She opened her eyes.
It was dark and cold. No, not completely dark, there were glistering of the stars far away. Their dead clam shine telling her she was still alive. She was floating in space. She sighed.
Well this was a horrible week.
She awaited to freeze, but she noticed she wasnt freezing. How quint.
Raising an eyebrow she started to make a count, she was alive. Alive because her magic still existed. Protecting her from freezing. Which made no sense. Her magic should been depleted with Asgard destruction. That was Thor plan to set Ragnarok in , no. He ordered it to set in motion, the other one, Loki started it.
Either way she will put it on her mental tab for her both brothers. So , back on the oddity of the moment. Why wasnt her magic completely gone? Instead it was really weakened...
She took a count of her limbs. One of her arm and leg were just bones, the flesh burnt off her bone. Surtur. She winced as she tried to move the bony fingers. A shimmer of her magic flooding her and the pain suppressed as a light illusion covering the ugly wound. Till she found a medical solution her magic will suppress the pain and protect from infection.
Well, that just adds reasons why this was the worst week she had in a long time.
She just got out her prison, dear, good, old horrible hypocrite, lying, selfish daddy finally moved to valhalla... She growled briefly before composing herself... His dead freed her and she meet two of her younger useless and pathetic brothers only to see how Odin spoiled and ruined Asgard. It needed a stern hand to remind them what are they suppose to be. Erasing her from the history, proud to have it ashamed to how he got it... It made her furious. She was only walking the way he set her on. Giving up on her the moment he chicken out.
And now have it all end in Asgard destruction and with the destruction of her home the destruction of any power and all magic she held. It would be her death. At least that what she awaited. She knew her home was gone she saw it falling to pieces up close. Surtur was no easy fight. It made her conffused to know that she still did have access to her magic? Weak dying access, but still it was there and it was the reason she was still breathing.
She lived.
Odin failed.
His sons failed in stopping her.
She always survives.
Like the woman who controls death. No one can force it upon her.
Well, it obviously meant she had to get answers. She shifted her body stopping herself from just floating away. Eyes closing she started to use her senses to see the pathways. She searched for the trail left of that spaceship. That cargo ship couldnt have gotten too far.
She wouldnt be Hela the goddess of death if she didnt show her opinion on killing her home to her dear darling siblings. At least one of them had to die by her hand to appraise her mood for this bad week. She spotted the trail, and started to follow it.
SHe caught up to the end of the trail a lot faster than planned.
Hela was not awaiting the view she was present with.
The ship destroyed, bodies of women, children and soldier that survived her were now floating around the metal pieces of trash formerly known as spaceship.
Her people.
Her stupid, ignorant people.
Her people she wanted to raise back to the glory that belonged to them.
Her people she wanted to teach to take what belonged to them back.
As their queen she yelled. He magic rippling through empty space carrying her promise to revenge the slaughter, like a unstoppable wave.
Her scream didnt went unnoticed to Loki.
Loki knew he was being slightly silly. He was dead. He turned his head to the side where he saw his dead body float slowly carried by same inertia like everything else. He was still dead. Even so his ghost self how he perceived it, as he lingered after his own death, was hiding behind a chunk of ship observing Hela scream.
He felt her furious angry magic before she even came into the view. Well she survived Asgard destruction. How nice. He sarcastically commented to himself. As if Thor didnt have enough on his plate now he will have to fight her again for the thorn that doesnt exist to lead the people who barely had any survivors left.
He watched her as she observed the wreckage.
Her hair was singed and a mess of wild and untamed locks, he could tell that her magic was covering half her face as well as a leg and arm. Possible injuries from Ragnarok. She knew how to patch up herself on a near instinctual base. Interesting.
Not like he could use what he learned any longer... yet the learning felt comforting. Much better than the gnawing worry and the numbing relieving of emotions. Her clothing was intact more or less, magic fix. Then came the yell. The promise for revenge for her people and that irked him.
He felt the words carried by magic and could not hold back from snapping. "Your people?! I remember quite vividly you slaughtering them a day ago!"
"Just the idiots and stubborn."
Hela spoke in a huff of magic, as she floated pass the place he was hiding to inspect a childs body. The kid could be no older than the age Asgardians take the wooden swords up for the first time.
Loki looked away, this shouldnt have happened. Just a week ago for this kid, he was most likely watching theater, and debating if he should be a warrior like Odin or a great master of magic like Loki... He liked how he managed to raise the status of education in the golden city. He felt pride when he was asked by an old teacher if he can open a class for all the kids who wanted to become like the great Loki, and wanted to learn magic.
Now?
Now... nothing was left of that dream...
"Who did this?" Hela wondered aloud and Loki moved to float at her side. It was haunting her... Her eyes searching the bodies... counting them...
"Half of the Asgardians, probably more..." Loki provided, he didnt dare to count them. He started but when he came to 10 and he saw the nice maid who were making his chambers. The youngest sister in a family of seven, it hurt too much so he stopped.
"The mad Titan did this... Thanos."
"He will pay."
"He already has two infinity stones, he is out to get them all...I dont think you have a chance right now."
