A White Rose
He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Tony pulls a face when he forces the blue berries down.
'Don't be so pathetic, Stark.', Loki admonishes him. He knows that the berries are bitter and that no one eats them free willingly but they are edible and won't kill them. It's all they have left to eat and the hunger will eventually force everything down. It's certainly not Loki's fault that Tony is pretending to never have eaten anything in his life he didn't want and that he can't eat those stupid berries.
Tony scowls but stops complaining and turns away from Loki to look down the corridor. How much time they had spend here, Loki can't recollect. He stopped counting what feels like months ago. The last few worlds had been empty and void of life or maybe they just had been in regions that were uninhabited. Furthermore they are running out of their hard-fought for supplies.
'We should get going.', Steve reminds them. It's the fourth corridor they are in and none of them believes in the theory of the Reality Stone being in one of these worlds anymore. But what else is there to do than to just go on? To hope that someone, anyone, would find them here and take them home, even if that means being back in Thanos' clutches. By now Loki isn't sure if that fate wouldn't be much better, there at least an end would be in sight. The Convergence passed away and there is no chance to go home by teleportation.
After Stark had managed to catch one of those things lurking in the dark, none of them wants to stay any longer than absolutely necessary. Even a deserted Jotunheim in winter is better than staying here a moment longer. They had chosen to stay the night despite their previous experiences because they were tired and exhausted after wandering the fields of a burned Svartalfheim for days and wanted to breathe something else than dusty air for just one night, unsure about what might follow in the next world. Stark had taken the second watch when the sounds had started again. He had have the presence of mind to use one of his improvised weapons and managed to freeze the creature in stone. The team had woken up from the commotion and taken to examine it closer in the daylight which approached quickly enough.
The statue of stone still stands a corridor away. Thor had wanted to smash it but the others were insecure as to what would happen and as long as it didn't move, they would leave it alone.
Loki prides himself with knowing almost all the creatures that inhabit or inhabited the nine realms but what that creature is, he doesn't want to know. It is gruesome, it has long wings with spidery fingers, big jaws and a long body. It gives Loki shivers just thinking about it. It isn't too big but Loki is sure they can do more than look like deformed dragons and make creepy sounds.
They now always sit so they can observe all ends of the hallway. Who knows if daylight will keep them at bay any longer now that they attacked one of these creatures? Maybe it is just a vivid imagination but Loki fancies hearing them waiting for a chance to annihilate the intruders of the Citadel. As to what created them, Loki isn't sure either. Maybe they are watching over the Citadel and the Aether within to make sure no one seizes it, maybe the Aether itself created them to protect itself. Their presence could be a good sign, he tells himself. Or the end of the Avengers.
'Yeah, let's get this over with.', Tony grumbles. After the incident with Lady Pepper he is more moody than ever, not even bantering with Steve can brighten his mood anymore. Everyone slowly scrambles to their feet, taking their sparse luggage with them.
It's the last door in this corridor, the one furthest away from the center.
'Let's hope for some sunshine. My tan is fading.', the brunet man notes dryly. He seems to be the only one not being tired of talking any more than necessary. Loki rolls his eyes but refrains from chastising him, knowing it's just a waste of energy.
If it are these creatures that make their signs vanish or not, none of them knows. Some weeks ago Loki had went back to one of the first doors they had tried, willing to take the risk of going back to get some food from behind one door where he knew lies Alfheim when he had noticed the lacking marks on the ground. Not willing to visit the wrong world they had gone hungry for another day. Loki is worried about this fact but pushes it from his mind. They can't give up now though he already has. There are more corridors upstairs. The way they had found just very recently because they always had the feeling that there is nothing above the corridors except for empty space given how high the ceilings are. They hadn't dared venture there to really investigate but none of them had seen any doors. The high ceiling in the gallery towers over the group but Loki had forgotten all about the stories above them.
With this thoughts still fresh on his mind, Clint pulls open the door.
