End of Days, 3/3. NC-17
Title: End of Days
Series: #11 in Walking Yggdrasil
Author: Eustacia Vye
Author's e-mail: eustacia_vye28@hotmail.com
Rating: NC-17
Author's Notes: Not mine! Characters you recognize belong to Marvel, and I've incoporated some comic back story and mythology into the movieverse.
Summary: It's the end of the world as they know it, and Loki feels terrible.
chapter 1 on LJ, chapter 2 on LJ | chapter 1 on DW, chapter 2 on DW | On AO3
Three - The End Is The Beginning Is The End
Natasha trained in all of the spells that Loki and Wanda saw fit to teach her. The more abstract spells and magicks were more difficult to cast, likely because of her background in spycraft. She was gifted in languages, computers, hand to hand combat and weaponry. While she could intuit much, those spells were relatively feeble compared to Wanda's. Loki patted her arm gently as if to console her, but Natasha shrugged. "I've had magic for what? A day? I don't expect to be a prodigy at magic. Give me firearms, and that would work for me."
Wanda brightened. "What about magical versions?"
Loki blinked. "Like creating energy blades?"
Clint snickered in the background; the three of them looked up and found him perched on top of a row of bookcases. "I think you found the perfect match. Make some magical throwing knives or arrows..."
"You're the archer," Natasha replied with a smirk. "I'll stick with knives and ballistics."
"Why are you even here?" Loki asked Clint irritably.
"Because the thought of Nat doing magic? More fun than keeping Nathaniel from driving Lila and Cooper crazy," he replied with a grin.
Wanda snorted. "I didn't think you were a coward."
"It's not cowardice, it's pragmatism." He shot her a cocky grin, making her laugh. "And Nat's the same way, you know. So this woo-woo stuff you're trying to do? Not her style."
"So we go with concrete things," Wanda agreed.
"I think I'll stay and watch the show," Clint announced from his perch.
"Can't get down here, can you?" Natasha snarked at him. He shot her the finger in reply, and settled back in to watch them. With his dark clothing, he was rather nondescript. Perfect for a sniper and spy, and Loki wanted to kick himself for not noticing him sooner. Or thinking about Natasha's strengths. She wouldn't be able to attack Those Who Sit Above In Shadow on their terms. She would have to do it on hers.
Natasha's training turned more concrete, focusing on creating energy blasts, shields, whips and lances. Clint apparently texted Steve, Sam and Thor, inviting them to Wanda's training hall. Thor was delighted to try smashing Mjolnir into one of Natasha's energy shields, or try batting aside her whips and lances. "It carries the energies of all the mighty weapons of Asgard," he declared with a grin. "It would be good to request the Warriors Three and Sif to join us in this quest. They would be affected by those foul threads, after all."
"If they're available," Wanda began slowly, thinking aloud, "then that gives us a little more flexibility in the planning. They're going to be like other Asgardians, so they'll want to do a more frontal assault. That leaves Natasha attacking from the shadows."
"And you two?" Natasha asked, eyebrow lofted.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you left out yourself and Loki."
"Oh. Not Asgardian anymore?" Wanda asked, looking at Loki with her head tilted thoughtfully. "I suppose I always thought of you that way."
"I have not in some time," Loki said, syllables ponderous and distant. He didn't even blink when Natasha laid a hand on his arm in gentle support.
"Well. Your runes are going to hurt them a lot. I thought you were going to lead the charge," Wanda said, biting her lip.
"Me. Lead," Loki said, staring at her.
"Thor all but said you should be in charge," she pointed out. Loki looked to Natasha, who merely shrugged at him with a wry smile on her lips. "And if your runes are able to really hurt them, then whatever magic weapons the others can use would have more of an effect."
"But then what about you, little witch?" Loki asked, something in his expression softening. "Your magical combat skills are not up to their level."
Wanda's lips twisted in a parody of a smile. "Someone has to rip apart the fabric of time and space. Apparently, it's what I'm good at."
"Think us mere mortals that can't use magic can do something?" Clint called from his perch in the uncomfortable silence.
"Given that Those Who Sit Above In Shadows have a lot of minions at their beck and call," Wanda said with a faint smile, "I think there will be plenty for the rest of you to do."
Clint grinned at her unease. "See? I knew there was a reason why I came out of retirement. Now, ripping apart the fabric of reality is going to be a messy proposition. Why don't I confer with the others and see where in the world we should go to do this? Fewer bystanders to get hurt that way," he added when Wanda startled. Loki was indifferent to the task and Natasha nodded encouragingly at him.
"There will be certain features we will need to ease the transition," Wanda interrupted.
"Ley lines and whatnot?" Clint asked. Wanda blinked at him in surprise. "Yeah. Us mere mortals can read between the lines of fairy tales pretty well." He twisted his body and arced off of the shelving to land on his feet. "Dunno how you'll find them, but if there's a way to figure it out, then we can compute the location that meets your criteria that has the least amount of risk. No point in saving the world if demons are going to kill everyone in it, right?"
Natasha smirked. "Too bad we can't just use an empty death realm."
Loki looked between the two of them in surprise. "But we can."
Now the three of them gaped at him. "What?"
"There are realms that are all but dead. Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, Muspelheim... Any of the branches of Yggdrasil may be the site for battle, not just Midgard. Those Who Sit Above In Shadows are leaching the life from the Tree and all of its inhabitants. It doesn't matter which realm we are present in to attack them."
When Loki described the realms, Wanda stopped him at the description of Muspelheim. "That one," she said decisively. "My vision had a fire demon in it."
"You think to seek the aid of such remaining creatures?" Loki scoffed. "The land itself would be too hot for any of you."
"Spellwork," Wanda said firmly. "You work on the battle magic, I'll do the behind the scenes work and reality shifting. I can alter your spá enough to render all of you immune to the fires of Muspelheim. But I need to find those demons," she insisted.
