I'm so sorry that it took me forever to update. Capstones/semester test gave me a lot of stress and took up a lot of my time. I didn't have any motivation to write, but here I am. I wanted this chapter to be longer so, obviously, it took longer to write. Anyways, Happy Holidays! And enjoy! :)

Chapter Twenty-Five: Enchanted

The storm of magic shook the building as the energy increased and swirled around the ceiling. Amora had her head tilted back and her arms spread wide, reaching up and letting the magic flow from her fingertips. She had never felt this powerful before and the rush of it all was overwhelming. Jealousy tingled in the back of her mind - oh, how unfair it was that Loki was born with this much power while she had to learn a lesser form of magic. The second prince always got attention from Thor while she had to come up with ways to get the golden prince to notice her. Loki got Thor's love while she sat in the corner, unnoticed.

Yes, Loki had been bullied and made fun of for using magic - that at least gave her some joy, knowing that the citizens of Asgard didn't necessarily like Loki, but Thor always came rushing to his aid whenever he was beaten so badly by their peers.

She could prove them all wrong; bringing Thanos back gave her a chance to do so. She could be queen! And all the people would love her!

She first heard about Thanos and his followers when she took a trip to a planet not too far from Asgard. She had originally planned it to be a spa day but a league of Chitauri attacked and killed half the population. She only escaped after she bargained with their leader, who called himself The Other. He offered her a chance to join Thanos's "revolution," as he called it - an opportunity for balance and peace among the universe.

Amora couldn't turn down such a wonderful bargain and agreed to work for him. In return, they offered her the throne of Asgard. She could be queen and then figure out a way for Thor to fall in love with her.

Most of her work consisted of traveling around the galaxy to turn powerful adversaries onto their side and taking out those who refused to join. She had never met Thanos personally but she knew that he would be grateful for bringing him back to life.

She also had Loki, someone whom she knew that Thanos would like having back. She knew about Loki's time in the hands of Thanos and knew that Loki was Thanos's favorite "plaything." Being the ruler of the universe has its perks but everyone needed some sort of entertainment. Loki wouldn't like it but who really cares about what he thinks. Loki was a good bargaining chip, a valuable token that could grant her wish of being with Thor and ruling Asgard.

Being with Thor was a dream that Amora had ever since she was a little girl, and now she could practically feel it coming true.

The thought of having her dreams within her reach refueled her. Amora closed her eyes and delved deep inside, searching for every last drop of magic. A tight grip wrapped around her heart after she did so, squeezing painfully.

A warning said by Loki earlier flashed in the corner of her mind. She knew that using another person's sedir could be lethal but she was close, so close!

Ignoring the pain, Amora let loose a final wave of energy. Laughing with giddiness, Amora opened her eyes and let her arms drop down to her side. White spots danced in her field of vision but she blinked them away. She felt lightheaded but yet extremely excited.

A glowing form stood on the platform opposite of her, pulsating in time of her heart. The green glow started fading, forming into a different color, certain colors, of someone everyone knew. Slowly, features on the figure came into focus, and then the figure tilted his head and smiled at her.

She had done it.

/\/\/\/\

She had done it. She really did, and Thor hated her all the more for it.

He thought he had seen the last of the bastard's ugly, purple face. He could see every little detail, the scars, the stupid chin, everything down to the smug grin he had on his face.

You should have gone for the head.

Those words brought too many memories flooding back. His people were slaughtered on the Statesman. Heimdall stabbed in front of him. His own brother, murdered while he could do nothing but watch. Loki, tortured after being brought back to life. And now, the person who caused all that stood not even ten feet in front of him.

Rage flooded his emotions, clouding his judgement. He had to take Thanos out. He wouldn't let Thanos take Loki away from him, again.

Thor elbowed Sleipnir in the stomach, hard. Probably too hard but it forced Sleipnir to double over and drop his sword. Thor kicked the sword out his nephew's reach and placed his hand flat on Sleipnir's chest. Thor let out a little jolt of electricity, not enough to do any permanent damage but enough to knock Sleipnir unconscious.

