Tenebrous

Dark, murky or obscure

Furya, daughter of Seraphina the leader of the last vampire coven scrubbed at the splintered wooden floors of the estate. A few had gotten caught in the rag she used and bloodied her hand but she kept on circling the damp floor in water. Damn Vampires had splattered blood everywhere. All on the walls and trailing up the ceiling. Disgusting creatures. The humans were moving farther and farther from them. They were killed out of spite. Grabbing whoever they could find. She loosed a sigh and dragged herself off the floor, closing the door behind her as she sauntered into the foyer. Her once clean and regal leathers stank with the effort of preparing the castle for company. "Ow", She hissed and dug her fingernail into her palm to dislodge a thick splinter within her skin. It dribbled crimson blood down her wrist. She wasn't paying attention when she strolled into a large shadowed mass. Black and Orange eyes narrowed at her and she felt herself shrink.

"My Apologies", Furya eyed the beast of a man who stared back with the same expression. She stepped past him to continue her path but he grabbed her by the shoulder, forcing her back to his front. The demon made the Vampires who encompassed her existence seem like flies compared to his power. Fury averted the prying gaze, daring to never look a beast in the eye. She had learned it too roughly.

"M...may I assist you, Lord Valerian?", She stuttered with a shiver of fear. Those orange orbs darted between her and the blood on her hand. He seemed to be the only topic within the town. And she understood why. He was at that point the meanest and most alluring creature that had ever blessed the hallway of Seraphina's estate. Everyone craved to know him when he came for mediation between vampires and demons. Ground rules and such. But this was the first time he had ever spoken to her in the three years his father had been sending him in place of himself.

"Why are you cleaning for Vampires?", Valerian asked with genuine curiosity, noting the fangs that extended her lips. His dark eyebrows dipped in a perplexed manner.

"Because I am not one, Lord Valerian", Furya bowed her head, sidestepping him to make her escape. He dragged her back.

"It's Valerian. Just Valerian", The demon smirked and hastily examined her bloodied hand, wrapping his fingers around her wrist. Though she appeared strong in her leather ensemble she was not. She trembled beneath the beast.

"Valerian", She cleared her throat, lightly tugging her hand away from him. "Will that be all?", Her voice strengthened slightly but not enough to offend. He smiled a jagged toothed grin. It made her uncomfortable. The way he stared at her like she was more than just a servant. She liked being invisible and under the glare of a demon, she wished she was.

"I hope not", Valerian watched as she descended the stairs with a small smile painted on her crimson lips. He folded his arms on the balcony. She flicked her sight back to the demon to see if he was still watching her. Why? Why did he stare at the half-breed abomination who did the bidding for the Vampires? What purpose could she serve a demon? A bearer of powerful magic. Her own was a miserable party trick to scare not to maim.

Yellow eyes surveyed Furya. A depth of electric yellow. Darting cautiously to the light that streamed in from the dirt-stained glass. Fury adjusted the belt on her pants and approached the creature that had been sleeping in the nook of her two pillows. She hoped her shower hadn't woken the tired beast. After being fed and watered he'd fallen straight back to sleep without protest. They had yet to be properly acquainted. A low guttural growl halted her steps. Tiny pointed teeth bared at her and those glowing paws erupted in white light. The Fel, though the size of a water bottle, challenged her to step closer. Dared her to.

"Okay", Fury cocked her brow. Whirring thoughts buzzed through her mind. If the beast triggered his wolf form she'd have to beat off claws and snapping drool ridden jaws like she did the ghoul. She didn't want that. Not when her body was still so sore and beaten. Had she kept her human agility she might have stood a chance but this immortal body was heavy and new.

Fury outstretched her hand, sending forth a thread of whispy magic that cut through the fearful wall the Fel had erected. It looped around the orange and black fur and dissipated at the creature's nose. The Fel startled but didn't move as her waves of power soothed the beast. Assuring him that no harm would come to him under her protection. Somehow. Someway she felt a tendril of her protective and kind emotion slip from her body and cast itself within the Fel's mind. It calmed him. Though she wasn't sure of how she had willed it so.

The Fel stood allegiantly, allowing her to step forward. She did. Tiny puffs of air disturbed the hairs on her arm as he sniffed at her skin, breathing in the magic particles that danced in the air. Suddenly he was rolling and rubbing his head against her skin like he was drunk off the magic. She couldn't help but laugh as those glowing paws flailed and his nose dove into the satin quilt. She petted his chin softly and he froze.

