Loving someone is hard, to keep them safe is even harder (Loki and Male!Reader)

Part 15 - Dexter never lies

Picture belongs to rightful owner !

No ones POV...

Loki stalked through the halls and soon found the exit and way to the gardens. It was dark already, dinner will be in 2 hours...He was outside and took a deep breath. The air was chilling and a good bit cold. Loki liked such nights. He continued his search for Dexter. Soon he found him, smoking.

'What is this ? What does he do ?'

Loki had no idea what Dexter did. He had read midgardian books and books about Midgard. He was searching in his head.

'Is that...smoking ? He smokes ?'

Dexter puffed out another cloud of smoke.

"I know that you are here, Loki. I could hear your footsteps in the grass."

Loki flinched and stepped out.

"I believe you have many questions...Ask away. We have time."

"Okay...What was in that room ? And what did you do to Rat ?"

Dexter sighed, puffing another cloud out.

"That room we went inside, is the torment room. Horrible stuff happens in there. That room is just for traitors, like the punishment. If just someone broke a rule, he gets a very normal punishment. I just beated Rat up, broke him a few bones and let my helpers rip off Rat's mask. He started to bleed, just what I wanted."

"Why did he start to bleed ? It is just a mask..."

Dexter chuckled.

"If you don't take the mask off of yourself, or someone does it for you, carefully...it can leave damage. The mask is not just a mask. It is a magical object, Loki. When I had mine on, it looked like a helmet, but as I took it off...it looked like a simple ordinary wooden mask. Didn't you realise ?"

Loki shook his head in awe.

"The mask is working its magic as soon as the owner wears it. It hides everything. Your real voice, looks, hair...just everything. As soon as you wear the mask you have two options too. Either you dress up yourself or you let the magic of the mask, you wear, magic it around you, suiting you in them already. No one of us is normal. We all forgot what normal is and feels like."

Dexter pulled at the cigarette. Loki put his head to his right side in confusion.

"What do you mean ?"

Dexter puffed out the cloud of smoke.

"All those people in there, Loki...They were once normal. Simple, weak and innocent children, taken away from their families, kidnapped from the streets or even buyed from an orphanage. They all got taken to the same place and I got them out, but way too late to safe them from this curse. From being unnormal."

"I am afraid that I can not follow...where were they ? What had happened ?"

"HYDRA happened, Loki."

Loki's eyes widened. There was the word again ! Dexter pulled again at the cigarette and then puffed out the smoke.

"HYDRA took them all. They buyed the kids. Threatened families. Gave birth to some and put them in there themselves, just for fun. Killed families. Kidnapped children, who were walking home from school or something. They never let their long abnormal nose out of other's business. They never cared about anyone. Only 'Hail HYDRA'. They even kidnapped adults with unnatural superpowers, took their blood for tests and then splashed it inside the children's bloodline. Some of them couldn't handle them and then just died. Either with just a non beating heart or they exploded, because of too much power. HYDRA splashed more than just one power inside them, it was multiple. The children who survived it had to kill other children who also had powers, it was like a fight between young Asgardian and young Jotun, forced to kill the other and not allowed to stop, until one killed the other. It was madness."