"No…" Thor and the past Loki gazed in horror at the transformed variant, All-Black radiating dark matter around him in his possession.

"You… traitor!" Gorr shouted.

"All-Black has grown weary of you and your failures." King Loki relayed. "You're nothing without this weapon, but I, well, think of what we could do together."

"Loki, we need to destroy that sword!" Detective Loki explained. "Your mind is strong, I know, but that Symbiote, that dark power will corrupt you!"

"Ah, so you are capable of jealousy, are you?" King Loki shot a wave of dark energy at his counterpart. Grievance formed a symbiotic suit around his host, but the duo was still blasted into a wall of the cave. "You may have my idiot brother, but I have the stronger Symbiote, as well as the more powerful sword!"

"Loki, stop!" Thor raised Stormbreaker, summoning a bolt of lightning down towards King Loki, but he raised All-Black in response, augmenting his Frost Giant abilities and freezing the lightning bolt in its path, up to the clouds themselves! The dark Loki then proceeded to grab the solid bolt down from the sky, looking Thor in the eyes as he and the other Loki gazed in astonishment.

"Well, Brother, I'm not normally one for wordplay, but it appears that I have stolen your thunder." King Loki hurled the frozen lightning at his brother, who countered with a mighty swing from Stormbreaker. Electricity crackled and thunder boomed in front of him as the god of thunder stood his ground. As the lightning dissipated, Thor realized that King Loki had disappeared from view, reappearing at his side. Loki grabbed the axe and blasted him away before he could react.

As Thor got back up, he extended his arm to call his axe back to him, but All-Black turned fluid, forming itself around Stormbreaker until it was completely covered, and Loki's hold on it remained.

"Oh, you want your weapon back? Here." King Loki tossed Stormbreaker at Thor, who blocked it with Mjolnir. As the two weapons of uru clashed, Detective Loki teleported and struck All-Black Stormbreaker with Lævateinn, the fire and lightning separating the darkness from the axe. The Necrosword reformed in King Loki's hand, preparing for an assault, yet he raised it in defense to deflect a dark spearhead thrown at him.

"All-Black, you hypocrite, how dare you share your power with this rejected god!?" Gorr rebuked. "Our mission is to butcher them all!"

"Who's the hypocrite?" King Loki questioned. "According to All-Black's memory, his creator and original host was a god. It's only fitting that a god should be the one to finish his dark crusade, not some mewling mortal."

"Gorr still has some of All-Black's power at his disposal?" Detective Loki noticed. "Are they inseparable!?"

"Not if we destroy that sword!" Thor determined.

"But now he has two hosts protecting him." Grievance gulped. "We're all going to die."

"All-Black made you a god. This day shall mark the execution of Gorr, god of hypocrisy."

"HOW DARE YOU-" Black spikes emerged from the ground around the enraged Gorr, and as he struggled to escape, he screamed as more spikes impaled him from multiple sides.

"Loki, it's not too late to stop this!" Thor called. "I know you're angry with Odin and me, but do you really want to kill every god in existence? Because once we're gone, there will be no one to stop you, to free you from All-Black's control!"

"All-Black does not control me. Our relationship isn't parasitic, it's symbiotic." He emphasized, his eyes shifting to his variant.

The variant Loki shook his head. "No, not this time. He's manipulating you, feeding off your hatred and anger and using them to turn you against your family!"

"No. My family turned me against my family. And you…" As King Loki was speaking, his variant was impaled from behind by another spike from the Necrosword. "…you're not a part of it!"

"NO!" Thor screamed as the dark Loki quickly retracted the spike and hurled Detective Loki into the cave ceiling. Filled with rage, Thor gritted his teeth and blasted King Loki with full force lightning, utilizing both Mjolnir and Stormbreaker as he pushed his way forward. King Loki cast a dark barrier around himself. "This Loki has done nothing but defend you and try to help you, yet you mock and hurt him! I didn't know if I could trust you, but he convinced me to give you a chance! And now…" Thor growled. "HE STOOD UP FOR YOU, AND YOU STABBED HIM IN THE BACK! I can't believe I'm saying this, but… Gorr was right: you are a traitor!"

"Oh, my simple-minded brother, seeing only the black and white. Do you truly wish to understand me, Thor?" King Loki psychotically, yet still gracefully, stepped over to his adoptive brother. Black appendages restrained Thor's arms and legs just before Loki reached him, stopping inches from his face. "Hold onto your seat." Loki grabbed his forehead, his fingers glowing green as he took his brother on a wild ride into his memories!

