Dagger through the multiverse

Chapter 4

Loki's POV

The massive black, marble gate towered above me. From this moment on, I had no plan. I didn't even know who was in the castle. Breaking in was a terrible plan, these guys were psychics, so it wouldn't really matter what I did. I decided to knock. A good old-fashioned knock never hurts, does it?

Before my fist even touched the gate, it flew open, and I was greeted by a Kang. At least that's what I supposed. The man was better looking, taller and stronger than the Kang we had previously encountered. He also looked way more unfriendly. Great. "Hi, um, I am Loki of Asgard, and I have come here to--" Before I could even finish my sentence, the man yanked me inside. "Well, nice to meet you, too", I said, as I laid down on the cold marble floor. Just for the drama, I looked up fast, which lead to my iconic hairflip. I charged an energy blast at him, but before it could even hit him, he disappeared in thin air. Out of nowhere, I could feel an unexpected, hard pressure at my cheekbone. I tried to take the beating, but I could feel myself grow light-headed and lose balance. Everything went blank.

Sylvie's POV

Drained. That's exactly how I felt. I had been trying for two days now to get out of here, with and without using magic. With magic, it didn't work because, somehow, this cellar neutralized my powers. Without magic, it certainly didn't work, because there wasn't a single light in this bloody room, it was incredibly big and I hadn't eaten or drunk in five days. Never have I felt this powerless.

I sat down in my corner, where I spend most of my time nowadays, since it could easily be recognized in the dark. I was exceptionally tired, feeling how the weariness dominated any energy I had left in my body. The reason for that, might be that I have been avoiding sleep and rest for the past days, because I knew my actions would haunt me in my sleep. That didn't only involve killing the man who ruled this castle, but also pushing away the one person I ever felt safe with. I didn't want to be reminded of it.

My eyes closed, unwillingly. My lips were dry like deserts, my head felt like it was about to explode. I felt horrible and curled up into a ball, just because it eased the pain a bit. My mind started dwelling in the past, looking back at my life, as if this was its ending. I saw a girl, dedicating her life to a purpose that turned out to be a bad one, which she only realized when she looked back at it as a woman. I saw loneliness and barely any happy memories. Those rare memories were with a man, who I had pushed away because I am incapable of trusting someone. My life was sad, worthless if you think about it. I missed the scarce happy memories with him. I should've enjoyed it more while it lasted, I should've told him how I felt.
While realizing those things, I became less and less conscious of my thoughts, as they flew over in dreams.

It was the clank of an iron gate slamming shut, followed by a soft thud, that woke me up again. It felt like I hadn't slept, but in reality, I might have been out for quite a while. Not knowing what just happened, I got to up my feet. My head was spinning, and I felt dizzy, but it didn't stop me from going in the direction where the sound of a thud had come from. It might be food or something to drink, at least that's what I hoped. I was groping, hoping to touch a wall.

Suddenly, I tripped over an object, causing me to fall forward. "Bastard", I cursed, as I tried to get up again. My hands searched for the object, and felt something soft, smooth underneath them. Skin. I trailed the surface with my hands, and felt a face underneath, with closed eyes. They could be hostile, I thought, so I decided to tie them up. Luckily, when I was trying to escape the past few days, I found some interesting stuff, like rope, and gathered close to my corner. I dragged the body a couple of feet away from the corner and tied their hands and feet together.

He groaned. Definitely a man. It was a manly growl. I heard him trying to untie the rope. "Tied up, how unoriginal." It did not take me long to recognize that voice. "Loki?" There was a brief silence, which was broken by his laugh. "Looks like you've made quite the mess, doesn't it Sylvie?" I sighed. "Shut up, I could put rope in your mouth as well. You're clearly not in charge here." "I see", he answered. He was trying to use magic to untie his hands, I could tell. "Don't even try, our magic is worthless in here." The movements stopped, followed by an uncomfortable silence. I bet we both had many questions. "How did you even get back here", I asked him first. His body shifted against the wall and he sighed: "Well, when you pushed me through the Time Door, everything was different. Mobius didn't even recognize me anymore, and he pruned me. Once I got in The Void, I got bored and decided to make a trip to the castle." "Hm sure", I answered. "Still don't trust me, do you?" Those words came from literally the same man who had said that he can't be trusted and I can't trust. "You can't expect me to let a man I knew for three days, get in the way of a plan I had been working on my whole life. Not that you would ever understand that", I answered coldly. "I do get that", he said on a soft, sincere tone. I was surprised by the honesty in his voice. He understands it. I smiled, ignoring my throat that was screaming for water and my stomach that was begging for food.

"Isn't there any light in here", he asked. "No", I answered. "Can't be, there's always a light. I'll look for it, but then you have to untie me first." "Nope", I answered while popping the p. "You just like having me tied up, don't you", he answered, probably smiling like a child. I sighed" "All right, kinky freak, go search your light switch", I stood up and untied his hands. He started walking around, and I silently returned to my corner, still feeling horrible.

Minutes later, a sudden brightness hurt my eyes. "Honestly, you were in here for two days and didn't find a light switch. I'm surprised you made it as far as you did." I couldn't react. My mind was still processing the light. The headache became unbearable and as quickly as the brightness had come, it also faded again. I felt my body collapse.