"Friends." Thor walked into the kitchen, holding his stuffed alligator close to his chest. "I must away to Asgard. My father…" he paused, almost afraid to continue. "Has ordered me back. He has something urgent to speak of. Something that involves Loki."
No one spoke. They just nodded and returned to their breakfast. Of course Thor could understand, after all the grief his brother had caused them all the last thing he wanted to think about was Loki. He hoped this meeting would be brief.
Thor left the Avengers and flew into the sky, his hammer lighting his way. Traveling between dimensions was almost impossible, and the only way Thor could do that would be through his father Odin's great might…but even that had its limits, did it not?
Through a grand flash of light Thor found himself in the middle of the Asgardian square. The streets were completely empty. Thor surveyed the walls of the buildings and homes that littered Asgard. The once city of gold had lost its shine. The streets of his fare realm, once bursting with activity had now become empty. The whole place had somehow died. He ran, yes ran, to the palace. Maybe his father had some good news to tell him, maybe there was a way he could track down Loki and have him reverse all of this madness. Maybe everything would be normal again and the realms would return to their natural state, free and with a small spark that made life worth living again. Please, let it be so.
"Father." Thor said as he entered the throne room. He had moved so quickly through the streets of Asgard and the halls of the palace that they all seemed to blur into one. "Father, I am here."
There, across the vast throne room, sitting in his rightful place sat Odin, the All-father. The wise, the just, the ever-vigil. "My son." Odin's lips curved into a smile.
"I came as soon as I could father."
"Yes my son, I wanted to inquire on your mission to find your brother." Odin's face was long and sullen.
"I-I…yes. My comrades and I have seen him throughout Midgard."
"And?"
Thor hated that question. "And we are doing all we can to-"
"Clearly you are not doing enough." His voice filled the room, and was probably heard all the way to Jotunheim.
"Apologies father, but Loki has grown stronger and he-"
"Have you any mind to the havoc this is causing our people? Some of them have…some of them have lost the very will to live."
For the briefest of seconds, Thor's heart stopped. "What?"
"They stole away their own lives. Noble warriors brought low by…order."
Thor's fingers wrapped around his stuffed toy, whether he was clenching it out of shock or fear, he did not really know. "T-this can't be."
"It is my son. Loki has abandoned his role long enough. If you and your mortals are unable to bring him in as you are now, then we must use…stronger methods."
"W-wait father, we have a plan. We believe there is a maiden who holds Loki's heart. If we can discover-"
"That monster is unable to love anyone or anything but himself. No, we must bring him here, for the good of all the realms." Odin stood from his throne and glided over to a chamber hidden away in a corner. "We do not have any other option Thor."
Like magic, the small corner gave way to a shelf that Thor had only seen once, and the memory made his bones ache.
"Father…you must jest. There is no need to-"
"There is every need Thor."
There in the corner shimmered the most powerful relics in the nine realms. The Norn Stones. "You will use these to track down your brother, and you will bring him here, no matter the consequences."
"B-but father, you know what would happen if Loki is killed. Ragno-"
"Then bring him in alive. I do not care what needs to be done, but you will bring him to me." Odin's eye narrowed. "This has gone on long enough."
Thor knew that Loki inaction was causing a breakdown of everything, but he never thought that…their greatest warriors killed by their own hands? This…was impossible. No Asgardian would dare allow himself to perish outside of battle, let alone by their own sword. Loki, what madness had you brought? The norm stones shined in the distance, his father's eye glistening like a flame. He squeezed…and finally dropped his stuffed toy to the ground.
"I understand father." Thor bowed his head. Loki needed to be stopped. "No matter the consequences."