enemy.” Thor shook his head. He would not accept being his villain again. “Then he will die,” they spoke resolutely, still in Loki’s voice. Thor heard his iconic, malevolent laugh, and he growled. 

     Thor took a moment to calm himself. He would let the god eaters have their fun for now. He was still strong enough to defeat them, but they had answers. “What happened to my father?” He asked through clenched teeth. The ache in his chest receded, and he was losing his anger. They ceased their mocking laughter, and they glared at Thor. He wasn’t sure why the question bothered them so, but then it hit him. “You don’t know… ” They huffed and reared closer to instill fear, but they should have realized by now, their presence doesn’t scare the God of Thunder. 

      “You cannot hope your father will fix this,” there was that mock again in their voice, so common a tone with Loki. “We are telling the truth, your brother is dead.” Thor was denying it up and down, and they sighed. The shadows were frustrated with his persistence. It was what got him in this predicament in the first place. 

      Thor did not stop the tear that fell from his face. The exasperation and hopelessness was getting to him, and soon he would have to accept that his brother was truly gone. “Humans are allowed to evolve. Why can’t gods?” 

     They pointed their fingers at him, “you were not bred that way. You are the God of Thunder, he is the God of Lies. As long as people believe that, it shall be so.” They shouted with the vocals of Thor. Their message resonated harder with it being his own voice telling him the facts. 

     He spent so much time attempting to preserve Loki’s innocence in the hopes that he could get the brother he always wanted. He had seen the camaraderie betwixt humans and families, and he envied them. The Fantastic Four was family and two of them were unrelated; the X-Men created a family among each other’s common traits, and even they defend Magneto against outsiders. Thor had family, but they either hated him, or abused his trust. Now, he finally had a member who was genuine and honest, and he couldn’t have him because it goes against nature. 

    His anger boiled, and the power surged within him. His mother’s gift, his father’s determination combined to make this beast of a man. The shadows’ eyes widened, “where is the justice in that?” He seethed, but they managed to not cower. 

     They sat and watched him grow angrier. In a calming, inexpressive voice, they announced, “if you wanted justice, you should have never been a god.” They were smug about his defeat, and he cried in anguish. They were right about the gods, and he was wrong to have hope. 

    The paradox sunk in. He wanted to rebel again, and defeat the gods of the gods, but that would only lead him back where he started. The wrongness did not settle well in his stomach, and he had an urge to correct this mishap. Creatures were made from the celestials to be able to change, to one day be something greater than they. Without the ability to evolve, it defeats the purpose of creation. Of Eternity. 

     Thor had witnessed so much beauty in his lifetime. He had seen the Bioverse and all its magnificent, abstract living beings. From as simple as a single organelle, to a multi-structured system of organs that was powered by one mind. Planets that consisted of plants with abilities to communicate with other species telepathically, and whole galaxies bursting to life to create something weird and immaculate. He watched the Bioverse in its estrange perfection, and he watched that universe be consumed.  

     The different species, and organisms that forged the most lively universe had been compacted and eaten. By the celestials. Thor was horrified, he didn’t understand why they showed him that, but then the Bioverse transformed. It had evolved. Out of the ashes of the stars and the planets, from the lives and souls of trillions, a new being came from it. A celestial. A body of pure energy and life. A new celestial came from the idea of change. The idea of being something greater. The Bioverse had not died that day. It had grown up.

      Opening his eyes to that memory, he shook with a realization. Loki was not dying from the poison of his sins. He was not fighting off his nature, and killing himself in the process. He was doing what all creatures of this multiverse were capable of doing. He was growing up.

     Thor had been standing in his way, trying to prevent his growth, and it left him destitute. He was pulling his pieces back together, and aging whether Thor was okay with it or not. He was attempting to achieve shape as so few gods were capable of. He was trying to be like his brother. Thor relaxed his muscles, understanding what had happened. 