Thor experienced the loneliest moments of over a thousand years of life on Asgard, Jotunheim, Midgard, and beyond through his brother's eyes in an instant of real time. As he witnessed just how alone his brother felt, how ostracized the Jotun sorcerer felt among the Asgardian warriors, his self hatred and fear that he was an unlovable monster, his fear of rejection and abandonment, the torturous treatment Thanos and his followers put him through, as the Mad Titan placed further doubts and hatred in his head with the Mind Stone, the pain he felt after losing the only one who came close to trusting and understanding him, his mother, alone in a cell with no one to share his grief, the pain and guilt after being blamed for his father's death and believing Thor was dead, and the loneliness of keeping his distance from his brother for fear of causing him more pain than he already had.

As Thor snapped back to reality, he panted heavily as he processed and unwittingly empathized with a millennium of built-up pain, fear, and trauma.

"That's how it feels." King Loki grinned as Thor fell to his knees. "I'll give you a moment." He turned to where his variant was, not particularly surprised to find he was hidden from sight. "Now, let's see how great you are without your loyal band of friends to defend you, replacement Loki!"

Frelsir breathed a stream of fire at the All-Black Loki, but he countered with an icy flurry. Powered-up by his new bond, he froze the flames as the ice spread upward, even encasing the dragon! He looked around for the other Loki once more, who had healed from his wound, and as the detective teleported behind him, King Loki nimbly sidestepped his variant, who jabbed with his flaming sword.

"Did you seriously think I wouldn't anticipate a stab in the back!? Don't you think I know myself better than that?" King Loki fired a barrage of magic at him, but it passed right through the illusion.

Landing on the Necrosword, a mosquito shapeshifted back into Detective Loki and set All-Black ablaze. "No, I didn't seriously think that, and yes, I know that you know yourself, but you don't know the you that the me who would have been you has become!"

"That's the most confusing thing I've ever heard."

"You think that's confusing? You don't know the meaning of the word, at least until you have a drink with yourself as a child, an old man, and an alligator at the same time!" Detective Loki lectured. His variant raised an eyebrow. "So believe me when I say I know myself better than most." Realizing he was talking to a realistic illusion, he teleported just before his real variant blasted him with dark magic one more time.

"Very nice, not even the mad titan himself would have seen through that illusion." King Loki complimented. "But soon you'll see I am the superior Loki now!"

"Do you really think I'm so perfect? Do you think I'm not angry at Odin for lying to me my entire life, for taking me in merely to use as a peace token while Thor always got his best, and who knows what went on with our sister!? Yes, I have grievances, and they upset me deeply when I dwell on them. They make me FURIOUS!" His fingers curled into fists and glowed green. He took a deep breath, and they relaxed slightly. "But I've chosen not to dwell on them, and I've learned from Mobius and Sylvie to let people in, people I can speak to about my burdens freely, to trust again, and that's what gives me peace of mind."

"Trust? Trust is for-"

"Children and dogs, yes, that's what I told Mobius when I first met him. I was humiliated, defeated by the Avengers and their brainless Hulk when I was forced to partner with him. I didn't trust Mobius, thought he was some dopey hick that sat behind a desk for too long, but I began to admire not only his intelligence as we solved our first case together, but his loyalty as well. He's not all good, no one is, but he understands me: he's seen my life play out, and he's been helping me deal with my grievances. You just need to find someone you can trust, someone who's willing to listen and open their mind and heart to you, and you'll feel just as loved as I do!"

King Loki raised his eyebrows, applauding very slowly. "Nice speech. Give my regards to Captain America and the boy scouts, will you?"

"Heh. Very droll. Witty remarks aside, I can help you learn to trust the right people, and the first step is to trust yourself." Detective Loki extended his hand. His corrupted variant paused, and he reluctantly shook it. King Loki sighed, dropping All-Black and pulling his alternate self in for a hug. As the present-day Loki patted his variant's back, he suddenly summoned the Necrosword back into it, but as he attempted to plunge it into the detective's back again, Grievance caught it in his teeth.

"You know, there's a difference between trusting and being a gullible fool."

"I just wanted to be sure: for a moment there, you were beginning to resemble Thor."

