The second the jet's bay door opened, I raced out onto the roof and towards Wolf and Thor. I rammed into Wolf, knocking him a little off-kilter as I wrapped my arms around his middle.
"Wolf! Are you okay? What happened? Were you crying?" I ask in a rush, noting his slightly-red eyes. Before he can even comprehend any of my questions, I release my death-grip on him and turn to face Thor, my fists clenched and eyes narrowed.
"I'm not going to let you hurt him," I state resolutely, feeling my flame sizzle and crack inside of me with anticipation. The rest of the Avengers exit the plane, alert and ready to fight at a moments notice, but don't come near us.
"And I have no intention to do so," Thor replies calmly.
"How can you say that after you flew off with him through a window without a word to anyone else?!" I snap back. My fingertips are smoking slightly and it's taking all I have not to go Girl on Fire mode.
I feel a warm hand settle on my shoulder. I look up and meet Wolf's eyes, which usually seem so bright and warm, but all I can see is a kind of resigned sadness.
"Lila, it's okay. He's not going to hurt anyone."
"But Wolf-"
Wolf slipped his arms around my waist and buried his face in the crook of my neck as he pulled me towards his chest, my back hitting his solid chest.
"Please," he whispered, his warm breath on my neck making a shiver run up my spine,"just trust me."
I slipped out of his embrace and a look of hurt flashed across his face. I smiled and grabbed his hand in mine, twining my fingers together with his larger, calloused ones.
"I trust you," I said resolutely, my eyes locked with his. He smiled a bright, dazzling smile.
"Then trust me when I say Thor isn't going to cause any problems," he said. He seemed to stutter over Thor's name, like it wasn't familiar to him.
I hear Wolf whisper, barely audible, "Uncle Thor."
Wolf probably didn't think anyone heard him, but I know I heard him call Thor his uncle. I wanted to question him so badly, but this wasn't the place nor time. For now, we just needed to figure out why Thor was back so early.
Wolf and I headed over to the thunder god himself, who was surrounded by the Avengers. They were all speaking in low tones and didn't seem to notice our incoming arrival.
"Thor, what did you want with the kid? You're hiding something from us," Steve said.
"I promise my friends, I will answer all of your questions as soon as we get back to the tower," Thor replied. Natasha coughed and everyone seemed to realize that we were right behind them.
Steve gave me a reassuring smile that didn't reassure me at all.
"Well everybody, let's head back to Stark Tower and get this all sorted out."
-oOo-
We were all seated in the living room, everyone on the super plush furniture that was really of no comfort right now. Everyone was on the edge of their seat, all eyes pointed at Thor. I was in between Clint and Natasha on one of the dark leather couches. Steve, Tony and Bruce occupied the other couch while Thor and Wolf each took one of the two recliners. Pepper was sitting on the arm of the couch next to Tony, her hand in his and a worried expression that hadn't left her face since we arrived back at the Tower. Thor was sitting with his elbows resting on his knees, his hands folded under his chin and his face serious.
"When I was in Asgard, I asked my father for counsel regarding Thanos and the Infinity Gems. Thanos possesses the Soul, Mind and Reality Gems. My father has the last three- Time, Space, and Power- as well as the Infinity Gauntlet. If Thanos gets his hands on the Gauntlet and all six Gems, the universe could be in a dire situation."
"We know all of this already," Natasha says, her voice cutting through the tense atmosphere. "How do we stop him?"
Thor sighs and rubs at his eyes.
"The Infinity Gems and the Gauntlet cannot simply be put together and suddenly work. They must be forged together with a combination of the hottest of flames and magic. The only way one can achieve this is to use Fire Elemental magic. But, Fire Elemental magic is also the only thing that can destroy the Gems and the Gauntlet."
Thor is quiet for a moment before he stands up and walks over to me. He crouches in front of me, his eyes piercing into mine.
"My Lady, I need to see something. Do you mind? It is very important." Thor asks quietly. I nod my head nervously and Thor rests his hands on my shoulders, closing his eyes. Wolf shifts in his seat, his gaze locked onto Thor's hands.
Thor mutters something under his breath, and I let out a huge gasp as I feel my flame explode inside of me. My arms grow hot, and I look down in wonderment.