The creature flipped himself in a second and stared into her eyes, approaching with unexplained malice. The magic was stripped from the surrounds. Absorbed into the Fel's cat-shaped body. His pointed eats flattened but those teeth stayed behind his mouth. He came so close to her that she thought he might just bite her face and be done with her. But he was transfixed. Entranced by her blue eyes.

Mine

The Fel's unsettlingly light voice echoed in her mind, establishing a mental connection. White teeth flashed and she felt a searing pain in her wrist as the creature marked her as his own. Fury flinched away from the Fel, reeling her wrist away. Expecting to see a stream of blood. But she didn't. Instead, a brand of swirling lines crawled down her palm, creating a crest with the letter F in the centre of her hand. It pulsed with orange life then faded back into solid black.

"I suppose this means you are mine, Tallon", Fury assured the creature. Naming him after the warship that had decimated anything and everything that came into contact with its guns. A warrior.

As midday struck the rain retreated into the bright sky which queued the bustling of ball preparations. Furya watched the staff tread paths over one another, carrying utensils and decorations. Myra had shooed her away, insisting that her dress would be along shortly and when it was finished she would bring it to her chamber. Fury sighed, basking in the warmth of the sun. A shower and a new set of clothes had improved her sour mood.

She lightly traced the stinging brand on her wrist where Tallon had marked her. She looked like a collector of the damn things. Valerian, The prison world, Loki and now Tallon. All scarred her skin with their brand. And who were they to defile her skin? To bind themselves to her. Forever. Fools. They were goddamn fools. She'd peel off her skin if she could. She'd make sure no one would ever claim her again. They would learn to fear her. And to do it she would become as strong. She'd make them feel the pain of her teeth tearing flesh. She'd watch the life fade from their eyes on the end of her sword.

"Where have you been?", Sif eyed her with a disapproving scowl, her arms crossed over her chest. Fury flicked her eyes to her, not quite hearing what she had said before that. If she had said anything.

"That is for me to know", Fury hissed with a bitter smile and stepped into the golden hall. Magnificent arches made of the white flowers that bloomed wildly through the gardens were strung from the doorways. Intertwined with a golden ribbon that curled and wove between the blue thorns. Decorative yellow material was draped against the walls, lining the expansive hall in the bright colour.

"You would be the only one to follow Myra with such loyalty", The warrior goddess surveyed Fury just as Fandral came into sight beyond the catering staff.

"Now Sif. Be kind", He commented with a mouth full of grain speckled bread and nudged her shoulder lightly. She scoffed and walked away to the Buffett table that was being cautiously organised. Fury felt herself watch Sif with an automated piqued interest. What reason could she give that would warrant such viciousness toward Myra? What evidence could she provide?

Furya would be an absolute imbecile to trust that any Asgardian's friendship was true. Something was being put into motion. A plan. And she had no doubt Valerian was the architect behind it.

"It seems like you're avoiding me Furya", Fandral smiled a joking grin that coerced a small smile to bloom on her lips. His fearless words were never taken with offence. She felt herself one of the few that didn't take it with hard feelings. The Asgardian's didn't agree with it but he wore his heart on his sleeve and there was nothing wrong with that. He was different from the rest. Seemingly a different breed entirely.

Fury crossed her arms and spoke.

"Actively",

"My, you do have the knack for tearing one down", He dramatically held his chest as if he'd been shot. His golden hair shined beneath the sun, matching his brightly polished armour.

"It's a beloved pastime", Fury stepped past the catering crew, waiting for Fandral to follow her. He did. She stepped briskly to avoid whatever question lurked in his mind, but he gripped onto her arm when they were free of the hoards of Asgardians. Fury turned to the towering man. Concern sparked in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but rethought the decision.

"How are you?", He asked, lightly holding her shoulders. "I'm well", Fury responded with a false smile and an irritated tone.

"Furya, the last time Valerian was in Asgard he drove a knife through your back before you could blink. You are not...you should not be fine", He winced at the memory and released her. She was astonished by the sheer vulnerability within him. When he asked her if she were okay he truly wanted to know. He wanted to make sure she was.

"I'm surviving. Which is all I can do", Fury corrected herself, continuing her path through the palace. Fandral kept her pace.

"Good...good", He breathed out, tossing the hair from his eyes so effortlessly. "He'll not lay a hand on you", His jaw clenched at the thought. He was angry that Odin was allowing him back in. Outraged.

"I don't need protection from Valerian", Fury breathed out, stopping in her tracks. It was unsurprising to assume she did. He came close to claiming her life on their last meeting in Asgard.