"And as you can see, having a loyal partner by your side has its benefits. Thank you, Grievance." Detective Loki smirked as Grievance's bite moved up to King Loki's arm, and his host set the true All-Black ablaze before he teleported away again.

Detective Loki appeared before his brother, who was still shaken up from Loki's painful memories. Detective Loki put a hand on his shoulder.

"Loki… I saw everything. I saw what Thanos did to him, how frightened he was, the pain, the torture. I saw the lies that monster planted in his mind, with the Mind Stone, and I heard the-the screaming!" Thor shuddered. "I can still hear it! And when I found you, how did I reassure you? I hunted you down, threatened you, and imprisoned you, like a wild beast, when you were in greater need of help than the Avengers were!"

"I know. But it was still me deep down, in spite of my elevated pain and anger, and the same holds true for him now! Now is our chance to afford the me from your time the help and support he didn't receive 13 years ago, that I was fortunate enough to receive from Mobius and Sylvie. However, I can't get through to him alone: he needs his brother."

Thor nodded. "Yes, I believe you're right. If he wanted to really kill me, he would have done so immediately after letting me in his head. He wanted me to see his pain for a reason; he wants to be understood and reassured that he's loved."

"Indeed, and he needs to trust you in order to let you into his mind all the way. I can keep him from pulling any tricks while you have your heart-to-heart."

"I'm counting on it." The two approached his brother, who was waiting patiently for them. "Brother, I'd like to speak with you peacefully." He set his weapons down, and Loki did the same with Lævateinn.

"Nice try. I'm not letting go of All-Black again."

"You don't have to: all I want is for you to listen. I want to ease your pain, if I can."

"And why should I trust you? Why should I listen to you, when you never truly listened to me? Why should I believe you even care?"

Thor sighed. "You leave me no choice, Brother. I suppose now it's my turn to show you."

Thor removed the armor from his torso and turned his back to his brothers, who gasped when they saw the tattooed memorial their brother displayed in their honor! King Loki drew closer to get a better look at horns, dagger, scroll, and snake symbols among others, while Detective Loki's face turned red at the sight. His eyes watering again, King Loki beckoned his variant to come closer and his brother to turn back around. When they did, he motioned for them both to place their hands on his own forehead, letting them in.

"Where are we?" Thor asked, looking around. The three Odinsons stood in a colorful meadow, a faint ray of sunshine illuminating the area.

"This is the only part of my mind the dark storms haven't reached, and additionally, the only place All-Black can't reach us. So, you wanted to tell me something?"

"Loki… where do I even begin? I'm sorry I failed you when you needed me. I'm sorry for the bullying you faced from me, my friends, our people, for making you hate yourself so much, for disregarding your pain and your problems while I demanded you to help solve mine! When we lost our mother… I'm sorry for only offering you vengeance when you needed comforting. When we both needed comforting. And I'm sorry for blaming our father's death on you, when in truth he'd probably been dying for years."

Both Lokis nodded and smiled as their brother continued.

"I… I want you to know you are loved, that you are my brother, no matter where you were born or what you've done. I admit, your newfound powers are incredible, but I miss the sweet, sensitive Loki who loves to read, and do magic, and play pranks, and shapeshift, and be a smartass at times, and get into mischief. I miss the Loki who used to read me stories as a child when Mother was away, doing these amazing voices, who pretended to be dying to fool the palace guards when I longed to sneak away, who would change flowers into frogs and turn the royal tutor into a mule when he claimed I was too stubborn to learn, who gave me such wise advise that I so often unwisely ignored."

Tears dripped from the brothers' eyes, recalling the fond memories of their childhood.

"Yes, you make me angry a lot too, and undoubtedly we're bound to fight again and again until we reach Valhalla." Thor chuckled. "Hel, maybe even after! But we're brothers, Loki, and I wouldn't want you any other way! So please, forgive me if I ever made you believe otherwise."

"Thank you, Brother. I really needed that. Now, as I recall, you still owe me-" He was cut off as Thor grabbed him, and they finally hugged. As they embraced and consoled each other, the ray of sunshine focused on the two brothers, growing brighter as they hugged tighter. After a few pats on the back and the head, they released the embrace and grinned happily.

"Thor, I need to-" He gasped as their sunny space flashed red, and he looked around nervously.

"Loki, what's wrong?"

"Is it All-Black?" The other Loki wondered.

"Excuse me for a moment: I'll be right back." King Loki pardoned as he disappeared.