My forearms are lit, but not like usual. Instead of being encased in fire, it looks more like how lava does when it's flowing down a volcano. It covers from my elbows to my wrists in a delicate pattern, looking like a tribal tattoo of flames.
The design stays for a moment or two longer before it slowly fades as I feel my flame retreating back to normal. I still keep looking at my arms, even after the markings are long gone.
"What just...happened?" I whisper quietly. Thor stands from his crouched position and goes back to his seat.
"What just happened?" I ask more urgently, panic lacing my voice. Thor says nothing, simply examining me like some experiment.
"What just happened?!" I'm bordering on hysteria now, and I feel Clint lay a hand on my knee, trying to reassure me. Thor meets my eyes, bright blue meeting soft green.
"Let me start from the beginning. Elemental mages are different from others. Other mages must learn how to harness the magic around them and use it to their advantage. Most choose one type of magic and spend years honing their abilities until they become masters of that type of sorcery. But, unlike other mages, Elemental Mages are born with magic inside of them. They don't have to waste time learning how to harness the power they need for spells because they are born with that power inside of them.
"Elemental magic is the oldest type there is. Just as everything derives from earth, water, fire or air, all magic derives from Elemental magic. It is the most powerful magic in the world.
"As such, Elemental mages were extremely rare. Even if two Elementals had a child, it did not guarantee that the child would be one as well. As such, Elementals were precious and cherished. Most were sent to live in a special school at a young age where they were taught everything they needed to know. Once they reached fifteen, they left the school and joined the guild that was their element. They either went to the Fire Citadel , the Sky Palace, the Water Monastery or the Earth Cathedral. There they trained until perfection and became the best of the best. They were the mages heralded as heroes.
"Three thousand years ago, there was a mage named Alec Grimm who planned a revolt with other mages against the Elementals. They were all gathered for the Summer Solstice festival when they were attacked. No one was spared. Women, children, the elderly. They were all...slaughtered. The guilds were razed to the ground. By the time the King was able to capture Grimm and his subordinates, there wasn't a single Elemental mage left. And there hasn't been once since. It was like the Norns decided that they could no longer trust us with that kind of power."
"Why are you telling us all of this?" I ask, my voice coming out a lot stronger than I felt at the moment.
"You can't possibly mean..." Wolf whispers, his eyes wide.
Thor gives a solemn nod. "The markings that appeared on Lady Lila's arms are the markings of a mage. All Elementals are born with them. Lady Lila has been gifted with Fire class Elemental magic. She is the last of her kind, and only she can defeat Thanos."
The room falls silent. I can feel everyone looking at me, trying to gauge my reaction. My fists are clenched and my eyes are downcast, bright red locks blocking my face from the other's view. The minutes tick by as everyone watches me with baited breath.
"Thanos...he's hurt a lot of people, right?" I ask. Thor gives me a nod.
"He hurt innocent people. He hurt Wolf. He's going to hurt my family." My fists tighten to the point where my nails cut into my palms. The blood drips down my wrists, staining the pristine white carpet with crimson droplets.
"Thanos wants to use me to hurt more people. He wants to use me to bring suffering to the worlds." I suddenly stand up, my eyes smoldering like hot coals as I focus my gaze on Thor. The Asgardian warrior meets my gaze, urging me to continue.
"I refuse to be used as a weapon. I'll do whatever it takes to stop him. Whatever it takes to show this guy that lives can't just be taken without retribution!"
"Do you mean that my Lady?" Thor asks, standing to face me. "What I am about to suggest to you will push you to the brink of your existence. It will challenge your body, mind and soul. You will not escape unscathed, and you will not be the same girl you were when you left."
"Just tell me what I need to do," I reply.
Thor gives the smallest of smiles, impressed by my chutzpah.
"You will be taken to Asgard, where you will be trained to become a master Fire Elemental. We have until the second month of your fifteenth year before Thanos attacks Asgard to steal the Gauntlet and remaining Gems. If you are not properly prepared at that time, he will force you to forge the Gauntlet and destroy all of the Nine Realms, including Midgard," Thor explains.
The second month of my fifteenth year. I have a month before my fifteenth birthday, so that leaves me three months to train. Three months in a universe I've never seen, learning how to fight with something that I have never been able to fully control, separated from the family I'd only recently become a part of.
