Even the Asgardian prince trembled at the ominous fate awaiting them beyond the horizon. The Jotun was far from eager for a reunion.
Suddenly, the ship emitted a searing beam of light that plunged toward Earth, landing directly in front of them. The heroes were momentarily blinded by its intensity, squinting against its brilliance. Loki, however, remained fixed upon it, his emerald eyes wide with dread. Soon, two shadowy silhouettes emerged through the blinding radiance. As the light dissipated, he instantly recognized them.
"Hear me, and rejoice. You are about to die in the hands of the children of Thanos."
The children of Thanos.A gaunt, skeletal figure of human stature, swathed in a dark cloak that seemed to shimmer with arcane power—Ebony Maw—and a hulking, monstrous dwarf, clad in gleaming gold armor, the Black Dwarf. They were among those who had tormented him mercilessly, twisted his mind, and subjected him to unimaginable suffering. His teeth ground together as he took a step forward.
"I'm sorry, earth is closed today! You'd better pack it up and get out of here," Stark called out loudly, his voice unwavering. He was brave, but Loki could see the flicker of apprehension behind the bravado.
"Stonekeeper," the alien's gaze now shifted to Doctor Strange. "Does this chattering animal speak for you?"
"Certainly not as I speak for myself," the sorcerer responded coolly, his hands already weaving magic in preparation to defend the stone.
Ebony Maw turned his attention to Loki for the first time. The green sorcerer, standing resolutely, lifted his chin in defiance, striving to mask his terror beneath a veneer of pride.
"Loki Τhanosson, man of mischief. We did not expect to find you here. Your father is eager to have a word with you. He yearns for something you promised to return to him, and he knows you possess it."
Loki's temper flared. He was no child of Thanos—not after everything that monster had done to him. And the wizard had used the titleman of mischiefdeliberately, as though he assumed Loki could be so easily undone. Beneath that proud façade, however, Loki was consumed by a visceral fear—fear of everything that Thanos had done to him. Sleepless nights, searing agony, and screams that haunted his very soul. He burned for revenge. Yet, despite the rage and the terror, the prince resolved to maintain his façade.
"Odinson, you mean. Thanos was and will never be a figure I recognize as... father. And I owe him nothing."
He was about to speak further when the mortal interjected.
"You're trespassing on this city—and this planet," the sorcerer declared, his magic crackling.
"And that meansget lost, Squidward!" Stark added, humor creeping into his voice. Loki didn't understand the reference, but he didn't have time to dwell on it.
The space wizard, however, was undeterred. His mission was clear: deliver the two Infinity Stones to Thanos, no matter the cost.
Everyone was bracing for battle—except for Banner. He groaned and groaned, but the Hulk remained dormant. "Dude, you're embarrassing me in front of the wizards," Stark muttered awkwardly. Then, as his nanosuit enveloped him, he strode forward, ready to face the Black Dwarf alone.
Is he truly so reckless? He cannot take on the dwarf by himself!Loki thought, voicing his concern aloud. Without the Hulk's brute strength, this battle was far more perilous, and if Iron Man wasn't careful, they could all be doomed.
Despite Stark's initial success in fending off the giant, Ebony Maw sent him hurtling through the air with a powerful surge of magic. At that moment, Loki and Wong launched their counterattacks, redirecting the wizard's focus toward them. This allowed Strange to create a portal and transport Banner to safety. Wong erected a protective shield to absorb the wizard's strikes, while Loki summoned his green magic to assault Ebony Maw. His spells, however, were deflected. Stark returned to the fray, narrowly dodging a car that flew toward him.
"You two need to get the stones out of here, now!" Stark barked at them.
"It stays with me!" both sorcerers responded in near unison, exchanging a look of mutual disdain and surprise. For a brief moment, Tony found the situation amusing—but that humor quickly dissipated as he remembered what they were truly up against. "Exactly. Goodbye!" he added, charging toward the alien, only to be sent crashing through buildings by the Black Dwarf.