The statement didn't leave Loki visibly shaken, but Natasha took his hand and squeezed it tightly just the same. "Then let us prepare, little witch," Loki said softly. "For Death is coming, and we will fill the halls of Valhalla."
***
Even though Wanda couldn't see the thread from Those Who Sit Above In Shadows, Loki still could. He snapped it between his fingers as he had for himself and Thor, managing not to laugh when the mighty Warriors Three fell to their knees. Sif swayed a little and looked ill. Some of the Asgardian Einherjar had been selected to accompany the Warriors Three to fight in Asgard's name, and they didn't fare as well either. Reweaving the spá for everyone in the training facility was easier than Wanda thought it would be.
"Careful, little witch," Loki murmured away from others' hearing. "The ease you do this kind of magic is unnatural, even in our kind. The Norns have plans for you and this ability, and I question the gift they give you."
"You think it's dangerous."
"I know it is. That doesn't mean you shouldn't practice or use it, but practice more caution than normal." Loki grimaced and showed her the scars on his left hand and forearm, the sól and doubled sól, eyes boring into hers. "But every weapon has its cost. The price of wielding the spá so easily might be more than you can bear."
"Perhaps it being so easy is because I could create a child."
Loki gave her a wan smile, something that didn't seem to sit right on his face. It wasn't the blue skin or red eyes, the raised patterns in his flesh. After a moment, Wanda realized what bothered her about his expression.
Jealousy. Not the livid, vengeful kind, but the quiet and hopeless kind. It was as if the Loki he had been before destroying the tie to Those Who Sit Above In Shadows was an entirely different creature from what he was now. Or that he lost some of himself in giving Natasha magic.
Wanda took Loki's hand in both of hers and rubbed the back of it gently. "I have your teachings to guide me, Loki. When I think I'm ready, I'm coming to you for advice."
"Advice from a monster?" he scoffed, the bitterness sounding old and worn thin.
"Advice from a mentor," Wanda corrected softly. "To prevent me from being a monster, from letting the magic take over my mind. That's what you fear, isn't it? That the pull of magic would erase my humanity?"
"It could happen," Loki allowed. He was very still. "Exposure to such things could be enough to damage the essence of you."
Natasha. He was worried about Natasha and what having magic would mean for her, however temporary it would be. She wasn't naturally a practitioner, wasn't usually the kind that could weave spells in and around reality. Would it change who she was?
"We'll have much to talk about when the loom of fate is repaired," Wanda promised. She flashed him a cheeky smile. "Now, are we ready to go break it?"
***
Muspelheim glowed from the fires and lava pits. Fire demons stalked the realm, and eyed the strangers with mistrust. Wanda led the way, buoyed by her vision. Though it wasn't exactly the same, she could feel the pull of magic. Natasha was at her side, carrying a silver athame carved with Asgardian runes, the hilt made of ivory and a large beveled ruby. The knife sat comfortably in her hand, and her eyes scanned the horizon with deadly intent. "I feel something," she said in a low tone. "Like a tugging in my chest."
Natasha was in her usual Black Widow catsuit, but the zipper was pulled down to reveal the star shaped discoloration on her chest that the crhysoberyl had given her. It didn't glow, exactly, but seemed to have an eerie shine to it in the ruddy Muspelheim light.
"I think we're following the same path."
"Was walking Yggdrasil like this for you?" she asked after a moment.
Thinking about it, Wanda finally nodded. "As difficult and easy as following my heart."
She nodded slowly, and didn't turn around to look for Loki behind them. "Apparently, I'm a heart," she said slowly. "Is that why I was given a knife with a ruby?"
Wanda smiled at her. "You know it's a stone for healing, wisdom and strength." Natasha nodded at her. "Well, it's also used in love spells."
Natasha let out an impatient breath. "I don't have time for that kind of thing."
"No, I don't think you do," Wanda replied with an easy smile. "But it connects you to Loki. He gave you that so that you could draw on his magic if you need to. And he can find you anywhere in this realm, as long as you have it with you."
"Well, why didn't he tell me that?"
"Maybe he figured you'd understand it."
"Magic is so not my thing," Natasha grumbled. "Give me a firefight and hacking against a clock any day," she added, making Wanda laugh.
They continued on a few more feet, but then Wanda abruptly stopped. "You feel that?"
"Get down!" Loki screamed behind them.
Fire erupted in a geyser in front of them, the sprays of lava about to splash down over them. As quickly as Natasha could normally pull and fire a pistol, she spread her hands and generated the energy necessary to create an energy shield to prevent the lava from hitting them. While they could survive the heat and fumes, no one wanted to test the theory of surviving lava immersion, and their gear certainly wouldn't survive that.
A creature of fire and lava rose up from the ground, dark slits for eyes staring down at the two women in irritation. It was the same looming shape from Wanda's vision, the creature of fire that had obliterated her sight. As she had in the vision, she stretched her hand upward toward it, a smile on her face. "I greet you, brother," she said in the old tongue of the Rom, words she wasn't sure that it would understand. But this felt right, in the way that Sokovian, Russian, English or German wouldn't have. It felt more like the language of magic, the thing that would best give her a connection to the people of Muspelheim.
The creature took her hand in a delicate gesture, bowing its head slightly. She would have burned to cinders if not for the alterations in her spá, and the fact that she could resist the creature's touch seemed to leave it impressed. Just as in her vision, its mouth pulled back into something like a smile of recognition. "Would you be a sister to me, then?" it replied in the same language Wanda had used.
Not exactly like her vision, but her scrying wasn't perfected yet. She had still seen enough to be prepared for this meeting.
"If you would like," she said, still using the most respectful cadence of Rom. "I had a brother once. He ran faster than the wind, faster than fire."
The creature shifted its size to match theirs, which only seemed to make its heat and light even more intense. "You still grieve."
"Sometimes I do," Wanda admitted.
"What of your companions?" the creature asked, letting go of her hand and looking over the others doubtfully.