I look at all of the faces around me, but my eyes are drawn to Pepper and Tony. Out of everyone, they're the ones I've grown closest to. The ones who were there to pick me up when I fell and piece me back together when I shattered. The ones who gave me the affection and love I so desperately craved. The mom and dad I'd been wanting for the past ten years.
Pepper is gripping Tony's hand, her knuckles white with how tight her hold is. She looks close to tears, but gives me an encouraging and breathtaking smile. Tony gives me his trademark wink and smirk combo, even though I can see his hand is holding Pepper's just as tightly as she is holding his.
"You can do this," they seem to be saying. "We'll worry about you, but we believe that you can do this."
I smile at them, trying to put all of my gratitude and love for them in one smile.
"I'll go to Asgard," I say. "I'll train to become a mage. I'll do whatever it takes to make this Thanos guy regret he ever tried play God."
-oOo-
I look at the clock on my bedside, the numbers 1:06 glowing in my face. I've been tossing and turning for hours, but my mind refuses to shut down. All of the doubts and insecurities I had been hiding earlier have been circulating in my brain non-stop, making my question my decision.
'No,' I tell myself. 'You made the right choice, no matter what. Billions of lives are depending on you.'
Knowing there was no way I was going to be able to sleep, I slip out of my bed and head towards the elevator. Hopefully I can put on a movie in the living room and fall asleep with the TV on.
I rub my bare arms, still uncomfortable with showing them. After the whole break down I had in the gym, I was trying to become more comfortable with my body. I was wearing a black tank top and a pair of gray sleep-shorts. It certainly felt better to no longer be drowning in sweat, but I was still a little self-conscious.
The elevator finally stops and I exit. I'm about to turn the corner and walk into the living room when I hear voices coming from the kitchen.
'That's weird. Who else is up at one in the morning?'
I peek around the corner and see all of the Avengers and Pepper gathered in the kitchen.
"You never told us why you took Wolf, Thor," Steve says. "What exactly aren't you telling us about that kid?"
Thor is sitting on a stool at the bar, an untouched poptart sitting on a plate in front of him. It must be pretty serious if Thor wasn't eating poptarts.
"What I am about to tell you my friends is something that must not leave this room. I also hope that this doesn't change your perspective of the boy. The one you call Wolf is not who he says he is. He is actually-"
Before I can hear the rest of what Thor was about to say, someone wraps a hand around my mouth and an arm around my waist and drags me away from the kitchen. I struggle to fight, but they're much stronger than I am physically. They bring me out onto the balcony before finally letting me go. I whip around to face my assailant and meet Wolf instead, his hands in the air in a sign of surrender.
"Jesus Christ Wolf!" I whisper-yell, not sure how far away we are from the kitchen and how thin the glass separating us from the rest of the Tower is. "You about gave me a heart-attack!"
"I'm sorry," he apologizes. "But I wanted to be the one to tell you, not let you hear it from Thor."
"Tell me what?" I ask cautiously. Wolf lets out a huge breath and closes his eyes tight. After a moment he opens them and meets mine.
"My name isn't Wolf. I am Fenrir, son of Loki, prince of Asgard."
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I DID IT!!! I FINISHED THIS CHAPTER! I AM THE MAN!
No, but seriously guys, I struggled with this chapter so much. It took me three days to write. THREE. DAYS.
So now we know why exactly Thanos wants Lila, huh? I have to say, I'm still iffy on if it makes sense, the whole Elemental magic thing. If you're unsure of anything, message me and I'll try to clear it up for you.
Next chapter, we have Wolf telling Lila his story. So for those of you who wanted more of Asgard!Wolf, do not fret! We'll be diving much deeper into his back-story next chapter. Next chapter shall sadly also be the last. But don't freak out! Because there is at least one more book in the Lila Sutton Chronicles! I haven't set a date for when Book 2 is coming out yet, but I really want to plan it out more than I did Book 1. It shoudn't be too long though.
I also want to thank everyone who commented last chapter. You guys never stop, and it really was a huge motivator to know that ya'll were waiting for this.
Hope you guys loved this chapter, and don't forget to comment, vote, and follow! See ya!
- Your exhausted Author