Chapter 21

One Last Fight

The sand storm was strong and if it wasn't for Thor who was shielding them from the wind with his brute build and the swirling energy that was keeping her feet on the ground, she would have been blown away. It was impossible to see around when there were flying sands gathering around them.

"There!" Thor announced pointing his Mjolnir ahead. They looked up to see a cave ahead of them. "We could rest first at the cave while we let the storm pass."

The two women nodded and followed suit. Once they got inside, she slid down to the ground and sighed. She hugged her legs to her chest and burried her face in it. She was so exhausted and all she wanted to do was curl up on her bed and forget everything that had happened.

"We need to go back," she heard Jane said in a hushed voice. "He's going to unleash it," she added.

Clio looked up at them. Her face was void with any expression. She still felt great sorrow from her loss but she felt calmer. Loki's energy brought up a new energy inside her; something that could tame the loose sinister energy lurking inside.

"Not just on Asgard, Malekith is going to destroy everything," the brunette added.

"How did you know that?" Clio asked for the first time making Thor turn to her.

"When Malekith was extracting the Aether from me, I saw a glimpse of what he will do and he will start on Earth," Jane explained making Clio and Thor scowl at her.

"Buy why would he start on Earth?" Clio asked in confusion. She turned to Thor who was gaping in realization.

"The convergence," he muttered. He was talking about the alignment of the nine realms in one line to which the portals to each realm grew thin making it easier to travel.

"Oh god," exclaimed Jane.

"Loki," Clio's voice broke but then cleared her throat. "He explained to me about the convergence. If that happens, not only Asgard or Earth would be in great peril, so does the other realms."

"None of this would have happened if I haven't found the Aether," Jane muttered as she looked down at the ground. Clio stared at her friend but did not try to comment. It felt like yesterday when she went missing in London.

"Then Malekith would have possessed it that much sooner," Thor comforted and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"I only found it because I was looking for you," she continued.

Clio looked away from the two as she could feel her heart stinging. The storm outside was disastrous and she wondered if she stayed behind with Loki, could she have survived it? Would the sand storm bury his remains? They couldn't even give him a proper burial.

Her head snapped back when she heard music echoed through the cave. She jerked in surprise when she felt something vibrated in her pocket.

"What the hell?" Clio muttered as the three of them stared at each other in confusion.

"That's not me," Thor informed raising his hands to emphasize his point.

She and Jane quickly grabbed the only device they brought in Asgard and Svartelfheim and was currently in their pockets. When she fished out her phone, she saw million of texts flooding.

"Hello?" she heard Jane answered her phone.

"Hi, Jane, it's Richard," she heard the caller echoed through the cave. She raised an eyebrow at her friend who gave her a surprised look.

"Richard? Where are you?" Jane asked; her voice filled with confusion and glee.

Thor turned to Clio to give her a questioning look but the latter only shrugged hesitantly. Even she was in loss of what was happening at the moment. The last time she knew they were in a different planet so how come it has a reception?

"I'm still at the office," answered Richard making Thor raised a brow. Somehow, this became very awkward as she watched her friend talk to her caller while she surveyed the area without knowing what she was actually doing. To her surprise, Jane picked up a set of keys and jingled it in front of Clio.

"What's going on?" she mouthed to her friend to which her friend just shrugged but her brown eyes lit in excitement like it usually did whenever she discovered something new.

"Is this a bad timing?" she heard the caller said.

"No, no,no," Jane quickly said and motioned for them to come over. Hesitantly, they both complied. Her brows scrunched when she stepped on a can of soda. "Just stay on the line."

The caller must have picked up the wrong idea because he chuckled. "I won't go anywhere," he promised making Thor turn to Clio

"What the hell?" she muttered when she saw pair of shoes and even some hats on the ground.

"Where are we going?" Thor asked. "Why are there so many shoes around here?"

"Come on," Jane answered as she put back the phone in her pocket. They walked deeper to the cave and to her and Thor's amazement, the background changed.

Suddenly, they were back to where they were last seen on Earth. She glanced at Jane in confusion and the latter only grinned at them.

"Convergence, remember?" she explained. "The pathways are thinner. We were inspecting a portal inside the warehouse before Darcy called you."

"Oh," she could only utter. Jane led them to where her car was located. Its windows were broken and have writings on the side.

"Hop in, we need to get to my place," Jane instructed.

She sat at the backseat while Thor was on the passenger side. "I swear this is a crazy day," she commented and Jane nodded in agreement.

When they were sitting comfortably, Thor cleared his throat. "So, who's Richard?" he asked making the brunette stare at him incredulously.

"Really?" she asked sarcastically.

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to know," Clio answered as Jane drove off.