"We're working on a quest," Wanda told it, not sure how else to describe the situation. That seemed to make it more interested in them, so she lifted her chin. "Those Who Sit Above In Shadows had marked those with magic on different realms, absorbing their magic and lives. It..." She paused, frowning a bit as she tried to remember the Rom words. "They're eating us," she said finally, spreading her hands in a helpless gesture.
That seemed to make the creature angry. "What? But there are rules for this! Those with thoughts and sentience should be left alone!"
"That's what we hope to tell them."
"Then I will aid you, sister," the creature declared, expanding to its full size once again. "And my brethren will follow you to these foul beings, burn them to cinders and ash."
"Thank you," she said in Rom, bowing respectfully. She turned and saw the anxious and expectant expressions on the others' faces. "Who wants to lead an army of fire demons from Muspelheim?" she asked brightly in English. "They'll help us."
Most of the others looked dumbfounded, but Natasha snickered. "I almost feel sorry for Those Who Sit Above In Shadows. Almost."
***
Wanda cut apart the Web of Fate, following Loki's directions. She couldn't see the actual loom that the Norns used, but she could feel the sense of it. It was like the dreams and walking Yggdrasil, a pull behind her breastbone and a pressure between her ears as if she was trying to find equilibrium between realms. A swift glance at Natasha showed Natasha that she felt it as well, though she had even less understanding of what it meant.
She closed her eyes and lost herself in the feel of the magic, the weaving of the substance of time and space. There was something lurking between the strands, a presence that wasn't malevolent or beneficent. It simply was, waiting patiently in the emptiness.
As her red magic curled around her hands and drifted outward from her body, a rift began to open in front of them, separating time and space. Though they hadn't coordinated their actions ahead of time, Loki lifted his left arm and removed the gauntlet and bracer he usually wore. The scars shone livid on his blue skin, a difference in the pattern of raised flesh. He took a breath, still looking calm despite the fact that he had earlier said he felt vaguely ill on Muspelheim, and then began to sing the galdr to open his scars.
Light poured through as his skin split apart, shining into the darkness between the visible strands of red thread in Wanda's rift. The rift seemed to grow wider and wider, encompassing all of reality around them. It was dark, a vast emptiness with no indication of up, down, sideways or through; all of Muspelheim seemed to fade away as the darkness obliterated everything.
"What is this sorcery?" Thor demanded, lifting Mjolnir.
Natasha held the athame in her grip and looked around. "Where did Wanda go?"
The creature that had talked to Wanda in that strange language said something that no one else was able to understand; it was odd that the Allspeak couldn't translate her words. Perhaps the language was older than Allspeak, the true language of magic.
"It matters not," Sif said sharply, cutting off Thor's reply. "Now demons come for us."
There was a difference in the darkness above them, however "above" could be determined. They were standing on nothing, but could still move through it. Over their heads, the darkness seemed to be even deeper, with the impression of eyes and hungry mouths salivating at the sight of them all standing there.
"Those Who Sit Above In Shadows!" Loki boomed, turning his left arm toward them. The brilliant light spilling out of him seemed to slice through the darkness like a blade.
Inhuman howls resounded through the nothingness, sending the Midgardians sprawling and the Asgardians to their knees. Loki had to step back to regain his balance, and the fiery demons of Muspelheim only seemed to burn brighter in determination. He couldn't afford to look back at Natasha, to see if she was among those sprawled on the nonexistent ground, if she was harmed in any way by the sound. He had to think She has magic repeatedly, and he had been able to bear the burden of the howling blast.
Sif had been correct; Those Who Sit Above In Shadows sent demonic minions through the rift, some with elemental powers. The demons of Muspelheim easily attacked those with water or earth talents. Clouds of steam and bursts of flame arose from each strike, leaving the Asgardians and Avengers cloaked in mist and shadows.
The Einherjar and Avengers moved into the Void, prepared to do battle. The other minions of Those Who Sit Above In Shadows carried edged weapons that looked like scythes and swords made of bone or a type of black metal. The fiery Muspelheim demons easily lit the darkness, allowing the others to move in and strike, smashing the minions or deflecting blows. Steve's shield ricocheted past one cluster of minions to knock over another, and Thor easily knocked over quite a few with his hammer. Vision became intangible or tangible during his combat, using the Mind Stone to create bright bolts of energy to annihilate minions attacking him. Rhodey destroyed a number of them with rockets. Clint had explosive and concussive arrows, which knocked minions into Sam's pistol range or the sword reach of the Einherjar. The Warriors Three and Sif chased down the errant minions, working in concert to keep them from calling for more reinforcements.
Behind Those Who Sit Above In Shadows, Loki saw something that almost looked like the Norns' loom. Edging closer to the contraption, he saw that within it was a tiny red creature; it was Wanda, and she seemed nearly ready to fall out of the loom. He moved closer to it, sensing that the deep shadowy figures of Those Who Sit Above In Shadows were looking to distract themselves with sport. His blinding light kept them at bay, but turning his back to any of them would be a deadly mistake. He couldn't help her, not when his light was the only weapon preventing Those Who Sit Above In Shadows from approaching the loom.
Natasha seemed to sense his dilemma, and threw her athame right between the eyes of one of Those Who Sit Above In Shadows. It snarled and howled, more of the nameless demon minions spilling force between the realms. Ignoring them, Natasha slid between between them and Loki, pulling apart the threads with her bare hands, ignoring the burning of her palms and the pain it generated. "Come on, hurry!" she hissed at Wanda.
Wanda pushed through the loom, heading toward the impossibly large image of Natasha in front of her. The chrysoberyl star on her chest glowed as bright as the North Star, leading her out of the maze of red threads that threatened to cut her to pieces. It was a bright, golden light, giving her hair the look of fire and the sensation that she was lit up from the inside out. Wanda moved through the loom, ignoring the cuts and scrapes as she pushed the threads.
