CHAPTER I

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"I DON'T PLAY BY THE RULES OF THE GAME" ~Grace VanderWall

Oi, Earth people! I'm here, posting another chapter, isn't that wizard? (sry for the lingo I'm trying to cheer myself up after watching season four of doctor who) So in that chapter we meet Odin The Assbutt Parent. Hi for anybody who stumbles here!

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Loki, my son. I have a very important task for you. Somewhere, in the Nine Realms, lives an old enemy of Asgard. It's an powerful magical being, so due to your powers, I decided that you are the person who is capable of finding it and bringing it here, where it will be fairly judged. Remember, that the most important objective of this mission is to capture it, not kill it. The importance of this quest is great, nevertheless not worthy of your death, for the creature does not perform any direct threat to Asgard. The being is certainly absent on Asgard, as well as on Midgard. Find it, bring it and don't kill it. Now, go.

Loki chose to walk on his way to the Bifrost. It gave him time to gather his thoughts. He repeated the Allfather's words again and again in his mind, still he couldn't quite get why Odin sent him on a mission right now. The heir is expected to be soon appointed and though the younger prince knew that he won't be the heir, he still wondered. The enemy, as Odin said, is old and doesn't directly threaten Asgard. The most probable, logical and unnervingly simple idea came to him while he was somewhere in the middle of the rainbow bridge. He stopped dead. Why hadn't he thought about it earlier? It wasn't a regular quest. It was a bloody test! A trial to see if he was worthy of ruling Asgard! No, not that. It was a trial, certainly, but not to prove himself. If the enemy was old and powerful, and still outside Asgard, it was impossible to find! Odin never let his threats live their own life, he hunted them down. So what was so special about this one? It was never meant to be found by him. Odin knew that the being was too powerful, and yet he sent him. Oh, how he hated his Dad sometimes. Still, he wasn't as bitter as Thor would have been. Loki wasn't really keen on ruling. It was his brother who wanted to be at the centre of the crowd's attention. Loki, though, was a great observer. He saw how the burden of power laid heavy on his mother's and the councellors' shoulder's. The absent-minded looks, the drop of shoulders after a long day. Oh, yes, Loki knew that the burden of the crown was heavy, and while he did't want to bear it, he also wondered if Thor would be able. Still, there was no one else. It had to be the firstborn, it was always meant to be. No one would have supported the younger son of Odin, even if he would be the older one. He was the bloody God of Lies, weren't he? People would never accept him, not if they had another choice. It made him a bit bitter, even though he didn't want the crown. Truthfully, he would be happy with the independence of a prince, maybe he would be the King's advisor? Still, he will finish this mission successfully, even just to prove himself, to himself. Maybe to Odin a little bit too. With this conclusion he reached the Bifrost.

"Where are you going first, Silver Tongue?"

Excellent, he thought sarcastically, another reminder of how his whole attitude was a lie, thank you very much, Heimdall. Then, he actually thought on the question for a minute. Asgard and Midgard were clear. He wouldn't be able to get to Alfheim, the Elves of Light rarely let anyone potentially dangerous on their ground, not since all dragons were wiped out. The only realm with dragons and they were all dead. Let's leave Jotunheim and Muspellheim on the end, nobody liked those realms anyway, he'd check them later. Maybe let's start from Svartalheim? Abandoned, all the dark elves dead, it would make a nice place to hide. So be it.

"Svartalheim."

Heimdall raised an eyebrow in surprise, but didn't comment. He opened the Bifrost.

"Farewell, Loki."

"Farewell."

Only this he could say, before he was sucked into a ray of colourful light.

Svartalheim was a dead realm. There was nothing here, except ruins, rocks and dust. No plants, no animals. Not even a single mosquito.

Loki transformed into a cat, promptly after landing. In spite of what his brother might think, not a snake, but a black cat with green eyes was his favourite form. Searching through the realm took him about a week. Using his powers of course. He could sense magic from miles away like a shark senses blood in the water, even if it were just traces of casting a spell. The more complicated or powerful the charm was, the easier it could be traced. He felt something on the last day. The whole realm was full of traces of magic from the old war, but this thing was different. More fresh. After a while, he found an abandoned camp. Still old, but definitely newer than the rest of abandoned places. Of course, the ultimate clue that something was wrong, was the six feet tall wall of ice, surrounding the place, but not entirely, as if someone didn't control what he or she (or it) were doing yet. Needlessly to say, the whole place reeked of powerful magic. He could tell it was empty for hundreds of years, but at least he found something. Maybe it was a clue to whatever he was looking for. He went inside. Some animal skins, some pots. It looked like it was left in a hurry. Only one person had been living here, he could tell. In conclusion, from inspecting the place he deduced that the powerful something that made this ice was in fact humanoid. Like him and other higher beings, as they were called in history books. He was satisfied. Maybe his trip to Svartalheim wasn't entirely pointless! He knew he might be searching for a powerful sorcerer, in a humanoid form, capable of controlling ice. He could leave. He went about half of a mile away and shouted:

"Heimdall, take me back!"

Immediately, he was brought back to Asgard. Heimdall looked curious and maybe slightly irritated, 'cause he hid from his sight again.

"You found something, didn't you?"

"Maybe...?"

Loki took immense pleasure from teasing Heimdall, the man who was supposed to know everything.

"Where to now?"

Loki sighed with annoyance. Ice. Only one realm had beings that knew anything about ice.

"Jotunheim." He said with resignation.

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