Shit, I think as I run, clutching my bleeding and broken arm to my chest. Years I'd been searching! Years! Of searching for the one thing in all the nine realms that would truly make me strong enough to defeat Thor and his band of idiots. Of traveling the nine realms in secret. Of research and planning and- and it was all a waste now!

About five of six years ago I had caught wind of a Midgardian legend that told of a staff with power even greater than Gungnir and Mjölnir combined, and while I am not often one to easily trust such legends, I had done some research of my own. Cloaked in magic, I had sat in the All-Father's private library (right under his own nose) for months, searching through book after book until I had found one that spoke of the staff. It was meant to be, I had read, protected by the dwarves. Naturally, the book had forgotten to mention the hellhounds inside to vault that were now chasing me through the branches of Yggdrasil.

As I run, I can feel the hounds inching closer and closer.

Too slow, Loki, run faster! I berate myself, How the Norns must truly hate me!

Before I can muster enough of my magic – having wasted most of it breaking into the dwarves' vault –the beasts are upon me once more. One has already met its fate when it attacked my arm, and the rest seem out for revenge as they tear at my skin with their unforgiving claws and razor sharp teeth- And dear Norns, why did I even go near the dwarves again!?

With one last scream of my agony, I do the only thing I can think to save myself: I gather all of my will power and the last drop of magic, and teleport myself to Midgard – to the only hospital in Manhattan I can remember. They will surely call S.H.I.E.L.D. but that is good, as either way someone will have to heal me.

When I stumble through sliding doors, I hear the receptionist shouting to me; I can't tell what she's saying. I've lost so much blood, my ears… My ears are ringing… Above me, there's a…there's a man above…above? Floor…must've fallen…

"Oh my, you poor dear!" he says frantically.

I think I glare at him, or at least I try to glare, how dare he speak to me in such a way?

"Oh, you're human! Well don't you worry, dear-" The man sprays something in my face that smells… nice. But, I'm not human… you are… wh...why's that matter…? your eyes're… si'ver…? human eyes aren'…

And everything goes blank.

As the last memory of my host fades away, I came to consciousness for the first time in this new human body. Well, I thought it was human, but my host seemed to have denied

that in his last moment… maybe he was what the humans called a mutant, and didn't consider himself human at all? They'd told us about the different people – in case we were inserted into one – on my last planet, when I had been a… what had I been?

I could remember how we'd looked, with six hands that could bend both ways, and four hearts, too. The planet had been frozen all over; this brought up memories from my host, he had been to a planet full of ice too… Jotunheim, with blue giants who controlled the ice.

I was distracted now, with the knowledge that my host had been to another world too. I had never heard of hosts that had been to other world before, though I'd been born on my

last planet, so who knows… I tried to find more memories of this other frozen world. Maybe this could be a new world for us to inhabit? As soon as I tried to look into the memories, though, I was hit with a wall and a vicious shout.

You stay out of my head, whatever you are!

"Aahhh!" I gasped in shock, my eyes shooting open wide with horror. My body shouldn't still be talking and think! I was here now, and this was me, there shouldn't be anyone else! I sat up and looked around for another person in panic. I am alone, in what I recognize from my hosts few memories of this place to be a hospital room. Before I'd even realized, people were coming into my room.

"Calm down now, you're fine," said one man, his voice scratchy and deep. What an odd language this world had – it was not my host's native language, but he understood it fluently nonetheless.

"You're safe now son, it's alright," said another. His voice was much softer than the first, though both were equally as gentle, as were the expressions on their faces. All kind-hearted and calming smiles.

I took a few deep breaths, knowing that I must be safe. Our kind don't make a habit out of lying. Ever.

"Hello, son, my name is Healer Calms the Spirit, and this is Seeker Plays the Word Games. He will be asking you questions about your hosts memories when you're feeling up to it," said the second man. "Do you know where you are?"

"My host… he called it... Midgard, but he knew a different name for it too. Um... Earth." After a second of searching, my memories seemed to be coming to me just fine. I assumed that the shouting in my head was just an echo of this human's own consciousness, now faded away.

"Yes, very good. Would you like to pick a new name for yourself? We'll be needing something better then 'son' to call you, now won't we?" he asked with a joking smile. It reminded me of my old name from my last host – I had truly liked that name – but now that I searched though this host's knowledge, I couldn't find an equivalent. I settled for a rough translation.

"My name can be Fallen Midnight Snow, I think that's close to my name on… what do we call my last planet?" I asked, knowing that Healer Calms the Spirit would know more about our names for other worlds than my host.

"Ah, yes, I suppose your host won't have that knowledge, now would he? On Earth we call your last home the Mists Planet, and we call the host species Bears. Do you have any other questions, Fallen Midnight Snow?"

"No, well, um, yes actually. Two. What are we called here?"

