Chapter 299: The Other Side
7th May 2013, Sayre Manor
(Loki Odinson POV)
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 pin prick 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.
Instantaneous travel without the Bifrost was always odd. While Loki used the hidden passages between the realms which were born from the remnants of Odin’s creation of the Bifrost and developed over time into becoming full fledged connections that can be used to travel. These passages were wild, lacked the precision that the Bifrost offered, and could be unpredictable, hence dangerous. But they still used the connection that the Bifrost provides. They latch onto the Bifrost to travel, and hence had a similar fundamental connection.
The nine realms were universes, and direct travel between them was more complicated than teleporting to them. So, when the Morrigan created a portal to travel outside of Midgard, to the Shadows’ hidden realm, Loki was curious.
The Convergence created a small connection between all of the realms. The world tree, which was constantly moving, aligned them and traveling between them was as easy as breathing. Those Who Sit Above in Shadow lived in a realm connected to the word tree but hidden from the rest of the realms with their magics.
Loki held no illusion that these were beings far above him in power. Still, according to what the Morrigan had told him, they were simple Asgardians in origin, that came from another universe, and chose to cannibalize the Ragnarök cycle to their benefit.
They were not omniscient, especially considering that the strands of fate were blocked for some reason. The future was uncertain for the time being until the timeline stabilized because of some Midgardian witch who foolishly traveled back to the past.
They were blind, they were weakened by the last Thor, which means that they are not all knowing, they have weaknesses, and a goal of some sort. Because why would they go this far if they were already all powerful. It would serve no purpose to risk manipulating a race as powerful as the Asgardians and especially Odin, who was far more powerful than people thought. They were the Gods of the Gods, but they had needs, because if they didn’t, then why would they even cannibalize the endless cycle of Ragnarök? A need means that a weakness exists, and that could be exploited.
Loki’s train of thought was distracted by the sight before him. He gasped in shock at what was before him. While the rainbow bridge occluded the sight when traveling between realms, this portal directly showed him Yggdrasil, the border of the universe, this means that he could see a glimpse of what was outside as well.
If Loki could describe it in one word, it would be chaotic. Loki was a chaotic being in general, he reveled in chaos, in disorder, but this was something he could never imagine. Time and Space looked as if they were nothing more than illusions. Up was down and down was up. There was no left or right, space bent in twists and turns. Nothing made sense. It was as if reality itself was nothing more than a dream, a mere construct of the mind. Loki couldn't even begin to comprehend the vastness of what he was seeing, the infinite expanse of the universe stretched out before him like an endless abyss.
It must have been less than a fraction of a second, yet Loki knew that he was different now. They really were insignificant compared to the infinite chaos he had just witnessed. Loki couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and wonder at the thought. The universe was vast and full of endless possibilities, and he was just a small speck in the grand scheme of things. But he also felt a sense of determination. He had a mission to accomplish, a goal to achieve. He would not let anything stand in his way, not even the might of the Shadows.
Loki turned around for the first time since arriving. He needed to focus now. He was now in the lands of the Shadows, home to those who have done their best to turn him into their tool. It was their realm, and they were all powerful here.
He tore his thoughts away from the mind-bending vista and looked around, trying to get his bearings. He was standing on a small platform, floating in the midst of the darkness. He could see other platforms scattered throughout the void, connected by swirling lines of energy, with what looked like empty thrones.
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If anything, Those Who Sit Above in Shadow were named aptly. Loki could barely tell that he was in some sort of empty throne room. The entire room didn’t have a single light source, and yet he could see the rough outline of what was before him.
He didn’t have time to investigate because he was immediately attacked telepathically from multiple angles. It was one of the strongest attacks he had ever felt, but the Morrigan had taught him well in the last few months. The woman really was brilliant when it came to the mind arts. Loki’s mind was now impregnable and not even the Shadows could break through his defenses.
Instead of wincing in pain like he wanted to, Loki smirked and pushed all his false bravado forward, “Well, wasn’t that a rude way to welcome someone?”
The God of Mischief opened his eyes and saw that the thrones were now filled with gigantic men and women in Asgardian garb. They were entirely made of shadows with a few glints of light coming from their eyes and mouths that illuminated the room slightly.