"I see." She frowned and Loki blinked raising an eyebrow. Did she just answered him? Before he could wonder about it all Hela suddenly pushed herself off a piece of metal directly towards a body as if she spotted something she searched.
He followed her to see that it was his body she aimed to reach. Not that she could cause him more harm, as he was dead. Thanos snapped his neck. Still it was unnerving him to see her turn his corpse... not a body but a corpse. Her eyes grew big in a surprise.
"You were a Jotun? And you dared to call youself my brother? Tch... " Yeah, she didnt know, Loki realized and he looked at her briefly curios. Allowing his mind to dabble in what ifs. Only for a moment thought. "Thought you were too crafty for them.. and way too short."
"Hey! Its not my fault Odin took me as a baby and just raised me as an asgardian to be... as his own kid, covering my heritage...An icicle that melted his heart. " A brief memory of Odin came to his mind of when he told him that his birthright was to die, how much it took for him not to scream back at Odin that he already did fulfilled his birthright then... Yet, he knew any words would have been lost on him then... so he didnt told him how right he was...Allowing everyone to believe he somehow made a master plan and tricked everyone into believing him dead.
A touch on his neck snapped him back to the now. Hela was inspecting his snapped neck. Her fingers ghosting over the blue skin and he felt her fingers on his spirit self. Uncomfortable he touched his neck trying to get rid of this feeling. He didnt usually feel anything his dead body did, his corpse felt. So right now he was deeply unsettled why he was feeling her touches. Was she casting some magic? Trying to bring him back to life?... He was so not ready to be tortured into life again.
"Could you stop touching me?!"
"I am trying... to assert how badly the damage was to your body. Therefore I need to touch you."
Hela spoke to him, she turned her head to his spirit self and gave him a look over and then went back to feeling his neck up. This time her touches were lingering and deliberately doing it slower, causing the uncomfortable shivers to pass over his spirit self stronger. Yet, that didnt matter. She looked at him.
She looked AT HIM.
"You can see me!? Hear me?!"
She rolled her eyes. " I am taking the crafty comment back. Sadly you appear to be just as stupid. I am the goddess of dead and you, brother dearest are dead. " Loki could see her smile in amusement to herself. He couldnt believe her. In a battle field between all the corpses of her people she found it appropriate to... Then humon is a way to deal with tragedy. Was she cooping or was she simply insane?
"You did that on purpose!"
"Of course I did. But its annoying you cannot leave from your corpse too far. " With that she sighed and took his corpse under her arm starting to move in a direction. Loki blinked, wondering how she knew that. He replayed any grumbling he may voiced believing no one could hear him. He didnt mention it. So somehow she knew. He realized she wanted to drag him around as he felt a pressure on his back growing as she was getting further away from his stunted ghost self. He wouldnt have a chance to not follow her. On the other hand she was alive, pissed at Thanos and maybe with her he could get to Thor... or at least find out why he was a spirit lingering. Was he doing something wrong with dying?
Giving the people left behind a last look Loki started to follow after Hela.
"What do you plan to do?"
"You dont question your goddess." She was definitely having fun with this situation. As she was flying into space and away from the wreck of their people... Looking from the corner of his eyes at her he could guess that she was in need for a conversation partner. He choose to stay silent, testing the idea he was getting. He was right. Several minutes of the hunting silence, she spoke first. Did all this time she didnt have anyone to talk with? She was locked up even before he was born... Loki allowed a small victory shout in his mind, she was starved for social interactions. He could understand that feeling quite well. He could use it against her.
"Are you curious on what I will do with you or to Thanos?" She spoke slowing just a bit down.
"Both." He answered her in earnest.
"Hm... no. You have to pick one." Of course she would make him pick, like some kind of game... he could play games.
"Then to him." He spoke keeping his most serious face on.
"Really? You want to know rather what I do to him, then what I may do to you?" She slowed down even more, nearly stopping to look at his spirit self. She reminded him of a cat about to pounce him. A bluff?
"... I am already dead, what can you possible do to me?"
Wrong answer, calling her bluff, he realized as her grin spread in a near maddening glee. Her fingers caressed the side of his corpse face, glowing slightly green and black and in the next moment it felt like fire burned on his spirit face. He screamed from shock more so then the pain. The fire vanished. He felt breathless. He blinked, forcing himself to think... no this wasnt pain, he ...those were memories of pain placed on his ghost face.
The feeling of burning as if one would remember... not as one would experience... Even thought the pain was all in his head, it still made him remember the horrendous pain of resurrection. Memories of that time...yet... it felt different than what Thanos did to him. DId to resurrect him... He focused on the difference, trying to anchor himself, the dullness came to his mind. It was dulled compared to experience. The memory was only a dulled with time faded sensation then actual pain that rips his mind appart.
"Now, to answer you. I plan to destroy Thanos and take those infinity stones for myself. Taking over the rest of the universe will be easier that way. As well I find it more preferable me ruling it then him destroying half of it. Wouldnt you agree." He looked at her, she was studying him.
"Goddess of dead. Of course I can touch the dead. You dont even know what all is possible." She repeated to him before she winked and pushed herself to go faster. Forcing Loki to either be dragged or to fly after her once more. Distracting him from his own memories and emotions. He was kinda glad for the distraction she provided at that moment.
