The Beginning Of An End

Chapter 4

Thor didn't say a word, just started making his way towards me with Mjolnir in his right hand. Loki didn't dare move as any sort of movement would burn his skin. However, I could see anger rising within him. I also didn't dare move as I doubted Thor would miss this time.

"So, you've got something of ours." The blonde Norse god skipped the pleasantries. I didn't mind. Loki, surprisingly, looked scared—something I'd never seen before. Confusion crept in as I tried to decide what to do.

"Yes, and there's a good reason for it." I said as confidently as I could.

"Oh really?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow. "You do know I can just fling you into space at this exact moment, right?"

"I would really love you to–" With one heavy swing, Thor threw the hammer towards me, making me fly across the field for about four hundred feet.

I growled as my body slammed against the ground with the hardest blow I had ever received. I felt all the air leaving my body, making me gasp for air. As I started propping myself up, I heard curses in the distance which made me chuckle. Thor was realizing he couldn't help Loki out of the chains as they too burned him.

At that moment, I noticed something dripping down my chin only to realize it was black goo from my mouth. Only then I started feeling pain in my guts and started to take the situation much more seriously.

I wiped the blood off my chin as I slowly stood up. As Thor drew nearer, I braced myself for the inevitable confrontation, steeling my nerves for whatever may come. Despite the odds stacked against me, I stood firm, ready to face the thunder god with all the defiance of a demon scorned.

"You'd better unlock those chains before I swing you another 400 feet!" Thor's voice roared, eyes blazing as he loomed over me.

I said nothing, holding his gaze and focusing my energy. I pressed my hand to his forehead, plunging into his mind. A titan of defenses, his thoughts resisted, but inch by inch, I tore through, relentless.

As my influence took hold, I felt the resistance wane, replaced by a dawning compliance in Thor's eyes. His pupils dilated as he succumbed to the compulsion, his movements becoming sluggish and robotic. I commanded him to relinquish his weapon, watching as he obediently handed it over.

But my victory was brief—grasping the hammer, its weight slammed me to the ground again, agony lancing through me as Thor's power proved too much. Before Thor could break out from the trance, I reached out a hand towards him and summoned all the strength I had, sending him flying across the field.

"Asmodeus!" Loki's voice echoed through the clearing, pulling my attention toward him. "You have to allow me to use it!" His urgency struck me, leaving me momentarily bewildered. I glanced at Thor, who was just picking himself up from the ground, a mixture of amusement and frustration evident in his expression.

"Why do you even want Loki back? Aren't you two supposed to hate each other?" I interjected, hoping to buy some time and glean more information.

Thor approached, his demeanor more serious now. "I'm not one for debates," he replied, his voice tinged with a hint of condescension. "But the situation is simple. Loki escaped from his confinement prematurely, and now we need to bring him back. We can't risk the apocalypse, and I doubt you want that either."

His explanation sounded plausible, but something about it didn't sit right with me. Despite my reservations, I rose to my feet, leaving the hammer lying on the ground. As I looked at Loki, a surge of unexpected empathy washed over me, unsettling me to my core.

"What happens if I refuse to let you take him?" The god of thunder looked almost shocked.
"Like I said. An eventual apocalypse. Only this time... we don't know how."