      He stared at the shadows, “you are wrong, as you always were.” He held the seed up for them to peer at, and they  slowly reached for it. “I halted my brother’s progress, but not his progress to be the same.” He clenched his fist, and crushed the Yggdrasil seed in his palm. It was dust, and twinkled down when he turned his palm. “I had halted him from being better than me.” They roared at his act of defiance. The seed was precious, and they wanted it, but he would never give them the satisfaction. He turned his back on them. “You and all who follow will never change, and you will be left in the dust.”

       The white light appeared and grew. He let it encapsulate him, remembering this warm embrace. The shadows cried for him to return before he left them to their devices. As long as they are believed, then they shall exist, but Thor was their last believer, and so they were gone. 

      He opened his eyes and saw his fingers were deep in the tree. He had been digging while he talked to creatures within. He stopped, and stood. The wound in his chest was gone, replaced by flesh and bone. He had made a miniscule hole in the tree of life. His urge to dig was strong and he comprehended why. He opened his palm, and called for Mjolnir. He felt the magic deep within his bones, reignite, and he smiled as the tug was unmistakable. He heard the swoosh as his hammer zoomed into his hand. His palm closed and it was as if a piece of his soul returned. He lifted his hand, and cracked open the tree. 

       Hollow inside, he broke in fairly easily once he rejoined with Mjolnir. Their was no longer a connection between him and the tree. He was free to break it. He broke through swiftly and efficiently, taking pieces of bark and trunk with each swing. The hole grew from the size of a dot to a man, and the light of the sun illuminated the inside. Thor saw the figure lying on the ground in a ball and gasped. 

      “Father!” Odin was in nothing but his trousers. He was shivering from the cold and dank room. Thor rushed to his side, and picked him up bridal style. He was flesh and bones, weighing nothing in Thor’s arms. He pulled him out of the old Yggdrasil, and Thor felt Odin tap him on the chest. Thor looked down at his father’s weakened state, and Odin pointed down. Thor eased him onto his feet, and Odin tried to collect himself. When Thor aided him in standing, he didn’t object. 

     “I’m sorry son. I had to do it,” his voice was hoarse and quiet. It pained Thor to see the omnipotent king so vulnerable. 

      “It’s okay father, I understand now.” Odin shook his head.

      “You always understood, you just had to remember.” 

      They reached the cabin with Odin limping in Thor’s arms. He reached the door frame, and Odin waited while Thor went to collect Loki. He was sleeping in the bed, and Thor noticed the black veins were gone. When he was a foot away, Loki’s eyes fluttered open. “Loki,” Thor said with relief and Loki jumped in surprise. He rubbed his eyes, and blinked to clear his vision. When he saw it was Thor, his body relaxed marginally. 

         Thor rushed at him, and wrapped his big arms around his tiny frame. The air was knocked out of him, and he coughed from the impact. Thor pulled away from him quickly before apologizing. Thor asked how he was feeling, but Loki was still out of it. He looked at himself, and noticed the veins were gone. The sickness he had felt creeping inside him disappeared. He felt disturbed by the invasion, but also a rightness to be whole once more. He was energized, and he began to come to. “What happened?”

        The memories were returning to him slowly, but he needed clarifications now. The last thing he could recall was Thor’s betrayal. Thor explained everything, from the moment he had returned from the dead. He gave Loki insight to his psyche and his twisted way of helping. Thor had been blinded by expectations, that he never made room for growth. He realized the error of his ways, and he promised to be honest from now on. 

      After the whole spiel, Loki looked at him wearily. “How can I trust you,” Loki asked. After all that had transpired, after all that Thor had fabricated, how was he going to believe him ever again? 

      “I have wronged you in more ways than your past self ever could. There is no reason you should, but let me try and make it up to you.” He held out his hand, and Loki just watched him. He didn’t deserve his forgiveness, or his kindness. Loki should be spiteful and enraged by Thor’s trickery. He was, and he wanted to hurt his brother as much as he hurt him. He supposed it was his evilness that caused this anger, but he had to accept that part of him was evil. He also had to accept that part of him was good. 

       Loki took his hand, and let Thor pull him to standing. He eyed him, “where are we going?” 

      “Home.”

