"I'm gonna lift you up into the light you deserve

I'm gonna take you down to the real world so you can watch it burn."

- Imperfection by Evanescence


"No!" Loki's composure was broken for the first time since the boat had left Asgard. He had just gotten her back, and now, here they were, separated again. Was there truly no justice?

His brother's hand stayed him from lunging forward, not that he could do much with the binds to his hands. His heart rate increased as his breathing picked up in its speed as well. "Thor. You must release me—"

Thor seemed equally distressed, but he shook his head. Something told the god of thunder that they would be coming upon wherever Anja had been sent to very soon.

"She will perish. They will kill her!" Loki intended to say more, to give life to the panic that was rising in his chest, but the sound of drums in the distance stopped him. His demeanor iced over once more as he stood tall, barely sparing a glance to Jane as he stepped closer to the bow of the speeder.

"Patience, Loki," Thor said, bringing a hand down to help Jane stand. "This battle is not over yet."

Loki did not miss the notion of irony in his brother's telling him to be patient. Hadn't it always been the reverse when they were growing up? No, the battle was not over yet. But, for Loki, at least, it had barely even begun. He barely heard his brother's voice as he focused on what lay ahead.

"I have a plan."

*o*O*o*

Anja threw herself backwards, pushing away from the Kursed with all the strength she had in her system. The elven ship loomed over the horizon, seemingly anchored in midair as more Dark Elves gathered around the place she had been transported to. Breaths coming in gasps, she tried and failed to send a blast of magic against the Kursed. The silver flash bounced off of the thing's chest plate like water, having just about the same affect as water would have.

Her insides were shaky at best, following along with her aura as it flickered in and out like the flame of a candle. A gasp tore from her lips as she was grasped by the back of her neck and torn from the graveled ground. Her back arched, and her eyes darted left and right as she tried to reorient herself.

"Surely Malekith has far more important matters to attend to," she managed to spit out. The Kursed's hand at the back of her neck squeezed harder, and a little yelp left her as her hands moved to claw at his hold.

"And why is that?"

Finally, Anja was able to send the right amount of electrical energy into the Kursed's hold on her, and she dropped to the ground once more. Her mind was firing on all pistons now. The teleportation that Malekith had used to bring her back to his forces had not moved her to a different planet. The atmosphere was still tinted green, and she could sense the darkness in the very soil beneath her fingertips. It was an old world, filled with death. But it was not a death she was willing to succumb to this day. Not after all she had been through.

Her thoughts drifted to the little girl that she had spent so much time with back in Asgard. Leena… Anja would not— no, she could not— lose track of those moments.

"Because the Aether is coming your way as we speak. It is no longer in Asgard." She spoke not with the intent to give away Thor's position. For the moment, her sole intent was to stall the Dark Elves long enough so she could escape with her life. A plan was formulating in the back of her mind. The mortal had been filled with the power of the Aether, and the one called Thor was intent to reverse its effects before it was too late.

Even in her vulnerable state, Anja knew there was only one way to do that.

The Kursed studied her for a moment, eyes burning like coals before it looked to the Dark Elves that had formed a semi circle around them. "Alert Lord Malekith," it said in the language of the elves before turning back to Anja. Before she had time to react, the butt of the creature's weapon came across her temple, stunning her momentarily. The thing lifted her once more, forcing her back further towards the ship. A sharp blade came to perch at Anja's throat. Silver hues closed momentarily as she fought to maintain control of her powers. They were still sporadic, but they were growing. Silver eyes shifted from red to silver and back again as she fought to maintain control over herself.

The difference here though, was that while dark magic had governed her every step since she had come to Malekith, the light was finally shining back into her aura. Like that of the glowing globe she had helped Leena send to the sky during the funeral.

Anja's eyes closed, and she took in deep breaths as she attempted to reorient herself. She could feel the static of the Thunder God's aura as he came ever closer.

*o*O*o*

The sands of the Dark World sprayed across Loki's boots as the winds picked up. In the distance, Loki could see the ship that so highly resembled the ones that had entered Asgard perched, and with it came the tugging of Anja's aura against his own. She was alive. If only for now.

As their little group came upon the valley that Malekith's ship had taken harbor in, Loki squared his shoulders. The restraints at his wrists were still present, but as per the plan that he and Thor had orchestrated not moments prior, he knew he would soon be free.

"You know this plan of yours is going to get us killed," Loki hummed, never taking his eyes off the figures of the elves that were coming their way. Clearly, their intrusion into this world had not gone unnoticed— or unannounced.

Thor gave no indication that he had heard Loki's worry, instead turning to Jane. "This will work, Jane. You have my word." A tender glance was shared between the two, and Loki had to fight not to roll his eyes. "Are you ready?"

"I am," he said, as if to remind them that he was there. Thor turned to Loki then, and the hesitance was etched in his tan features. Thor didn't trust him, and he was right to. But Loki held the god of thunder's gaze, small smirk in place all the while. He could detect Anja's aura by now, tainted with the dark magic of the Kursed. They were near, and their merry little group didn't have much time. "Still don't trust me, brother?"

There was hurt in Thor's eyes then, and he let a soft laugh fall. There was no humor in it. It was the sign of a man that had lost far too much but still stood to lose far more. Ah, what even odds they were playing at. Loki felt the exact same way.

"Would you?" Thor asked before unlatching the locks that bound Loki's magic. Loki's eyes darted from Thor to Jane briefly before he turned back to the scene before them. Jade hues landed on the form of the Kursed… and the image of Anja's slender form trapped in its clutches.

