Cyborg (Loki fanfic) - on hiatus

Sanctuary *part 10* (Chapter 17)

Herfna only sighed, then muttered; "children, so impatient." She walked to the end of the room, to a large bookcase that Loki hadn't noticed before. She scanned the covers of the books, then pulled out a large tome from the shelves. The cover was brown or was supposed to be since it was torn and ripped in various places. Pages stuck out as if it was crammed into the cupboard at the wrong angle, and the page got ripped and twisted multiple times. Loki resisted the urge to grimace, he would never let his books get this fusty.

The sorceress clutched the side of the book and flipped to a random page, well more like pull the pages harshly until they opened to a random page. From what he could see on the page, from the angle he was standing. There was something on the page about blood, enemies, and locking was all he could glance at and how fast the All-Speak translated the text, (I feel like that sentence made no sense, but long story short, Loki those were the words that Loki was able to see, depending on the angle where he could see the book, and how fast the All-Speak could translate words.)

Before Herfna slammed the book shut, startling Loki slightly. The sorceress got up and paced to the other side of the room, which had a large table, which was almost entirely covered in bottles of strange brews. She mumbled something under her breath imperceptibly, before picking a rather large green, glass bottle at the back, the bottle was almost barren, save for a purple-ish liquid sloshing inside. She swiftly grabbed a set of stainless steel measuring spoons from the table and picked out the largest amongst them and poured the liquid into the spoon. "Just enough for 1 teenage Asgardian, or Jotun in your case."

Loki blanched, "How do you know that?" He demanded the Asgardian, who was mixing an odd sort of plants in a bowl; "You don't know how the cuffs work, do you?"Herfna questioned, Loki raised an eyebrow in confusion, before replying hesitantly; "no." Herfna sighed; "The cuffs refrain you from using your Seidr, yes?" Loki nodded, "But they do keep any illusion you had before they were placed. So to everyone, you look like you're around 1070 (21-ish *according to google*)" Loki spoke up;

"So to everyone here, I look like I'm 1070?!" Herfna nodded, Loki continued; "So why can you see through my illusion?" Herfna countered; "I'm a witch, child. Don't assume that I don't understand basic conjuring. Also, stalling will get you nowhere, we are about to begin." Herfna stopped mixing the herbs and placed them in a small vase-shaped bottle. She carefully picked up the measuring spoon, and poured the contents into the bottle, with the herbs. Herfna stirred the concoction precariously, before draining it into a final, slightly cleaner-looking jar.

She strolled over to Loki, who was still standing in the circle and gave him the potion. "Drink it." The sorceress ordered, Loki paled, before retorted; "I'm sorry, what?! You want me to drink this?" Herfna sighed, before countering; "Fine, well drink it, your highness, or else." Loki knew better than to ask *or else what* like a child begging for a toy. Might as well make it quick, he thought as he brought the cup to his lips.

He quickly drank the liquid, a raw burning sensation going down his throat as he did, he coughed as the potion burned further, and then it stopped. His throat still ached slightly, but otherwise, he felt fine. At some point, he'd fallen on the floor, he quickly got to his feet and looked around for Herfna, never turn your back on the enemy an echo of a lesson thought to him by Odin recured in his memory.

His thoughts suddenly went to his adoptive father, did he mourn his death? Did he even care about the Jotun monster he brought into his home, the Jotun monster he raised? Did he even care about him at all? As anything more than a war prize to be brought home at the end of the war? He forced himself out of his thoughts and to examine the room. He finally spotted Herfna standing a few paces behind him, staring at him with a wild glint in her eye. Herfna spoke up, her voice loud in the quiet room;

"Maw, would you please be so kind, as to join us?" (Yes, because Maw's a magic thing, so he has to be involved in magic torture too) The revolting Chitauri (Because yes, that is exactly what he is) stepped out of the shadow, like a creature from a horror movie sneaking up on its prey. (BecAuSe I LoVe SiMiLieS). Maw spoke up; "Are you ready to begin, Asgardian?" Herfna nodded, Maw lifted his hand and Loki's limbs slapped to his sides, Maw lifted him in the air, and let him hover.

"Let's commence?" Maw asked as he turned to the sorceress, who replied; "Yes, let's start." Herfna gathered 2 balls of light in her palms, she held them there for a second before they seemingly faded into her hands. She brought her hands to Loki, who was still paralyzed, she tapped him on the chest, right above his sternum. Wait, was something supposed to happen? Loki thought, confused. As if thinking could summon whatever would have happened, he felt something spreading in his chest, a tingling feeling. It spread to his arms and legs when it reached his head, he felt as though he'd been dazed as if waking up from a long slumber.

He heard Maw say something to Hefna, but their voices sounded distant as if he was submerged in water. Suddenly, cold numbness spread across his entire body, like a sheet of bitter ice, voices made their way to his ears but in bits and pieces. "Do you-" "Ready?" "Do it." A voice said, but that was the only warning he got before a sharp stab of pain erupted in his chest. He felt the pain, but it wasn't physical, it was magical. As if someone was taking his Siedr and pulled and grasping the very source, he felt whatever it was that was pulling at his Seidr give one final tug, and then it was gone.

It was as if he had lost a 6th sense, a limb if you might. He felt a dark void of nothing where his magic was supposed to be, at the edge of his consciousness, he felt his Illusion fall away, giving way to his probably awful-looking 16-year-old self. He could almost imagine himself, covered in dirt and blood, bruised and beaten. He heard Maw say something, he might have imagined it, but he heard it nonetheless;

"Well, look what we have here."

Sorry to end it on this note, I said I would upload today, and I did... really late (at least here it is, it's like 8 *yes it's early, but late-ish*) I got this chapter done in 2 days, hope you humans like it, have a great day, afternoon, night, whatever time you're in rn, - just-a-random-tissue

(1941 words)