"No, you don't. But that doesn't mean he won't try to harm you", Fandral justified, eyeing her tattooed arm that was bruised from the roughness of the Demon after her visit to his castle.

"He will try. And there is no one he won't harm in doing so...But I don't think that is why he's come back", Furya rounded a corner with Fandral on her tail and stopped. A thought popped into her mind.

"What do you mean?", He asked, his eyebrow raised in question.

"I need to see the bigger picture...I've been looking at it all wrong. It could be that I'm not even the pinnacle in his plan.", She speculated, rubbing her chin in thought. There were so many possibilities. So many things he could desire on Asgard. The eternal flame. The Tesseract. The Fel. The Ghoul even. She didn't know.

"We'll need constant eyes on him", Fandral concluded with crossed arms. "Maids. Kitchen staff. Anyone willing",

"No. Let him get what he wants.", She surprised him with her answer. "There will be no better satisfaction than stealing his victory after he's thought he's won"

Further, into the heart of the palace, Furya stalked through the shadows. Hugging the wall to keep herself from the eyes of the Asgardians. What she was trying to find she didn't know. She knew, however, that the vaults would hold some inkling of a clue in Valerian's plan. A few motions of her hands and the guards were asleep at their post. Slumped like dolls against the stone walls. She crept over them, presenting a stream of white from her palm and the reinforced door buckled beneath the iridescent power that rumbled from her being. A loud creak queued her victory and she stepped over the threshold. Leaving behind a trail of white electric particles in her wake.

"My, oh, my", She tsked with her hands on her hips. It was a room of grandeur. High ceilings encased in the finest metals hugged the cornices and spilt onto the walls. They illuminated the artefacts that sat upon golden pedestals. Runes and spells protected them from unwanted creatures. From her. Fury's hair tickled her neck as she turned toward an item that sang to her. Guiding her with its siren song.

The eternal flame sparked with light, drawing her closer to its deadly tendrils. Her chest fluttered with excitement at the artefact. Steal it. Her heart sang with a sinister grin. Take it.

Fire is yours. It belongs to you. Take it.

The whispers taunted and begged desperately. And Furya. She wanted to take it.

Take it!

It would be hers. She wanted it. Why shouldn't she have it?

Yes. Reach into the flame.

It licked at her skin. It caressed her in warmth. She was so close to the precious fire.

"What are you doing?", Loki smiled from beyond the flame. With his arms crossed at his chest, he prowled toward her. Revelling in the havoc at first but his steps quickened after a moment of realisation that saw Fury move closer to the flame. Her skin was bright with the flickering of the orange fire.

Reach into the flame!

"No no no", He tore her arm from the fire, holding her cheek in his other hand. She was entranced. Transfixed by the flame.

"Furya?", The smile diminished from his lips as her eyes reflected the orange tendrils. All she saw was fire. She craved the flame. And Loki was tearing her from it, the god who Fury glared at. Bitterness narrowed her eyes. To capture the flame she needed him dead.

"Come Furya", Loki hurriedly tore her from the vault. His ice-cold hand curled around her arms and the floor shifted beneath her feet before she could strike.

"Be free of your affliction, dear Furya",

That veil of immense darkness around her sight lifted. A cool breath filled her lungs and her mind settled. She hadn't realised the tightly grasped dagger at her side. Stolen from Loki's jacket. She winced as he snatched it back with a dull expression.

"Where am I?", She demanded, darting her eyes around the golden chamber that was triple the size of her own. Marble floors lined the golden tapestries.

"Just what were you doing breaking into the vault?", He ignored her, trapesing toward the king-sized chair that sat at the foot of the bed. His mood was...Well, something that was more than just a bad mood. And it resonated within her presence. She gulped at the aura of onyx that seeped from his veins.

"Is this Odin's room?", She observed the marvellous paintings on the ceiling, searching for an exit.

"Furya!", Loki growled and the floor rumbled beneath him. He turned on his heel and stalked back toward her. She gritted her teeth, sweat coating the back of her hand, watching his shadow reach her before he did. And she felt herself swallow back the fear that raised in her chest. "Why were you in the vault?", He asked in a calmer but threatening voice. She wasn't a child to be scolded.

"You see I was looking for the bathroom and I got lost", She sneered with a smirk. Loki grimaced in a manner that gripped her heart with fear as a shadow encased him in darkness. Something had indeed gone awry.

