Loki believed he was the bad sibling among the family. Odin was sure to leave them with the truth about Hela's existence a mere moment before his final departure. He warned his sons of her power. She emerged from the portal almost immediately following his demise. He was the only tool holding her back for so long. Now it was up to Thor and Loki to do the same. As always, they were sure they could end this before it ever began. Never were they more wrong.

She stood before them, clad in shredded black skintight outfit. Her skin was pale as the night's moon and her hair long and black as the sky surrounding it. She more closely resembled Loki, the adopted son than Thor, Odin's own blood.

"So, he's gone," She started, "It's a shame. I would've liked to have seen that."

The brothers looked to one another before they began to attempt negotiation.

"You must be Hela. I'm Thor. Son of Odin."

"Really? You don't look like him," She casually remarked. Loki stepped forward.

"Perhaps we can come to an arrangement," he suggested, albeit sure that she was uninterested in such a bargain.

" You sound like him," She said back. Loki wondered if he should take it as a compliment. She and him seemed more the same now. Even her next words mirrored his own from years ago as he stood prosperously over the crowd of humans.

"Kneel," She ordered.

"Beg your pardon?" Loki inquired. The brothers stood still, dumbfounded by her order. Her hand extended out to her side and a sword of obsidian formed into her grip. It seemed to do so out of the air around it.

"Kneel before your queen," She clarified with a tone of arrogance.

She was not going to go down with words. Loki had predicted such, but apparently so did Thor.

"I don't think so," He spoke confidently.

Loki turned to him as he quickly sprung into action. He stepped forward and threw his mighty hammer toward her. She did not yield in its path. In fact, she threw her own hand forward and stopped Mjolnir just an arm's length in front of her. Loki had never seen such a thing. He stared in confusion and disbelief.

"It's not possible…" Thor struggled to speak as all of his strength tried to push the hammer forward. It only trembled in her hand.

"Darling, you have no idea what's possible."

She smiled as her grip tightened. The hammer shrieked as it began to fracture. Finally, with a final effort, she collapsed it in her had. It burst in a thunderous explosion of lightning. Loki shielded himself, having but a split second to brace for the shockwave that hit he and his brother with the strength of an army. The dust quickly settled. They regained regained their footing and looked back to Hela, standing unscathed by the blast. The remnants of Mjolnir sat at her feet, a smoking pile of rubble. She had not broken a sweat at the action.

As Thor and Loki stood helpless, she reached her hands to her head. As she pushed back the unkempt black hair, an obsidian crown adorned with four demonic antlers on either side took its place. The image was petrifying. She soon formed a pair of her blades in each hand and began toward them. Loki was sure she'd kill them.

"Bring us back!" Loki shouted to the heavens in a panic. He called to summon the Bifröst to take them away from certain death.

"No!" Thor called out too late as the bright rainbow lights engulfed them. They both flew at enormous speed, racing in the space bridge toward Asgard. Loki kept his eyes forward while Thor looked down past us.

"Loki!" Thor shouted. He looked down to see Hela in pursuit. Quickly, he pulled a blade of his own and threw it at her, aiming for her exposed neck. Why he thought such a simple tool would subdue her after she just destroyed one of the mightiest weapons in all the known realms was beyond him. She quickly deflected the knife back toward him. With all he could muster, Loki moved out of its path. It continued past him and continued toward Thor. Loki attempted to reach out to catch it. It was too late. It struck Thor's chestplate before he could do so. The force of the hit knocked him from the path of the Bifröst to unknown space. Loki once again looked back down to Hela. She smirked when their eyes met. The power and confidence of hers put fear and weakness into his.

Hela lurched forward, flying past him and speeding toward Asgard at an impossible pace. If she got there, her power would only continue to grow. To what end, Loki am uncertain, but he wasn't keen on finding out. They grew further and further apart until she was finally out of his sight. It would only be a few seconds before he reached Asgard, but he knew that she must already be there. He hoped no one stood on the other side of the gate as they would surely perish. They would need the entire military to put up a fight with someone of her strength. Even then he doubted they would manage, and there he was just about to emerge where she surely stood waiting to dispatch him. Loki closed his eyes and braced for death. Without Thor at his side, he had a feeling there would be no resurrections this time. Even lost in space, he was sure Thor was safer than he was going to be on Asgard.

