Proof that Tony Stark has a Heart

Chapter

I opened my eyes to see that I was in the King's Cross Station version of the afterlife. I looked around and called out, "Is anyone here?" For a moment, nothing happened, and then an otherworldly lady of great beauty appeared in front of me. "Who the bloody hell are you?" I asked the lady.

"I'm Hel, Queen of Helheim," the lady answered, "You're lucky that you're already dead, and my master or I would've smited you for the way you just spoke to me."

"Wait, Hel, as in Loki Odinson's daughter?" I asked, "And what do you mean by master?"

"Yes, I'm Loki's daughter," Hel answered, "You mastered the Deathly Hallows and you died three times, your choices have led you to become the Master of Death."

 I could feel the desperation rise in me. I tried not to sound like I'm pleading, but I know I'm starting to. "So -- so I'm going back? I'm going back to the living world? But -- you can't be serious. I'm dead. I'm supposed to die. I want to die. I don't want to go back to being that soulless monster."

Hel grimaced and looked at me with sympathy then said, "I'm sorry, but the magic behind this can't be undone. You have to go back."

"No! I don't want to go back to that existence!" I screamed as I was dragged back to the living world.  

I glanced at the blue sky, filled with bright twinkly stars. They stood firm and continued to shine, even when the night sky wasn't strong enough to overcome the rising sun. The memories of the night's events struck me, and I gasped, rushing to my feet. The same pain I had experienced the first time I had been staked wasn't present, and I anxiously glanced at my chest. I was completely healed; the stake wasn't there. I searched the river with my eyes, but it was nowhere near.

The water current must have knocked it out. The dark water now mirrored the azure blue sky, but the slight glimpse of an orange/yellow ray of sunlight in the sky's reflection made me shiver with fear and wariness. The sun's about to rise; I need to return to the estate.

I climbed up the ridge, and my muscles complained all the way, but I ignored it. If I stay here any longer, well, then I won't be here. I'd burn in the sun. My muscles were weak, and blood was the only way to fix that. I could take a human servant when I get back, I thought, if I get back. It seemed like a challenge. Small sunlight rays were starting to become visible, and when they made contact with my skin, the flesh would start to blacken and mist. It hurt, but not as much as being staked. That thought made the pain a bit more bearable.

What was worse about the situation was that the burns wouldn't heal properly. After being staked twice, I had lost a lot of blood and needed to refill. I shielded my face with my arms, as I continued racing toward the maze, and it shocked me at how slow I was. You could almost say I ran like a human sprinter; not the best time to be so slow. But I couldn't move any faster. Not with the damage inflicted on me.

Once I was at the maze, I took the quickest route and made it into the estate. The burns had partially healed; it was all I could manage. They looked like bruises, dark, purple, and blotchy. When I entered my estate, I had expected, or at least hoped for, peace and quiet, like it usually was. Instead, I was greeted by shouts and chaos.

What must have been the whole estate, stood in the hall arguing with each other. About forty of them were in the same room, making it extremely cramped and crowded. Some bared their fangs; some looked confused. And some of them lay on the floor. Dead.

"Who actually killed Markus?" Someone yelled. For a second, everyone was silent before they continued arguing.

I sighed. "I did." I boomed, triumphantly. They all turned towards me, but no one dared to speak. It hadn't occurred to me that I may have just done something stupid until now. I wasn't the strongest, and they could team up and kill me in seconds. Familiar brown locks flashed in the crowd, and Darius pushed past, standing beside me. He smirked at me, knowingly.