"Shit"

Tendrils of green magic erupted in a lux of light around her. It was too late to retreat from the beast that grinned as all light was sucked from the chamber. Furya swore, gasping as the cloud of darkness knocked her to the marble floor, ready to consume her. She slid her body away from it. Grunting while it pinned her down with invisible claws. They held her in place to behold its drool covered jaw. She gritted her teeth, tearing her face as far from its hot breath as she could. Though she didn't look, it was An unmistakable imitation of the ghoul. It made her core burn with fire. She loathed him for coaxing her to kill the demonic beast. Loathed that the scent of rosemary and lavender made her heart beat just that bit harder. That those glazed over eyes were closer to death than she had ever been. Despite it all she had never asked what that harvested skin was for that was strung on the Ghoul's table like fine china. Never dared to research the origin of the beast nor asked why it haunted the woods. Because she had mercilessly killed it without thought or reason. Giving it purpose wouldn't erase the memory of her blade slicing its leathery neck. Watching it's all to human-like body fall into the moat of horrors.

"Get off me!",

It was not that Loki didn't listen. His absent eyes were beyond the point of hearing her. A void of depthless rage consumed his green orbs. She gulped at the claws that tightened around her limbs. The eternal flame had infected him somehow. Corrupted him. No. no. It didn't hold such a power. His malice was not an infection but a curse. She had seen it before...in Vaniria. From Valerian's keep. A curse for two.

"Loki", She growled at the claws that were replaced by his own assaulting hands. A purposeful mistake that allowed her to dive into the depravity of his thoughts. He envisioned killing her torturously slow and agonisingly painful without laying a single hand upon her pale skin. And it sank into her. Loki absorbed the curse. He'd stripped it from her veins. Because Valerian wanted them to kill each other. If they destroyed one another then Valerian wouldn't have to. It was perfect. He knew she'd go into that vault. Fire was her crux. A crux he knew Loki would exploit.

She hated Valerian. Hated him with all she held dear. It boiled the blood in her veins that she couldn't combat his knowledge of dark magic. She had perfected her fire only to have it torn from her and replaced with this useless iridescent party trick. She wanted to explode. And what better moment to.

"Fuck it", Fury dove into the fibres of her power and set forth an eruption of white magic. Threads of pure iridescence attacked Loki's black-clad body in a vicious assault that flung him like a ragdoll. She acted fast, summoning the power that crawled up her arm, illuminating her tattoo in beautiful lines of brightness. "Ugh", She groaned with relief as his grip was torn off her body and sprung to her feet. Like a wildcat, she propelled her elbow backwards and clocked the creature that lurked behind her, connecting with his sternum. He grunted but danced to her assault, meeting her jaw with his fist. Back and forth his towering, lanky shadow struck. Fury stumbled backwards and flicked a tendril of power into the air. It encompassed Loki, meeting his face with a snarl. He deflected it and produced his dagger it a display of green light.

Before her eyes, he multiplied. One at first and then a dozen sprung to life. They threatened her with their daggers in hand and crept forward.

"What power do you hold against me, Monster?", That soft voice was tainted with rough and unforgiving malice. It scattered around the chamber in an ominous echo.

"Shit", Fury cursed, casting her awareness into the sweet magic tainted air. She searched the wildness of her mind for him. "Loki".

"What could you combat against iron chains and dark sorcery? Locked away in the depths of Vaniria, where no one would hear your pleas for mercy.", He continued with a maniacal grin. She shuddered against the thought, tracing the scars on her wrist that had been inked over with solid lines but still felt like damaged skin. Burned and blistered from rusted shackles in a band of torn skin. She would die before being captured in chains. Not again.

Dark magic. She almost laughed. What did he know of dark magic? Nothing.

She was married to it. Moulded by it. Tattooed with the scars from its unforgiving malice. But she survived. Branded by glossy marks on her skin and bitter memories from the crypt in Valerian's castle.

Surveying From a birds-eye view, she witnessed the darkness resonate behind her still and mindless form. It lingered at her back with Loki at the forefront. As if it were thinking. Watching.

Those eyes rose and locked onto her invisible magical trace on the ceiling and a smile curled at the edges of his mouth.

Suddenly she was forced back into her immortal form. She was still. Flinching at the hot breath that hung at her neck. Terrified that he would snap and jam a dagger through her spine.

"I promised you a slow and excruciating death.", His breath disturbed the hairs on her neck. His body was not touching her but she could almost feel the buckles on his chest sweeping against her back. "After taking everything I hold dear. I do recall.", She spoke without restraint, waiting for the moment he struck. A low and sinister chuckle met her ears. She wanted to slink away from it.