       “Earth?” He expected him to lie, but Thor would prove himself to him, starting with the little things.

      “Asgard. We have someone to drop off.” Thor glanced at the entrance, and Loki noticed the frail figure standing awkwardly at it. He frowned, a wave of familiarity passed through him, and he knew he didn’t like him. 

      “Odin,” Loki growled, and he sounded like his old self. The strife he had toward him was dim now, and this new life gave him access to healing old wounds. He relaxed, and Odin relaxed as well. “You’re old.”

      Odin gave a slim smile, “I fortunately do not have the gift of deaging. You’re different Loki.” 

      “So are you.”

      “For the better?” His tone was a question, and a warning. 

      “For now.” The response was good enough for the AllFather, and he glanced at his son. Thor walked up to him, and they all walked outside. They stood side by side, as Thor lifted his hammer. He summoned the magic of old, and wrapped it around their trio. The static shot the ground, and the wind picked up. Loki glanced at his brother, and Thor looked down at him. 

      “How do you plan to make it up?” His eyes were narrow, but he still had that child-like innocence in his face. 

       Thor smiled. For the first time in a long time, he wasn’t tasting something foul. “We’re going to go save Leah.”

       Loki’s eyes widened with disbelief, and they were swept away into the vortex that sent them to Asgard. 

Chapter Text

      Asgard was going through their drought regime. It happened every couple of years, and their crops would typically dry up if not for the God of Thunder. Volstagg had hoped that they would have come up with a solution by the time one of their infamous droughts showed up, but the people were busy tampering quarrels with one another, and focusing on civil suits. The farmers were silently suffering as the droughts and dust bowls sucked up their land, and ruined their soil. Volstagg shook his head, and locked himself in the tower which Odin formerly peered down at the city in. 

     There was knocking at the door, but Volstagg couldn’t bother. His head was in his hands and the stress was blocking any outsiders. The last three years have put a toll on the voluminous god. Asgard had put great resources into finding and capturing the brothers of Asgard, but to no avail. Thor was an unstoppable force as they all feared, and Loki had manipulated him into being a weapon for him. The unqualified king waited for the day of the siege, but it never showed. A year went by, and the collective decided to give up on their hunt. They focused on the newly usurped throne and the god standing above them.

      Asgard went back to normal for a while. People lived day by day, doing their duties, and completing their tasks. For a second, Volstagg thought that it would be easy ruling the greatest kingdom in all the nine. Then the Norn Queen attacked. 

     Volstagg doesn’t have the Odin Force or any power that can compete with mystical entities or deities that are older than Odin himself. In her haunting beauty, the Queen laid waste to multiple city-states and captured any who were willing to bow down. Volstagg was lucky to have Sif as a subject loyal to her kingdom. She may not agree with him on most topics and choices, but she will defend her country. She asked for the help of Beta Ray Bill, and took a malicia to the forefront of the battle. They pushed Karnilla back and her Storm Giants, while rescuing the imprisoned warriors. They had come out victorious, but no one celebrated.

      After that attack, the people called out to Volstagg. He was clearly unfit, but they honestly didn't know what to do. Inquiries came up, pertaining to attacks such as Karnilla’s, and the people asked what the king would do to save his people. Volstagg began to sweat, and he felt the pressure of millions of hands squeezing his head. He didn’t know how to answer them, and that was when realized his mistake. He was not Thor. He was not Odin. He had no power, no magic, no wisdom or courage. He was just a man. A large, obese man with a wife and twenty kids. He wasn’t cut out for this job, but he was too late to take the opportunity back. 

     Loki’s dog became his Huginn and Muninn. Thori was his eyes and ear, but that mutt didn’t care. He laid on his hinds as Volstagg sat on his ass. The stress Volstagg felt made Thori laugh, and whenever he tried to discipline him, Thori would attack. He was uncontrolled, and Volstagg was tempted to euthanize him, but he stopped himself. This was not his creature, it was Loki’s. The boy who started this horrible journey. He stopped taking care of it afterward. 