A hushed silence falls over the group. Thick mists engulf them, it's impossible to say what lurks behind the wafts of mist. The ground is black and is the only solid thing there is. Some distant shapes are visible but they are slurred and Loki doubts they are even real and not just there in his imagination.
'Where are we?'
The whisper sounds oddly loud in this place. The mist is white against the blackness of this world and though there seems to be no real light, it is enough to see the white wisps rippling in the air.
'I have no idea.', Loki says. His voice is hoarse from the lack of frequent use and he has to swallow a few times before he dares to give such an answer. The air feels strange and suffocating. It is full of ancient magic, so full that Loki can barely breathe.
'Niflheim?', Thor asks, his voice quivers a little. It's evidence enough that he prays to be wrong. The world of mists and shadows they hadn't visited, nor did any of them want to. It's too close to Helheim for any of their liking. Should they enter the realm of the dead, who knows if they could leave again?
Loki shakes his head, unsure if the others can see it. 'We're here.', he whispers. It's barely a sound but the others hear him nonetheless.
None of them dares to move an inch, unsure what lies beyond the veil. The air is humid, making them cough.
'Let's get moving.', Loki mutters. The suspense is killing him.
Steve looks from side to side. 'Where to?' The surrounding looks the same in each direction. Loki shrugs and takes a step forward. The ground feels safe enough and doesn't feel like giving in, so he takes another step.
He reaches the vapor nearest to them and experimentally reaches out his hand. It's cold to the touch, sending shivers down Loki's spine. It feels like a soul had passed him. Maybe in the end they are in Niflheim. This is how he always imagined it to be. Loki turns back to his friends. They still hadn't dared to move and look around with obvious distrust. Thor's eyes are fixed on him.
Loki concentrates and extends his mind with his magic to feel out what this world is made out. The magic of this place thrums through him and almost overwhelms the sorcerer. This is definitely the right place. It feels similar to being around the Tesseract and still distinctly different. The stone is not here completely and the part that is here is still a good distance away. This time he can feel the pull of the Reality Stone, feels where they have to go.
'This way.' Loki turns back to where he had taken a step. The mists seem to be even thicker there as if they are hiding something from view.
'What did you feel?', Thor asks, having recognized the way his magic weaved through the air.
'We're right here but we shouldn't let our guard down. It will protect itself.'
They take each others hands to not lose each because the sight gets worse the further they recede from their original destination. The mists become almost impenetrable. Loki slowly makes his way through the wisps, leading the others with him, and carefully treading the ground, expecting every moment that it will cave in or change its consistence. The mists feel slick when touching the skin, making him shiver.
The darkness intensifies until Loki can see absolutely nothing anymore and is sure the mist is gone as well when for a while there is no wisp reaches for them. The air weighs heavy, it becomes difficult to breathe but because the others don't seem to notice this and are not complaining, it must be because of the intensifying magic in it.
A sudden bright light blinds all of them but it's gone too fast to make out where it exactly came from and what it means.
'What the hell was that?', Stark asks from behind.
Loki has to refrain from the temptation of pressing both the balls of his hands to his eyes to rid himself of the pain and relieve them. He hisses in pain but keeps his hand in Natasha's, also stopping her from letting go. In this darkness they would lose each other in a moment. Loki isn't sure this is even real and not one of his nightmares and that he will lose everyone as soon as he lets go of the warm hand. Maybe the reality could tear, though what the holding of a hand changes about that fact, he can't tell.
'No idea. Has anyone seen anything?', Loki asks. Being the closest to the sudden burst of light had the effect of blinding him more effectively. The darkness is even more impenetrable than before. He cannot see a single contour. Loki turns to Natasha but she is just as part of the darkness as the rest. If it wouldn't be for the quiet noises of the group Loki would already panic. This all-consuming nothingness is too much to take and he begins to tremble slightly.
They aren't in the space between worlds, Loki reminds himself. It does little to calm his nerves. Natasha squeezes his hand in a reassuring way.
'No, I couldn't see a thing.', she says in a firm voice.
'Was the shadow just in my imagination?', Clint asks. He half-jokes about his worries.
