JOTUNHEIM: VICTOR
When Loki placed his hand on Victor, they dissolved into the folds of the realms as Loki and Victor emerged through a fiery portal that Loki must have set up beforehand. Victor saw the portal dissipate as he and Loki appeared in a large comfortably decorated room with large paneled windows overlooking a dimly lit tundra under a sea of grey clouds and surrounded by jagged grey mountains.
Loki spread his arms: "Welcome to my humble abode in the Jotunheim mountains Victor. Your family home if you will."
Victor looked around: "What do you want from me?"
Loki spread his arms: "You by my side for Ragnarok."
Victor's eyes narrowed: "You're not the sentimental sort of father. You don't want your son, you want what's in him."
Loki's clothes shifted and the robes and satin cape turned into a blood red suit as he playfully smiled: "Right again. Your powers are considerable for a 17 year old. More so because you are my son. But such a fire has to be altered slightly to that end. As you no doubt know, your powers come from your heart and directed by your mind, and if your heart or mind is not aligned with your goal, you will never reach your potential and I really do hope you come through to me."
With that Loki flicked his wrist and a chair flew out and he firmly spoke to Victor: "Sit."
Victor felt his legs buckle as he fell onto the seat, paralysed onto the chair. Loki soothingly said as Victor struggled to make a sound: "It's alright Victor. Just relax. Just ruminate as I illuminate" And he touched the side of Victor's head and all went black."
When Victor opened his eyes he stood on a plateau in Helheim, on it stood Maximilian.
Victor rushed to him: "Max?"
Maximilian turned around and Victor felt his heart freeze in horror for a split second. Where Maximilian's eyes should have been, were two hollow eye sockets, Victor gasped as he noticed the sickly emaciated yellow parchment-like skin that stretched over Maximilian: "Victor." He said.
Victor moves closer and places a hand on Maximilian's frigid forearm: "What happened to you?"
Maximilian laughed with mirth: "I followed a son of Loki and he let me down."
Victor shocked, responded: "What are talking about?"
Maximilian's voice came out raspier: "You know damn well what. Don't lie to me. You've done that enough, you're no hero."
Victor was on the verge of snapping: "I don't know what you're talking about."
Maximilian sighed, and the location shifted. In front of them was a throne and they were surrounded by tens and hundreds of gold and gem studded men and women. Sitting on the golden throne was a large wispy bearded man with a spear of gold and an eyepatch. Victor recognised the Allfather himself as he felt his knees buckle and bend as he involuntarily kneeled at the foot of the throne. Odin's voice boomed: "You stand accused of having the blood of Maximilian Odinson and Skylar Skadisdottir on your hands. You stand accused of abetting Loki. You stand accused of freeing Loki and harbinging Ragnarok."
Victor felt his blood rise: "And where were you gods when Loki was stirring up trouble?"
Odin boomed: "Silence!" and Victor felt himself unable to open his mouth.
Odin continued: "You are a traitor to the throne of Asgard, the people of the Nine Realms, and to your compatriots. How do you plead Victor Lokison?"
Victor tried to speak but nothing came out, his mouth wouldn't even open. He felt a terror like nothing before creep over him. Without his speech what was he? Some boy, indistinct from the crowd, just to be forgotten. Odin slammed Gungnir on the ground: "Guilty!" He roared.
Odin stood up: "Victor Lokison you are hereby sentenced to death for your transgressions against the Nine Realms."
Odin turned to Maximilian and handed him Gram: "Kill the villainous son of Loki."
Maximilian held Gram up to his face, revitalised in the golden light, Victor felt the spell on his mouth wear off, he pleaded: "Maximilian, please. Don't do this."
Maximilian didn't say anything, he readied his sword. This was worse than not being able to speak, the notion that he couldn't even talk his way out of this. Victor watched in horror as the person which looked like his loved one approach with his sword. He covered himself with his hands: "You too? Maximilian."
Maximilian spoke to him at last: "I don't mourn for monsters like you."
The scenery slipped into black as Maximilian plunged his sword into Victor's stomach, Victor felt the cold metal bite into his flesh, Victor gasped in pain as he was still impaled on his sword. Maximilian seized Victor by the scruff of his shirt: "No one will mourn you, not after you got your friends killed."
Maximilian pushed Victor off the end of his sword and Victor fell onto his back, breathing heavily, a gaping wound in his stomach, as he watched the phantom Maximilian dissipate back into smoke. Victor felt the pain rack him as his wound burned as he lay there bleeding and dying on the cold rocklike surface of the now empty black void surrounding. Victor squeezed his eyes shut, coughing up metallic tasting blood up into his mouth. He felt the blood seep under his back and blood flow back down his throat, in the darkness, alone.
Perhaps that Maximilian was right, he didn't deserve friends in his final moments Maximilian was dead because of him.
As his vision slowly darkened he could hear Loki's voice swimming back into clarity as he awoke from his dreamlike trance. Loki was gently shaking him: "Victor, wake up."
In a matter of moments, Loki had sat Victor back down on the couch: "You know Victor, I was giving you a vision to experience and illuminate your deepest fear. I had nothing to do with what you did to yourself, but that... that wasn't what I expected."
Victor scoffed: "Stop pretending like you care. I got my own friends killed. I am to blame, but I don't need you to tell me that."
Loki placed a hand on his son's shoulder: "We can channel that. Make yourself proud, achieve your true potential."
Victor didn't trust Loki and frankly he'd be a fool if he did. Maybe he'd be surprised, but what did he have now? No friends, just family. What did he have to lose?
Victor closed his eyes and prayed he wasn't making a huge mistake: "I accept."
