Chapter 298: Plans in Motion

7th May 2013, Sayre Manor

(Jasmine Sayre POV)

Unfortunately, I knew for a fact that I barely scratched the surface of what I could do. Celestials are often born with the knowledge of their powers programmed in their minds. And even then, they spent millions of years honing their skills. This really did show how much of a disappointment Ego really was. Sure, he created an entire planet, with a stable ecosystem, just to protect his brain, but with the firepower he had, he could have easily caused some serious damage. Honestly, I wasn't even winded after the fight, that's how bad he was. I was only beginning to explore my new abilities and for the first time in thousands of years, the road in front of me was mostly unknown.

Suddenly, I felt something click in my mind. Something was happening, but not to me, but to everything. It was odd. It was like the universe itself was misaligned for some reason. Immediately I realized what was going on and the implications that it had, "The Convergence has begun. It's time."

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(Loki Odinson POV)

If Loki could summarize his time with the Morrigan in one word, it would be enlightening. Truthfully, words could not describe what he felt at this time. It was oddly freeing, to live without any expectations in a mansion where his input was appreciated.

The mansion itself wasn't as luxurious as the royal palace in Asgard where he had spent most of his life. The walls and floor were not made of gold, there were no daily feasts and tourneys. But most of all, there was no sneering sheep that looked down on him for using magic. Oh, the hypocrites, who called him a coward behind his back for not focusing on his martial pursuits, and yet also used magic to strengthen their bodies and power. The Morrigan's explanation about the origins of the powers of Asgardians had opened his eyes to the fact that he had nothing to be ashamed of.

However, what he has learnt the most was his appreciation for his own power. He had always dismissed his skills as useless tricks that rarely worked in a fight. But his host had taught him otherwise. It was staggering how much he could accomplish when training with someone that truly believed in him. His mother, Frigga, had tried many times, but after learning the essentials, it didn't help in any way; their magics were just different in nature.

Frigga was of Vanaheim. They had their own magics, culture and skills. Loki was a Jotun that was adopted by Odin. They were fundamentally different and so were their magics. Loki supposed that it was his ignorance of his nature and acceptance of himself that made his progress in his magic lackluster. But now, after a few months under the Morrigan's tutelage, he was far stronger than he ever was.

Loki surpassed Frigga in raw power long ago, but he never knew how to use it. Now, he could cast massive illusions as large as a small city with great detail, he could bring a miniature ice age whenever he wished to, and he could even conjure hundreds of weapons at a time and telekinetically throw them at his enemies.

While his martial abilities had stagnated, his magic flourished. The Morrigan had obviously focused on attacking magics instead of enchantments, and offensive mind magics which came very naturally to the God of Mischief.

It was this improvement that made him realize how much trust Odin had truly given him. Considering that Loki's powers originate from the Odinforce, the All-father must have consciously decided to give Loki his powers. Else he would have simply ended up becoming as powerful as a regular Asgardian, which wasn't much compared to him or his brother.

Loki couldn't help but wonder why Odin would do this, especially considering the constant criticism and mistrust he had faced from his father in the past. But despite his conflicting emotions towards Odin, Loki knew that he needed to put aside his personal feelings and focus on the greater threat of the Shadows and their plan to bring about Ragnarök.

But despite all of his newfound power and confidence, Loki couldn't shake off the guilt he felt for his past actions. He had caused so much destruction and pain, and he knew he couldn't fully make up for it. It was so justified in his head, at the moment. Even with his madness driving his actions on Asgard, and then through the manipulation of the Mad Titan, he fully believed in them.

But now, he knew that the Madness was the influence of the Shadows, of Asgard's enemies. He hated this feeling, of not knowing if his thought processes, if his mind, was his own, that his emotions were true. That was what set him off the most. It was then that he knew what true hatred felt like. He thought that he hated Odin in the past, but that paled against his rage at these Shadows that had done their best to make him as miserable as possible to turn him into a tool that they could use to bring forth Ragnarök.

Loki had agreed to join the fight against them for revenge, but also for his freedom and that of his family. He was still hesitant about Odin. Even knowing how much control these Shadows have exerted over him, he couldn't deny that the man had hurt him deeply. His dismissal of Loki's accomplishments, the constant judgmental looks, and the implied mistrust whenever he spoke to him, had been noticed by many people, who ended up doing the same to him. This ended up with Loki being a friendless outcast with no one trusting him enough to even attempt to get to know him. In the end, Loki only had his brother, who he ironically resented.

Loki had always felt misunderstood and mistreated by his family and the people of Asgard. He struggled to find a sense of belonging and acceptance, especially in comparison to his golden brother Thor, who seemed to have everything handed to him. Despite his best efforts, Loki could never seem to live up to the, now revealed to be false, expectations of his father Odin or the rest of Asgard, and he felt constantly overshadowed by Thor. This led to feelings of resentment and jealousy towards his brother and coupled with the Shadows' manipulations, ultimately drove Loki to betray his own family and cause chaos on Asgard.