Sleipnir looked up, his round, hazel eyes wide with shock, quite literally, too, before grimacing in pain and slumping forward as the electricity overloaded his nervous system. Thor caught him and lowered him gently to the ground before summoning Stormbreaker.

The commotion caught his other nephews' attention. Fenris let out a warning growl but Thor ignored it. Amora hadn't noticed the action happening near her, she seemed to be struggling against some unseen force.

Thor blasted away the ice holding Sigyn captive and spun around to throw Stormbreaker at Thanos. Thanos, strangely quiet, dodged it with ease.

While Thor and Thanos locked into a battle, Sigyn grabbed her sword and started towards Amora. Jormungandr stepped in her path, his own weapon raised. The two weapons clanged together and it became a pushing match as they both fought for ground.

Bucky, left unsupervised, bent down and scooped up his gun. He aimed it at Amora, whose back was turned toward them. He pulled the trigger, expecting to hit Amora straight in the back.

At the last moment, however, Fenris jumped in front of the speeding bullet, accepting the hit. He staggered back a few steps but otherwise was unharmed.

Hela, taking the opportunity of having Fenris away from her, summoned her magic and burst out of the ice that held her hands behind her back. She dragged Sleipnir's unconscious body out of the way of the battle then joined Bucky's side.

Fenris had the upper hand even though he had less experience than Bucky. Bucky tried avoiding being frozen as Fenris let out blasts of ice and snow. The floor quickly turned slippery and trying to stay upright became another challenge.

Sigyn gave Jormungandr a hard push and he stumbled into Hela. Hela caught him and wrenched the axe out of his hands. Jormungandr hissed in anger, his golden eyes flickering between serpentine and human-like. Hela sent her sword away in her small pocket dimension and resorted to hand-to-hand combat with her brother.

Sigyn, now free, blew stray hair out of her face and took a few determined steps towards Amora.

"Get Loki out here!" Thor shouted from where he and Thanos were struggling with each other. Thanos had Thor pinned against the wall, his large hand around Thor's throat. Thor let out a wild kick aimed at his stomach and pried the fingers off him. Thanos staggered, dropping Thor to his knees. Thor coughed and summoned Stormbreaker.

"What about you?!" Sigyn shouted back. "I'm not going to leave all of y-"

"Just go!" Thor yelled, Stormbreaker settling into his hand just in time for him to swing towards Thanos who had advanced on him. Thanos took the hit in the chest and landed a punch on Thor's face.

Sigyn turned away after Thor fell hard against the wall. The sounds of battle faded as Sigyn moved carefully but quickly through the room. She focused on her footing as the ice ring slowly grew to cover the entire floor and even started creeping up the walls.

She finally reached where Loki lay half out of it. Her foot slipped and she caught herself on the operating table. Straightening, Sigyn placed a hand on Loki's forehead. His skin was hot, too hot.

Wishing all sorts of punishments onto Amora in her head, Sigyn used her sword for leverage and pried off the metal bindings. She pulled out the needles, leaving little spots of blood on Loki's arms. She helped Loki sit up and off the table. Too weak to stand, Loki's knees buckled and he collapsed. Sigyn caught him and wrapped an arm around his waist and hauled him to his feet.

"I need you to try to walk," Sigyn said and draped his arm around her shoulders. Loki mumbled something incomprehensible which Sigyn took as agreement.

The way towards the exit was a lot harder the second time since Sigyn not only had to watch her own footing but Loki's as well. Loki, bless his heart, tried to walk but his legs couldn't keep up with his mind. They fell twice and Sigyn almost considered just carrying Loki but that would leave them open to attack and she didn't think she had the strength to carry him. They just needed to get out of the laboratory and then they will be alright.

Bucky, Thor, and Hela did their best to keep the fight away from them. The Hydra agents, thankfully, had left in fear for their lives. Amora hadn't moved from the platform, seemingly in pain.

"Good," Sigyn thought. "She can suffer."

She felt terrible for having wished such a horrid thought on anyone but Loki's labored breathing and overly warm body pressed against hers reminded her of all the pain Amora had caused.

Finally, they reached the doors. Ice had frozen chunks of the metal door that Thor had blasted apart earlier to the floor, making an obstacle course. Sigyn carefully navigated around the frozen chunks and through the door. Only when they were safely down the hall and around a couple of corners did Sigyn stop. She helped Loki sit on the floor and leaned him against the wall.