     Once the drought hit, and famine appeared, Volstagg gave up. Asgard pressured him to do something, anything! But he had no clue, he didn’t have connections nor knowledge on where to begin. So he locked himself in Hlidskjalf, away from the judgment and prying eyes. He was safe here, at least until they broke down his door. Then, he would have to run from death. But he wasn’t fast, and he couldn’t fly. He took out a piece of paper and quill, and began writing his epitaph. 

    “Sir, there is a disturbance in the throne room that requires your attention.” A guard said through the door. 

    “Go away and let me weep,” Volstagg said dramatically. “This kingdom has long since given up on the king, and I, it. The people will handle the disturbance, and I will write my will.” 

     A sigh was heard through the door before the guard spoke up, “It is the AllFather, and his sons.” Volstagg gasped before rushing to the door. 

      When they landed in the kingdom, Thor expected Odin to hold on to him for physical support. Being in Asgard seemed to resurge energy into him. He stood by himself, and was six inches taller. Thor managed to teleport them into the throne room, and Odin walked in strides to his throne. Gunir wasn’t there, but he didn’t need his weapon to impose power. His presence was enough. The guards had entered on account of the noise, and gasped to see their ancient king resting right where he belonged. They bowed and took a knee to their rightful king without hesitation. “My sovereign,” they said in unison, staring down at the floor.

     “Stand my subjects, and alert Volstagg. He and his loyal subjects will face the wrath of the AllFather.” They nodded and left without a word. 

      Thor glanced at his father. “They attacked because they were scared. Fear can misguide anyone,” Thor said as he looked at Loki. His father took his words into account, and nodded. They might not face his full wrath, but their crimes could not go unpunished. 

      Volstagg and a few of his loyal guards charged into the room. Among the group was Fandral and Freyja. Volstagg had Gunir in his hand, and a hard expression on his face. Odin had no clothes on, with only a pair of tattered pants to cover his privates. He had a scraggly white beard and unkempt hair. Smudges, bruises, and wounds were scattered over his body. He looked a mess, and not kingly. Yet, he sat in his throne as if he were born in it, and his relaxed posture was a false sense of security. He was stronger than all the people in this room, save Thor, even in his weakened state. 

       “You have an option, Volstagg the voluminous. Take a knee and face the punishment of your treason, or die. This is your choice. Pick wisely,” His voice was deep and it echoed in the room. There was no doubt who was in charge. 

       Loki watched this stare down, and was amazed at the power the AllFather held. It intrigued him, and he felt the desire to gain that power. Then he looked at Thor who was also watching the power struggle unfold. He saw it in his eyes, Thor would not allow Odin to kill Volstagg. Even after everything they did to the brothers, Thor did not seek revenge. He wanted this issue resolved, but not with blood. Hell, he barely wanted to punish Volstagg. He had compassion, and even more so, understanding, which helped him forgive these people he once called friends. Thor had made bad choices because of his fear. He would never let his fear overwhelm him again. 

     Loki felt a smile tug on his lips. His sacrifice and nobility was admirable, and Loki still had enough honor in him to revel in it. He wanted the king to be punished but not for sadism, but for justice. It wasn’t right what he did, but Loki could understand where he had come from. 

     Volstagg took a few steps toward the throne. Thor tensed, thinking he would have to intervene before Volstagg did something he would surely regret. He was a few feet from the throne when he stopped and watched Odin. His eyes were narrow but they weren’t out of disdain. He fell to one knee and he held out Gunir. “I will accept whatever you give, my liege.” Volstagg spoke with his head lowered. 

      Odin regarded him and took the weapon from him. He stood for a while, “take him,” the AllFather said and the guards snatched him off his feet. They took the other subjects as well, presumably to their cells. 

      Once they cleared out, Odin removed himself. “It is time I rest, as should you,” he said to Thor. Thor knew he couldn’t take the throne even temporarily, but he would if his father had no good candidate. Odin noticed the doubt in his son.  

      “But who will take care of Asgard?” 