Blood slid from Natasha's palms as she pulled on the threads, sharp as any concertina wire. She grit her teeth and snarled in Russian, the golden glow briefly dimming when her grip slipped and she nearly lost the threads in her hand. But she swallowed down the pain and hissed at Wanda again, seeing her struggle through the maze of threads. "Break them if you have to!" she snapped at her. "You can't get left behind!"
With a frightened scream, Wanda stumbled forward through the hole in the loom that Natasha held open for her. As she tumbled through it, she grew to normal size, her red leather and silk clothes cut to ribbons. Natasha stumbled back from the loom, her hands sliced to the bones and tendons, glow fading. She cradled her hands to her chest, eyes wide and just as frightened as Wanda's when she looked up.
Magic always had a cost. Always.
Loki edged around the loom, not daring to take his eyes off of Those Who Sit Above In Shadows. They were tricky, and clever in ways that they had yet to understand. He didn't trust them not to do further harm, to do something terrible; he couldn't look at Wanda and Natasha, couldn't see what it cost to get Wanda out of the loom. The frightened cries had turned something in his gut to ice, and his chest felt hollow and painful.
The light couldn't falter, he knew that much. He couldn't let it dim as he turned in a circle; it was the one thing keeping Those Who Sit Above In Shadows from attacking them directly, and Loki had the feeling that they would never be able to survive the onslaught.
Thor was trying to approach, hiding in the shadows left behind by the light of Loki's sól. As much as Thor relied on Mjolnir in hand, this wasn't the kind of battle that Thor could beat down to death. He opened his mouth to hiss at him, using Old Asgardian so he wouldn't confuse the other Asgardians.
True to form, Thor ignored his warning and continued on his way.
Anger rose, sharp and nearly blinding. He had loved Thor as a brother, as the dearest of friends, as the bright and shining hope of Asgard. Maybe that love was gone and his monstrous nature would never allow such a thing to bloom again. But Those Who Sit Above In Shadows couldn't get their hold on him, not after all the pains he had taken to break it in the first place.
"You ignorant fool!" Loki shouted. The light from his sól seemed to flare brighter, which should have been a warning to stay away. "Back away! You have to avoid being marked by Them again!"
That seemed to get through to him, because Thor paused and didn't come any closer. He swung his mighty hammer in a circle, knocking aside one of the minions that Loki had inadvertently drawn the attention of.
He grinned at Loki. "Perhaps we are brothers in arms still," he said fondly.
Before Loki could ask what he meant by that, Thor simply threw Mjolnir. His aim was true, as the magic of the hammer always was, breaking the loom.
The unearthly howl from Those Who Sit Above In Shadows was enough to shake the Void that they were all in.
With the ties broken, the light from Loki's sól scars burned even brighter. He shook with the force of it, and saw that the broken pieces of the loom caught on fire.
The fiery creatures of Muspelheim cheered, and headed for the demonic minions that the Asgardians were holding at bay. Without the feedback of Asgardian energy, it was like bringing a match to tinder. Every last one lit up in flames, bringing light to the Void that resembled Muspelheim itself. They hooted and hollered, the living creatures of flame and lava, and they seemed to swim through the darkness toward Those Who Sit Above In Shadows. Cheering along with them, the Asgardians mimicked the swimming motions to start to hack and carve at Those Who Sit Above In Shadows.
The deeper darkness above them all screamed, falling to pieces and burning to ashes.
Unfortunately, that meant that there was no anchor for the Void. The entire dimension began to collapse, tremors shaking their feeble sense of up and down and sideways.
"What are we going to do now?" Natasha asked, broken hands still clutched to her chest. The golden glow within her was gone now, the chrysoberyl star on her chest pale as if it was a regular scar on her skin.
Wanda struggled to her feet. "I control the spá." Her tone brooked no argument, as firm as Laura's to her children. "I got us here, I can return us."
Her bloody hands glowed even redder as her magic curled around her fingers. They looked like the red threads of the shattered loom, and then Wanda began to move her hands around in motions as if weaving.
Between the strands, the ashen plains of Muspelheim were visible. She made her motions larger and grander, widening the portal linking the Void to Muspelheim.
"Go!" Loki shouted at them. "Take them out of here, you great oaf!" he directed at Thor in particular, looking back at Natasha and Wanda.
The light of his sól flickered slightly as he turned back to the ashes of the collapsing Void around them. The Warriors Three assisted Thor, and the Einherjar were helping the Avengers. With no power source to hold the Void open, it would collapse faster than they could escape through Wanda's portal.
"There is no math," he whispered, turning his back to her portal and closing his eyes.
"No, there isn't," he heard Natasha whisper in his mind. She wasn't physically there, but he could feel her approval and pride, could feel the love she could never actually voice.
Golden magic flooded him through the link he had with Natasha. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Instead, the light of the sól grew more intense, as if he was a star, his energy pushing the boundaries of the Void wider and wider.
I did good, he thought, childlike wonder filling him. It was almost joy, almost contentment. For once, I was good enough.
"Yes, you are," Natasha whispered in his mind. "I told you the Norns found you worthy."
Yes, Tsarina, he wanted to laugh. But the sheer power of the sól was overwhelming, a light he never knew he could hold beneath his skin.
Blinded and burning up from the inside out, Loki gave himself over to it.
There was no math. And he had no regrets.
***
Muspelheim seemed uncomfortably bright after the Void, so Wanda started crafting the portal before a formal headcount of survivors was even complete. She knew that Natasha's hands would eventually heal, and the New Avengers facility would have the technological know-how to repair the others in little time. She was too exhausted to think and ponder what they had just done, what the fallout would be. Surely there would be time for that later.
The fiery being merely grinned at Wanda, inclining his head slightly. "I will see you again, little sister. Do not forsake our realm."
"I won't," she replied, smiling gently. She meant it, too, and could almost feel Vision agreeing with her. They could vacation in the realm, perhaps take any future children there to learn Rom and what it was like beyond the edges of earth. Any child of hers would likely be able to walk Yggdrasil, after all.
They would all be forces to be reckoned with, and all ready to defend Yggdrasil and its realms.