He still struggled for breath and his eyes remained closed. Sigyn knelt down in front of him and brushed a stray lock of hair out of his eyes. Sweat plastered his hair to his forehead and a few beads rolled down his cheeks. His face was flushed red, strange compared to his normally pale skin. Dark rings created a half-circle under his eyes. His long, dark eyelashes stood out against his skin. He would have looked almost peaceful Sigyn didn't know that her boyfriend was half-dead.

Placing a hand on his chest, Sigyn felt for a heartbeat. Even with her healing magic, it took her a while to find a faint beat. Adjusting her stance so she could see if anyone tried to sneak up on her, Sigyn let her magic flow out of her and into Loki. It wasn't much but it would have to do until they could get back home and into the healing bay in their house. Her foreign energy would most likely be attacked by Loki's immune system but healing magic usually was gentler and could be universally used. Healing magic was like a vaccine, it could possibly be rejected by the person's body but eventually, it helps protect them.

Just minutes later, Loki's eyes fluttered open and he groaned.

"Hey," Sigyn said.

"Wha?" Loki muttered. He tried sitting on his own but fell back against the wall.

"Don't strain yourself," Sigyn ordered gently. "We're just taking a quick break before we go meet Pietro in the car."

Loki's brows furrowed in question. "Where? Thor?"

Sigyn sighed. "They're fighting still. Amora did it; she summoned him. He sees different but there nonetheless."

Loki groaned and not just in pain. "No…"

"There's really nothing we can do," Sigyn said. "We should go-"

Sigyn moved to stand up but Loki grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down. Sigyn obliged and leaned in to hear what Loki wanted to say.

"I need to go back," Loki said, his voice strained and quiet.

Sigyn recoiled and blinked in surprise. "What? No!"

Loki grimaced and looked Sigyn straight in the eyes. "Sigyn, if I don't go back, Amora is going to kill herself. And when that happens, who knows how big the effect will be. There is a town down there that I don't want to turn into a barren wasteland because of something that I can control."

Sigyn shook her head in denial. "No. No. We don't know what would happen if your sedir came back to you. You never had it...extracted from you before and the side effects could possibly be fatal. No-"

Loki cupped Sigyn's cheek in his hand. "Darling, I know that this may be hard but Amora is going to die. She is lucky that she has lasted this long. It's not a matter of if but a matter of when. And when she does, she is going to bring everyone with her."

"Get everyone out of here," Loki continued. "I will try to absorb the energy when Amora...well, you know."

"But Thanos…" Sigyn said.

Loki nodded. "I know. He's different. Not entirely there. Hopefully, he will disappear when Amora loses control."

Tears started streaming down Sigyn's face, running streaks through the dirt and sweat on her cheeks. A sob escaped her throat before she could reign it in. She broke down and let the sobs roll out of her freely.

"Loki…"

Loki leaned forward and rested his forehead on Sigyn's. Sigyn closed her eyes and tried to control her crying.

"I love you," Sigyn sobbed out.

"I love you, too," Loki replied his own voice breaking.

The decision, Sigyn knew, was tough for Loki. She had to give him credit for being brave enough to go back where his former torturer was brought back from the grave and where a witch stole his sedir, rendering him powerless.

But the pain of helping Loki back to the lab only increased with every step. The sounds of battle grew louder and more distinct. She could hear the sound of lightning crackling in the air, metal swords clashing, pained grunts.

Before they turned the corner to go into the lab, Loki placed a hand on Sigyn's waist and gently pulled her closer. Tangling his fingers in Sigyn's messy hair, Loki leaned forward and kissed Sigyn on the lips. Sigyn kissed him back, only letting go for air. He was close, so close, his warm body pressed up against hers.

It could be their last kiss ever if anything went wrong.

And Sigyn didn't want to let him go.

Loki finally let go and using the wall for support, dragged himself into the lab. Sigyn stood on his right side in case he needed extra support.

The lab was in shambles. Ice covered every available surface. Snow and lightning glittered in the air, the two mixing and casting streams of rainbows onto the floor.