"I also recall a series of imperative moments between then and now. Personal growth and all. I'd even go as far to say I am your friend", She stalled, contemplating anything that would prolong her life.

"If only you knew", That merciless tone unsettled her. The sincerity of his statement. Her eyebrow cocked and she spoke.

"I see no gain in keeping secrets seeing as you plan to kill me either way", Loki breathed out a stream of air that shifted the silver strands of hair at her neck. Fury internally growled. Loki was stronger than any being she had ever encountered. There was no possibility this curse could contain him. She needed to lure him out. To carve a slice of strength from the veil of magic that surrounded them.

Loki tried to strike.

"Uh uh", Furya turned on her heel, a scowl painted her face. Glaring mercilessly while she snatched the tendril of emerald from his palm, absorbing it into her skin. She hesitated for a moment, watching it dive into her veins. He blinked at her, unsuspecting of her aggression.

"May I speak to Loki for just a moment?", She asked with little patience, crossing her arms over her chest. Loki clenched his jaw, giving her the answer she requested. No.

Fury huffed a sigh and uncrossed her arms, sweeping them past her thighs. "Fine",

Loki's eyes sparked, surveying as her hands conjured threads of luminescent magic like she was working a spinning wheel. Hundreds and hundreds of tendrils dove towards him. They wrapped around his limbs. Keeping him solidly in place. He growled, baring his teeth with rage.

"Be nice!", Fury snapped, circling his immobilised body. Her magic was strong when she was angry. More focused than usual and easier to manipulate.

"Since you don't want to release him. I guess I'll have to bring him to the surface.", She taunted, flicking the wild strands of raven hair from his face.

She thought of all the ways she could have invoked him. Frigga was her final desperate plea. She held his undying love and was the only one to do so. She'd transform herself into the departed queen. His beloved mother. It would hurt him and all the better he'd be rid of the curse...But he'd never truly forgive her for such a cruel trick. To conjure the woman who haunted him was indeed cruel. If perchance she could spare him from that then she'd risk having to battle him to destroy it. But she would at least try. If not Frigga then she'd have to suffice.

Her fingers rested on his cheek, sweeping past his bruised skin that enveloped her palm in icy coolness.

"I'm going to help you.", She assured, waiting for him to stop struggling against her. "Because I do think you are capable of more than just mischief...", Fury grunted as he butted his forehead toward her, narrowly missing her skull. She growled but regained her touch on his cheek. "That you are worthy of more than just stealing a throne of gold. You are...Misunderstood. Mistreated. Chaotic. But there is a lining between evil and bad. Bad is something you do well. But evil...I don't think you could attain it. There is something too pure. Too kind within you that can never be diminished. A fire within the darkness.", Furya gripped his shoulder tightly, watching her binds loosen but reproduce themselves against his rage. She smiled a taunting grin.

"Show me that it is worth wasting my time finding out ",

Loki growled, trying to lunge at her. Nothing. He hadn't bubbled to the surface as she'd hoped. Fury waved her arms with disbelief.

"C'mon! That was heartwarming", She breathed out, startling as the beast tore from his binds and nothing was separating them from tearing each other apart.

What was there to do? Her eyes darted around the room. Nothing. She couldn't think of a damn thing to combat him. No smart comment nor flawless manoeuvre to defeat him. She groaned at the prospect of combatting with fists and witchcraft. Furya was good but duelling amateur magic against the most notorious conjurer of tricks in all the realms was insanity. It was asking to die. She loosed a sigh.

"Fine, let's do it your way",

The cool metal of her sword jumped into her hand. Her palm curled around the hilt. It forced A sense of calm to wash over her as her lips wrinkled into a smirk and she swung toward the creature that combatted her with unmatched swiftness and strength. Her arms twitched from the recoil of his powerful deflections. But she was a predator unleashed. She bared her fangs at his stirring smirk which appeared between the sparks that flew off their blades. Flickering shards of power met and bounded off in luminescent green and white. He cast things around the room. Decoys and creatures that growled and clawed at her skin. But to live she couldn't take her eyes off him for a moment. Fury hissed and forced Loki back, stepping away from whatever thing had knicked her shoulder. Her arms weighed heavy, vibrating from the strength of him. He saw it and struck. She stumbled, narrowly deflecting his silver dagger that swept past her collar. Fury gulped, curling her hand around his wrist with any strength she possessed. She manoeuvred her blade to dislodge the dagger from his hand and drove her elbow into his jaw. Swift and mercilessly. Her sight was completely red. She was out for blood. Like a beast. Loki stumbled from her power. Anger resonated from his being and a low growl emitted from him. He attacked her. Striking her once with a shot of green mist that struck her leg. The magic faltered. Fizzling into nothing. A decoy. Shit. This was going to hurt.