With Stark momentarily incapacitated, Ebony Maw turned his attention back to the remaining sorcerers and the Asgardian prince. They attacked as one, Strange and Wong wielding conjured weapons and portals to deflect the wizard's magical assaults, while Loki employed his Asgardian sorcery. No one had expected Loki to be such a formidable combatant, yet over the years, he had grown far more powerful. He confounded the wizard with illusions, teleporting and creating clones of himself, while launching deadly strikes with his daggers and telekinetically hurling debris. His eyes burned with unrelenting fury, and he showed no mercy.
But despite the trio's combined efforts, Ebony Maw evaded every single attack.
Eventually, Ebony Maw subdued Wong with a powerful strike, then sent a car crashing onto Loki to immobilize him. He then advanced on Strange. The sorcerer conjured a magical rope, attempting to bind the alien, but Ebony Maw twisted the rope, using it to fling Strange into a nearby wall and trap him.
Loki, struggling to free himself from the wreckage, could feel the blood trickling down his face. His right wrist ached, but he gritted his teeth. Thwarting Thanos was far more important than attending to broken bones. When he spotted the wizard leaning over the incapacitated sorcerer, Loki sprang into action.
"It's a simple spell, but quite unbreakable."
"Then I'll take it from your corpse!" Ebony Maw retorted.
But before he could lay a hand on Strange, a sudden force yanked him downward with tremendous speed. He crashed into the earth, the impact creating a deep crater. When he staggered to his feet, Loki was standing before him, his green magic swirling around his hands, panting heavily.
Can this man not stay down for even a moment?Loki thought, wearied by the chaos. He remembered Strange, noticing the sorcerer falling from the wall, and rushed to catch him. But Ebony Maw, recovering quickly, hurled Loki away with his telekinesis, sending him flying high into the air.
Loki slammed into a car upon landing, too exhausted to rise, as his body screamed in pain. He had two choices. He could either lie there and recover—perhaps a moment's respite—or he could pursue the space wizard and the Stonekeeper. He chose the latter.
Though the thought of rest tempted him, he knew time was running out. Grumbling, Loki struggled to his feet. It was time to invoke the flying spell his mother had once attempted to teach him as a child—years ago. He had failed then, but now, his strength had grown. It was his only chance to stop the wizard before it was too late.
Loki concentrated every ounce of his magical energy into his hands. The pain in his wrist intensified, but he gritted his teeth, enduring it. There were worse pains than this.
He whispered the incantation, and for a moment, nothing happened. But then, he felt himself rise, weightless. He opened his eyes to find himself soaring higher and higher into the sky, over the city. He spotted the space wizard, closing in on Strange. Loki's determination hardened.
He hurtled toward the sorcerer at full speed. As he did, a red-and-blue figure caught his eye—another human, seemingly chasing after the Stonekeeper as well. There was no time to engage him.
Loki neared Strange, but just as he was about to reach him, the sorcerer was consumed by the blinding light of the ship, rising into the air, unconscious. In a desperate bid, Loki shoved Strange aside, only to find himself trapped in the light as well. The prince struggled, but the beam was inescapable. He was being pulled upward, toward the ship, Thanos' ship.
As the ground receded beneath him, Loki saw that the red figure had managed to rescue Strange. The wizard had given up on the Time Stone, but now he was heading toward Loki. Panic surged through the prince as he tried to break free, but an unseen force gripped his left hand. Sticky white webs wrapped around him as the red figure attempted to drag him down. Loki fought one last time, but it was futile. The red figure, too, was caught in the tractor beam.
As they rose toward the ship, Loki knew there was nothing more he could do but wait to face his fate aboard Thanos' vessel.
After some time, Loki awoke in a darkened room. The red figure was nowhere to be seen—perhaps he had escaped. Before he could ponder further, a wave of exhaustion overtook him, and he could hardly keep his eyes open.Damn it, I'm being drugged,he thought, his mind growing heavy.
The last thing he heard was a voice, soft and mocking: "Sweet dreams, my prince…"
And then, the darkness claimed him.