Loki woke to the feeling of warm sun on his back, the rays shining through the windows to his room. He had neglected to close his curtains before falling asleep. It didn't matter. Last night's full moon was too glorious to have shut it out. It added to the abundance of what he had experienced during the festival.

His head ached a little from the indulgence of the drinks that were offered in the village the night before. He hadn't seen any of the elves get drunk, although their beer was much stronger than what Asgard ever had. They seemed to have a higher tolerance. He was not accustomed and could only imagine the hangover Thor would have experienced had he been with them. To his gratitude, an arrangement of herbs was set on one of the bedside tables. He grabbed a peppermint leaf and held it under his tongue to will away the ailments.

Leaving the bed, Loki wrapped himself in a robe and spent his morning alone, bathing in the washroom, reading a book, even trying some of the breakfast the servants brought to him. All of this he did to try and ignore the fact that Jennica had left him in the middle of the night, but all he could think about was that night. She had slept with him.

It was unprompted. One thing led to another and in their exuberance from the celebration they found themselves lingering together into the night, falling in love again and doing things they never planned on doing. Loki hadn't done anything of that sort since his princely days on Asgard, and even then it was out of foolish ambition. He remembered the questioning gaze they had given to each other, asking in silence if they were taking it too far, just before they surrendered themselves. Jennica had been just as willing as he was, but again, it was on a whim and birthed from foolishness. He was afraid of what she might be thinking now.

As he left his room, Loki continued to avert his thoughts and wondered if there would be talk of continuing their quest for the fractals without Thor. He doubted they would waste much time, but the nipping thought in the back of his mind told him that he wouldn't be trusted without Thor present. It was a thought he had been accustomed to living with for awhile and now it was a natural response. He had to remind himself that this was Alfheim, not Asgard. He had a new start here and the elves knew him to be an ally.

Loki thought about revisiting the library once again, just to see if he could study further and offer any sort of help before Kvasir could even announce another exhibition. He wanted to study the earlier volumes written in a language that was so old only Kvasir and Sol could read its entirety. He wanted to learn the language fully for himself, reading it with complete understanding and not brokenness. There was still much to learn.

Turning the bend in the corridor, Loki's thoughts were frozen when Jennica met him, heading in his direction. She was accompanied by a maid and holding a small vial with red nectar.

"Well, I guess you found him." The maid spoke, her accent thick. "Shall I leave you to it?"

Jennica gave a bashful smile, waving the servant away. "Yes, thank you, Athena."

This came as a surprise to Loki. He towered over her, arms crossed and trying not to notice her bashfulness. "What is this about?"

"I'm sure you can guess." Jennica replied, her throat suddenly dry. She wasn't expecting herself to become this nervous. "About last night… I didn't want you to think I was just running away after that. I didn't want to put us in a situation where we would be found out."

Loki uncrossed his arms and frowned. "Found out? What would be the harm in that?"

"It's just…" Jennica slightly lowered her voice. "I've been learning much about the culture here and elvish folk don't take kindly to fornication."

Loki began to laugh out loud. "You're worried about tarnishing a moral?" When he noticed that Jennica's emotion began to deflate, he stopped and appeared apologetic. "Forgive me. Would you like to talk somewhere more private?"

"That would be nice." Jennica tried to hide her watery eyes.

Loki led them to an upper balcony on the north side of the castle, overlooking the realm. No one was there to overhear them and the beautiful sunlight seemed to lighten Jennica's spirits once again. They approached the balcony's stone edge and continued their conversation.

"If you're wondering what this is," Jennica held up her vial, "Athena had taken me to harvest nectar and showed me how to do it. I guess it can be used as an ingredient for potions, ointment for wounds, it's even good enough to drink. This bottle was the batch I got for you."

Loki tried not to laugh again. "Is this a peace offering?"

"Not at all." Jennica was playfully offended. "But, I thought you might like it and could find a use for it. It's not to please you… it was at least to show that I wasn't angry for anything."

"So… a peace offering."

Jennica shook her head and lightly laughed, looking out over the balcony's edge and out onto the vibrant horizon. She began to be at a loss for words and found it difficult to make eye contact with Loki again, keeping her gaze ahead.