"My Dear, Furya",

Inches from her face stood Loki who slipped his leg behind her ankle but drove her into the floor with a firm hold on her throat. Furya gasped as she met the marble. Halted by the air her lungs refused the receive. The stone floor spiderwebbed beneath her shoulder. A fractured line appeared amidst the perfectly polished stone, sprouting from beneath her shoulder blade. She imagined bigger, more devastating destruction lay with the section of the impact her body concealed. Breathlessly, she stared back at Loki who pinned her like a vulture holding down its prey. A wicked smile blessed his lips. He knew that Beneath him her shoulder pulsed in sharp beats of agony. Displaced and angular. That Inside she yelped and screamed from the aching burn but all that she could manage was a pained exhale of air between clenched teeth. Tears pricked her eyes. He saw it. He didn't care.

"Loki stop!", She commanded, her voice hoarse as his blade glimmered above her. She held her arm to protect her chest, separating them with a thin veil of magic. Loki stopped, his body was straddled between her legs that held him back. Her magic absorbed into his being, paralysing him. Fury raised herself when he was restrained. His black hair tickled her cheek as she lowered the blade in his hand. He let it go like a mindless creature. Yielding to her.

It was unbelievable, improbable that she had compelled him. It wasn't in her lineage to hold such a gift. To control someone was a trick in itself but to be able to manipulate thoughts and movements was exceptional. She felt his rage and helplessness, commanding yellow threads of light to extend off her fingertips into his chest. She soothed him. Her mouth opened in awe. Only then did she notice the Blood that dribbled down her lip from their fight. She wiped the substance away with the back of her hand. A groan escaped her. Her body ached as she flickered her eyes to meet the black orbs that replaced his emerald stare. She had bruised his eyebrow and bloodied her knuckles in doing so. But she didn't feel victorious. She felt remorse. That beautiful skin. She had defiled it with purple and blue hues. It hurt her to do so.

She couldn't do it again. She wouldn't.

Furya dropped her head in defeat and looked away from his dark orbs.

"Loki", Furya spoke softly, tracing his bruised skin with her fingertips. He flinched away from it. "I do believe we've come to an impasse",

"I will relish in torturing you so slowly, monster. Watching you splutter on your own blood as you realise that you should have never trusted-", Loki spat, not finishing his sentence to irritate her.

She watched his power cut through the binds of her white magic and worked quickly. "You should not have absorbed the curse wholly", Fury touched his leather-bound chest, extracting the blackness from his body in dark threads. She knew it would attach itself to her. The conduit of magic and magnet for evil.

Loki flailed against it and broke his arms free, driving his leather-bound forearm into her jaw. It stung. No. She almost had it. Fury buckled but held onto the stubborn magic that resisted to leave Loki's powerful form.

Release him

She demanded, her body quivering from the fight the darkness upheld. She was trying to destroy it. To incinerate its existence.

"Ugh", She hissed and ripped the writhing black tendrils free of Loki's body. Encasing it in white magic. It fought but didn't stand a chance against her rage. Furya's chest heaved with the effort it took to destroy the darkness. She felt the ground move beneath her. It wavered underneath her and forced her to reinforce her steadiness with her elbow. Suddenly a loud crack echoed throughout the chamber and the darkness shrivelled into nothingness. Like dust on the ground. It carried into the wind.

"Furya", Loki breathed in as if he had only just woken from a nightmare. Released from the prison that held him back. He stared down at the body beneath him. Terror filled his emerald orbs.

Fury laid herself against the cool marble floor. Her chest heaved with exhaustion as the magic faded within her skin. She needed a moment. Just a moment to rest. To clear the blood that now dribbled from her nose, intertwining with the blood on her lip in a single stream down her cheek. She watched the sun peer through the stained glass. It caused blurry splotches in her sight that seemed to fade like the ending credits of a movie.

"Furya", Loki heaved her off the ground, minding her severely fractured bones. Slinging her arm over his shoulder. He spoke a few well pronounce words and life coursed through her veins. Sparks ignited the beating of her heart, heightening the awareness of her mind. Like she had touched a live wire, she startled.

