Tabula Rasa (Unlike Loki: Book Two)

Chapter 82

(Loki)

I didn't even get to see the light leave his beautiful little eyes. 

Because the bright orange tendrils of light of the stone were what left it instead. 

The guards threw me to my knees, but I was paralyzed. I was in the middle of hating the universe and everthing in it. I had lost Anna. I had lost Leolin. 

Who did I have left? 

Would they simply be taken from me too?

I screamed a scream I hadn't screamed since the day I found out that my mother had been murdered. 

A blur of blue burst past me, heading straight towards Thanos and the orange light. 

From that point, everything seemed to move in slow motion. 

By rushed towards the light, running as fast as he possibly could. The orange essensce was heading back towards Anna, back to its home, to the place where it felt safe. 

Thanos was charging By, trying to catch up, but By was closer. 

By reached out his hand, jumping into the air, and just by touching the tiniest speck of orange light, made it change direction. 

Suddenly, the light was no longer heading for Anna, but flowing straight into By. And, as if he were a sponge, the light soaked right into his chest and could be seen in his eyes.

Light pulsed from By's body, spreading out in waves. Every time a wave hit, it sent me off of my feet and burnt my skin. No one could stay on their feet. Thanos struggled against every wave sent his way, murder in his eyes. 

In the distance, I heard Amora scream. She was yelling something, and when I turned to look at her, she was yelling By as she held on to the throne. 

I couldn't understand her, but she kept yelling. 

I glanced back at By and he suddenly began moving in Anna's direction. 

And then Amora's words suddenly made it through the wind and into my ears. "THE SPELL!" 

The spell? What spell?

Oh. 

I whipped my head back towards By; he was almost to Anna now and Thanos wasn't far behind. 

The guards had long lost their grip of me, so I took the moment to rush to By's aid. When he began moving, the pulsing light had stopped, making it easier to get to him. 

By skidded to a stop next to Anna and laid himself on top of her, his mouth to her ear. 

As I got closer, I heard him chanting to her. I stopped next to them and got on the other side of Anna. By had his hand on her unmoving chest and was reciting the spell Amora had given us; the one we thought would be used to extract the stone. 

Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. 

Thanos was close now. 

So very close. 

So close that I could feel the power of his steps as he landed on the stone. He had a sword out, ready to chop us all in half. 

By continued to recite the spell, he was almost done. His back was to Thanos, and I screamed for him to move, because the monster was upon us. 

I tried to save him. 

But failed. 

As soon as Thanos's sword went through By's back and through his heart, Anna sat up, gasping for air.