The End
Series: #11 in Walking Yggdrasil
Author: Eustacia Vye
Author's e-mail: eustacia_vye28@hotmail.com
Rating: NC-17
Author's Notes: Not mine! Characters you recognize belong to Marvel, and I've incoporated some comic back story and mythology into the movieverse.
Summary: It's the end of the world as they know it, and Loki feels terrible.
chapter 1 on LJ, chapter 2 on LJ | chapter 1 on DW, chapter 2 on DW | On AO3
Three - The End Is The Beginning Is The End
Natasha trained in all of the spells that Loki and Wanda saw fit to teach her. The more abstract spells and magicks were more difficult to cast, likely because of her background in spycraft. She was gifted in languages, computers, hand to hand combat and weaponry. While she could intuit much, those spells were relatively feeble compared to Wanda's. Loki patted her arm gently as if to console her, but Natasha shrugged. "I've had magic for what? A day? I don't expect to be a prodigy at magic. Give me firearms, and that would work for me."
Wanda brightened. "What about magical versions?"
Loki blinked. "Like creating energy blades?"
Clint snickered in the background; the three of them looked up and found him perched on top of a row of bookcases. "I think you found the perfect match. Make some magical throwing knives or arrows..."
"You're the archer," Natasha replied with a smirk. "I'll stick with knives and ballistics."
"Why are you even here?" Loki asked Clint irritably.
"Because the thought of Nat doing magic? More fun than keeping Nathaniel from driving Lila and Cooper crazy," he replied with a grin.
Wanda snorted. "I didn't think you were a coward."
"It's not cowardice, it's pragmatism." He shot her a cocky grin, making her laugh. "And Nat's the same way, you know. So this woo-woo stuff you're trying to do? Not her style."
"So we go with concrete things," Wanda agreed.
"I think I'll stay and watch the show," Clint announced from his perch.
"Can't get down here, can you?" Natasha snarked at him. He shot her the finger in reply, and settled back in to watch them. With his dark clothing, he was rather nondescript. Perfect for a sniper and spy, and Loki wanted to kick himself for not noticing him sooner. Or thinking about Natasha's strengths. She wouldn't be able to attack Those Who Sit Above In Shadow on their terms. She would have to do it on hers.
Natasha's training turned more concrete, focusing on creating energy blasts, shields, whips and lances. Clint apparently texted Steve, Sam and Thor, inviting them to Wanda's training hall. Thor was delighted to try smashing Mjolnir into one of Natasha's energy shields, or try batting aside her whips and lances. "It carries the energies of all the mighty weapons of Asgard," he declared with a grin. "It would be good to request the Warriors Three and Sif to join us in this quest. They would be affected by those foul threads, after all."
"If they're available," Wanda began slowly, thinking aloud, "then that gives us a little more flexibility in the planning. They're going to be like other Asgardians, so they'll want to do a more frontal assault. That leaves Natasha attacking from the shadows."
"And you two?" Natasha asked, eyebrow lofted.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you left out yourself and Loki."
"Oh. Not Asgardian anymore?" Wanda asked, looking at Loki with her head tilted thoughtfully. "I suppose I always thought of you that way."
"I have not in some time," Loki said, syllables ponderous and distant. He didn't even blink when Natasha laid a hand on his arm in gentle support.
"Well. Your runes are going to hurt them a lot. I thought you were going to lead the charge," Wanda said, biting her lip.
"Me. Lead," Loki said, staring at her.
"Thor all but said you should be in charge," she pointed out. Loki looked to Natasha, who merely shrugged at him with a wry smile on her lips. "And if your runes are able to really hurt them, then whatever magic weapons the others can use would have more of an effect."
"But then what about you, little witch?" Loki asked, something in his expression softening. "Your magical combat skills are not up to their level."
Wanda's lips twisted in a parody of a smile. "Someone has to rip apart the fabric of time and space. Apparently, it's what I'm good at."
"Think us mere mortals that can't use magic can do something?" Clint called from his perch in the uncomfortable silence.
"Given that Those Who Sit Above In Shadows have a lot of minions at their beck and call," Wanda said with a faint smile, "I think there will be plenty for the rest of you to do."
Clint grinned at her unease. "See? I knew there was a reason why I came out of retirement. Now, ripping apart the fabric of reality is going to be a messy proposition. Why don't I confer with the others and see where in the world we should go to do this? Fewer bystanders to get hurt that way," he added when Wanda startled. Loki was indifferent to the task and Natasha nodded encouragingly at him.
"There will be certain features we will need to ease the transition," Wanda interrupted.
"Ley lines and whatnot?" Clint asked. Wanda blinked at him in surprise. "Yeah. Us mere mortals can read between the lines of fairy tales pretty well." He twisted his body and arced off of the shelving to land on his feet. "Dunno how you'll find them, but if there's a way to figure it out, then we can compute the location that meets your criteria that has the least amount of risk. No point in saving the world if demons are going to kill everyone in it, right?"
Natasha smirked. "Too bad we can't just use an empty death realm."
Loki looked between the two of them in surprise. "But we can."
Now the three of them gaped at him. "What?"
"There are realms that are all but dead. Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, Muspelheim... Any of the branches of Yggdrasil may be the site for battle, not just Midgard. Those Who Sit Above In Shadows are leaching the life from the Tree and all of its inhabitants. It doesn't matter which realm we are present in to attack them."
When Loki described the realms, Wanda stopped him at the description of Muspelheim. "That one," she said decisively. "My vision had a fire demon in it."
"You think to seek the aid of such remaining creatures?" Loki scoffed. "The land itself would be too hot for any of you."
"Spellwork," Wanda said firmly. "You work on the battle magic, I'll do the behind the scenes work and reality shifting. I can alter your spá enough to render all of you immune to the fires of Muspelheim. But I need to find those demons," she insisted.