Loki began to feel this growing tension and tried to assess the situation maturely. Nothing like this ever happened before and the last thing he wanted was for Jennica to carry embarrassment from their actions. "Are you ashamed of what we did?" He finally managed to ask.

Her gaze softened and she turned to look at him again. "Loki, I… I just don't know why we did it. I'm not trying to say you forced me, I am equally guilty, but I'm afraid of what would happen if anyone found out and I even went against my personal morals to do it."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Would you have stopped?"

Loki looked hurt by the suggestion. "Of course I would have. I just thought you were okay with it."

"And I was! At the moment, it was bliss… I'm just feeling guilty all of a sudden."

They were silent again, Jennica folding her arms around herself in a protective gesture. Loki noticed this right away and his heart ached, but he pushed past that feeling and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Please understand that I will not put you in a situation like that again. I want you to feel safe with me."

"And I do." She turned quickly to face him, grabbing his hand in hers. Once she noticed what she had done, she took a moment to breathe. "I think that's why I didn't think about what I should have done."

The amount of relief that Loki felt from hearing those words was overwhelming. He didn't quite know what to say in reply but he held her hands tighter. He wanted her to be safe. "We'll just put it behind us," he muttered.

Nodding, Jennica loosened her hands from his grip. We'll put it behind us, like nothing at all. But it wasn't just nothing. It was something, and that something wasn't easy to forget.

"Did it mean anything to you?" She asked, not looking at him when she said it.

Loki's gaze grew abundantly sincere, trying to meet her distant eyes. "I think it means that I want to commit to you."

"But we shouldn't have done that, Loki, we shouldn't—"

"I know how you feel, love, but listen to me. What's done is done and no one has to know, we won't do it again. I will become someone you can continuously trust. We are both caught in the middle of finding these fractals and fighting the time we're running out of, it's no small feat. If we're going to continue this without Thor, I want us to know we can trust each other and I want to keep you safe. I say this with the deepest love that is in my heart."

Jennica could feel her emotion rising again, frustrating her. She had been doing so well allowing herself to withhold composure throughout their endeavors, but Loki's heartfelt words touched a spot that weakened her strength. She embraced him, trying to find that strength again and fight any tears. It worked.

"I do trust you," she said. "And you do make me feel safe." He was not like the man from his past. There was no need to be afraid again. Not even Oveaus could reinstate it.

They both began to feel any lingering worries or burdens lift at their reasoning and resolution. It was agreeable that this was not a time to let those emotions overtake the task at hand, although it was undeniable that their love was growing. Maybe it was sudden but they didn't will it away.

Looking over Loki's shoulder, Jennica admired the view of the village below them and the beautiful sea that expanded out from it, trying to allow a moment of just being. She remembered when there was a stone wall encasing the village but now it was open again to the world, showcasing its beautiful homes and the culture of the elves to the world around it. The sun reflected off of the sea, shimmering over the blue water until it was met by the darkened forest far off on the horizon.

Wait…

"Loki," Jennica broke from his embrace, stepping closer to the stone rail on the edge of the balcony. It was such a far distance to see but it was there. The line of trees looked blackened and a dark cloud was rising over its expanse.

Letting go of Jennica, Loki grew urgent when he saw what she was seeing. The cloud had expanded and a pit settled in his stomach. "We need to find your father." It was then that the bell from the chapel in the village began to ring. A warning call.

They met Kvasir and Sol in the throne room, wasting no time. The ringing bell could still be heard even through the castle's stone walls.

"What did you see?" Sol asked them, leading the way out of the castle with her husband.

"We saw darkness spreading from the forest," Jennica replied, following them out through the front doors. "A strange, black cloud."

Hurrying, they left their castle grounds and there was no denying the sight. The darkness was clearly visible, protruding from where the beautiful outskirt forest once resided. It bled into the sky, creating ugly veins that ate at the natural clouds. Although the darkness was far away on the other side of the sea, something was terribly wrong.

"Bring me my horse," Kvasir commanded, motioning towards the soldiers who had followed their group with horses in tow. He mounted the animal, the largest of the four that were there. "We must speak with Kasper."