'Let's hope.', Loki mutters, looking around though it is useless. He takes a deep breath. 'Don't let go of each other.', he warns them again, then takes little steps forward. Natasha gets the idea and tugs at Bruce's hand which she holds with her other one. Loki edges closer to where he suspects the Infinity Stone is but keeps his distance from where the strange light had blinded them.
'Maybe it was an will-o'-the-wisp.', Tony suggests from the back, expressing his hopes. He tries to sound light and almost succeeds.
'Possible.' Though very unlikely. They are in the gravitation center of the Citadel, where all it's power is coming from for now, where its biggest treasure and secret is hidden.
Loki strains his ears and listens closely to the sounds. There is the constant shuffle of fourteen feet on the hard ground but there is also something else. 'Stop.', he whispers and stands still. The clatter of claws on the ground stops instantly. 'Did you hear that?', he murmurs, listening for the renewed clatter but everything stays quite.
'What?', Clint asks while Steve says, 'Yes.'
'These things are here. Following us.', Thor says grimly. The blond is right, it is the same sound that had haunted them all the nights spend in the Citadel. Whatever these winged monsters are, they are waiting for something. Maybe they want to see where they are going. Then again, maybe they just wait for them to let down their guard and attack them without much of a preamble. Loki doesn't doubt anymore the Reality Stone brought them to life to hunt them down and protect itself from just being taken from its safe home.
'They must have come through the light. Through an open door from the corridors.', Loki deduces in a hushed voice, straining his ears to pick up something beside the breathing of his companions.
'Maybe we can find it.'
'Stark, it's too dark to see one's hand in front of the face. Beside, we want to be here. This might be the only chance to find the stone and go home.', Loki reminds him. 'It seems to know we're here and has summoned its guards. It would change the scenery outside of this world, would change its place. We might never find it again. It can't hide while we are here and can't alter this world. We just have to face whatever dangers it has created and surpass them.'
'Easier said than done.', Clint says. 'How are we supposed to see it in this darkness, anyway?'
'I could try to get some light.', Loki suggests, not really wanting to see what is there around them. 'They already know we are here, so it won't make much of a difference. Can you give me a stick from my luggage, Natasha?'
The red haired assassin lets go of his hand when Loki stretches his arm behind him to grab her shoulder while she tries to extract it from his bag. The small red flames spend them hope though the shine barely reaches the ground. Loki looks back to see he can barely see Clint who is the fourth in their row. He lights another torch. They wouldn't need the wood anymore after this world. Either they'd die trying to reach the stone or they'd succeed and sleep in a real bed this night. They let go of each other now that they can see a little again. Steve takes the other torch and holds it up high. They look behind them but there is no trace of anything on the coal black ground, neither do they get a glimpse of the winged creatures.
Loki tries to peer into the darkness but it is useless. There is probably nothing to see anyway. The darkness swallows the light after less than four meters, their environment is as much a secret as it was before. At least the group can see each other and they aren't dependent on holding onto each other and can cover a much greater distance like this, now that they see the ground and don't expect an obstacle every few meters.
The ravenette takes the lead but there is nothing he can orientate himself by except for his feeling. He draws one of his daggers before he can even think about it but he isn't the only one with anxiety issues. Steve has his shield and holds it up high, Thor clutches Mjolnir, Clint holds the blade they had found for him. Bruce's eyes dart from side to side, ready to defend his friends and himself.
How long exactly they walked in silence through the darkness, none could tell but eventually the ground becomes less level and Loki believes there are things on the sides of their way.
'Did you see something?', Natasha asks.
Loki only now realizes he had stopped all of a sudden. He shakes his head. 'No. It's just.. We might not make it all. And just in case I am not one of those, you need to know how to handle the Reality Stone. To get home.' He swallows hard but forces the words out nonetheless.
Tony gets irritated. 'Stop fucking with us, Lokes. All or none.'
'They are coming closer.', Steve interrupts them. 'What are they?', he asks rather rhetorical.
