Sparking Soul: Ch. 25

The corridors were empty save for Father and I as we walked through them, our footsteps echoing in the air while I frowned as Jarnbjorn was attached to my back and Mjolnir to my side.

“I thought you would say more…at the pyre,” I spoke first, adding a bit of clarification as he slowed down for a brief moment before continuing onwards.

“I said what needed to be said.”

“But not what you felt,” My words sounded a bit harsher than I intended as I was more curious than angered, but the message seemed to have come across as he slowed down and turned to face me.

“You think me heartless, son?”

“No. I…I just think you're just too used to loss,” I answered and he said nothing as he kept my gaze before continuing down the corridor with a nod.

“That may be true. A crowd does not allow for weeping in the open, not when it needs to be strong for its subjects. They must believe that we endure.”

“We don't, though. Pain is something we still feel.”

“And that is why I let you speak, Thor,” He spoke as he glanced at me over his shoulder, making me frown as he continued. “You carry grief with the strength of one who has not yet been broken by time. The people needed to hear that.”

“They needed to hear you, not just the living but also those that have passed. Mother…Darcy…she-!”

“She was mortal, my son, and yet she made you feel more than most immortals ever could,” He spoke gently as we stopped and I exhaled a shaky breath before nodding.

“She made me want to be mortal where I could live out a life and grow old besides her. I wanted to laugh at storms with her and see Midgard's sun set at the end of every day.”

“Then you understand love as well as regret, Thor. It is saddening that you could not save her, but dwelling on what could have been instead of the precious moments you already shared will plague your mind for eternity, my son.”

“I know, Father. She chose her end as Mother did…and as every warrior that fought did. She did not die in fear, but in defiance of it.”

“I understand, my child. I understand that you must mourn, but unfortunately, now is not the time. You know your brother preys on your insecurities,” He spoke and I nodded as I remembered where we were heading to, the conversation now ended as we continued walking until we stopped in front of Loki's room.

“I see my runes are still holding strong,” I spoke as we stared at the runes, which shimmered faintly against the stone as Father nodded.

“He has been quite quite docile after you used the Reality Stone to take away his magic.”

“That was an unfortunate decision that I made in haste. Perhaps he would have been helpful during the war.”

“Perhaps, but it is too late for regret,” Father spoke as he placed his hand on the barrier, parting it with a single whispered word and letting the runes fade away before the doors opened automatically.

When we entered, I was not surprised to see Loki seated on his throne-like chair, hands folded over one another and his posture relaxed as he turned his gaze towards us.

For a brief moment, I caught a flicker of guilt or perhaps regret before it vanished and was replaced by a slight smirk.

“Brother and Father. What a lovely surprise.”

“Save your words, Loki. We've come for the truth, not your theatrics.”

“You've come to the wrong person then, Thor. You took my stage away with your precious trinket, remember? No smokes or mirror for a performance here.”

“You don't need magic to lie, Loki. You never did,” I spoke as I stepped forward, to which he simply titled his head with a sharp look in his eyes.

“And yet here I am, as harmless as a lamb. What lie could I possibly tell you from behind these walls?”

“The kind that hides your shame, son,” Father spoke and my eyes narrowed as I saw Loki's fingers twisting subtly. “But you cannot fool those who know you.”

“You know nothing of me anymore, Odin.”

“We know what guilt looks like when you're not using magic to hide it. The slight bags under your eyes, the slight bruising on your knuckles and the tray on the table beside you that is dented. You forgot that without magic, you are as visible as the rest of us, brother,” I spoke, to which he just glanced away with a scoff.

“I did not mean for her to die. I wanted to hurt you, yes. That is something I won't lie about, but not like this. It was never supposed to be like this.”

“Then, why, brother? Why lead them to her and betray us?”, I asked, really wanting to hold out hope that he still had some good in him as he turned his gaze back to us, showing the guilt and defiance burning in his eyes.