The statement didn't leave Loki visibly shaken, but Natasha took his hand and squeezed it tightly just the same. "Then let us prepare, little witch," Loki said softly. "For Death is coming, and we will fill the halls of Valhalla."
***
Even though Wanda couldn't see the thread from Those Who Sit Above In Shadows, Loki still could. He snapped it between his fingers as he had for himself and Thor, managing not to laugh when the mighty Warriors Three fell to their knees. Sif swayed a little and looked ill. Some of the Asgardian Einherjar had been selected to accompany the Warriors Three to fight in Asgard's name, and they didn't fare as well either. Reweaving the spá for everyone in the training facility was easier than Wanda thought it would be.
"Careful, little witch," Loki murmured away from others' hearing. "The ease you do this kind of magic is unnatural, even in our kind. The Norns have plans for you and this ability, and I question the gift they give you."
"You think it's dangerous."
"I know it is. That doesn't mean you shouldn't practice or use it, but practice more caution than normal." Loki grimaced and showed her the scars on his left hand and forearm, the sól and doubled sól, eyes boring into hers. "But every weapon has its cost. The price of wielding the spá so easily might be more than you can bear."
"Perhaps it being so easy is because I could create a child."
Loki gave her a wan smile, something that didn't seem to sit right on his face. It wasn't the blue skin or red eyes, the raised patterns in his flesh. After a moment, Wanda realized what bothered her about his expression.
Jealousy. Not the livid, vengeful kind, but the quiet and hopeless kind. It was as if the Loki he had been before destroying the tie to Those Who Sit Above In Shadows was an entirely different creature from what he was now. Or that he lost some of himself in giving Natasha magic.
Wanda took Loki's hand in both of hers and rubbed the back of it gently. "I have your teachings to guide me, Loki. When I think I'm ready, I'm coming to you for advice."
"Advice from a monster?" he scoffed, the bitterness sounding old and worn thin.
"Advice from a mentor," Wanda corrected softly. "To prevent me from being a monster, from letting the magic take over my mind. That's what you fear, isn't it? That the pull of magic would erase my humanity?"
"It could happen," Loki allowed. He was very still. "Exposure to such things could be enough to damage the essence of you."
Natasha. He was worried about Natasha and what having magic would mean for her, however temporary it would be. She wasn't naturally a practitioner, wasn't usually the kind that could weave spells in and around reality. Would it change who she was?
"We'll have much to talk about when the loom of fate is repaired," Wanda promised. She flashed him a cheeky smile. "Now, are we ready to go break it?"
***
Muspelheim glowed from the fires and lava pits. Fire demons stalked the realm, and eyed the strangers with mistrust. Wanda led the way, buoyed by her vision. Though it wasn't exactly the same, she could feel the pull of magic. Natasha was at her side, carrying a silver athame carved with Asgardian runes, the hilt made of ivory and a large beveled ruby. The knife sat comfortably in her hand, and her eyes scanned the horizon with deadly intent. "I feel something," she said in a low tone. "Like a tugging in my chest."
Natasha was in her usual Black Widow catsuit, but the zipper was pulled down to reveal the star shaped discoloration on her chest that the crhysoberyl had given her. It didn't glow, exactly, but seemed to have an eerie shine to it in the ruddy Muspelheim light.
"I think we're following the same path."
"Was walking Yggdrasil like this for you?" she asked after a moment.
Thinking about it, Wanda finally nodded. "As difficult and easy as following my heart."
She nodded slowly, and didn't turn around to look for Loki behind them. "Apparently, I'm a heart," she said slowly. "Is that why I was given a knife with a ruby?"
Wanda smiled at her. "You know it's a stone for healing, wisdom and strength." Natasha nodded at her. "Well, it's also used in love spells."
Natasha let out an impatient breath. "I don't have time for that kind of thing."
"No, I don't think you do," Wanda replied with an easy smile. "But it connects you to Loki. He gave you that so that you could draw on his magic if you need to. And he can find you anywhere in this realm, as long as you have it with you."
"Well, why didn't he tell me that?"
"Maybe he figured you'd understand it."
"Magic is so not my thing," Natasha grumbled. "Give me a firefight and hacking against a clock any day," she added, making Wanda laugh.
They continued on a few more feet, but then Wanda abruptly stopped. "You feel that?"
"Get down!" Loki screamed behind them.
Fire erupted in a geyser in front of them, the sprays of lava about to splash down over them. As quickly as Natasha could normally pull and fire a pistol, she spread her hands and generated the energy necessary to create an energy shield to prevent the lava from hitting them. While they could survive the heat and fumes, no one wanted to test the theory of surviving lava immersion, and their gear certainly wouldn't survive that.
A creature of fire and lava rose up from the ground, dark slits for eyes staring down at the two women in irritation. It was the same looming shape from Wanda's vision, the creature of fire that had obliterated her sight. As she had in the vision, she stretched her hand upward toward it, a smile on her face. "I greet you, brother," she said in the old tongue of the Rom, words she wasn't sure that it would understand. But this felt right, in the way that Sokovian, Russian, English or German wouldn't have. It felt more like the language of magic, the thing that would best give her a connection to the people of Muspelheim.
The creature took her hand in a delicate gesture, bowing its head slightly. She would have burned to cinders if not for the alterations in her spá, and the fact that she could resist the creature's touch seemed to leave it impressed. Just as in her vision, its mouth pulled back into something like a smile of recognition. "Would you be a sister to me, then?" it replied in the same language Wanda had used.
Not exactly like her vision, but her scrying wasn't perfected yet. She had still seen enough to be prepared for this meeting.
"If you would like," she said, still using the most respectful cadence of Rom. "I had a brother once. He ran faster than the wind, faster than fire."
The creature shifted its size to match theirs, which only seemed to make its heat and light even more intense. "You still grieve."
"Sometimes I do," Wanda admitted.
"What of your companions?" the creature asked, letting go of her hand and looking over the others doubtfully.
