LOKI: Following Ragnarok

The Nexus Event

Thor, Valkyrie and Loki stood on the Bifrost; their gazes cast onto Hela as she marched slowly towards them. The light beneath her failed to catch the material of her armour, and it somehow made the black look darker, the green look deeper. She wore a painted smile on her lips, amusement soaring greatly alongside the adrenaline that coursed through her veins. She was winning, and she knew it.

The God of Thunder turned to his side to look at his comrades. The pain from losing his right eye had finally subsided, most likely a side effect of the shock that had hit his system. His breathing was still ragged from the fighting, and for a moment, all he could hear was the heavy breaths of his friend and his sibling.

"I think we should disband the Revengers," he said, a suggestion that he knew wouldn't be accepted immediately.

"Hit her with a lightning blast," Loki replied, casting their brother a dumb look.

An arm went out, palm going in Hela's direction as she continued to approach them. "I just hit her with the biggest lightning blast in the history of lightning. It did nothing."

"We just need to hold her off until everyone's on board," Valkyrie interrupted, her thoughts remaining on the Asgardians as they all hurriedly boarded the Grandmaster's stolen ship behind them.

Thor gently shook his head, expelling a long breath from his lungs. "It won't end there. The longer Hela's on Asgard the more powerful she grows. She'll hunt us down. We need to stop her here and now."

"So, what do we do?"

Loki quickly threw Thor another look, shaking their head dismissively. "I'm not doing 'Get Help'."

Taking one step forwards, the God of Thunder observed his sister as she closed in on them, her arms outstretched by her sides, palms turned skyward. She was enjoying this, savouring the moment as if she wanted to remember it for a long time. Thor couldn't imagine how long she'd been waiting, exiled from Asgard and banished to Hel, dreaming of this exact moment.

Casting a brief gaze over his shoulder as the Asgardians continued to file onto the ship, his thoughts strayed to Odin. How would he have handled this? Would he even condone what Thor was about to suggest?

"Asgard's not a place," he said quietly to himself, recalling what his father had told him. "It's a people."

Loki frowned, unsure what exactly their brother meant, but decided not to press any further. It made sense in its own way. Wherever the Asgardians were, Loki was sure it would feel like home.

"Loki," Thor began, turning back to face them. "This was never about stopping Ragnarok. This was about causing Ragnarok. Surtur's crown, the vault... It's the only way."

"Bold move brother. Even for me," they replied. The two siblings exchanged a knowing look, and the God of Mischief ran to their ship, leaving Valkyrie and Thor on the Bifrost to distract Hela. The trickster didn't have much time, but luckily, they always worked well under pressure.

"This is madness," they said to themselves as they flew towards the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf, where Odin's Vault was hidden.

Only now did those tall walls and high ceilings feel like home to Loki, and as they walked towards the Treasure Room, knowing that this would be the last time they'd ever walk through the palace, they couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of grief. This was where they had grown up. Where they'd learned magic, history, and all manner of Asgardian politics. This was where Frigga had cared for them, taught them how to read, and comforted them when they were frightened or upset. Losing this place would mean losing the last threads of Frigga, and Loki was unsure whether or not they had the strength to bear it. Not only was this place home for them, but it was home for so many others, and Loki was sure they all felt the same way about it.