“Because I was angry and left behind. You locked me away, took away the very thing I worked eons on and tossed away the key like I was nothing more than a footnote in your story. I wanted…no, I needed you to remember I still existed,” He spoke and I forced my hands to not creep to Mjolnir's handle while Father glanced at me when both Mjolnir and Jarnbjorn began to spark.

“Loki, please tell me you did not tell them where Darcy was to spite me,” I pleaded, watching as Father simply sighed when Loki just smiled.

“You asked me for the truth, remember?”

“…Yes, I did,” I whispered, feeling the storm roaring in my soul as electricity sparked around my body.

“I did not know where she was at that time, but I gave her the locations of where she could potentially be. However, I did not know Mother would be with her. I would never, never, put her in danger.”

“Loki, I want to believe you, Loki. Truly I do, but you expect me to believe that this wasn't something you orchestrated? You, who is hesitant to move unless you can see the entire board?”, I asked, watching as he gave a hollow chuckle.

“I've been locked in this cage for far too long to see the game anymore. All I saw was the silence. You, Odin, the world…you all forgot me. Even Mo-Even she forgot me. So yes, Thor, I told them where Darcy was, hoping that it would sting and hoping that it would make you see me again.”

“But you did not think beyond that. You played with fire hoping to feel its warmth and burned the house down in the process,” Father spoke and I watched as Loki didn't answer while looking at the fire place.

“Loki, Mother was not the only one who convinced me to give you a second chance at this. Darcy, she….she wanted you to be a part of the family again, to become the uncle that she would use as an example for how someone that was bad became good and yet-!”

“I did not ask for it!”, He shouted, stunning me slightly as he stood up from his seat with a glare. “I did not ask for her kindness! I did not ask her to believe in me!”

“And yet she did!”, I snapped back, cutting him off with a glare.” She saw something in you that you did not! Even after everything you did, she still hoped and believed you could get better!”

“And perhaps that is why I resented her most. Because she believed…when I no longer could,” He sounded nearly broken as he spoke, a bit of resentment and anguish clinging to every word.

However, as I went to continue, Father stopped me with a raised hand, his eyes heavy not with judgement but with a disappointment that only a father could have.

“Belief is not a burden, Loki. It is a gift, one you squandered.”

“Ha! It is quite easy to say that when you yourself have never doubted your own place in the world, isn't it All-Father?”, Loki asked before both he and I freeze as a heavy pressure settled in the air, Father's calm facade facing away to reveal the grieving husband behind it.

“Do not presume to know my doubts, boy. I have watched kingdoms fall, sons stay and love, true eternal love, slip through my fingers,” As Father spoke, he stepped forward, each step echoing in the room as he came to a stop directly in front of Loki.

“Do not think that I do not ache. Do not think that I do not break. I simply choose not to do so in the open.”

“Then you should understand why I did it. To be forgotten is a slow death,” Loki spoke and I shook my head as I came to terms with the one thing that I didn't want to.

Loki was still who he was.

“Do not say that, Loki. What you did was not a cry for remembrance, but a betrayal dressed as pain and now…now you can't find it in you to live with the wake of that choice.”

“I did not wish for this, Thor.”

“And yet, here we are,” I spoke, the two of us staring at each other as I clenched my fists and nodded with a deep exhale.

'Feel but do not be ruled by it,' I remembered Mother's whispered words, doing so even as I felt Mjolnir's need to be used.

“You have your truth, Thor. Now, decide what you will do with it,” Father said as he walked towards the side and I kept my eyes on Loki before the Reality Stone glowed.

His eyes widened slightly as I returned his magic, Father staying silent as I walked forward and stood just a foot away from him.

“There was redemption in you, but you never reached for it. However, I will not let you rot here while I carry their names. If there is even a scrap of the man Mother and Darcy believed in left, you will follow me out of that door and you will help.”

“…What makes you think I'll be of any use and that I'll even help? For all you know, I could be halfway across Asgard by now.”

“Because the Loki Odinson I knew would have done his best to fulfill the debt that he owes them. Now, will you fight or will you continue to cower away?”, I asked, surprising not only him but also Father as I picked up the sparking Mjolnir and held it out to him.

