Flames, Gods, and Stories (AoA Loki fanfiction)

Chapter 2: Sickening cold

    Loki gulped feeling a sick coldness sink over him. He had a look of stunned horror on his face. It was cold, way too cold for him. Even in his heavy winter jacket and being part frost giant. This wasn't average weather cold; it was blood freezing regret, stress, and horror. His heart was slowing down, his green eyes frozen wide open and his lips chapping from it. He felt like he had a sword pointed at his throat and this time, it didn't make him happy to be paid attention to.  He knew what he had done, he was filled with sickening regret, felt on the edge of breaking down. He couldn't let anyone know that though. 

    "I win." The green ghostly child of Kid Loki in front of him echoed. "I changed, you lost." Loki felt like he was choking and couldn't breathe. He was gasping for breath, but, the cold feeling in his lungs made it difficult. "And now you die, too, Ikol. Just like me." Loki wanted to scream and yell about being called Ikol. It was a reminder, this wasn't his body, he had taken it from his own child self. The Loki that everyone liked, that had accomplished change. But, then again, he had to 'cease to exist' in order for the fear crown to become powerless. If he hadn't thousands of people could have died. Loki felt something warm on his neck.

   "No, no." He choked finally getting some air. He felt like he was trapped in a box. He took a breath of air in and screamed.

    "Loki!" Verity's panicked voice came through to him. He could breathe again. He felt something up against his neck. It was round and smooth. Verity's hand was there too, pressing lightly. Loki rolled over on his side and started coughing, he slowly sat up as he felt something run down his chin and cheeks. Verity looked at him terrified. "Loki, what the hell was that?" She asked horrified. Loki wiped his chin and looked at his hand finding blood. Loki looked around trying to remember where he was. It was his apartment he figured out. Tears still slowly dripping from his eyes in pain.

    "I-I," He stuttered. "Nothing. It was nothing." He closed his eyes and shook his head. Loki forced himself up and then sat down on the couch.

     "Lair." Verity huffed seeing right through that lie. "I don't need the ability to see through any lie to know that." Verity sat next to him fiddling with the health infinity stone in her hands. This was an extremely special type of stone. A remnant of the universe from when it was created, Loki had given it the physical form of an infinity stone. With out it he would have died long ago. "'I didn't want to kill him' how is that nothing? You kept saying 'Ikol' too. I don't know what happened to you in your past lives or something but, it doesn't sound too good." Loki rubbed his neck feeling a bit of an indentation from a wound, a deep one too. "I know you just had your throat slashed but, what happened to you? Why are you so messed up now?"

    "My past is catching up with me." Loki said as he coughed up a bit more blood that had made its way in his lungs.

     "Who's Ikol?" Verity asked as she saw him visibly shudder shaking off the cold of near death.

     "Me." Loki looked down. "I'm Ikol. I'm the echo of a magpie's scream. I killed a young boy that was myself. I regret it now. But if I didn't, the world could have been destroyed." Loki sighed.

    "But, you're right here." Verity pointed out, confused by Loki's confession.

     "Yes, I am." Loki leaned back. "But, he isn't." Verity squinted and furrowed her brows. "My best friend, always so literal." Loki closed his eyes feeling tired. He sighed and sank back. Verity could only watch as her friend slowly drifted off. He slowly relaxed, his shoulders lowering and his facial features loosening. He looked as if he was getting paler and ridges started to appear on his cheek and forehead. His skin started to turn a blue hue and Verity's eyes grew wide. Loki kept his eyes closed and turned his head towards her. "I have so many secrets you don't know."

   "Loki, you-" Verity was about to speak when, he opened his eyes that had gone from green to entirely red. Verity gasped and backed up. Loki blinked and the blue and ridges disappeared. Melting away and turning back into his regular skin color and smooth young adult face. There were a few scars, of course. There was nothing too terribly noticeable. Verity covered her mouth. "What was that?"

      "Frost giant." Loki responded with a sadness in his eyes. "They're absolute monsters, Just like me." Loki got up and started walk away. It was true, he did think that. She was left to draw her own conclusions. "You should go home, Verity. It's been a long day." He walked off into his bedroom and closed the door leaving his best friend behind. He didn't say goodbye. He didn't need that pain. Not after everything that had happened already.

       Verity sat on the couch waiting for a goodbye. Then, she came to the conclusion there wasn't going to be one. She took a gold piece out of her pocket and fiddled with it a bit. Running her thumb along the scratched but smooth curve of the metal. She looked out the large gaping hole in the wall leading outside. That was from when Thor had found out Loki's secret about kid Loki's death. Beaten him and threw him several stories out the window, dragging him to Asgard afterwards because, he couldn't kill Loki himself.

   Originally, Verity had walked out on Loki once King Loki was there with him. But, as she was walking along the sidewalk she had seen the shards of Gram, the heroes sword, and Loki's broken horn. She had picked up the horn, knowing how dangerous Gram's unbridled magic would be to her. After picking the horn up, she had gone back. Telling herself she wasn't going to give up on Loki just yet. She was going to keep her only friend as long as she could.

     That's when she came in to see Loki muzzled and tied to a chair, surrounded by flames. The older one laughing and smiling like an insane person. He was laughed about how he had won, how this Loki was going to learn what took him hundreds of years to figure out in such a short time.  No matter how he changed he would always be the god of lies. Then, he had seen Verity. With a twisted smile King Loki pulled her in. Verity had actually tried to use the broken horn as a weapon. It failed miserably. She didn't do anything to him, not even scratch him. With a few swift kicks and throws she was on the ground. Beaten up by who she thought was her best friend. Or at least the twisted future of her best friend. That hurt in more than one way. She had tried to fight against him but, once he twisted her head to look at Loki burning, she stopped.

       To see her only friend in flames, burning, and screaming, or, at least trying to. It was heartbreaking for her to see him in so much pain. This wasn't just Loki's torture it was hers too. Even though she had done nothing but, help Loki. Why would he come back to torture her with the sight of him burning? When she had asked why, he told her that he needed to learn to not care for a mortal.

     "A mortal's life is so short compared to a god like us." He had explained. "Despite knowing this, he still has feelings for such weak creatures. At least I know, it's better to be alone than have something with such a short life holding you back."

     "Liar." Verity smirked. "You even knew you needed someone, didn't  you?"

      "I didn't need anyone." He had growled, grabbed her hair and slightly lifting her up off the ground. It was painful due to how strong he was.

       "Stop torturing him like this!" Verity had pleaded. She couldn't take watching Loki burn anymore. "You're just torturing yourself. Don't you realize that? Stop it and I'll-"

       "And you'll what?" He taunted. Verity stopped for a moment and thought.

       "And...I'll leave." Verity had broken-heartedly vowed. Looking away her eyes slowly lowering to the ground. King Loki had thought about it and snapped his fingers. Verity saw the flames and chair disappear letting Loki fall on the ground. She cringed at the dull thud he had made.

        "Fine. I think I've got a better idea anyways." King Loki had smiled.

        Verity looked around. It was late she had to get home anyways. But, this time she wouldn't come back. She glanced at Loki's door. Then she got up and started to leave. As she did something felt off. It felt like time had moved quickly without her. Verity paused and keeping her head in one place, her eyes flicked around the room. She pulled her phone out and looked at it. Time had rapidly moved on, not by a few hours but, months. Eight months. She looked behind her at Loki's door. She saw the sky was red through the hole in the wall. "What the-?"

     Loki, this had to do with Loki.