When they arrived, Jane barged inside making Darcy jump in surprise.

"Jane! Clio! You just can't leave like that!" she exclaimed as she hugged them one by one.

"Hey, Darcy," Clio greeted and gave her a small smile.

Jane went over to put her keys on the rack. "The whole world is going crazy. All the stuff that we found is spreading," she informed them. Darcy stopped and finally eyed what they were wearing. "Did you guys go to a party?"

"To Asgard," Clio supplied and the latter opened her mouth in realization.

"Eric?" Jane exclaimed making Clio turn around to see the surprised scientist who was so absorbed in his work that he did not noticed them.

"Dr. Selvig," she greeted.

"Jane! Clio! It's good to see you!" he got up from his seat and hugged them both.

"Where's your pants?" Jane asked.

"Ah, he said it helps him think," they both glanced at the intern, Ian, from the other side. She nodded at him in greetings to which he responded with a shy smile.

"Okay, I'm going to need everything you got from this," Jane began switching to business mode all of the sudden. "All the work you've been doing in gravimetric anomalies; everything."

Selvig nodded. "Okay," he answered and started ruffling his paper works.

"You need something to change with?" Jane asked Clio when she noticed they were still dressed in Asgardian clothing.

Clio turned to her dress and nodded in response. She followed her friend to her bedroom and closed the door. She offered her a black loose sweater, a grey camisole and a pair of skinny jeans. She muttered her thanks as she grabbed the clothes from her.

Jane sighed as she watched Clio walked inside the bathroom to change. She took off her dress and went over to the sink and stared at her reflection from the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy from all those crying that she did. The grey in her eyes was never the same. Somehow, it dulled. Shaking her head, she opened the faucet to wash her face.

She put on the spare clothes Jane gave before fishing up her phone from her dress. She needed to contact Tony before things go rough.

The phone rang once before he answered. "Clio? Thank God!" she heard him answered from the other side.

"Hey, Dad," she greeted.

"Where the hell have you been?! Do you know how worried we were when we could not reach or find you?!" Tony roared on the phone.

"I was in Asgard. Everything happened so fast I didn't have time to call you," she explained. Her throat was constricting at the sound of her father's voice.

"I am very disappointed in you, Clio Isabella Stark. I thought we agreed that you won't do anything rash if anything happens?" he continued. Tears welled up her eyes. Despite his angry state, she was so glad to hear from him. She wanted so badly to cuddle besides him and tell him everything what happened to her just like when she was just a child then. She wanted to hear the comforting words her father would tell her just to make her feel better because the what she was feeling was so painful that she felt so numb.

She couldn't help the sob that escaped making Tony stop abruptly from his ranting. "Sugarplum, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice turning soft. She could already picture him running his fingers on his messy hair as he think of a way to calm her down; that usually the case whenever she was upset. "You know it's normal for me to get angry, right? I mean, I was terrified something happened to you. It's normal for a father to worry for his daughter who ran off, Sugarplum."

Then she let out the sob that was trapped inside her chest. It was almost funny that her father thought she was crying because he was mad at her and that made her cry more. "I-I'm sorry, Daddy," she croaked as tears started to slide down her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she continued as she sobbed.

"Sugarplum," Tony called out worriedly knowing it wasn't about his anger that she was crying for but something deeper. "I'll come get you, okay? Are you back in London now?"

"Yes," she answered as she wiped her cheek. She knew if he said he'll come get her within the consecutive two hours, he'll already be here. But she needed to keep him away from here. Jane has a plan to stop Malekith and having Tony here would probably mess it up.

"But you don't have to get me. I just want you to know that I'm safe and I'm back. I'll be coming back home after I finish things up here," she added quickly.

Tony was silent for a while as she waited for his answer. "I can't change your mind, can I?" he asked after some time to which she shook her head. As if he could see her shake her head; he sighed. "Take the private jet on your way home, okay? It'll be faster."

"I will. Thanks, Dad," she replied.

"Love you, Sugarplum," he said. "With all my shrapnel-free heart, you know that right?"

Her chin trembled and she heaved a deep breath to calm herself down. "Love you more, Dad," she croaked.

"Now, don't cry, Sugarplum, and be safe," he added before the lines went off. She put the phone at her back pocket and composed herself. When she opened the door, Jane was staring at her worriedly. She knew she heard everything.

"Are you okay?" she asked and Clio nodded.

"Yeah," she replied and gave her a small smile.

But Jane knew better. They've known each other for only a year but if there was someone whom she callsher best friend, it would be her. "I'm fine," she reassured her.

Jane went over to her and enveloped her into a hug to which she complied. "I know you're not but I won't push. If you need someone to talk with, I'm here, Clio," she comforted and Clio nodded on her shoulder.