He didn't say anything as he stared at the hammer, watching as his hand almost twitched for it before he stopped himself.

“Why? I am not you and I do not deserve it.”

“No, you don't, but I myself have been unworthy of it once. Worthiness is not something you are given, but something you choose to reach for every day. You don't get to decide if you're forgive, Loki. You'll only get to decide whether you're ready to ask for it,” I spoke and he stared at Mjolnir and back at me.

“You tire of being the villain in everyone's story, yes? Then, stop playing the part and write your own story. You're meant for glorious purpose, so go find it. That's what they would want.”

“I do not know where to start, brother,” He spoke softly and I smiled through the pain as I simply lifted his hand and placed the hammer in his grasp, dismissing the enchantment and watching how his arm kept it up.

“You start by walking through that door and the rest we figure out together, Loki. You, Father and I.”

“Along with another person,” Father spoke up and I raised an eyebrow as Loki looked a bit confused as well even while feeling awe at having Mjolnir in his hand.

“Who is that person?”, I asked before my eyes widened as he sighed and walked towards the door, shocked at the words that came from his mouth.

“To Niflheim. It's time to bring your sister back.”

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“We have a sister?”, Loki asked as he and I followed Father across the Rainbow Bridge to the Himinbjorg, staying silent as Father nodded.

“Yes, but I sealed her off in the region of Hel in Niflheim because she became too ambitious for me.”

“Oh, so you don't just treat us two like this? It's how it is with every child you have. Also, why are you not surprised by this?”, He asked as he turned to me and I just shook my head as Heimdall turned his gaze to us.

“I've grown used to Father hiding secrets and I have had a vision of Ragnarok,” I answered, to which Loki just raised an eyebrow as Heimdall spoke.

“To Hel, Heimdall.”

“…Are you certain, All-Father?”, I dare say that Heimdall looked a bit hesitant as he held Hofund, frowning as Father nodded before the guardian nodded.

“Very well,” The gatekeeper spoke before turning the blade, Father being the first to step through the Bifrost while I took a deep breath before Loki and I followed after him.

Immediately as we landed, I stared at the dark world around us, jagged rocky outcroppings stretching out from the ground high into the sky while dark grey clouds blocked out nearly all the sunlight from view.

The cold bit at our skin like frozen claws and the air reeked of death and silence so loud that it presses against your ears until even your thoughts felt too loud.

The Bifrost snapped shut behind us with a sharp snap, cutting off any help that could come from Asgard and ahead of us, I stared at the few blackened trees around us, whose branches looked like bones reaching upwards to the sky.

“This is where she rules? Fitting. Cold, miserable and crawling with regret.”

“Reminds you of someone?”, I asked and he just gave me a side-eye while Mjolnir tapped against his leg when we followed after Father.

“Where do you believe she is?”, I asked the All-Father as we continued walking, to which he did not say anything as Gungnir tapped against the ground with every step.

“I do not know, but I do know that she knows we are here. She can feel my presence and I do not believe she will let us leave,” He answered, his voice having hints of guilt in it as we moved deeper into hell.

As we kept moving, the landscape began to shift subtly with every step. The jagged rocks started curling in like claws, the dead trees' creaking sounding like wails of agony and the silence becoming deafening with every step.

Glancing at Loki, I watched as the trickster held Mjolnir in a loose grip, spinning it once before resting the hammer against his shoulder.

“So, what is our plan once we meet her? We knock on the door and hope she does not use our blood as a new ingredient for her tea?”, He asked, trying to use humour to cope as his gaze flickered around.

“If she still remembers love, she might just give us normal tea, though I don't know if there's any of that left in her.”

“Stay vigilant. She's watching,” Father spoke and as he said that, a rumble echoed in the distance. It sounded like thunder, but I could not feel any storm around us, taking off Jarnbjorn from my back as Loki frowned.

“I hate being watched. It feels like Heimdall all over again, but this time, I think I might lose a limb if I sneeze.”

