Mischief on Midgard

The God of Mischief

Loki knew that he should be questioning how in the Realms the humans had managed to conceal such power on their planet. The Mystics found within Dr. Strange's Sanctuary seemed to be living within their own, miniature parallel world. They may be occupying the same space as the other humans of their world, at least in the sense that the building existed on Earth. But what lay within was its own world-space.

In front of Loki stood a room with several portals. Each one showed, and likely led, to different parts of Midgard. It was the largest portal that caught his eye, however. This one could act as a doorway not just to other locations on Earth but also to different worlds all across the Universe itself.

Asgard was one of the most guarded places in the known Universe, if not the most guarded. That the Humans of all people had a ready-made back door to Asgard stored away in their bloody basement was... was mind-boggling! Loki knew he should be asking questions, but... his eyes were locked on the black, silent portal. His heart was beating heavily in his chest. His thoughts had gone blank.

He felt... numb.

"I'll need you to picture Asgard or at least a familiar place upon Asgard," Strange instructed in a soothing tone. "See it in your mind, make the mental image as detailed as you can manage."

"I know how transportation spells work!" Loki said with a huff, pulling himself back to the now. "If I had my magic, I wouldn't even need a portal to take myself to the other side of your world."

"Ah?" Strange turned to him with a blink. "You mean you can, what, do something like teleportation?"

"Exactly so," Loki said with a firm nod of his head. "All of your magic tricks here are cute, and in some ways useful, but if you want to see true magic, then you should go to Asgard."

"Or you could just show me," Strange said in a dry tone. Loki turned to look at him, green eyes flashing furiously with contained rage, and Strange snapped his fingers as if just remembering something. "Ah, yes. Apologies. I forgot you've been having performance issues these days, correct?"

"You've been hanging out with Tony too much," Loki said with a sneer.

"Actually, I've barely spent any time around him. This is just how I am," Strange said with a smirk. He turned to the portal and nodded his head toward it. "Can you visualize it? Asgard?"

"Can I visualize it?" Loki asked, his tone incredulous. He held out a hand as if presenting an invisible work of art. "Don't be daft! How could I ever forget it? The fields are a vibrant green that stretches on and on until they meet the Great Forest. The trees of the Forest stand nigh as tall as your highest reaching skyscraper! And they are so wide that homes, nay, entire cities could be built amongst their branches. And the Capital City itself? A beautiful work of art made of white stone buildings similar to marble and golden pillars that reach toward the sky. The castle... a massive, gorgeous structure that stretches out toward the sky. Frigga herself often walks through the palace gardens, singing praises to the stars above as the river running through the garden burbles an accompanying beat."

Loki's eyes had fallen shut as he spoke, a faint smile curling his lips upwards. Strange watched the other man's expression as he continued to speak of his home.

"The trees in her garden bloom in the spring, bright pink flowers that bring a vibrancy to the whole place. In summer, the petals fall into the river waters, a slow-moving brook where the animals come to drink. Deer come, even the Stag with Golden Horns, rabbits, foxes... All can drink from... those... waters..."

As Loki opened his eyes, his voice froze stumbled to a halt. The black portal had changed with a swirl of movement. The very gardens that he had been describing could be seen within the portal. The gently burbling river, the trees, the deer milling about... he could see in the distance a glimpse of the golden horns of the Stag. Loki sucked in a harsh breath.