The Many Adventures of the Avengers and Friends

🖤💦 A Soul for a Soul (Part 3)

A/N

You know the drill by now, but this time, this is a solo project chapter!

Neither Multiverse 418 or 419

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"We have to climb that?" Loki asked, pointing to a particular mountain with two prongs at the top.

"Apparently. But hey, at least the view is nice." Olivia said, starting the walk up the pathway.

"Oh, no no no, we are NOT walking up that whole thing. We can just teleport." Loki said.

"Loki, what if it's a test to get the Stone? No one knows how to get the stone, and this could be the way. A test of endurance." Olivia encouraged. Loki sighed, and slowly trudged along behind Olivia. It wasn't an easy climb, but the idea that it would all be worth it kept them both going.

They eventually made it to the top.

"*huff* Okay, now that's out of the way. What's next?" Loki asked, breathing hard.

"Welcome, Loki, son of Laufey and Olivia, daughter of Aemon." A voice said from behind them. Startled, they turned around, weapons drawn,

"Who are you and how do you know who we are?" Olivia asked.

"It is my curse to know all who come to find the Soul Stone. You could consider me... A guide." The figure answered, revealing his gaunt red face. Long ago, Olivia knew, he used to be Hydra's leader, Red Skull.

"Okay, that makes this simpler. We climbed the mountain, that led to no stone. Do we need to answer three riddles or something?" Olivia asked.

"Oh, if only it were that easy." Red Skull said, gesturing them along.

"How do you know this place so well?" Loki asked.

"A lifetime ago, I too, sought the Stones. I even held one in my hand. But it cast me out and banished me here. Guiding others to a treasure I cannot possess." Red Skull explained hollowly. They passed between the two prongs and gazed out over a seemingly never ending view. Looking down, far below, they saw a stone ground perpendicular to the carved side of the mountain. "What you seek lies in front of you, as does what you fear."

"What's this?" Olivia asked uncertainly.

"The Soul holds a special place among the Infinity Stones. You might say it has a certain wisdom about it." Red Skull replied.

"Aren't they all at least a little sentient? I know the Tesseract and Aether were, why not the others?" Loki thought aloud.

"To ensure that whoever possesses it understands it's power, the stone demands a sacrifice. In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. An everlasting exchange. A Soul for a Soul." Red Skull said grimly.

It was dead quiet. Only the sound of the whipping wind could be heard. Sacrifice? Everlasting? Lose that which you love? Olivia now understood why no one spoke of the Soul Stone. Why it was mythically so hard to find, let alone get. It then slowly dawned on her. Or maybe it already had, she just couldn't fathom, let alone accept it.

One of them had to die to get the stone.

Loki and Olivia looked at each other, worry in both of their eyes. Surely there had to be a way around it? They walked over and sat down on a nearby rock, Red Skull simply floating about, watching them carefully.

"Is there any other way?" Loki asked.

"No. If there was, he would have told us. It has to be done." Olivia said, picking at her lip. A brief silence emerged, then, they both took a breath. "If we don't get the stone, billions of people stay dead. We have to. Whatever it takes."