Loki rode behind the king and queen, taking Jennica with him. She hadn't quite learned how to ride a horse just yet. They made hast for the docks, keeping their sights on the possible danger ahead. As they approached the village, they could hear the frantic voices of the elves responding to the warning call of the bell. They could even hear it above the stamping hooves of the horses.

"Kasper!" Kvasir called out when they arrived at the docks. He leapt from his horse and rushed to the ship, everyone else following after him.

Kasper heard the call and came running from his vessel to meet the royalty. "Aye! My king!"

"What is happening? What have you seen?"

"It's like nothing I've ever seen before." Kasper began to lead them to the deck of his ship where his telescope was resting. "Myself and the crew had seen what Ulric's dark magic had done to the outskirts but could never foresee something like this."

The captain allowed Kvasir to look through the telescope and see the arising darkness, billowing into the cloud they had seen from the castle. It was far uglier when looking at it up close, the way it writhed into the sky.

"This isn't from Ulric's past curse," Kvasir said, urgency lacing his voice. He turned towards his wife, then daughter and Loki. It was clear by the look in his eyes that he was masking fear. "That magic is fresh. There must be something or someone in the outskirts creating it."

"Who would be hiding in the outskirts?" Loki asked, taken aback by this news.

"I do not know and that causes me great concern." He looked back at the darkness and a heavy weight swept over him. Sadness overtook his gaze that he did not allow the others to see.

The bells in the chapel had died down and the cries of the villagers quieted as most were in the safety of their homes. It reminded them all of the previous wars, the previous fears these people endured. The timing of this was ill but it didn't feel coincidental.

"Sire," Kasper spoke loudly, peering through his telescope again. "Come look once more, there's a creature in the water!"

Kvasir rushed back over, looking again and trying to fixate on what Kasper had been looking at. Sure enough, just up ahead in the water, a strange creature could be seen swimming towards shore from the blackened forest.

"Kvasir, what is it?" Sol asked, anxious for answers.

"It's a…" Kvasir began, only to realize he didn't have an answer to give.

Loki left Jennica's side, approaching the king. He too desired answers. "May I?"

Kvasir agreed and allowed Loki a chance to look. As he peered into the opening of the telescope, he saw that the creature, now closer, was lurking just under the surface of the water. It didn't swim like a monster of the sea as it paddled towards the shore, and when Loki saw its tail, he knew his thoughts were correct.

He quickly backed away from the telescope. "That thing doesn't belong in the water, it's using the sea to hide!"

"What could you make out?" Jennica asked, responding to his obvious urgency.

"Not much but it was clear this creature wasn't of the water, and it had the tail of a scorpion."

Kvasir and Sol met eyes, noticeably paling at Loki's description of the creature.

Kasper was at the telescope again. "Sire, I've lost sight of the monster!"

Bursting from the water in front of the ship was the creature, snarling as it bounded on its hind legs and revealed its dripping wings, a span of thirty feet. The ship rocked from the waves it created and the telescope came down, shattering on the deck floor. This monster displayed the body of a robust lion, its scorpion tail splashing at the water in warning. The large wings were bat-like, open as he crawled from the sea and started circling the ships, hissing through its long fangs.

In instinct, Loki drew his daggers from their sheaths. "What is that thing?!"

Kvasir's eyes were wide in fear and disbelief as he replied, "A Manticore…"

The Manticore roared and swiped at a neighboring boat, slicing it apart with its claws and leaving it in shreds to float away.

"They're evil," Kvasir continued, fighting the trembling in his voice. "Cunning and hungry for flesh. They're born of dark magic combining several creatures into an abomination, evidence of a greater evil."

Jennica only stared at the creature, watching as it noticed them and roared. "What do we do?"

Straightening, Kvasir drew a sword from beneath his robe. "We protect the people."

The bell began to ring again as soldiers came riding from the castle, some obeying the commands of their king to take Sol back to safety. Jennica refused to go with her, insisting that the fractals would be of use against this creature, although she was undeniably terrified.

The elves began to take refuge below the chapel, running away from the Manticore as it destroyed a newly built home. The livestock in its path were devoured.

Now on his horse, Kvasir waved his sword to try and distract the creature, hoping to lure it away from the village and into the meadow. The soldiers shot arrows into the Manticore's flesh and tried to tie it down.