      “With Baldur gone, I will say Sif. She is loyal to her country, she would be a just ruler.” Thor nodded in agreement. She had been the temporary queen before, and she was exceptional at her work. Thor was still hesitant to leave. Odin could handle himself, but it was still his dad and he didn’t want harm to come to him. 

       “You have done enough for your people. They may have forgotten, but I am the omnipotent Odin. You have earned the right to go home.” He rested his hand on his shoulder and smiled. Thor reciprocated, realizing that his father was the few that could relate to him. He knew what it was like to be cursed with power, and wanting to do good with it. He had made poor decisions, it was all a part of growing up. 

      “Okay,” Thor said finally. He had a debt to pay. 

       He and Loki left the throne room, and they explored the kingdom without fear of execution. Loki was pretty quiet throughout the whole experience, absorbing what he observed  as opposed to speaking up. That was the Loki Thor had been used to, silently calculating and conniving. It was slightly disheartening, but Thor knew there was good in him even if the darkness also had a hold on him. “Where to next?” Loki asked with genuine intrigue. 

      “Hell.”

      Loki observed him carefully, “are you certain?”

       His brows furrowed but he didn’t look at his brother, “I may be many things, but a coward is not one of them.” He turned to his brother, expecting the mistrust in his eyes. “I will do right by you, without expecting anything from you. This journey has long been overdue.” Loki was skeptical, and Thor sighed. He wasn’t sure how he would get Loki’s forgiveness, maybe never. Maybe the shadows were right, and Loki’s spite would lead to him becoming Thor’s enemy. One thing was for certain; he was not going to fight his brother again. Whether he is friend or foe, Thor would never go backward. 

      With his mind back together, and his soul whole, he was capable of going to Hela’s domain without dying in the process. With the magics of his weapon, and his inherent ability, he whisked them away in the winds to the cold reaches of the underworld. 

      Loki held onto Thor, still not used to this way of traveling. He opened his eyes and saw the large gates to the underworld, Hela’s domain. Garmr, her wolf, protected the gates, and it growled at the two intruders. “Neither of you are dead. Get out,” the wolf ordered, sitting up to tower over Thor Odinson. 

      “I have a deal to settle with the Goddess of Death. Stay in my way, and you will be in hers.” The wolf considered this a moment. Garmr glared at Thor, then at Loki before finally relinquishing. He moved from the entrance, and the gates cracked open. Thor nodded to the sharp teeth wolf, and Loki followed swiftly behind him.  

     The paths cleared, and her domain opened to swallow them up. Thor could faintly hear Hela’s laugh of triumph. He could hear her rasp, “this day was long overdue.” He knew he had died many times in the past. To Dirk Garthwaite, to Andvari, and the World Serpent. He had even died to his father’s hands before. His soul should have been hers, but he always managed to slip or reject her advances all together. She wanted his soul as he granted, and he would be obliged to hand it over. 

     They walked in a straight line, but their scenery changed. From barren wasteland, to solid foundation, they found themselves in the abode of Hel, Goddess of Death. She was sitting on her throne with Baldur standing beside her. She had a chain in her bony hands, and attached to the end was a cuff. She was smiling wickedly, not so unlike her father. When Thor stepped up, she blatantly licked her lips, and she stood up to greet him. “Ah Thor, you pathetic man.” 

     “Let the girl go,” he said before she could lecture. Her smile widened, she was too smug about her victory. 

      “Why? I thought you wanted her imprisoned. After all, you sold your soul for it.” She said sarcastically as she swung her chain around lazily.

      “I know. It wasn’t right.” He looked away briefly before making eye contact. 

       She grew irate with his response and spat, “do not think for a second you can return your offer.” She gripped the chain in a punishing vice, and grinded her teeth. Thor did not flinch, he knew the goddess well, and he knew how to appease her anger. 

       He kneeled, and that got a shock out of her and Loki. “You are right. I don’t plan on revoking. I do, however, plan on changing it. Her soul, for mine.” He knelt there, completely vulnerable to Hela’s decision. She had gasped inwardly at the sight. She had never truly had the Odinson bare at her feet. He was genuine, his offer was absolute. It was so tempting to take it immediately, but she had to remember her senses. 

