Thor x Reader

Twenty-Four

Night had already fallen when the two of you emerged from the shrine.

A gentle breeze brushed your face.

"So...", the boy rubbed the back of his neck uncertainly. "Do you think you can work with the information?"

Silence answered him.

Your gaze was fixed on the lake in front of you. The surface was still.

Small beetles danced in the air. Their colourful lights illuminated the night and rivalled the stars.

Carefully, he nudged you from the side.

Torn from your thoughts, you blinked.

"Tyr will fight and die in Ragnarok.", you said with a sad smile. "That is the way the prophecy wants it."

He frowned.

"But you said there were several possibilities."

Narrowing your eyes, you nodded and had to sigh.

"It is true that there are always different ways. Not everything that is prophesied comes to life. Some details may also change. But the big picture always remains the same."

"Unless there are two completely different prophecies.", Loki said without hesitation.

Your eyebrows rose in surprise. Then you had to examine him more closely.

"Why do you think like that?", you asked with obvious suspicion in your eyes.

He looked at you for a moment.

"Why else would you want my help?", he asked with a raised eyebrow. "I don't appear in any of the shrines."

"But you follow their way."

"To set Ragnarok in motion."

"To free the giants."

All at once he froze. His eyes widened. For the breath of a second, there was fear in his face.

"How..?"

"Loki.", you gave him a gentle smile. "The blood of a giant flows in your veins. It cannot be your father. And you are the only one of your kind left. You are lonely. Lost. Confused."

"Tyr was a giant too!", he tried to defend himself.

"And so is Thor. Half, at least. But none of them care about their heritage. Tyr, on the other hand, was not only a part but also a friend of your people."

"And that's why it's wrong to want to find him?", he frowned and crossed his arms defensively in front of his scrawny chest.

With a soft snort you shook your head.

"It is wrong to search for my master only to risk his life for your own purposes.", you finally said. "The path you are following will mean his death. No matter what detail changes, the sacrifice of his life to destroy Odin is an essential part of Ragnarok."

Taking a deep breath, the boy took a step back from you. It was obvious that your logic made sense to him. But his youthful despite wanted to follow his path to the end. Even if it meant making more sacrifices than necessary.

"And you have a better way?", there was so much reluctance in his voice at once.

There was that look again with which one looks at a stranger. As if the threat were standing right in front of him, like a wild animal foaming at the mouth.

All your work was gone in one blink.

"You guessed right.", a soft breath escaped you. "I know there's... more than one way."

"There will always be sacrifices."

"Did your father teach you that?"

"Didn't your master?"

A chuckle made you smile.

"Tyr taught me to seek the least risk with the greatest outcome.", you raised your hand to pat his head. "One death outweighs the loss of a war."

The boy's gaze darkened. There was a weightiness in him. He had a worry that was weighing him down.

"Will someone die?", he asked, looking up at you between his eyebrows. "Is your prophecy peaceful?"

With a hum, you averted your eyes. Instead you looked at the surface of the lake.

Coloured lights danced.

You suddenly remembered a night that had been very much like this one.

"There will be deaths.", you said, testing the edge of the lake to see your own reflection. "But probably few you would care about."

"How do you know I care?"

"If you didn't care, you wouldn't seek Tyr. You'd have no reason to look for him or his work."

"I just want to know who I am!"

"And cause a war that destroys all nine realms for it?", you snorted. "Not even Odin would do that. Not ever."

The expression on his face went blank.

With clenched teeth and trembling lips, he stared at your back. You could feel his eyes dig into your flesh.

He felt nothing but aggression.

How dare you compare him to the All-Father?

He was not a monster, not in his own eyes.

But you knew his kind. You knew they were all selfish. They all pursued their own goal, their own ideals. In the end, it was always the others who were to blame. And those who tried to keep the balance would suffer.

Why did you decide to follow your master's path?

You could have just stayed in Odin's golden cage. There was no happiness there, but there was no danger either. It would have been a peaceful existence. Just not a fulfilling one.

"Loki.", you threw a glance over your shoulder. "I do not know what it is that you fear. But I can tell you, Tyr will not fix that issue. He is not what you imagine."

"He knows.", he insisted. "He has to know! Otherwise, why would you be here? You have a reason too."

"I already told you, I want to kill the Allfather out of bitterness."

"And he can only be killed in the battle of Ragnarok. You follow the same path as me!"

You smiled.

"I don't.", you turned to face him. "Your path doesn't involve me. Just like it doesn't involve you. However, my path, involves the both of us."

"And deaths."

"But not the one of Tyr. Neither the one of your father."

All at once he froze. It was as if lightning had struck him.

His lips twitched. He took a step away.

"How... how do you know?", his hand reached down to his belt, where the knife of your master hung.

You shook your head.

"He's everything you have.", you had to sigh. "Once I was the same as you. I lost the only one I had. And you fear it will happen to you too. Which is why you want to kill Odin. So that your father can live."