The Beginning Of An End

Chapter 31

The darkness around us thickened, pressing down on me like a heavy weight. My breaths grew ragged, each step more labored than the last. Without my powers, I felt the fatigue creeping into my bones, a vulnerability I wasn't accustomed to. Loki, on the other hand, moved with a steady pace, his stamina seemingly untouched. But, sensing my exhaustion, he finally allowed us to stop.

We sat on the cold, damp floor of the cave. Loki reached for a stone and with a flick of his wrist, a small flame sparked into existence above it, casting a dim glow around us. The soft light barely penetrated the oppressive darkness, but it was enough. At last, I could see his face.

The flickering flame cast shadows across his sharp jawline and illuminated the concern in his eyes. The silence between us was heavy, filled with unspoken thoughts, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

As I caught my breath, I studied him—this man who had once been so much more to me. His presence, even now, was a mix of reassurance and complication. The glow of the flame made his features appear softer and I caught myself admiring his face for a brief second.

"How much did he take away from you?" Loki asked as he leaned back against the wall. The pathway of the cave was rather narrow at this point, not allowing much space between us.

I bit my lip, taking a deep breath, feeling anguish creeping back in. "Everything... I've lost all my powers. The only thing that's left is the strength, probably due to the fact I'm still an Astral being. But other than that... I've got nothing." I mumbled, my gaze fixated on the flame as I was trying hard to process it all. I genuinely had no idea how I was to ever get over this. How was I going to get out of this predicament?

Loki's eyes softened as he listened to my words, his expression unreadable but somehow comforting. The flickering flame between us cast fleeting shadows across his face, making it difficult to gauge his emotions.

"I'm really sorry this happened to you." He responded after a while. At least he didn't mock me which was a big change for him. But even Loki could read the room and see that this was not the time for joking.

"I'm sorry too." I sighed out and leaned back, closing my eyes for a brief moment. Then, my gaze met his and I asked, "so... how did the war over there go? Were you mounting a good defense?"

I didn't want to linger on the subject any longer. That was just the current reality and there was nothing I could do to change it. The least I could do was save myself from losing my mind by agonizing over it.

Loki hesitated for a moment, his eyes flickered with something I couldn't quite place. "It was... brutal," he began with a deep breath, "it was different than I had expected. Probably due to the fact that Thor's hammer was gone." He paused, his gaze drifting away as if he were seeing the battlefield again in his mind. "Without Thor's hammer, the balance shifted. It was like watching a dam break. The gods were scrambling, desperate to hold the line, but the cracks were already there. The giants... we took advantage of every weakness, every hesitation. It was savage, relentless. You'd think fighting against gods would be some noble endeavor, but it was just chaos."

He clenched his fists, the memories seeming to tighten their grip on him. "I fought alongside the giants, even led them in some battles. But it wasn't out of loyalty. I think, at that point, I just wanted to tear everything down. There was a bitterness inside me—towards Odin, towards Thor, towards the entire fate that had been shoved down our throats. The prophecy said I would betray them, so I embraced it."

His gaze flickered to mine, his eyes betraying a flicker of vulnerability beneath the mask of indifference. "But it wasn't as glorious as it sounds. Watching the gods fall... It wasn't satisfying. It felt... empty. Thor, even without Mjolnir, was a force to be reckoned with. We clashed more times than I care to remember. Every strike felt like the world was ending—because it was."