       “This was how?” Loki asked, and his voice was full of distraught. He thought that maybe they would battle the goddess, and steal Leah. He didn’t expect Thor to give in to Hela’s demands in exchange for Leah. Where was the action? Where was the justice? This was not how it was supposed to go. 

       “When you have been as arrogant and single-minded as I have; you have to drop your weapons and reassess who is truly the villain.” Thor said to Loki as if he heard his thoughts. Maybe he did. He was a celestial. He dropped Mjolnir onto the stone foundation. “Volstagg has been punished for his crimes, and now it is time I serve for mine.” Loki froze, realizing this wasn’t a dupe. He found himself guilty, and the sentence was Death. 

      Loki felt strange, a mixture of grief and satisfaction. Thor had hurt so many people during his time of insanity, a time Loki still could not piece together properly. It was confusing and sensical all at once, and it was because of the memories he gained from his former self that caused this. His evil screamed for Thor to be punished. No one thwarted Loki and got away with it. Then his conscience would surface, and he would realize these intense emotions only masked the pain he felt for Thor. To Thor. Because of Thor. He was fighting himself again, and it was as if nothing changed. He was flustered, and more importantly, frustrated. 

      Hela was quiet in her steps as she approached. She seemed to tower over him for a minute, assessing his character. She proceeded to look at Loki, her annoyance evident in her mask-covered eyes. Her look switched to Thor, “all of this for a girl who doesn’t exist.” Her hands balled into fists, her anger swelling. 

    Loki couldn’t help the interference, “wait, Thor don’t do this.” Hela lifted her hand and silenced her would-be father. He walked toward Thor, regret filling his heart. He thought he would be okay with Thor sacrificing himself to fix his mistake, but it didn’t sit well with him. “I get it now, you don’t have to leave.” His voice was choppy, and his throat was tight. He felt the tears brimming his eyes. He scolded himself for being so weak. Even whole, he was a cry baby. 

     Thor looked over his shoulder, and he spared him a smile. “I had sworn an oath to preserve all life Even those considered dead,” he looked at Hela who narrowed her eyes. Loki wiped his face, but he didn’t stop the transaction. Hela would not settle for anything less than Thor’s soul. But what about Thor’s life? Was he not supposed to preserve his own? 

     Loki’s heart swelled with pride even with the tears. Loki understood Thor’s need to save other’s lives. He wasn’t trying to make himself a martyr for Loki or Hela. He wasn’t asking for forgiveness. Whether or not Thor was the cause of an innocent person’s imprisonment, he would sacrifice himself to protect them. He would put all of his effort to right that wrong. It was his morals that drove him, his belief in opportunity and change that led him to be a hero. He had seen beauty before, and he would strive to see it again. 

     Thor had fought to see the change in Loki. Misguided as he was, he had better intentions than if Loki were to copy the same actions. In the back of his mind, his brain told him no. He should not forgive the liar (which would be hypocritical), and let him suffer for the consequences of his actions without remorse. His heart gave him a different story. He felt it mending after such a short period, because he knew he was going to lose the chance to mend with his brother.   

     Hela scolded Thor quietly, “always noble,” she said with disdain. It bothered her immensely, how easily Thor gave up his freedom for someone else. It was disturbing… and admirable. Thor lifted his hand for her to take. She grasped it, and allowed him to stand. “Fine,” she said for only his ears. “Have my hand.” Her other hand held the chains. Thor eyed them, awaiting for them to clamp on his flesh. She reached, but the chains never latched on. Instead, they melted into black smoke, and dispersed into the wind. 

     Thor looked at her confusedly. She still held his hand, but she turned from him. She opened her arms, and from the distance came a little girl. Her inky black hair fell down her face, shielding her figure. She had her green dress with accents of gold on, with a trail behind her. When she was close enough, she pushed her hair back and opened her eyes. She looked to be in a daze, but she was coming to. Her eyes searched, noticing Thor and Hela, but they fixed on Loki. 