It would have looked beautiful except for Sleipnir laying on the ground, unconscious, Bucky bleeding from a shoulder wound, Thor and Thanos locked in an enteral battle, Jormungandr and Fenris teaming up against Hela who was limping. Amora still remained on the platform, watching the battle. She gripped the railing on the platform, blood streaming down her face from her eyes and nose.

"Get them out of here," Loki muttered. He staggered towards Amora, surprisingly keeping his balance despite how weak he was and the ice-covered floor.

Sigyn nodded and stumbled towards Bucky. Bucky grabbed Sleipnir and threw him over his good shoulder. Sigyn got Jormungandr's attention and knocked him out with a blow to the head. Hela tackled Fenris and disappeared in a puff of smoke; Sigyn could hear them appear out in the hallway.

"Thor!" Sigyn shouted as she shifted Jormungandr into an easier way of carrying him. "We're leaving!"

Thor raised his axe and sliced off the right arm of Thanos. Green light sparked from the open wound and the arm started reforming. Amora grunted in pain and clutched her own arm.

"What?" Thor growled, not taking his attention away from Thanos.

"We need to go!" Sigyn replied. She took a quick glance over to Amora but the enchantress wasn't paying attention to her.

"What is Loki doing here?" Thor asked as he ducked a punch from Thanos.

"I can't explain right now, but we need to go. Please!"

"Brother," Loki added, his voice strained. "You need to leave."

Thor shook his head and pushed Thanos back. "I'm not leaving you here."

Loki, however, remained stubborn and refused to back down from his choice. "Do it, please. For me."

Thor paused to contemplate Loki's words.

"I have a plan," Loki added, a small hint of a smile cracking at his thin lips but it seemed strained.

"And why do I have a bad feeling about?" Thor shot back.

"Just trust me on this," Loki said. "We don't have much time."

Thor stopped and nodded. Once Loki had his mind made up, nothing in the universe could change it. There was no point and hardly any time to argue with his brother so Thor took Jormungandr from Sigyn and followed Sigyn out of the lab, although both of them were overwhelmed with guilt for leaving Loki behind.

Thanos, surprisingly, didn't try to chase Thor. Instead, the Titan turned his attention onto the younger prince.

"Oh Thor," Loki called after his brother. Thor stopped at the door and turned back. Loki gave Thor a sad smile.

"Never forget that I love you."

/\/\/\/\

The wait was killing him. He was already dead but it sure felt like he was nothing more than a ghost who couldn't do anything but watch.

He had experienced the feeling of helplessness when he first died and could only watch his twin sister, Wanda, mourn his death. He wanted to do something then but Hela said that suddenly appearing out of nowhere after just dying a horrible death would do more harm than good.

Pietro trusted her, of course. He supposed that she had to be right since she had centuries of experience with the dead while he had only been dead for a few hours.

Hela had helped him to travel easier between the living and dead by granting what she called the "open relationship with death." He didn't know for sure what she did but he felt alive again. The only drawback was that if he died in the Land of the Living, his soul wouldn't return to Valhalla. But it wasn't every day that the queen of Valhalla granted someone another chance at life.

And know he felt like a ghost again. His wound throbbed but the pain was dull. Sigyn helped him a lot but nothing could fix the feeling of helplessness.

He felt useless. He should be up there, fighting alongside his girlfriend. He could help somehow, in any w. Anything would be better than sitting in a rather nice car listening to two old guys talk about "the good old days" on the radio.

Pietro banged his head against the headrest in frustration. The mountain base was not visible from here, which he supposed was planned out by those who built it. The whole point of a secret base was not to be found.

The moon shone brightly, lighting up the interior of the car. The only sign of life was the occasional rabbit or bird. The town looked peaceful; Pietro envied how oblivious they were to the battle that was just a few miles up the mountain.

He felt himself nodding off and rolled down the window to wake him up. He needed to stay awake. The cool breeze brought him back to attention.

Just in time to watch as the mountain exploded.

Cliffhanger! More is coming soon, I promise. Possibly by the end of this year if I find time and motivation during Christmas break. Please review! It gives me motivation. :)