He could feel it from here, these beings were powerful, very powerful indeed. The man in the central Throne, probably the leader, answered, “Loki Laufeyson, you dare intrude onto our domain?”
“Well, how else were we going to get to know each other better?”
Another voice responded this time, “You know of us?”
Loki smirked and nodded, “Of course I do. Those Who Sit Above in shadow, the gods of the gods, the bringers of Ragnarök. The bane of the nine realms. I know exactly who you are.”
Another voice scoffed, “Then you know that it is foolish to intrude into our domain. How did you come here?”
Good, they haven’t killed him on sight yet and they’re listening to him. Perhaps the Morrigan’s mad plan will work somehow, “The Convergence affects all of the realms, including yours.”
“And how did you come by us?”
“Well, I was in Midgard after my father banished me and saw a particular ruin with Uru in them. I was curious and took a look. There was a book, written by my brother or more specifically the last iteration of my brother.”
Loki did his best not to flinch at the hisses the beings in front of him let out, and forced a smug smile on his face, “From your reaction, his plan seems to have succeeded in some way.”
The King of the Shadows responded this time, “In a way, it did. He took us by surprise and hid from our sight. It was impressive for a godling such as him. And yet, for all his power, he is dead, and we still remain. Do not mistake our acknowledgement of his skill as a weakness. He lost, and with it, any foolish notion of opposing us.”
Oh, this was going perfectly to plan, “Oh, I’m not opposing you, not at all. The opposite in fact, I’m here to help.”
“And why do you think that you can help us in any way, small god?”
Loki tried not to sneer at his face, “What if I told you that Thor’s plan succeeded? He knew that he was going to die and put something in motion long ago that would spell your doom. I am willing to help you prevent this outcome, for a price of course.”
Immediately, Loki felt immense pressure on him, originating from all sides. The Shadows all started yelling until the King raised his hands. He gave Loki a searching look, “Are you attempting to blackmail us, small god?”
“I wouldn’t call it blackmail, just a bargain. I will help you gain your control back on the Ragnarök cycle in exchange for making me one of you.”
The pressure disappeared immediately, “We could take that knowledge from your mind.”
Loki nodded, “You could, but my mind is sufficiently protected, it might not hold up to your power, but it will hold up long enough for me to activate my mind trap and remove all my memories forever. And then, how will you stop what’s coming?”
“You could be lying.”
“Oh, so you haven’t been blind because of the cosmic event of unknown origin? Hasn’t your control over the fate of Asgard and its future been absent because of it? You are the most vulnerable you have ever been, and it was all according to Thor’s plan. Trust me, I know that he can be very cunning when he wants to be,” Loki smugly responded.
Silence reigned at his proclamation. Everything he said was true and they knew it. Loki was never sensitive to anything like these cosmic events thus he should not be aware of them.
Seeing that he had their attention now, he continued, “Look at me, do I look like I’m lying?”
The King of Shadows spoke up, “No, you do not. So, you wish to become one of us? This can easily be done, provided that you complete your part of the bargain.”
“I’ll need more than your word for it. Partners though we may be, I need my own assurance of your side of the bargain.”
“You dare question our honor?”
Loki shrugged, “Of course I do. You are responsible for the deaths of countless people during countless cycles, even my own. Why should I trust you when I know you are perfectly capable of killing me? You have done it many times before.”
After some grumbling, the King of Shadows nodded, “Fine, this is your assurance.”
Before Loki could question it, a small ball of light left the King’s hand and flew towards the surprised God of Mischief. Immediately, power started coursing through him like never before. He felt stronger than he ever did, “what was that?”
“I have connected you to the cycle of Ragnarök. You can feed upon its energies as we do. Should you help us, the next cycle of Ragnarök will occur and you will ascend and become one of us for all of eternity.”
Well, that changed things. This power inside of him was addicting, but Loki steeled his mind. It was not the time to wonder about such things, “I thank you…”
The King of Shadows spoke up, “I wonder, small god, why do you wish to betray your kin and join us?”
“Why I chose eternity over death? Seems like an obvious choice. But also, I wish to see Odin’s eyes widen and break as he realizes that I have betrayed him once more. I wish him to understand the price of his failure as I destroy whatever hopes of freedom he has, as he has done to me.”
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