I hear my servant's footsteps as he trails up those stairs, kneeling before my throne as my back is turned from him. I care little, as my gaze is focused on the endless stars, the system before me that once teemed with life.
Life that I destroyed.
I can sense the frustration within him, as I share similar dissatisfaction. So many of my forces, gone. And because of one, tiny deal that should not have been so hard to complete.
Recovering the Tesseract. That was Loki's task, and he failed. I had lost my precious Infinity Stone, and a good portion of my army.
"Humans." I heard my servant hiss, his voice dripping with venom.
"They are not the cowering wretches we were promised. They stand. They are unruly and therefore cannot be ruled."
At this, my eyes narrow, and the view before be suddenly seems so repulsive to me that I can no longer look at it. I can feel the fear in my subordinate as I stand up from my throne, and he lowers his head cowardly.
At this I snort. His usefulness has its limits.
Slowly, my servant raises his head, just barely facing me for fear that I will unleash some manor of hell upon him. I do not. I merely listen.
"To challenge them..." He pauses. "is to court... Death."
At that moment all my anger and frustrations are cast aside, and I almost laugh at the irony of his statement. I turn, and the confusion is evident in my servant's face. He wonders why I smile.
To those who actually know me personally, the answer would be obvious. Courting Death has been my goal, my intention, and my lifelong purpose. It is what I live for. To please the beautiful Mistress Death.
I was not always like this, actually. There was a time where I was but a child, as innocent as could be. I was a pacifist, in fact. A poor, insignificant worm who would cringe and vomit over the slightest piece of bloodshed. But that changed when she came into my life.
She was not as others have perceived her. No. She was perfect, so perfect that my heart instantly belonged to her.
Everything I have ever done, all the calamities I have instigated have been for her, and I regret none of it. I do whatever may please her.
Before her, my life was nothing. I guess that is one of the main reasons why I welcomed Loki's services.
When my servants found him wondering the darkness of my domain, I gave him the chance to speak. He had much to say, much to share. When I heard his tale, I felt something I had not felt in some time. Pity, because in some ways, Loki and I were alike. I, too, had a father who never fully understood me, and a brother who succeeded in everything I could never accomplish. And, we both longed for the love of another. That was what sealed the deal.
But he failed, and I will not bother with him any longer. But what really has my attention now is that puny world that caused me and my associates so much trouble.
The one called Earth, the one that courts Death.
As Loki did his workings among the humans, I gazed into the souls of those he encountered. They each have so many flaws that should make me feel repulsed, yet... they fascinate me.
The inventor, the man in the gold and red armor. He sought to bring peace to his world. A fool's errand. Peace is a lie. There is only death.
The aged super soldier. A man lost in time, who claims to want to fit in with the world he has become stranded in. But I knew better. He was a fool, who longed for Death more than he let on.
The Prothean, whose presence, to say, astounded me greatly. I knew of his race, how they were masters of all that was, but then the machines, that which his people called Reapers, came, and wasted them all. Yet one survived, and now lives a life among the humans, when he should have let Death claim him all those years ago.
The winged female. Once a human, an innocent young girl, forced to become a woman, a powerful warrior at a young age. She claims to have put all of her troubles behind her and now fights for a greater good. How idiotic can these humans be?
The young telepath, who has the death of thousands on her hands. She touched my mind, unwillingly yes, but I could smell the essence of the deceased on her. Death has touched her, and I envy her for it.
The aforementioned human girl, who wields the weapon of Loki's kin, the brother that she herself let Death claim. She is naive, yet Loki sees something in her that causes him to feel for her what I feel for Death. I do not understand their connection, yet it is there. Despite her obliviousness, the girl has aided Death greatly, giving her the soul of Asgard's greatest warrior. How infuriating it is that she cannot see the true worth of the deed.
The Asgardian female, whose heart continues to ache over the loss of her love, the brother of Loki. She fills his role as Asgard's finest warrior, but I can sense her chagrin over the role. She longs to join him in Death. A wise wish.
The two human assassins, both guilty of several deaths, yet so calm about it. I admire their work. They are guilty over the lives they have taken, yes. But they no it is for a good cause. Even if its not the cause they are probably thinking of.
The human who was not entirely human. He was a peculiar specimen. He suffered from an affliction that turned him into a beast of destruction. This form fascinated me, the destruction and death it caused simply to quench its undying rage. I even had a good laugh when I saw it give Loki a good beating. This man had a gift, yet he longed to get rid of it. Why? It was beautiful, a blessing to Death. I would make him realize this one day.
And lastly, the specter, once a human woman troubled by the evils of her world. She was just another poor, misguided vessel of Mephisto. The idiotic demon touched many worlds, not just Earth. He sought to overshadow Death, and rather than let her claim the souls of the dead, he claimed them for himself, turning them into puppets rather than giving them the oblivion they deserve. I would break him one day, and give the souls he imprisoned a more suitable fate.
These creatures, who called themselves the Avengers, they were enigmas that fascinated me to no end. They kept the Tesseract, the object that would have been the first step in my grand scheme, away from me. They destroyed the Chitauri, my slaves. My servant claims that attacking them again would be to court Death.
I hope... No, I pray that he is right.
I sacrificed a lot for her, and gained a lot for her. The Chitauri, my alliance with the Kree, my dealings with the Collector. I did what others could never hope to do, not even the Reapers who continue to wait out in the void.
I got her attention, and now all I needed was her love. She would return my affections, and if challenging these Avengers would give me that affection...
...then so be it.