“Well, well, it took you long enough, you old bastard,” As I went to respond, my eyes widened as I heard the smooth yet sharp blade echoing across the landscape.

Both Loki and I spun around with our weapons at the ready to see the black-haired goddess walking across the landscape, dressed in a dark green and black bodysuit with black make-up around her eyes and emerald-green eyes having nothing but resentment and rage in them.

“Okay~ I assume this is our sister?”, Loki asked, Father not saying anything as I saw the regret in his eyes.

“Yes. Hela Odindottir, Firstborn of Asgard,” He spoke and I watched Hela tilt her head as she approached, each step quiet yet increasing the heavy pressure in the air.

“Sister, we did not come here for a fight,” I spoke and she simply raised an eyebrow while coming to a stop a few paces away from her.

“Didn't you? I thought that was all our family knows, is it not? Secrets, chains, war, imprisonment and when we're done being useful, banishment.”

“I believe I speak for all three of us when I say that we're not thrilled about the pattern either,” Loki said as he took a step forward and Hela smirked at his remark.

“Oh, look at you. Loki Laufeyson, the failure they tried to shape into a king. Then there's the golden boy. Thor Odinson, the son that was banished only to be accepted back even after he was disrespectful and gathered the Infinity Stones after nearly destroying Asgard.”

'Wait, how the hell does she know all that?', Last I checked, Hela did not know who Thor and Loki was in the Ragnarok movie, but now she not only knows who we are, but also about the fact that I gathered the Infinity Stones and attacked Asgard when I was mind-controlled.

“How did you come to know of this information, Hela?”, Father asked and I watched as the goddess simply gave an eerie laugh, the sound of it raising the hair on the back of my neck while she stretched her arms to the side.

“How else would I, dearest All-Father? I simply have some friends that told me,” To our surprise, the ground behind her exploded upwards as a demonic roar ripped through the air.

“No.”

“Father, you know that that is?!”, I asked urgently as I stared at the demonic being climbing out of the ground, its entire body looking like it was made out of gold and metal as thick spikes protruded from every part of its body.

Its red eyes gleamed with anger as it glared down at us, a pair of golden horns growing out from the sides of his head while its thick tail shattered every rocky outcropping that it touched.

“Odin the Betrayer!!”, The beast roared and I frowned as I saw Hela standing besides it with a sadistic smile.

“Its name is Mangog the Devourer. It is made from the souls of one billion Vanir that I killed after they tried to wage war against Asgard.”

“Why can't you just imprison someone for once?!”, Loki exclaimed and I had to agree before narrowing my eyes when I saw Hela creating twin Necro-Swords.

The goddess noticed my gaze as she began to strut towards us, Loki noticing her as well before both he and Father turned to me as I spoke.

“I'll take on the beast. You two make sure that she at least comes to see reason.”

“Oh, great. You fight the mindless beast while I struggle against our older sister?”, Loki complained, but did as he was asked as he and Father walked towards Hela.

The beast roared as it went to attack them right as I appeared in front of it, Jarnbjorn overflowing with lightning as the dark clouds before I swung the axe down.

Immediately, lightning rained down from the sky and impacted Mangog's body, pushing it further and further into the ground before I swung up and unleashed a monstrous tornado that sent the beast flying into the distance.

“Mangog, by my title of God of the Storms and Heir to Asgard, I, Thor Odinson, hereby challenge you for a duel!”, I declared, lightning rippling from my form.

Mangog only responded with a roar as he charged towards me, to which I responded in kind with my own roar before I rushed at him with a sparking axe.

“For Asgard!!”

A/N: And this chapter ends off with this cliffhanger~~! Loki did a bit of redemption and I wanted to do a whole speech of Thor almost saying that Loki is no longer family to him before I stopped myself because I couldn't remember the exact speech that I was thinking of.

Also, that first half was just Thor needing to vent and shout at someone because he would rage otherwise.

Anyway, next chapter: All-Father and Trickster vs Death and Hatred vs Power!

As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!