Everything was going well. They had found the Elements of Pride and they were all returned to normal. Their enemy thought nothing of it, only yawned on his gold and green throne as Vahl powered up her spell. Light illuminated the six humans as they were lifted into the air. It was the same as when they had defeated Harley Quinn, until more light shot from their gloves.
"What's this?" Loki said in wonder.
Madisyn had sworn to close her eyes, but opened one for a moment. Even through the bright light, she could clearly see the Frost Giant's face. She recognized it as pure fear.
"No," he uttered.
The marcher couldn't stand it anymore and shut her eye again, as Vahl opened hers, revealing them to be white. As a star N shot from their bodies, Madisyn heard the God's horrifying scream. She tried to block it out, but it was useless. That scream would forever haunt her.
When the blast was over, the friends gently floated to the ground. Newark was back in order, but there was something that wasn't right. Cwryen was the first to notice.
"Hey, where's Loki?"
Nichole Price rolled her eyes. "Don't you know, Cwryen? We turned him to ice."
"I know that, but where's his statue?"
The others looked around.
"She's right," Alyssa said. "Where is he?"
"I don't understand," Vahl lamented. "That spell should have turned him to stone!"
Madisyn gasped. "We didn't kill him, did we?!"
"I don't think so. He'd still be here."
"Unless we vaporized him!"Cwryen Caster shrieked. "Or turned him to grass!"
Tatum yelped and stood on her tip toes. "You mean we may be walking on him?!"
Nichole and Madisyn jumped into a tree in horror.
"Guys, we didn't kill him!" Alyssa assured them, but then turned nervously to the Dark Elf. "Right, Vahl?"
"We shouldn't have," Vahl replied. "The Elements of Pride cannot destroy. They may work in mysterious ways, but they cannot destroy. Whatever they did to Loki, they at least returned everything to normal."
"So what do we do now?" Madisyn asked.
"We must inform Prince Auer about this."
A few hours later in Columbus, the six humans told the prince all that had happened. After hearing this, Auer demanded to speak with Vahl in private.
"We didn't kill him, did we?" she asked once they were alone.
Auer shook his head. "It is not in the Elements' power to do such a deed."
"Prince, what do they do exactly? I mean they banished Harley Quinn to the moon, but then later changed her back to good. Why did they turn Loki into ice?"
"The Elements' job is to restore balance in the land. It is complicated, but basically what they do is turn something into what it is on the inside. The first time they were used on Harleen, she had darkness in her heart and that's what banished her to the moon. The second time, there was something good inside her that wanted to get out and that's what turned her back into my little sister. Loki, however..." He trailed off and looked at said God's picture in the stained glass. "His heart is as cold as ice."
"Does he even have one?" Vahl inquired.
"Every creature has a heart, though some of them refuse to show it."