     “Loki?” There was a strained hope in her voice. Loki was hesitant to move, afraid it was a trap. She walked up to him carefully. Both of them were tentative around each other, surveying the person. She touched his cheek tenderly, “you are older, and crying.” 

      His thoughts gravitated toward Leah. He wanted to wipe the tears, but he didn’t want to embarass himself any further. “It’s been a couple of years,” her eyes widened, and she glanced at the floor. There was sadness in her eyes, and he was compelled to remedy that. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug, locking her in. She reciprocated the affection instantly, and his shoulders relaxed once he realized this was real. “I’ve missed you,” he said in their embrace. 

    “Me too,” she said simply.

     Thor watched Hela warily, expecting her to finally take him away. “Why didn’t you chain me?” 

     She sighed, “because I cannot do it.” She released his hand, and stepped back. “I want you and I will have you, but not in this way. There are more honorable ways of collecting the soul of an honorable man.” She turned her back on him, but he halted her progress. 

    “I owe you more than my life, Hela.” She looked at him, and smiled genuinely. 

    “I’m counting on it,” she left without another word. 

    Loki walked up to Thor while holding Leah. “Thor?” he asked the unspoken question. His thoughts were racing, Hela was leaving and Thor wasn’t following. Maybe there would be a brawler afterall.  

    Thor shook his head, “the soul of the thunderer is his for another day.” Loki smiled, and it charmed Thor. Loki embraced him, and Thor smiled dumbly. He prepared for their departure, but he glanced at Hela. She grinned and winked at the thunder god as he left her domain in a flash. 

      For the time being, Thor and his brother stayed in the Avenger’s Mansion. They were greeted by new and old recruits. Kate Bishop and Sam were still working there even after the time that went past. Janet Van Dyne, also referred to as the Wasp, had returned to the fighting business as well. She was the one to greet them at the door, and she promptly kissed the thunderer. She missed him that much. 

     Thor left Loki alone, giving his brother space to breathe and celebrate with his friend. She was wary around Thor, blatantly, and he knew that a proper reunion between the two required him to leave. Leah dragged Loki around the mansion, and Thor stayed in the foyer to talk to Van Dyne about the last couple of years. She had been out of the game longer than Thor’s absence, and he wanted to know what happened to the wasp, always buzzing in everyone’s ears. 

       “We can still leave,” Leah said to Loki when they were in the Avenger’s mansion. Thor needed a place for them to recuperate, and Asgard was undergoing repairs from Volstagg’s poor leadership. While he talked to the other members, Loki and Leah slipped away from the politics, and entered a secluded area. They were heading toward the armory. 

    “What?”

    She faced Loki with a grim look, “I don’t believe for one second this isn’t a trap. Devised by your brother or my master. I think they are in cahoots.” She grasped his hand. “We can run, and this time they won’t catch us.”

    Loki stopped their steps, “you can’t be serious,” he baffled. Her eyes told him deadly, and he had to consider. She pointed at the door they approached. It was made of steel and at least six inches in width. There were locks of the physical kind as well as magical locks. 

    “I can get you a weapon, and then we can go.” She saw the doubt in his eyes. “You trust me?”

     His eyes widened. “Of course.”

    “Then we leave,” she smiled, and Loki frowned. “Your brother is a beast and my master, a monster. This is best for us.” She said determinedly. He removed himself from her grasp, and she glanced. He looked at his hands before confronting Leah.

     “Leah, wait.” He could already see the betrayal in her eyes, but he had to piece together his emotions. “I’m different,” it was obvious from his growth, but that wasn’t what he meant. “I remember my life as a villain, and I remember my hatred for Thor.” Her face went blank. She wasn’t sure what he was getting at, but it could be promising. “The feeling is so strong, I can sense it motivating my thoughts. But when I think about dismissing my brother, I can’t.” She frowned, and he stared at the floor. 

       “You still trust him,” she said.