"Loki", She groaned, succumbing to the itch within her chest. She coughed. Spluttering crimson blood onto the marble floor. Loki winced and hauled her weight away from the mess. Threads of green wove around her. Sewing her back together. The heaviness that crushed her chest lifted and she could breathe again. Loki at the centre of the madness held her securely upright and swept the blood away from her lips. She fell into his leather-bound chest with a groan of relief. Wincing as her shoulder clicked into place.

"Why would you?-", He questioned, holding onto her waist. Perplex painted his bruised face. He was going to ask her why she had risked herself to save him.

"Because I like you. I thought I made that clear.", Fury breathed out, sending a white whisp of power towards the blue bruise on his brow. She stepped away from him. He was silent and calculated as he swept her back. The ground shook beneath him but she didn't. Not while his orbs surveyed her bloodied face.

"How did you avoid my blade?", Loki asked softly, eyeing the dagger that was discarded onto the floor. His chest rose and fell heavily. Fury's eyebrow lowered with thought.

"I asked you to stop and you did", She lied, examining the bruises on his pale face.

"No. You commanded me to...", Loki's eyes narrowed with contemplation as she directed wisps of magic toward the pulsing hues of blue and purple at his brow. " I felt the fear pulsing beneath you.", His cold hands lowered her fingers that healed his damaged skin. "I do apologise",

Maybe their link had offered the compulsion to them both. Whatever it was it scared her.

He had a habit of apologising to her. This villainous God of Mischief. It caused a shiver to crawl up her spine. She craved to hear to words.

"It was a Killing curse. Don't apologise", Fury smirked uncomfortably, wiping the blood off her cheek with the hem of her shirt. Perhaps he thought it was his fault. He apologised just in case it was. A prince beneath his mischief.

"I know. I felt it within you when you were lurking within the vaults", Loki's voice rumbled in his chest. A sinister smirk met his lips. "I wasn't stealing if that is what you're implying", She rolled her eyes, loathing the metallic taste of blood on her tongue. "Then what were you doing, dear Furya?", He asked with a tone the detested her law-abiding activity. "Keeping myself from trouble", Fury lied with a perfectly rehearsed smile. " How dull", Loki scowled with a childish demeanour. It coerced a smile to curl the wrinkles of her lips. She was up to a world of mischief. And he knew it.

"I did enjoy your speech", Loki bowed his head, clashing his sight with the floor. "It was truly convincing", He murmured. A childlike vulnerability sparked within his expression. He thought she had lied to save herself. That she hadn't sincerely thought him redeemable. Whether she did or did not. It shouldn't have wounded him. Not like it did.

Fury smirked, staring through the spotless window. "If its all the same to you, I meant it.", She breathed out, still holding the buckle at his chest. She fixed it and parted. "You're wasting your time trying to prove yourself worthy of Odin's approval. Perhaps...and this is a far off assumption. Perhaps Asgard is not worthy of your love for it", Fury spoke, overstepping her bounds. She flickered a glance to him and he was no longer staring at the marble floor but at her. Anger rose in his features.

"But...Seeing as it is not my place to say it. I may even allow whatever derogatory remark you are about to conjure.", She defused him softly, mentally rubbing her shoulder that still ached with slight pain.

"Stop it", He smiled, noting the perplexed expression on her face. " You're being kind. It is quite unsettling",

"Noted", She mimicked, eyeing the circular dent in the marble that shattered and splintered into a fractured singular line.

Loki, her protector and her friend. He who detested physical affection. He took her hand, tendrils of green urging her forward and he captured her into his chest. It caught the breath in her throat. His raven hair brushed past her cheek, tickling her neck.

"Oh My!", A scream filled the chamber. Both Loki and herself locked eyes before turning to Ayla who had dropped the clean sheets in her hand. "Fuck", Fury swore and swiftly jolted towards the retreating woman. "Ayla", She tried to calm the maid who took off in a sprint but only succeeded in colliding with the god of Mischief. He grabbed onto her with green tendrils of magic and dove into her mind. That harmless creature that held her tightly in the darkness dissipated into a fearsome God who could easily erase the mind of the Asgardian maid. Ayla softly clattered to the ground and Loki motioned for her to follow him out of the room. "Come Furya", She hesitated. "You won't be disappointed", He smiled and reached for her arm.

The glistening floor shifted into the black carpet of his gothic chamber. Fury hissed in agitation and ripped her arm from his grasp, cautiously surveying Loki sauntering toward the black dresser adjacent to his bed. He reefed open a drawer and searched within it, piquing her interest. She hovered next to his shoulder, peering to see what he wanted to find. After a moment he presented her with a small dagger. Dainty but sharp. She recalled the words she had spoken to Valerian.