'Like some watchers and now that one of their friends is a frozen mess, I don't want to know what these fangs and claws are there for. Nor that wings.' Clint shudders. 'They look like bats. Ugly, deformed bats, mind you.'
'Seriously, I mean it, guys.', Loki interrupts them. The clacking of the claws had started again and doesn't stop now that they have reached what must be the next stage.
Steve sighs. 'Is there a chance that one of us could actually wield it?'
Loki hesitates. 'Yes, but not for long.'
Tony huffs and crosses his arms in defiance. 'Do you even know how to wield it?', he wants to know. Loki doesn't answer. 'None of us ever wielded an Infinity Stone. And I am afraid without that knowledge you won't e able to teach us just that.'
The ravenette sighs. 'Just make sure to first let the Aether assemble all of itself. If we leave just a drop behind, someone else could seize it and still destroy the realms. Try to find the point where the Convergence opened the veil between the worlds. You're right, more I can't tell.'
Loki takes the lead again. The shapeless forms aren't just in his imagination anymore. He believes to recognize stone structures. The cold slowly ebbs away and is replaced with dusty, hot air. The darkness fades quickly, like a new day is approaching. All around them there is nothing new to see though. Rocks pile up irregularly across the plain that stretches out before them. The red sky looms above them, the sandy ground beneath them. The desert must stretch out for miles and Loki can already feel his throat constricting.
He sighs. Is this whole thing pointless?, Loki wonders. He looks over his shoulder to where the others are. They had abandoned their torches. The heat is getting to all of them. Somehow the air seems to dry them all out, making it almost impossible to resist drinking down their entire supply of water. The uniformity of their environment doesn't help with the despair. Soon enough they run out of water, he is afraid the mortals won't keep up much longer but Thor also looks like this could be it when they reach a wide river, hidden in a valley. Loki breathes a sigh of relief when the air becomes more humid and the terrible thirst finally vanishes.
'Let me guess, it would be highly unwise to drink that stuff.', Tony notes dryly from the back of the group.
'I wouldn't want to find out.', Clint says. 'How are we supposed to get to the other side?'
The other side of the wide waterbed is blurred and fuzzy, not palpable. This must be a new task.
'I could take us to the other side.', Thor suggests. 'Or we could swim.'
Loki shakes his head. 'We shouldn't separate, especially not here.' He crouches down next to the water and reaches out with his hand. The current is too strong to swim through if the temperature would be even bearable for the Midgardians. Loki concentrates on his ice magic and reaches out. It's harder than he would have expected to freeze a part of the water. The already cold temperature isn't enough apparently. Finally, after his body turned blue already from the exhaustion, little ice crystals start to form a bridge just a few inches above the water flow. The others don't look any more comfortable with this plan than Loki feels but nevertheless, he edges across the ice and motions the others to follow him.
'We should destroy it.', Tony says when they are about halfway across the river. 'So these things won't follow us.' All through the desert they had heard the paws on the rock formations.
'Stark, we're talking about a stone that created all of this.', Loki reminds him.
'Yeah, but it is not sentient.', Tony gives back stubbornly.
'The Tesseract wasn't sentient either. But the Reality Stone created these things following us. I say it makes little difference if we waste our energy on destroying a bridge or of we keep walking.', Loki reasons. 'This river will be probably gone when they catch up. Or the stone will create something else for them to cross it. Don't forget they have wings. The bridge will never help nor its absence hinder them. So let's go.' By now they had reached the other side of the river. Maybe the ice bridge would have melted by the time these things caught up.
Stark grumbles something unintelligible but doesn't argue further. They continue their way in silence. This side of the river looks different, Loki wonders what the next task could be.
The whining, piercing noise is all the warning they get. Within seconds the group is surrounded by at least five of the vultures that had been haunting them the whole day.