"We are called 'Souls' here," answered the seeker this time, who was standing on the other side of the bed from my healer. "It's strange that your host wouldn't know that, especially since he must've been running from us for so long before coming for help, Bless the poor dear's heart, he was in such terrible shape."

"And that's the second thing, Seeker Plays the Word Games. I was wondering what is you needed from this host's memories?"

The seeker smiled when he replied. "You don't have to worry about that right now, Fallen Midnight Snow, in fact I only came in here because we heard you scream. I'll leave now and Healer Calms the Spirit will bring you to my office when you are ready." With a final goodbye, Seeker Plays the Word Games left the room.

It only took a few minutes for Healer Calms the Spirit to assure himself that I was able to access all of the physical abilities of my host (can I move my fingers? Yes. Can I stand? Yes. Can I walk? Yes.), though I didn't find it necessary. It's not as though they would place me in a damaged host. After the few moments more it took for me to change into new clothes, my host's having been too damaged for recovery, I was alone with the seeker in his office, sitting in a very plush leather chair on the opposite side of his neatly organized desk.

"Now, I trust everything is well, Fallen Midnight Snow?" the Seeker asked me.

"Yes. Everything is well, Seeker," I replied.

"Healer Calms the Spirit is excellent at his Calling. But down to business then – just off the top of your head, is there anything you can tell us about your host? His name, perhaps? Any family?"

His name, that was simple enough. "His name is Loki Od- well, his last name was Odinson for most of his life, but for some reason he doesn't claim that last name any longer... Sorry, I can't see why. He has, well, had a brother. I think they fought a lot… I am sorry Seeker, but I can't access the memories."

"It's alright, those aren't too important anymore." The seeker's relaxed expression became suddenly nervous, such a strange thing to see on the face of a Soul… "Though I should tell you, Fallen Midnight Snow, before you delve too deeply into your host's memories, that the humans do have record of him – when you said his name, it brought back memories of my host from before we arrived…" he trailed off. His expression was... grave, my memory supplied.

"Yes, Seeker?" I prompted, afraid now to seek the answer in my own memory.

"Just be careful the memories you bring up, child, the man who used to possess that body was… a war criminal. My host was there, but let's not talk about that–" He cut himself off.

"Fallen Midnight Snow?"

My host was a war criminal? I had never been in a host with its own life before I inhabited it, having been born into the Mists Planet after it had been fully occupied, when the only hosts left were memoryless babies. How was I meant to deal with this? What did my host do?

Without thought of the things I might see I delved into my host's memories, but just like the last times I was hit with a blank – and to my absolute horror, my host began shouting at me!

If you so much as dare to look into my mind, I will throw upon you my most bloody of battles, and my most fowl nightmares! Know this, creature, you may have taken my body, but you shall not have my mind as well!

"Seeker, he is here! Loki is talking to me! Yelling at me!" I shouted, grabbing my head in my hands because he still was.

That is right, creature, I am here, and I am yelling, and I will make your life a living Hel for as long as you possess me!-

"Fallen Midnight Snow! Fallen Midnight Snow, can you hear me?" Seeker Plays the Word Games was in front of me now, kneeling down so he could see my face as I looked at the ground in shock "Do you still control your host?"

"Yes, wha- Wait, can he take control of me?!"

"... There have been... cases on this world," the Seeker stated hesitantly, moving to stand and lean against his desk. "I think you will be fine for the moment, if you are still in control. However, that being said– now that I know who your host is, I think it would be best to get what little information you can and move you to a new host. A safer host. No one will blame you for skipping– that's what we call it on Earth when a Soul leaves a body before the life term is over." he clarified upon seeing my confused expression.

I thought over the Seeker's words for a moment with Loki listening intently into my thoughts as well. He was clearly too strong, he could take me over at any- well now that I thought about that, just a minute ago he was making threats, but did nothing. Even now he couldn't move his own limbs- I could very well feel him trying, trying to claw at his own face, just to claw at me! And that world I saw, Jotunheim, what if he had been to more? What if there were other planets I could help us discover, and I just abandoned the search? Plus, abandoning perfectly healthy host in the middle of a life term is never looked too fondly upon with my kind… but would they really blame me? No. I knew they wouldn't. And wouldn't Loki fade away eventually? Then there would've been no reason for abandonment…

"No, Seeker, I won't need a new host. I am fine, and Loki – he knows other worlds, I-I think if I wait he may get weaker, over time, won't he?" I felt Loki's denial at being called weak, but I also felt his relief from knowing that he was not to be… disposed of. He was smart, and knew that if I left then there would be no other Soul inserted, and that he wouldn't be allowed to walk free. I knew his thoughts now because while he could hide his past memories, his current thoughts were like an open book for me to read.

You're welcome, I thought to him.

Shut up, he replied.

"I'm not sure he would, but if you truly want to stay, no one would stop you." The Seeker smiled at me kindly. "So, he knows of other worlds?"

"Yes, from what I saw, it is very similar to the Mists Planet." And so I told him about the Jotun, and their frozen planet.