If I cannot stab you with it then assume I do not want any gift you provide!

A smile forced a path to her lips as she took the black dagger from his grasp that was little more than a cheese knife. "A cursed blade", Loki spoke, shaking the blue vial of poison he had pocketed from the cult shop. "Try not to cut yourself", He commented, fiddling with the ring on his middle finger.

The gesture oozed warmth within her chest when it shouldn't have. He twisted the black metal ring from his skin and enveloped it in green magic. It jumped and writhed in his palm before popping out into the tiara she had stolen from the ghoul. That awful creature stirred venom within her chest.

"...At last a crown, dear Furya", He dipped his chin softly and placed the tiara upon her head. Resting it in her silver hair. Fury bowed her gaze with breathlessness and surveyed the man who plucked strands of hair from the tiara's path. It was lust in his eyes. A need for power that he surrendered to her. He was a crownless king.

She felt something rise within her chest like she stood on the face of a cliff. Ready to fall. The chaos and mayhem that were bound to his name seemed to drown out into whispers. Though he craved subjugation, he'd relinquish his ownership of the royal tiara to her for just the night. But how could she pretend to be a queen when he had wanted the throne of Asgard with all he had? He deserved the title much more than she. Ruling Vaniria was a vain aspiration that she hadn't wanted until she knew she had Valerian by the family jewels. She had revelled in the chaos that came from defying his barbaric rules. But now it tasted bitter on her tongue.

"Will I not see you tonight?", She asked as Loki's hand rested at her cheek and she melted into him. He looked surprised as if he was waiting for her to reveal some cruel joke. She leaned into his touch, absorbing the gentleness. Furya rustled a tiny string of white magic, casting her awareness into the air. It was warm and unfearing.

Hate for Valerian...For Asgardians had overtaken any emotion she felt. The numbness that she relied upon to erect the walls within her mind had made her cold. Even the prospect of feeling anything but hate made her realise how broken she truly was. But before her, Loki was undeniably and inexplicably transcendent. A God of Mischief indeed. Forbidden and beautiful.

"Not in this form", Loki spoke in an apologetic tone and breathed softly against her cheek, nudging her forehead with his own. She inhaled that scent of leather and parchment. Holding her breath at that emerald stare which was transfixed on her lips. He lured her closer and Fury became aware of every breath against her cheek, every movement, pressing herself into his body. She felt the numbness fade from her being.

"Furya!", Myra's voice tore the moment before the kiss away from them. Fury growled and softly butted her head against his chest. A chuckle escaped him, "Dear Furya, I immeasurably look forward to seeing you tonight", His voice rumbled through his chest. "Now go, ensure that gown will indeed make the assembly weep", She smiled, removing the tiara from her hair before she parted from him.

"Where were you? I've been waiting for ten minutes!", Myra joked while unzipping the dress bag that she had laid out on the bed. The black dress fell out in a smooth layer next to the small ball of Fel that slept peacefully. "What?", Furya gasped at the masterpiece that befell her eyes. If any dress were to make her weep it would be the one. She circled it, softly touching the satin of the skirt. It was mesmerising.

"Try it on", Myra ordered, shooing her towards the bathroom. Furya hissed with defiance but took the dress in with her.

After a few minutes of tugging and zipping, she remerged from the white bathroom. The black dress clung to her form like a second skin.

Myra's eyes lit up with a wide smile that made Furya feel uncomfortable to be its beholder. "Wow", Myra gasped, eyeing her tattoo-covered leg that emerged from the mid-rise slit in the skirt. The bodice was jet black leather with a buckle like texture as a contour that flawlessly swept into the black satin. Two straps swept past her collar into a halter neck style. Furya beheld her reflection in the tall mirror, taken aback by her muscular form that clung to the tight dress. She felt so exposed and vulnerable in the ensemble.

"You look astonishing", Myra rested her palm against Furya's shoulder with reassurance. "Now we've only got three hours until the ball and I've called in a crew", She whistled and a handful of people. Men and women strode into her chamber and started to set up tables and hair styling tools. Another table was set for makeup. Furya met Myra's brown eyes with fluttering anxiety in her chest. "Thank you", She spoke. Myra understood what the ball meant to her. She knew what Valerian was.

"Where do we start?", Furya eyed the crowd in her room, taking a seat in one of the plastic chairs.