The flora had increased since the desert, Loki can't tell how many of these beasts lurk behind the thicket. Running isn't really an option, not now anymore at least. It is the first time Loki can take a close look at the four-legged creatures when they aren't frozen. They move like carnivals, bare their teeth and growl low in their throats as they creep across the dirt path, drawing closer circles around the group that dared tread on their territory. Not all of them are dark gray like the one they caught. Some have lighter shades and heavier bodies, some are much darker, almost black. They also differ in heights and the build of their bodies. Apparently Tony had been lucky enough to encounter a small one. Who could tell if the freezing would have worked on a bigger one.
Without any instructions the Avengers form a tight circle, standing to each other with their backs. Loki holds his daggers one in each hand and waits for the creatures to attack. Stark hands out some of his self built bombs.
The first creature lunches itself at them, the others follow quickly. Loki hasn't got much time to think anymore and can just act by bringing his daggers up quickly enough for his throat to not be slashed.
Natasha throws one of the ice bombs at the advancing creatures. It gets frozen for a moment, then shakes it off in equal time. They have lost their power, Loki realizes. He wonders if any of them can do more than stun them temporarily.
'The stone interferes with them!', Natasha concludes loudly and goes back to fighting with the blade. The freeze had only succeeded in angering the almost pitch black thing. It growls, then throws itself on the woman.
The fight continues, more and more of these things show up. Loki feels the sweat run down his back, feels his muscles getting weaker with every strike of his blades. He doubts any of them can keep going for far longer.
Suddenly as if on cue, the creatures withdraw and are gone in a flash.
'What the hell?', Stark exclaims. He sounds breathless.
Loki tries to catch his breath. 'This is a test.', he forces out.
'What?'
'The stone, it isn't trying to keep us away. I think...' Loki braces himself on his thighs. 'I think it tries our strength in this world. To see of we're the right people.'
'The darkness would have proven no problem for the Dark Elves.', Thor says. 'Neither the desert area nor the river.'
Loki moves his head in the direction of the thicket. 'Nor these things. They know how to fight with a blade.'
'But it's an infinity stone.', Steve shrugs helplessly.
'Yes. But it was once used by them to conquer the nine realms and plunge the universe back into darkness. Maybe they have a connection.', he concludes.
Thor frowns. This explanation doesn't seem to be for his liking. 'Then it would notice we're not them.'
'It wants to know if we aren't better suited to use it. It feeds of those bodies to gain energy. It wants to make sure there is a lot to get and not just a weak body who couldn't hold it for a day or wouldn't be able to carry it back into the real world.'
Thor looks doubtful. 'Can you wield it?'
Loki shrugs. 'We'll see.'
'What about getting it out again? 'Host body' doesn't sound like it would let go without a fight.', Tony interrupts.
'It's our only chance to get back home. At least the only one I see. If you have another idea, I am all ears.', Loki snaps. 'Otherwise we'll deal with one problem at a time. And we already agreed we would try this.'
Thor looks like he wants to discuss it further but he remains silent. Loki can guess what consequences will have to be dealt with later, Loki tells himself they are worth it. To bring everyone home will be worth everything he can give.
He just has to make sure to be the first one to touch the stone or rather the fluid, it would surely kill the mortals before they could figure out a way to rid them of it. Furthermore Loki has the most experience with these kind of things.
They continue their way towards where the Aether pulses in the heart of this world. The others start to get nervous as well. Apparently they finally also notice the hum in the air, the throbbing that makes every cell vibrate in the unique rhythm of the Aether, so unlike anything either of them had ever felt. When they are back home, Loki decides he'd take another look at the Tesseract to find the correspondence.
The sound of paws on hard ground doesn't return though there is a whooshing noise. Loki isn't sure if he's only imagining it or mistaking the rushing of his blood for something else, but it sounds suspiciously like the flapping of wings. Carefully they walk on as the area around them loses its structure. The plants which are nothing Loki had ever seen, vanish, the ground becomes a solid black mass again. As far as they can see there is nothing but black floor and a red ceiling, reminding them of the light in the Citadel which they now must be in again. The physical world seems stranger than any alternate reality and has its own horrors. Loki would right now give a lot for a drink of water.