       “No. I still love him.” He scolded himself because he was evil. “And there is one thing that both my former self and I agree on; he’s a good person.” He felt whole, admitting that. She scoffed, and turned away. Loki reached, and placed his hand on her shoulder. “He hurt us, but I had hurt you. You were capable of forgiving me.” She shook, but it wasn’t of sadness. 

      “You want me to forgive them for hurting me.” She glanced over her shoulder, and he could see the lethal glare she spared him. “I was alone for so long,” the words resonated in the cold corridor. Her fear laced her words, “I can’t forgive them. For as long as I have no soul, they will be unforgiven.” Her eyes softened, her resolution final. This was more than what they did to her. Her master, her creator, did not care about her. She saw her as an object, as nothing. Leah saw herself as nothing. As long as she lacked the essence of a living being, she would always be a shell of a human. She would always feel alone. 

      She faced him fully, wrapping her arms around him. “I will leave.”

      “Leah-” he protested but she put her cold finger on his lips. 

      “I have too many unanswered questions about myself. I cannot stay in this plane of reality because of envy. I will not drag you along.” She separated from him, but he immediately latched onto her. 

      “You wouldn’t drag, I’d be walking with you.” He pleaded but she shook her head. 

      “I do not want you to become a part of my resentment. A reminder of what I cannot have.” 

      “You can. You can have it all,” he sounded so childish, it made him sick. Her smile was almost imperceivable, but Loki knew her well. He was ready to give it up, “please just stay.” He just got her back, and now she was going to leave again. This time, there was no force in it. She wanted to exit. This was not how it was supposed to go. 

      She started to glow violet. She leaned forward and kissed him. “I will see you again someday, but this is for the best.” She stepped back and gave herself room. Neither of them wanted her to leave, but she realized how poisoned she was. Loki held his hand out for her, but it was futile. She was disappearing by the second. “I will always love you,” she said, and Loki fell on his knees. He managed not to cry outwardly, but his heart was weeping. The glow grew brighter until her whole body was encompassed by it. The light was hard to look at, but Loki suffered the pain. Then it winked out, and Loki was submerged in darkness. 

     He looked down at the concrete, “I love you too.” 

     Thor sat on the roof of the mansion when Loki approached him. He sensed his presence, but he didn’t feel Leah’s. He turned around and saw that Loki was alone. “What happened to Leah?” There was a frown on Loki’s face that warned Thor his answer would not be good. 

      “She left.” Loki sat down next to Thor. “She wanted to find herself, and she knew she couldn't do it with me.” He neglected to mention the first part of their argument. She couldn’t stand the people of the living and the dead. They all existed, while she was a shadow. 

      “I’m sorry about that Loki,” Thor comforted him by placing his hand on his shoulder. 

      “It’s okay. She said she’ll see me again, so I’m hopeful.” He gave him a small smile to indicate such. “I just don’t know how long before that day comes.”

       Thor shrugged, “maybe in a couple of years, maybe tomorrow. Whenever it is, you’ll be ready.” Loki felt the lift in his face and his spirit. He looked at the city of New York, and observed it with wonder. The structures were tall and intimidating, but they were filled with life. The sun was setting and the sky had an orange and red hue. It was a sight that couldn’t be found on Asgard, and Loki reveled at the thought. 

     “Are we staying on Earth?” Loki asked absently. 

     “If you want to.” 

     “Yeah.” Thor was surprised he wanted to. His former self hated the dirt ball, almost all asgardians did, but this Loki was different. Thor smiled to himself. The fact that he liked Earth warmed his heart. They watched the sun set in silence, and it was neither awkward nor comfortable. It was tentative.

      “Thor?” Loki called, and Thor gave him his undivided attention. 

      “I want to be a good person, and I know you are the one who can help me.” He shuffled and picked his fingers, “will you help me?” He held his hand out as if making a deal. 

      It only took him a moment before Thor clasped his hand with his brother. “Always,” he promised. “And you will help me?” Loki nodded vehemently and they shook hands. They turned back to the resting sun, and watched the blazes of light die into the speckles of the stars. They were secure in each other, and that was how it was going to be.

The End