Soon, the light ahead of Loki's closed eyelids dimmed. He felt solid ground at his feet. When he finally arrived, he heard only silence. Still, he knew that when he opened his eyes, he would only see the deceased sprawled across the floor and Hela halfway across the bridge to the mainland of Asgard. He was right about one of those things. When he finally could bare to see the damage she'd already caused, Loki could feel a tightness in his abdomen. There on the floor just before him lay Fandral and Volstagg. Each of their dead bodies were pierced with Hela's blades. Two of Asgard's greatest warriors and some of Thor's closest friends disposed of in an instant. He wouldn't dwell on it.

He turned his gaze over and there Hela still stood just a few meters away. Skurge was on his knees in front of her for but a second before another of her blades swept across his throat. He toppled over. His hands were wrapped around his neck in a desperate attempt to stop the gushing blood. Hela simply stood over him as he gasped for air. Loki stayed put at the gate contemplating his next move. Witnessing death was hardly new to him but, with his distaste to inflict it anymore, it only made him sick. These people that have devoted their lives to defending their home were dead as a result of his own incompetence. There was no time to dwell on blaming himself now. Hela had to be stopped before she killed anyone else.

Skurge finally gave up the last of his efforts while Hela chuckled over his dead body. Loki wouldn't be able to save him, but at least he could take her while she was distracted. Quietly, he began walking toward her. She turned around swiftly.

"Why thank you for the easy transport, dear," She mocked.

"You'll pay for what you've done here," Loki said as he stopped in his steps.

"I'm afraid I didn't learn your name back down on that filthy rock," She began walking toward him.

"I am Loki, Son of Odin. Rightful heir to the throne of Jotunheim. God of Mischief," he announced himself as she got closer.

"Oh, now you... you look like one of us. Surely resemble me, at least." She said when she was finally within his reach.

This was his opportunity. With daggers drawn, Loki lurched forward. His hand flew the knife toward her, aimed for her heart. He pierced her body with all of his strength. Hela fell to her knees just in front of him. Her hand raced to the fatal wound he'd inflicted. She didn't scream. She didn't speak. She only looked up to face him while he stood over her. Loki couldn't help but smile at the pained expression on her face. Killing her was more than worth sparing Asgard her wrath.

"You stood no chance to rule," He insured her in her final breaths. Her reaction was hardly that of the defeated witch that he had expected. She began to speak.

"You are like me," She paused, putting on a smile of her own, making his fall, "but, I was never so naive."

Suddenly, his blade fell through her as if she were a ghost. Loki didn't have time to process it before a fierce fiery burn filled his body. He cursed in agony. As he started falling to the floor, something caught him before he would be sprawled across it. He caught sight of his left leg where the pain was most immense. It stayed in a standing position, having been impaled and held upright by an obsidian black stalagmite that broke through the floor. He couldn't move. He supported himself at the knee of his remaining leg, looking around frantically looking for the cause. He turned back down at the wounded Hela. Suddenly Loki heard a sinister laugh from behind his back. What he believed to be the dying victim in front of him faded away into a black mist. A simple mirror illusion like his own. He felt so stupid to fall for such a simple trick.

Hela's footsteps clicked on the floor as her true form approached him from behind. He tried all he could to move his injured leg, but it was of no use. He stopped when she was finally looming over him. He composed myself as he could, hoping to remain valiant through his apparently nearing execution. Not that anyone would have been around to see it, had it happened.

"And now here you are," Hela spoke down to him, "Kneeling before your Queen."

She wore a confident smile. Loki watched as yet another black blade filled her hand. This would be the one that finally ended him and there was nothing he could do about it. She pushed the length of it forward, resting it against his throat. He braced for death. It didn't come.

The broadside of her blade touched under his chin. She tilted his head back, forcing him to look up to her eyes. He'd assumed she would tend to stare down her victims before killing them, just as he used to. Her gaze was chilling. Neither of them moved. She only stood there staring. The silence became unbearable.

"If you're going to kill me…" Loki spoke softly, willing her to finish it. She tilted her head, seemingly thrown by his words.

"Kill you?" She questioned him, retracting her blade away from his neck. "What type of older Sister would that make me?"

Now he was utterly unsure of what would happen next. He figured she must be toying with him. Hela clearly had no problem slaughtering the rest of the room without a thought. He would not expect siblinghood to be a hindrance of someone so cruel. The blade disintegrated into the same black mist as before, leaving her hands bare. She reached out, placing her fingers against his cheek. Her touch was cold as ice, even for someone of his true bloodline. He looked at her hand as she began to caress his face. Soon, she crouched in front of him, bringing her face level with his.

"No," Hela spoke again, this time almost at a whisper, "I would prefer to get to know you, brother Loki."