When they parted, she gave her a genuine smile. "I'll be fine," she said again. With one last pat on her arm, Clio walked out of the bedroom.

Darcy was making coffee for everyone while Eric was back on his desktop and was busy doing research. Ian, the intern, was with him and they were exchanging ideas. Her eyes wandered around the room in search for the god of thunder but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Thor?" she asked them.

"Uh,Dr. Stark," Ian stuttered to which she turned to him. A tint of blush was on his face when she raised an eyebrow at him. "He went out of the balcony a while ago," he informed.

Her eyes glanced towards the balcony door to see the god of thunder looking up at the sky.

"Thanks," she muttered with a nod to which the intern smiled in return. She walked over the door and leaned against the frame. His face was solemn as he gazed at the stars. Whether he sensed her presence or not, he did not show but she knew he did.

"I couldn't even give him a proper burial," he said without turning back at her; his voice filled with sorrow for his lost brother. "I'm sorry. If I was just strong enough to defeat it, Loki would not have died that way."

Clio gave a shaky breath as she looked at the stars too. The stars were bright and beautiful right now as if there won't be a pending doom that waits; calm before the , she felt guilty. She was so focused in her pain that she forgotten that Thor lost his brother also and that put an ache in her heart.

"It was his choice to put his life on the line for you," she said softly and walked over to stand next to the god. "To prove to you that he changed."

"I should have told him that he need not do that for I believed that he did change… in here," he said as he pointed on his chest where his heart is located.

Clio clenched her fist tight as she glared up at the sky. "I don't know whether or not I should be angry with him," she said. "What kind of a man broke his promise minutes after… promising so?" the last part was barely audible but Thor, thankfully was blessed with great hearing, heard it.

"I think he is a man who fulfilled his promise," he counteract with a small smile. "With his last breath, he saved not only me, but also you."

"That doesn't even make sense. Malekith is still alive," she grumbled.

Thor gave out a low chuckle. "Indeed, he is. But he did not plan to die along or leave you, Clio," he defended.

"I know," she muttered and gave him a glance. "I wish this is all just a bad dream. That, the next morning, I would wake up and could still see his annoying face."

"Me too," he said softly as they both gazed at the stars. "Clio, I know this is too much to ask but I need you to lend me your strength."

The dark-haired maiden glanced at him in surprise. "What?"

"I know that this is very dangerous and I tend to risk having Loki rise from his grave to kill me if something were to happen to you but I cannot do this alone," he explained. "We need to defeat Malekith. If we work together then we can do so."

Clio opened her mouth; her face scrunched with worry and confusion. "But how? I'm not strong enough. I'll just get in your way. And if you're talking about the Xhylorian inside me, I can barely hold it off."

"I believe that Loki imparted his magic to you before he died," Thor began making Clio's eyes widened a fraction in surprise. She thought about it ever since feeling a foreign energy inside her. She never gave much thought to it since it was very calming.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"That powerful burst of energy a while back would have been too hard to expel if not for my brother's magic. He imparted that to you to protect you," he explained. Clio knew that. She could still feel his energy inside her and she didn't know whether to be happy about it or not.

"So, you think we can stop Malekith?" she asked and Thor nodded. She was silent for a moment as she glanced at her hands trying to contemplate about his proposed situation.

'You should help him,' the voice whispered inside. She was not expecting to speak that's why she flinched slightly when it spoke. 'We need justice for what he did.'

Justice? Was it talking to what Malekith did to them? She felt a sense of pity to the extinguished Xhylorian. They only wanted to have a peaceful life away from any wars but in the end, they paid for it dearly with their lives. Somehow, that made her feel obligated to avenge them.

"I know it's too much to ask bu –"

"I'll help," she cut him off making the latter glanced at her in surprise. "I have to settle something with Malekith, anyway."

"What do you mean?" he asked; his face scrunched in confusion.

"When I was sleeping on the boat, I have a vision of the past; a memory that belonged to the Xhylorians. They were betrayed by him."

"How?"

"Malekith knew Bor was getting suspicious of the dark elves for the dark events that were happening around the universe. That's why he planned to put all the blame an all the Xhyloriansand manipulated your grandfather to think they were the ones behind all the events. That's why Bor destroyed them first."

She could see Thor absorbed everything she revealed. "That bastard," he muttered angrily then glanced back at her as realization dawned in him. "You mean to avenge them," he stated.

Clio never thought about it at all and it came as a surprise to her. "I have to," she said.

"Then, we shall defeat Malekith together, my lady," Thor promised and bowed his head in respect of her teaming up with him.