"We're working on a quest," Wanda told it, not sure how else to describe the situation. That seemed to make it more interested in them, so she lifted her chin. "Those Who Sit Above In Shadows had marked those with magic on different realms, absorbing their magic and lives. It..." She paused, frowning a bit as she tried to remember the Rom words. "They're eating us," she said finally, spreading her hands in a helpless gesture.
That seemed to make the creature angry. "What? But there are rules for this! Those with thoughts and sentience should be left alone!"
"That's what we hope to tell them."
"Then I will aid you, sister," the creature declared, expanding to its full size once again. "And my brethren will follow you to these foul beings, burn them to cinders and ash."
"Thank you," she said in Rom, bowing respectfully. She turned and saw the anxious and expectant expressions on the others' faces. "Who wants to lead an army of fire demons from Muspelheim?" she asked brightly in English. "They'll help us."
Most of the others looked dumbfounded, but Natasha snickered. "I almost feel sorry for Those Who Sit Above In Shadows. Almost."
***
Wanda cut apart the Web of Fate, following Loki's directions. She couldn't see the actual loom that the Norns used, but she could feel the sense of it. It was like the dreams and walking Yggdrasil, a pull behind her breastbone and a pressure between her ears as if she was trying to find equilibrium between realms. A swift glance at Natasha showed Natasha that she felt it as well, though she had even less understanding of what it meant.
She closed her eyes and lost herself in the feel of the magic, the weaving of the substance of time and space. There was something lurking between the strands, a presence that wasn't malevolent or beneficent. It simply was, waiting patiently in the emptiness.
As her red magic curled around her hands and drifted outward from her body, a rift began to open in front of them, separating time and space. Though they hadn't coordinated their actions ahead of time, Loki lifted his left arm and removed the gauntlet and bracer he usually wore. The scars shone livid on his blue skin, a difference in the pattern of raised flesh. He took a breath, still looking calm despite the fact that he had earlier said he felt vaguely ill on Muspelheim, and then began to sing the galdr to open his scars.
Light poured through as his skin split apart, shining into the darkness between the visible strands of red thread in Wanda's rift. The rift seemed to grow wider and wider, encompassing all of reality around them. It was dark, a vast emptiness with no indication of up, down, sideways or through; all of Muspelheim seemed to fade away as the darkness obliterated everything.
"What is this sorcery?" Thor demanded, lifting Mjolnir.
Natasha held the athame in her grip and looked around. "Where did Wanda go?"
The creature that had talked to Wanda in that strange language said something that no one else was able to understand; it was odd that the Allspeak couldn't translate her words. Perhaps the language was older than Allspeak, the true language of magic.
"It matters not," Sif said sharply, cutting off Thor's reply. "Now demons come for us."
There was a difference in the darkness above them, however "above" could be determined. They were standing on nothing, but could still move through it. Over their heads, the darkness seemed to be even deeper, with the impression of eyes and hungry mouths salivating at the sight of them all standing there.
"Those Who Sit Above In Shadows!" Loki boomed, turning his left arm toward them. The brilliant light spilling out of him seemed to slice through the darkness like a blade.
Inhuman howls resounded through the nothingness, sending the Midgardians sprawling and the Asgardians to their knees. Loki had to step back to regain his balance, and the fiery demons of Muspelheim only seemed to burn brighter in determination. He couldn't afford to look back at Natasha, to see if she was among those sprawled on the nonexistent ground, if she was harmed in any way by the sound. He had to think She has magic repeatedly, and he had been able to bear the burden of the howling blast.
Sif had been correct; Those Who Sit Above In Shadows sent demonic minions through the rift, some with elemental powers. The demons of Muspelheim easily attacked those with water or earth talents. Clouds of steam and bursts of flame arose from each strike, leaving the Asgardians and Avengers cloaked in mist and shadows.
The Einherjar and Avengers moved into the Void, prepared to do battle. The other minions of Those Who Sit Above In Shadows carried edged weapons that looked like scythes and swords made of bone or a type of black metal. The fiery Muspelheim demons easily lit the darkness, allowing the others to move in and strike, smashing the minions or deflecting blows. Steve's shield ricocheted past one cluster of minions to knock over another, and Thor easily knocked over quite a few with his hammer. Vision became intangible or tangible during his combat, using the Mind Stone to create bright bolts of energy to annihilate minions attacking him. Rhodey destroyed a number of them with rockets. Clint had explosive and concussive arrows, which knocked minions into Sam's pistol range or the sword reach of the Einherjar. The Warriors Three and Sif chased down the errant minions, working in concert to keep them from calling for more reinforcements.
Behind Those Who Sit Above In Shadows, Loki saw something that almost looked like the Norns' loom. Edging closer to the contraption, he saw that within it was a tiny red creature; it was Wanda, and she seemed nearly ready to fall out of the loom. He moved closer to it, sensing that the deep shadowy figures of Those Who Sit Above In Shadows were looking to distract themselves with sport. His blinding light kept them at bay, but turning his back to any of them would be a deadly mistake. He couldn't help her, not when his light was the only weapon preventing Those Who Sit Above In Shadows from approaching the loom.
Natasha seemed to sense his dilemma, and threw her athame right between the eyes of one of Those Who Sit Above In Shadows. It snarled and howled, more of the nameless demon minions spilling force between the realms. Ignoring them, Natasha slid between between them and Loki, pulling apart the threads with her bare hands, ignoring the burning of her palms and the pain it generated. "Come on, hurry!" she hissed at Wanda.
Wanda pushed through the loom, heading toward the impossibly large image of Natasha in front of her. The chrysoberyl star on her chest glowed as bright as the North Star, leading her out of the maze of red threads that threatened to cut her to pieces. It was a bright, golden light, giving her hair the look of fire and the sensation that she was lit up from the inside out. Wanda moved through the loom, ignoring the cuts and scrapes as she pushed the threads.