All of a sudden the oppression is gone, leaving behind an emptiness. A high gray structure comes into view.
'Do you think it's there?', Steve motions to the building in the distance.
Loki nods. 'The time of trials is over.' The oppression had been to drive them away, to test their bravery when not being opposed by an imminent threat.
The building is further away than they thought but they reach it without further incidents. It looks conspicuously like the one they had lived in for the past months.
The big leaf-door swing open when Thor touches them, revealing the gallery they had seen so often. Just this time instead of the sitting possibility in the middle of it, there is a tall black stone, half of it hovers in the air. Powerful runes are written all over it. The space between the two halves glows red from the single red droplet that hangs there suspended in midair.
The hum of the air is barely perceptible. The bloody red of the gem shines like a rose in the summer sun, it almost looks harmless like this, beautiful as it is. Loki realizes that the Aether seeks to attract them so they would touch it. It doesn't care if they are powerful enough anymore, it wants to leave this place, no matter with who and power might still frighten them away. Loki notices how everyone, including himself, shuffles around to not give in to the temptation.
One of the most powerful objects of the universe is right there in front of them, waiting to be seized. It's powerful enough to destroy worlds and still it looks like it is trapped, waiting to be freed and to bestow power upon its new master.
Loki's fingers itch, the others aren't better off. Their eyes are glued to the red gem, the red fluid, Loki doesn't even care anymore. He just wants to help it, to hold it.
Slowly the ravenette steps forward before anyone else can succumb to it. He is careful to keep his senses together, to concentrate on the purpose he needs the Aether for, hoping it would be enough to not fully fall under its spell. He had heard it drove others mad.
It sparkles like a red diamond, sharp, deadly, perfect.
It's like plucking a rose and yet so different. For one moment Loki holds the crystal in his hand, then it turns into a liquid and tries to invade his skin. Before that can happen though, Loki creates a force field around it. Lazily it fights the shield but can't escape it in it's current situation.
It's warm on his palm, like blood it floats through the air. The near Loki again feels the power it emits. And that it is only a fraction of what it could be. He reaches out his senses which is surprisingly easy since the Aether does something similar. All around him Loki feels shards of the red liquid, spread over quite some distance. It takes little to encourage the Aether to draw every single of its droplets to its center.
Loki feels the different realities made real by every single of them, the Aether's power is weakened like this.
When the Aether is reassembled in front of him, Loki drops the force field and allows the Aether to draw strength from him,
Before Loki can have second thoughts, the red liquid enters his bloodstream and makes his whole body tingle in anticipation. It's liquid power that flows through his veins. For a moment all he can see is the white blinding light. Loki is afraid he might faint but the worry is reasonless.
The scene around them dissolves into the normal view of the gallery.
'Are you okay?' The words reach his ear like from a distance. He recognizes Thor's voice.
Loki turns around with a smile. 'I never felt better.' Loki tries not make it sound like a lunatic but probably fails. He had never felt that much pure power surging through him. 'Let's go home.'
It's ridiculously easy to find the crack in the reality, so easy Loki almost laughs out loud. Maybe he did given the conspicuous glances of his friends. The Convergence has long passed but the reality alternating Aether enables Loki to bring it back for a minor occurrence.
'Come closer.'
They huddle together when Loki unleashed the power of the Reality Stone. Within seconds the wind picks up, something that hasn't happened here ever, then suddenly they stand in bright sunlight.
Yellow, golden sunlight. The are structures Loki recognizes as Midgardian architecture.
Before any of them can move, the light of the Bifrost envelops them.
xXxXxXx
Hello :)
Thanks for reading. Thank you to all who added this story to their favorite/follow lists.
These things that have been following our heroes are loosely based on the Reapers from Doctor Who. Apparently just their look likes, not their tasks though.
Wow, I have been posting this story now for almost a whole year. It feels completely surreal. And there is still so much to look forward to. Just wanted to place this here. Anyway, thanks for sticking around and/or joining me in this journey. See you next Saturday. Have a great weekend!