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It wasn't really his brother's fault. Thor was just naturally charismatic and attracted people to him. He was everything an Asgardian strived to be, in both good and bad ways. He was a great fighter, and a very honorable one to boot. But he was rash, easily prone to anger and could make very impulsive decisions without a second thought. You could just see it in the way he risked war with Jotunheim for a perceived slight. However, the God of Lightning was getting better now, wiser would be an apt description. He still had a long road ahead of him until he was ready to be a king and be responsible for the lives of millions, but he was getting there.

Thor had flourished under the Morrigan's tutelage. His control over his powers astounded even Loki who was often praised for his control by their mother. He was now stronger, faster, and fought more intelligently. He could use his powers in a multitude of ways. The Morrigan was currently working with him on elemental transmutation and energy absorption, which happened to be the first time the God of Thunder had ever struggled with anything regarding his abilities, something that Loki was always jealous of.

But at least, for the first time, Thor really felt like a brother to him. Loki's previous fires of madness had turned into a small ember that rarely bothered him anymore and Loki felt more at peace than he could remember ever being in his life. He was ready to have a proper relationship with Thor, who surprisingly after a couple of dubious moments, accepted him with open arms. They were still very competitive and bickered constantly, but it wasn't malicious anymore.

But now that peaceful time was over. His time at Sayre Manor was coming to an end. The Convergence was starting and with it the Morrigan's plan against Those Who Sit Above in Shadow.

Ironically enough, Loki played a very critical part in that plan, and the God of Mischief appreciated the trust that the woman was giving him. Perhaps in helping save Asgard and free it from the Shadows' hands, he could find some sort of redemption for his actions and protect his family as well.

Loki prepared himself to leave the mansion of his new mentor. He didn't know if he would survive this mad plan, but it was better than a life in chains. He felt melancholic as he walked in the garden of Sayre manor for what could very well be the very last time.

He will miss this place, miss the peace and quiet. He will miss being able to do whatever he wants without the judgmental looks of the court. He will miss being able to experiment with his magic and listen to his teacher's advice.

His emotions must have been evident on his face because he heard the Morrigan speak behind him, "You'll always be welcome here, you know."

Loki will deny jumping in fear at the surprise. How in the nine hells could that woman be this silent when sneaking up on people? The God of Mischief suppressed his anger at Thor's giggling next to the woman. He'll get back at him after this mess is done with.

He was ready to leave, so why wouldn't he ask, "What did Odin promise you in exchange for your aid?"

The woman smirked, "He offered me Asgard's aid when dealing with an enemy that I cannot beat."

Well, now he was curious. There were very few enemies that could stand against the Morrigan's power. Was she planning on fighting a Celestial? He couldn't help but ask, "Who?"

"A cosmic being by the name of Entropy. He seeks to destroy everything in existence, alive or otherwise."

Loki couldn't help but gasp, "You're planning to fight an Endless. Are you mad?"

Thor looked up confused, "What are Endless, brother?"

"They are beings of immense power that represent concepts. They are not gods, they are not mortals, they are more. They are the concept itself. Beings such as Fate, Death, Eternity, and Entropy. They are more than just cosmic beings, their power is immeasurable, endless, hence the name."

The Morrigan nodded, "I guess it's as apt a name as any. Yes, I am fighting such a being, or more likely, I am opposing him in his mad plan to bring annihilation on a scale unseen across time and space."

"That is suicide!!"

"Don't worry Loki, he's currently very weakened by taking a physical form. He's detached from his main source of power and cannot risk using it without being found out and judged by the Living Tribunal. Don't get me wrong, he is still immensely powerful, but not enough to be called Endless just yet."

Loki wasn't convinced. It was a reckless move, but he had never seen the Morrigan ever go all out against anything, and if Odin pledged Asgard's allegiance, then it must be possible in some way. He'll judge the viability of winning this fight after seeing the Morrigan fight for the first time during the Convergence.

He simply nodded, choosing not to think about it too much. He already had impossible enemies to fight, he did not need to distract himself with another one quite yet.

As he prepared to teleport himself out, he was stopped by the Morrigan, who handed a small, sheathed dagger to him. It looked unassuming from the outside, but Loki had been training on how to sense mystical energy all his life. The moment the God of Mischief removed the sheath and felt its energy, he could say without a doubt that this small weapon terrified him. It felt like death. "What is this?"

The Morrigan shrugged, "It was a small experiment I did a while back, a way to include an essence into an object. This dagger is death given form as far as you can tell. Even a pinprick can kill anyone, but stronger foes will need mortal wounds to die. If something can die, this dagger can kill it. The sheath hides the dagger's true nature, so its nature cannot be discovered by people sensitive to the mystical energies of the universe. This is my gift to you as a show of trust and appreciation for your dedication in the last few months."

Loki was left breathless by the gesture and just nodded, not trusting his words. He put the dagger back into the sheath and nodded. Seeing him speechless the Morrigan nodded, "Goodbye, Loki."

She then waved her arms and a red portal appeared, showing its connection to the Convergence. Loki stepped forward and was swallowed by it, starting the beginning of the plan that would hopefully result in Asgard's freedom.

After all, it was time for Loki to be the hero for once.

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