Loki was furious having no magic. There were no illusions to trick the beast with, no power to aid in destroying it. He rushed to help the soldiers with the ropes, but when they lost good soldiers to the chomping jaws of the Manticore, Loki commanded them to fight from a distance.

Then there was Jennica. She prioritized helping the elves get to safety below the chapel, first. The ground rumbled when a building collapsed under the might of the beast. Children were crying and clinging to their mothers while the men begged to know what was going on. Jennica did her best to give reassurance before leaving to join the soldiers, Loki and her father.

"The head is its weakness!" Kvasir rode over to Loki, shouting above the roars and cries of the soldiers. "Tying down the creature and shooting through its skull is the only way."

"I can use the fractals for that," Jennica said, approaching them.

Loki turned sharply to look at her, frowning. "Jennica, no."

"I'm the only one with the fractals. The Manticore will destroy everything if we don't stop it now!"

With its wings now dry, the creature leapt into the air and began to circle the village this time.

"It's looking for its next prey," Kvasir said, gripping the reins to keep his horse from getting too spooked. "Be ready for it to land. I'll try to weaken its darkness with my light magic for as long as I can."

"I can help distract it and work with the soldiers," Loki said.

Jennica's heart was beating so fast that she could barely breathe, but she knew what needed to be done. "Let's hope I can hold him down, then."

The Manticore dove and landed behind them, swiping at the ground as its scorpion tail came nearing Kvasir. Jennica stood back and tried to bring her power forth, finding it harder to do in the strength that she wanted amidst her fear.

Laughing from the adrenaline, Loki shouted, "Just like fighting that old dragon!" He dove underneath a paw that swiped at him.

As she watched her father work to distract the creature and do his best to weaken it, Jennica felt her palms warm with the heat of her energy. The locket tingled her sternum as it glowed and pulsed the power through her veins. She could do it. She had to do it. There was no other choice.

Looking at the crazy eyes of the Manticore, she could almost sense the raging darkness within it, that it was indeed an abomination that had no place in their realm. 'Evidence of a greater evil' was what Kvasir had said to them about the beast. Someone had sent this creature, someone who also put it together and was poisoning their realm. It was evidence of the dark magic that followed them on Unnamed, that caused her fractals to act out on earth, it was even possibly the darkness they were fighting against in the race for the fractals. A greater evil it truly must be.

Waiting for the right moment, Jennica watched as Loki and the soldiers became successful in distracting the beast, dodging swipes and avoiding the spear on the tail. Kvasir could be seen trying to stay out of the Manticore's vision, doing his best to weaken what he could but Jennica knew this dark magic was strong. While lacking much knowledge in the arts of magic, the fractals still allowed Jennica to sense the magnitude of its strength. Her power grew.

She waited. The fractals strengthened her still. She waited a minute longer for a better clearing and then released, her power coming off in a wave. Invisible ropes tied around the beast, the Manticore roaring in protest and clawing at what was trying to hold it down. It put up quite the fight, forcing Jennica to re-energize her power to try and keep him still.

Her arms burned as the energy coarsed through them, fighting to pin the beast. It bellowed and writhed, wrestling with her and trying to break free. She couldn't allow it. Crying out in pain from the exertion, she fell to her knees from the weight of the tension within her, her body strained from the amount of energy being used. The Manticore collapsed with her under the weight of the invisible ropes, roaring in wild rage.

Everything burned and Jennica's eyes watered, but she was not done yet. The final burst of energy was released and one last look at the savage Manticore was given. When the soldiers, Loki, and her father fully backed away, the fractal energy wrapped around the beast's head and blew it clean off, the gore surrounding the body that slumped fully to the ground afterwards.

Her arms could finally lower and she breathed deep, allowing her energy to retract. The Manticore was dead.

Loki was at her side in an instant, helping her to her feet and asking if she was okay, but Jennica could hardly pay attention to his words. She looked at the dead beast, the buildings that were destroyed from the attack, and even the still-growing darkness from the outskirts. Her hands were numb and the energy seared the edges of her dress. Looking ahead now, only at the darkness of the forest, she realized that the peace of Alfheim was far from over and tears fell from her eyes.