Timeless

◈ 15 ◈

Thor and I left before Eir got the chance to make sure that the Aether's effect on me wouldn't kill me too quickly in the foreseeable future. I had a feeling that I had things under control.

Jane stayed behind with the healers after insisting that she wasn't ready to go back to Midgard. Thor begrudgingly agreed, though he wasn't sure what it meant for the future of their relationship.

The two of us were almost out of the palace when I stopped in my tracks, having almost forgotten something very important.

"I'll meet you at the Bifrost. I need to get something first."

He looked hesitant about leaving me, but I assured him that having an infinity stone in my body shouldn't affect my performance too much.

"Just go, Thor. I will make it back in the same condition that I am in now, if not better. You have my word."

He sighed.

"Alright. Be careful, brother."

"I will."

Thor turned around and headed in the opposite direction as I made my way through the throne room and into the chambers beyond it. I threw open a large set of doors leading down to a dark and somewhat formidable-looking staircase.

I ran down to the weapon's vault as quick as I could, taking the steps two at a time. The Tesseract was sitting atop one of the many pedestals in the small chamber. I approached it slowly and gasped in shock when I heard a voice coming from behind me.

"Who are you and what are you doing down here?"

I whipped around to see two guards. Just my luck. I closed my eyes and sighed, raising one hand into the air and snapping my fingers together.

A heavy black fog filled the chamber, enveloping all three of us in darkness. When it faded away, I was standing in the same exact spot shrouded in an illusion of Odin. The guards hadn't moved either, having been frozen in place and had the last few seconds of their memory completely wiped.

"May I ask what brings you here, Your Majesty?"

I turned my attention to the guard that had spoken.

"If you must know, I am temporarily relocating the Tesseract due to the recent attacks near the palace. We wouldn't want any unwelcome visitors getting their hands on an infinity stone, would we?"

The guard shook his head.

"No, sir. We wouldn't want that. But where will you be moving it to?"

"That is none of your concern."

He took a polite step back to get out of my way as I grabbed the Tesseract and left the vault. I sighed, wishing that the interaction would have gone a bit smoother.

When I caught up with Thor, he was still taking his time walking across the rainbow bridge.

"Could you possibly go any slower?" I asked, rolling my eyes as I passed him.

"I was waiting for you. What were you doing?"

"Getting the Tesseract."

Thor sighed.

"Loki...."

"We're still destroying those stones. Don't think that just because one happens to be using my body as a host means that I'll ignore what we set out to do in the first place."

We entered the Bifrost and were immediately recognized by the gatekeeper.

"The Odinsons. I've been expecting you."

His golden eyes seemed to stare into my soul as he called me by my royal name. I glared right back at him, narrowing my eyes and standing my ground. Heimdall was the only person that knew how to make me flinch, but I was determined not to give him the satisfaction.

"We need your help," Thor told him, stepping closer to where the watcher stood.

"Always so many favors, yet very few of them seem to be worth the risk. Let me offer you a word of advice, and perhaps it will change your mind."

I never dropped my steady glare as he spoke.

"Go on." I prodded.

"The path that you continue down contains perhaps the biggest risk yet. There are only two possible outcomes, and one of them results in the termination of your mission. Is this a risk you are prepared to take?"

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, searching his eyes for any betrayal of his true emotions. He kept a cool, calm stare as his gaze shifted between Thor and me.

"I've come too far to back out now," I said finally.

Heimdall nodded.

"Alright. You have made your decision. Let us hope that the fate you have sealed ends in your favor."

We stepped onto the platform that led out into the galaxy in front of us as Heimdall twisted his sword. In a blinding flash of color and a familiar feeling of nausea sweeping over me, we were sent flying off into the sky.