This plan needed to work. If it didn't… if harm came to Anja… He knew not how much further he would fall.

"No. No I wouldn't," Loki drawled, a dagger forming in his palm with a flash of magic. The next moment saw the blade lodged deep in his brother's gut, and Thor went rolling down the hillside.

*o*O*o*

Malekith had strutted from the colossal spaceship upon the arrival of the witch, but when the Aether had called, she was quickly forgotten. The dark elf turned his head back towards the Kursed, giving a nod for the creature to follow him as the sight of an injured Thor rolled down the hillside. Anja was still in the hold of the Kursed, her upper arm in the creature's grasp as he tugged her forward.

"Bring her," Malekith commanded in the language of his home world. The witch would serve her purpose, one way or another. Willingly or no, he didn't care. Her job had always been to be the catalyst in his attainment of the Aether. He highly doubted Thanos had expected her to live much longer after that anyways.

And even if he had, her compromise at the hands of Asgard had proven her to be a failure in Thanos's grand scheme. The witch, it seemed, would not be controlled as easily as Thanos had originally believed. Yes, darkness dwelled in her, but it was not pure in its depths. She had far too much light to be controlled, too much knowledge. Malekith wondered if that was what drew the fallen prince of Asgard to her. Surely he had been the one to corrupt her int he first place, hadn't he?

Anja dragged her feet as the Kursed pulled her along, but it was little use. As silver eyes landed on Thor's fallen form in the dirt, they went wide to see the one called Loki follow after him… and slice his hand clean off.

Something was not right.

"Malekith!"

That was Loki, calling as he stood above Thor's prone form. The mortal was in his hold as Loki spoke. "I am Loki of Jhotunheim. And I have brought you a gift." Upon the last word's utterance, the mortal was slung down like a bag of feed before the elven leader. Anja could only watch, helpless as her silver eyes took on the same state as Jane's. Her body went rigid as dark energy coiled in her gut at the presence of the Aether.

Dark eyes turned to her as Malekith registered the effects the Aether's presence held over her.

"I ask only one thing in return," Loki called. "A good seat to watch Asgard burn."

That roused suspicion in the dark elf. With Loki's wife in his grasp, one would think Loki would try to bargain for her life as well. Turning away from Loki, a dagger was produced from its sheath at Malekith's hip. A booted foot kicked Thor as he god writhed in agony, turning him on his back as he spoke. "Look at me."

Anja squirmed in the hold of the Kursed as Malekith approached her… and ran the blade along her exposed arm. A hiss of pain left the sorceress, and in the same instant, Malekith had raised Jane Foster's form from the dirt. As the blood flowed from Anja, the Aether flowed from Jane.

There was the slightest moment in which the Aether seemed to suspend in midair… and as the last of it left the mortal, Jane Foster fell back to the ground.

"Loki. Now!"

Prince Thor's voice broke free, and his supposedly severed hand regenerated, a testament to the illusion that had fooled even the great Malekith. The mighty hammer was in Thor's grasp in an instant, and Thor lunged forward, sending all the power of Mjolnir into the Aether.

The second the lightning met the raw energy of the Aether, Anja's back arched violently. Her eyes, that had only ever emitted a mirror like quality when faced with her darkness, glowed a bright white, and as her mouth fell open in a soundless cry, that same light emitted from her lips and nostrils. The Kursed released its grasp on her, stepping back as if she had burned it.

*o*O*o*

The energy from Thor's blast scattered the Aether, red crystals formulating to hover not three feet off the ground. Loki had covered Jane's fragile form from the explosion…

Green eyes darted from the crystals to Anja's form. She had elevated with the crystals, light incarnate, and not nearly as fragile as the woman Loki had just dove to protect.

The next moment gave little chance for Loki to take in his wife's current state. Thor's attempt to destroy the Aether had not worked, and now Malekith was taking it all in as he had likely planned to do all along. The molten red energy curled and coiled into Malekith's own nose and mouth like a perverse snake, infecting its host with the power of a thousand worlds.

When it was over, Loki watched as Anja's form fell to the ground once more. Jane be damned. He stood and lunged forward, knocking away the elven guards that had tried to recapture Anja now that she was not burning so bright.

Loki crouched by her, watching as Malekith's form, now darkened by the black magic in his system, turned away and ordered his men to finish off what they had started. It was… entrancing, to say the least, to see another with the capability to wield the Aether take it on. He wanted that power for himself. He would be a liar were he not to admit to such a fact.

A blast of magic that was not his own caught his attention though, and he looked down at Anja's form to see she had stirred and propped herself up on her elbow to send a shot in the direction of the elves that were coming their way.

Silver eyes met emerald then, and Loki swallowed thickly as the sparks of recognition in her gaze registered with him. It didn't take much for him to realize what that meant, and he barely allowed himself to believe it for fear of this being a dream.

The pair were quickly surrounded by the elves, and Anja rose to her feet as magic— pure magic, not the darkness— zapped around her fingertips.

Anja was back. And she was ready to fight.


AN: I realize it has been a very long time since I've updated this series, and I apologize. The muse for Loki and Anja left me for a good while. Real life has undoubtedly played a role in this as I've had some pretty severe personal stuff going on. I'm here now though, and already have most of the next chapter worked out in my head. Again, I apologize for the wait. I had often come back to these stories but just couldn't find the drive to finish them. However, my commitment to giving Loki and Anja a decent ending has been rekindled.

-Sirius