Sigyn's Discovery (Part 1)

Into The Unknown (LOKI)

Mother's voice faded back into the ether, replaced with a burbling waterfall.

Where am I?

Bright light burned my eyes too much to open them right away, so I sat up to turn around first. I hissed the whole time and didn't get far. All my muscles were sore and stiff, but a few intense injuries complained above the rest: my left shoulder, my ankles, and the top half of my face.

I tried to say hello and see if I was alone, but my throat was raw and barely anything escaped. Only the waterfall answered.

With a deep breath, I finally tried to look around. Couldn't focus on anything at first, so I found something dark on my body and stared while my eyes adjusted.

Black fabric—tied around my left arm and over my neck. A sling to keep it still. What is this?

The more I looked down, the more fabric I saw. It was also tied around my feet like makeshift shoes. There were open wounds on my ankles, at least a hand-width up my legs. Not actively bleeding, but not yet healing either.

I startled when I looked to my right. A sheer cliff. Another to my left and straight ahead. Standing water surrounded me. The ceiling, which only covered half the area of the floor, dripped with more water. To stay safe, I scooted my back against the wall, groaning at the rough stone against my raw skin.

From my new perspective, I searched all around until my memory returned, bit by bit. The location was familiar—Asgard's mountains, not another realm. The porous bluffs surrounded an everlasting drop into nothing. I recalled being bound to the stone and the serpent advancing on my position.

Wow... I looked straight up again. It was right there. What happened?

My heart shot to the top of my throat. Sigyn was here. I tried to stand and failed, falling on my injured left arm. While facing the floor, I peered into an isolated pool of water at my side.

A person didn't look back at me. He was a monster. My face was nearly worn through to the muscle and even my eyes had little covering, which explained why the light was so bothersome. I scooped the water in my hand and took a few sips, letting it nourish me instead of scare me. A little more strength and I could hide the hideous venom burns.

Since I couldn't stand, I crawled with my good arm against the wall, as far from the edge as possible. But it was just this pocket, wasn't it? I shook my head to rid myself of inner thought, refusing to believe the most likely scenario: that Sigyn already fell to her doom.

Around the corner on the far side, a few stones jutted from the rock face. Like stairsteps, they led to another opening, close enough I was sure I could reach it alone.

If she survived, that's where she'd go. I took another scoop of water and splashed it on my face, careful not to tear its delicate surface. None of the snake's slime remained, apparently washed off before I awoke. The sling and the shoes were tied in a familiar knot. It hadn't been long since she was at my side. I had to have faith in her abilities.

She didn't need to be rescued after all. I did.

Slowly, I leveraged myself against the wall, standing and bending my knees for a few minutes before attempting the one-armed climb. At least my stronger side was uninhibited. While the cave where I woke was far from comfortable, I was still afraid to leave it, and even more concerned that I wouldn't find what I was searching for. The first step was the most nerve-wracking as I had no idea if it would hold my weight, but I quickly moved through the next two and climbed into the small hole.

I couldn't identify much until my eyes adjusted yet again. The cavity was deeper than expected. I crawled with careful steps, investigating everything before me with my sweeping right hand. A small vine crept up the side of the wall and into the rock itself—a common berry, but it had been picked clean, adding worry that I might come face to face with another creature.

My hand found something soft. I was careful not to touch too much, though I knew it well. For all my misfortune, now luck was on my side.

Sigyn was sleeping against the wall, using my cape as a blanket. She had a small pile of berries at her side from the vine—edible, though they were bitter. I took a few before trying to wake her, hoping they would give me enough strength to get us out of here.

Knowing she was alright was better than the victory of war and the pleasure of being king. It was something to hope for. She hoped for me, too.

"It is time to wake," I said, nudging her softly, still not able to speak much.

She moaned, shifting before opening her eyes and jumping when she did. Like me, it took a moment for her eyes to recognize anything in the dark, but she sprang up when she realized who I was.

"You're awake," she said, lightly touching my right shoulder only. "I didn't intend to be gone long. But this place was deeper and more secure, so—"

"After everything you've done, you've earned your rest." I smiled, though that pained my skin, so I relaxed again. "Thank you. Truly."

She nodded, shuddering slightly and wrapping the cape tighter around herself.

I hummed, taking another one of her berries. "I'm afraid this will not suffice for long."

She didn't answer. Her fear spoke enough.

"Do you know why this is a special place? This deep into the mountain?"

"Is there a reason other than why they brought you here?"

"Oh yes." I crawled further into the chasm, hoping my luck hadn't yet run out. "There's a convergence of worlds here—a place for those who can navigate the energies given off by other realms."

"And that's the canyon? A portal somewhere?"

"Not exactly, though they can be created if one knows how." As I suspected, the deeper we went, the wider it became until it was enough to stand. I rose to my feet and held my hand for her, having to lean on her frame in my weakness.

She carried me forward even though we couldn't see, much like she'd trusted me all the times before when I led her to trouble. Her loyalty truly never ceased. "Where do we go now, Loki? Where can we go?"

"Let me show you." I grasped her hand as tightly as I could and walked forward into a growing halo of light. It shined in every color we could fathom, spinning until completely white and charged. Apart, we were hopeless, misguided traitors. Together, we were ready to take on another realm.

Perhaps we were even ready to admit that more than loyalty kept us together.

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Thank you so much for reading this first installment in the rewrite of The Saga of Sigyn and Loki! Please stay tuned in the coming days for the first sequel, Loki's Epiphany! :)