Blood slid from Natasha's palms as she pulled on the threads, sharp as any concertina wire. She grit her teeth and snarled in Russian, the golden glow briefly dimming when her grip slipped and she nearly lost the threads in her hand. But she swallowed down the pain and hissed at Wanda again, seeing her struggle through the maze of threads. "Break them if you have to!" she snapped at her. "You can't get left behind!"
With a frightened scream, Wanda stumbled forward through the hole in the loom that Natasha held open for her. As she tumbled through it, she grew to normal size, her red leather and silk clothes cut to ribbons. Natasha stumbled back from the loom, her hands sliced to the bones and tendons, glow fading. She cradled her hands to her chest, eyes wide and just as frightened as Wanda's when she looked up.
Magic always had a cost. Always.
Loki edged around the loom, not daring to take his eyes off of Those Who Sit Above In Shadows. They were tricky, and clever in ways that they had yet to understand. He didn't trust them not to do further harm, to do something terrible; he couldn't look at Wanda and Natasha, couldn't see what it cost to get Wanda out of the loom. The frightened cries had turned something in his gut to ice, and his chest felt hollow and painful.
The light couldn't falter, he knew that much. He couldn't let it dim as he turned in a circle; it was the one thing keeping Those Who Sit Above In Shadows from attacking them directly, and Loki had the feeling that they would never be able to survive the onslaught.
Thor was trying to approach, hiding in the shadows left behind by the light of Loki's sól. As much as Thor relied on Mjolnir in hand, this wasn't the kind of battle that Thor could beat down to death. He opened his mouth to hiss at him, using Old Asgardian so he wouldn't confuse the other Asgardians.
True to form, Thor ignored his warning and continued on his way.
Anger rose, sharp and nearly blinding. He had loved Thor as a brother, as the dearest of friends, as the bright and shining hope of Asgard. Maybe that love was gone and his monstrous nature would never allow such a thing to bloom again. But Those Who Sit Above In Shadows couldn't get their hold on him, not after all the pains he had taken to break it in the first place.
"You ignorant fool!" Loki shouted. The light from his sól seemed to flare brighter, which should have been a warning to stay away. "Back away! You have to avoid being marked by Them again!"
That seemed to get through to him, because Thor paused and didn't come any closer. He swung his mighty hammer in a circle, knocking aside one of the minions that Loki had inadvertently drawn the attention of.
He grinned at Loki. "Perhaps we are brothers in arms still," he said fondly.
Before Loki could ask what he meant by that, Thor simply threw Mjolnir. His aim was true, as the magic of the hammer always was, breaking the loom.
The unearthly howl from Those Who Sit Above In Shadows was enough to shake the Void that they were all in.
With the ties broken, the light from Loki's sól scars burned even brighter. He shook with the force of it, and saw that the broken pieces of the loom caught on fire.
The fiery creatures of Muspelheim cheered, and headed for the demonic minions that the Asgardians were holding at bay. Without the feedback of Asgardian energy, it was like bringing a match to tinder. Every last one lit up in flames, bringing light to the Void that resembled Muspelheim itself. They hooted and hollered, the living creatures of flame and lava, and they seemed to swim through the darkness toward Those Who Sit Above In Shadows. Cheering along with them, the Asgardians mimicked the swimming motions to start to hack and carve at Those Who Sit Above In Shadows.
The deeper darkness above them all screamed, falling to pieces and burning to ashes.
Unfortunately, that meant that there was no anchor for the Void. The entire dimension began to collapse, tremors shaking their feeble sense of up and down and sideways.
"What are we going to do now?" Natasha asked, broken hands still clutched to her chest. The golden glow within her was gone now, the chrysoberyl star on her chest pale as if it was a regular scar on her skin.
Wanda struggled to her feet. "I control the spá." Her tone brooked no argument, as firm as Laura's to her children. "I got us here, I can return us."
Her bloody hands glowed even redder as her magic curled around her fingers. They looked like the red threads of the shattered loom, and then Wanda began to move her hands around in motions as if weaving.
Between the strands, the ashen plains of Muspelheim were visible. She made her motions larger and grander, widening the portal linking the Void to Muspelheim.
"Go!" Loki shouted at them. "Take them out of here, you great oaf!" he directed at Thor in particular, looking back at Natasha and Wanda.
The light of his sól flickered slightly as he turned back to the ashes of the collapsing Void around them. The Warriors Three assisted Thor, and the Einherjar were helping the Avengers. With no power source to hold the Void open, it would collapse faster than they could escape through Wanda's portal.
"There is no math," he whispered, turning his back to her portal and closing his eyes.
"No, there isn't," he heard Natasha whisper in his mind. She wasn't physically there, but he could feel her approval and pride, could feel the love she could never actually voice.
Golden magic flooded him through the link he had with Natasha. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Instead, the light of the sól grew more intense, as if he was a star, his energy pushing the boundaries of the Void wider and wider.
I did good, he thought, childlike wonder filling him. It was almost joy, almost contentment. For once, I was good enough.
"Yes, you are," Natasha whispered in his mind. "I told you the Norns found you worthy."
Yes, Tsarina, he wanted to laugh. But the sheer power of the sól was overwhelming, a light he never knew he could hold beneath his skin.
Blinded and burning up from the inside out, Loki gave himself over to it.
There was no math. And he had no regrets.
***
Muspelheim seemed uncomfortably bright after the Void, so Wanda started crafting the portal before a formal headcount of survivors was even complete. She knew that Natasha's hands would eventually heal, and the New Avengers facility would have the technological know-how to repair the others in little time. She was too exhausted to think and ponder what they had just done, what the fallout would be. Surely there would be time for that later.
The fiery being merely grinned at Wanda, inclining his head slightly. "I will see you again, little sister. Do not forsake our realm."
"I won't," she replied, smiling gently. She meant it, too, and could almost feel Vision agreeing with her. They could vacation in the realm, perhaps take any future children there to learn Rom and what it was like beyond the edges of earth. Any child of hers would likely be able to walk Yggdrasil, after all.
They would all be forces to be reckoned with, and all ready to defend Yggdrasil and its realms.
The End