"I assure you, brother, the sun will shine on us again."

Loki stood before Thanos, the Tesseract clutched firmly in his hand.

"Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian."

"Well, for one thing, I'm not Asgardian. And for another, we have a Hulk."

Loki was confident his plan would succeed. It had to, didn't it? The Hulk was the mightiest among them; surely he could incapacitate Thanos with ease.

Yet, as the frost giant watched the Hulk fall, his smile slowly withered.

"Allfathers… let the dark magic fly through me one last time."

Loki knew Heimdall would get himself killed, but it was the only path left if he was to escape. Survival was paramount.

But what of Thor? No, Thor would endure. He always did. Loki would return for him—but to do so, he would first need to be on his feet. As Hulk was lifted into the Bifrost, Loki hesitated. Only his deep, abiding concern for his brother held him back. He tried to convince himself that Thor would survive. Thor would always survive.

In alternate realities, Loki might have stayed by Thor's side. But in this universe—Earth 593—Loki's resolve seemed to falter.

He sprinted toward the Tesseract, now abandoned on the floor, unguarded. With a swift motion, he seized the Infinity Stone and dashed toward the Bifrost. For one fleeting moment, his eyes met Thor's for the last time before he leaped into the rift.

Thanos had no time to react. But when he saw Loki fleeing with the Tesseract, fury consumed him. The Infinity Stone was lost, the traitor had escaped, and yet, Thanos remained alive.

"That was a grave mistake," Thanos growled, then, in a single, brutal motion, he plunged his dagger into Heimdall's heart.

Thor's anguished cry rang out. Heimdall, one of his closest allies, was gone. The grief surged through him, raw and uncontainable. Pain. Rage. Revenge. His mind boiled with the need for retribution. "You will die for that!"

But before Thor could act, the wizard's magic silenced him. No. He couldn't be muted now. He had to escape. He had to end Thanos—and his pathetic minions. Theyhadto be stopped.

"There are two more stones on Earth, now three with the Space Stone. Find them, my children, and bring them to me on Titan."

Thanos raised the gauntlet, activating the Power Stone. Thor, already bracing for the inevitable, tried in vain to break free—but it was futile. Thanos' ship activated its tractor beam, drawing Thor and his warriors into the ship.

They were leaving, bound for Earth.

As the ship began to tremble, its hull cracking and disintegrating, Thor redoubled his efforts to escape the accursed vessel. But eventually, the spell broke. Presumably, the wizard had fled, and the Odinson was free.

He collapsed beside Heimdall's lifeless form, mourning the loss of his friend. With Heimdall's death, escape was no longer an option.

But Loki was still alive. Loki was on Midgard, with Banner—that was what mattered now. At least the Tesseract would be safe, protected by the Avengers. But would it be enough? Could his friends stand against Thanos? The Mad Titan was a force beyond reckoning. Thor could only hope that his comrades would survive.

The ship exploded in a violent burst of energy. Thor closed his eyes, bracing for the end…

Boom.

Hello! If you made it to this point, thank you so much for reading! This is my first story here. I've had this idea in my head for so long, so I'm happy I can write it down and share it here. This chapter was short, but I promise the upcoming ones will be more interesting. Chapter 2 coming soon!

Updated: 12/3/24