"I never told anyone about it but the Xhylorian inside me can communicate with me," she confessed making Thor's brows rise up in surprise. "They annoy me to hell but at the same time they give me the information that I needed," she added.

"I also have a confession to make, my lady," Thor began and gave her a guilty glance. "I do not want to keep this from you anymore. Loki was against of telling you this to not make you worry but as you have said, you have the right to know."

"W-What is it?" she asked her face was bordered with worry and anxiety.

"Loki and I have this theory. He had been researching about the Xhylorians ever since. You already know that another way for one Xhylorian to live is to transfer its DNA on another Xhylorian or to a different species throughout the universe. This was also one of their defenses in battle because normal specie like humans can easily be killed by this method," he said. The grim expression on his face made her nervous.

"So, you mean I still get to die?" she asked as her mind still processing what he was revealing to her. "Maybe I'm still alive because of the antidote I took but in the end I would still have to die, right?"

"Normally, that would have been the case," he said with a sighed. He grabbed her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"B-But you saw the reports Healer Hilda made," she stuttered as she shake her head trying to rack her brain with all the possibilities and theories they have come up while in Asgard. "My immunity tripled its power. Somehow, it is like the super soldier serum that Steve Rogers took. I-I never got the chance to discuss this with Dr. Banner but I already have this theory about it and I –"

"Loki found out that there are only four known specie in the galaxy that can accommodate the Xhylorian invasion in the body. Asgardians, Celestials, Eternals and Xhylorians – they are also known as the gods of the universe."

"Gods of the universe?" she muttered with her eyes widened. "You mean… I'm only alive because…" her mind wandered off to the time Malekith called her a Xhylorian. Was it because she really was a Xhylorian?

"That is only a theory. We are not yet sure about it. As you have said, you took an antidote," Thor reassured her but her mind was elsewhere. "But we were never truly convinced with it especially since you are adopted and the man of iron knew nothing of where you came from."

"H-He first saw me near the grave of his parents," she muttered; she could feel her hands shaking. "I-I was just an infant then."

"One thing that made my brother very curious of you was because of the color of your eyes," he continued. "It is a different shade of grey, not normal for a human and your intellect is very supreme."

Then she remembered the time they were on the cliff. Loki asked her once if she was really a human because of her eye color. She did not give any thoughts about it but Loki did.

"When I was fighting off Malekith, he called me a Xhylorian," confessed Clio making Thor glanced at her in surprise. "At first I thought he was pertaining to the Xhylorian inside me but the voice kept telling me over and over that it was not its power that I'm using. It's mine. And when I had the vision of the past, I saw their eyes. They were like mine also."

Thor was silent for a moment and was considering her confession. "Is that why you have the need to avenge the others?"

Clio shook her head in confusion. "I-I don't know. Maybe? I guess? This is so confusing," she muttered. "If Loki was here..." she trailed off then stopped.

"He would have another theory," Thor supplied giving her a sad smile at the mention of his late brother.

Clio nodded sadly. A pang of pain hit her chest. How she missed Loki's warmth in this kind of moment. "I don't know what to think anymore, Thor," she muttered biting her lower lip. "I only wanted to be normal. How can I be put up into this?"

"It was bound to happen. You will find out eventually," Thor told her making her look up at him. "If you're really a Xhylorian, the organism that was injected to you just sped up the process of you finding it out."

"I never wanted to have a life like this, Thor," she added. Her eyes sprung with tears. "I never wanted to feel like an abomination. I wanted to be human."

The God of Thunder pulled her to his chest and hushed. "You are not an abomination. If Loki will hear you now, he'd be disappointed at what you are saying to yourself."

"B-But he's not here... anymore," she whispered the last part as she balled her fist. "This was all Malekith's fault," she growled through her tears.

"And he shall pay dearly with his life," Thor supplied and pushed her gently from him. "We will take him down and we will get what we wanted: vengeance."

Clio stared at him before wiping her tears. When Thor stared back at her eyes, he was slightly surprised at the calm fury raging in the depths of her grey shades. He feared that any moment she would snap and kill everybody. Maybe she will. Maybe she won't. But the only thing that mattered to them both was to avenge the person they loved.

Author's Note:

Hey guys! I'm back! I finally finished my board examination yesterday and hopefully the result will come out next tuesday. I hope I passed *fingers crossed*

Anyways, I decided to update this story since I have nothinh much to do now and hopefully I can update every Friday of the week. So stay tuned for more updates!

Oh and by the way, I wanted to thank all those who reviewed and read the last chapter. Especially to the one who stayed up all night just to read it! I hope you woke up early after that. Thank you thank you!!

I hope this next chapter will come to your likings. I'll update the next one probably on sunday or monday so stay tuned!