Darkness.
That was the first thing I saw when I awoke in a void as pitch black as an endless night. The bitter cold pierced through my body, forcing me to hug myself in a futile attempt to stave it off.
"Damn it. Where am I?"
I cast my gaze around, but all I could see was an unending expanse of darkness. I struggled to my feet and began walking forward, my mind adrift, unsure of what awaited me.
Every step felt heavier than the last, as though I were trudging through deep, sticky black mud.
Am I dead?
The thought echoed in my head. Memories of my last moments surfaced. I remembered the sight of Thor striking me down with his Mjolnir. That was the last thing I recalled before being swallowed by this silent, empty, and lifeless world.
There was no sound. No light. No warmth. Only an infinite void of solitude and desolation stretched out before me.
"Yataaaa, can you hear me?" I called out, my voice cutting through the stillness. "Answer me, little bird. Don't you hear me?"
I shouted his name over and over again, but no answer came.
"Am I really dead?" My tail drooped, and my ears flattened against my head. I clutched at my chest as a sudden, aching pain seized me. "This feeling... it's been so long since I've felt this way."
Loneliness. That was what it was. A bitter emotion I thought I had left behind, banished by the warmth of freedom and the bonds of friendship.
"Sister."
A soft voice called out to me from behind. A voice so familiar, one I hadn't heard in what felt like an eternity.
I spun around, my breath catching as I saw a girl in a black dress matching her long, raven hair, standing not far from me.
I stared at her intently. "You..." My voice cracked as tears began to stream down my cheeks.
Though her form was shrouded in thick, dark mist, her scent untraceable, and her face a blur, I knew. I knew exactly who the girl smiling faintly at me was.
"Hela... is it really you, little sister?" I whispered, my voice trembling.
An overwhelming longing surged through me, propelling me forward. My hand reached out toward her, desperate to bridge the distance between us. But before I could draw any closer, Hela raised her hand, palm outward.
I froze in place. "Hela... why?" I asked, my voice filled with sorrow and confusion. A flood of questions swirled in my mind.
"Sister, it's not your time yet," Hela said softly, her tone gentle yet firm. "You can't come with me, Fenrir."
"But why? I've missed you so much." My shoulders slumped, frustration and yearning weighing on me. "Do you not—"
"Don't misunderstand me, Sister." Her faint smile remained as the dark mist continued to obscure her features. "Your path isn't here." She slowly extended her index finger, pointing past me. "It's over there."
I turned to follow her gesture.
A single point of dazzling light pierced through the oppressive darkness surrounding me. Its radiance reached my skin, offering a fleeting warmth amidst the void.
When I turned back, Hela was gone. No trace of her remained, as though she had never been there at all.
"Hela..." I murmured softly.
"Don't be sad, Sister." Her voice echoed faintly in the void. "You still have something you must do, don't you?"
My thoughts drifted back to the battlefield I had left behind. Flashes of the ongoing war flooded my mind. I saw Yata fighting tooth and claw against the Valkyries, Loki holding his ground against Thor, and the soldiers clashing swords with the winged warriors.
Hela's words were brief, yet they cut deeply. They reminded me of the comrades I had abandoned in their fight for survival.
I clenched my fists tightly, my nails digging into my palms. "I understand," I muttered, my voice barely audible even to myself.
Resolving to carry on, I fixed my gaze on the brilliant light before me. With newfound determination, I stepped forward, unburdened by the weight that had shackled me before. A fiery resolve ignited within me.
"I... won't lose."
I pressed on, never looking back, moving steadily toward the blinding light cutting through the infinite darkness around me.
"Wait for me, Yata. I'll save you... I swear it."
My voice faded as my form dissolved into the light, my silhouette consumed by the radiance illuminating the void.
*****
[PoV Thor]
This battle has gone on too long. My breath is heavy, even though my body has been rejuvenated by Idunn's apples. We continue to trade blows. No—more accurately, I am the one who constantly has to fend off Loki's magic, while the man just keeps evading my attacks.
"This is getting annoying. He keeps avoiding with his teleportation," I mutter under my breath, barely audible.
Sret.
Loki tears another page from his strange book. Every time he does, I have to face a new attack, with a unique pattern or devastating power. His magic is truly like a maze that is winding, complex and unpredictable.
Each time I think he has run out of tricks, he surprises me again with new strategies and magic that are hard to predict.
"This time, I really wonder what you'll summon by tearing that page," I say, trying to sound confident.
A thin smile spreads across his face. "Just wait and see what comes next."
This time, he slowly rips another page. Magic circles appear from the ground, the air, and even from the shadows around us. Dozens, maybe even hundreds, each glowing with different colors.
I know, each of those circles isn't just for show. There are magical explosions from all sorts of elements on every side. Fireballs, ice spears, poison-filled windstorms, or whatever else.
I squint, assessing all the possible directions of attack. "You're getting desperate, Loki," I taunt, though deep down I know I need to act fast if I don't want to be destroyed. "A big attack like this is just a sign that you're starting to fear losing."
He grins cynically, the arrogance clearly etched on his face. "Fear losing to you? A drunken god who relies on his muscles? We'll see who's laughing in the end. Me, or you?"
His words sting a bit, and I twirl Mjolnir in one hand. Lightning begins to crackle, creating a small storm around me.
I direct the lightning toward the magic circles, destroying them one by one with precise strikes. A bolt of lightning shoots out, shattering several magic circles.
Then, within seconds, the magic circles are gone, turned to ash before they could even be activated.
"Enough playing around. You can't hold me off forever!" I yell. I charge toward him at full speed, Mjolnir blazing in my hand.
Loki tries to protect himself with a shield, but I know it won't be strong enough to hold up against my escalating attacks.
I break through his magical barrier easily, slamming my hammer into his chest. I hear a satisfying crack as bones break before his body is flung backward, tumbling several times before crashing into a large rock with a resounding thud that rings in my ears.
I breathe a sigh of relief. "Ah, finally…"
I approach him lightly. Loki slowly gets up, his gaze still sharp, though his body is clearly unsteady. His left hand grips his side, and blood drips from the corner of his mouth.
"Ugh…"
"It's over," I say in a deep, intimidating voice. "I've won."
Loki just smiles, a wide, knowing grin that makes me uneasy. "You're wrong," he murmurs, his voice calm, almost casual. "I've won," he adds confidently, as if he's certain of it.
I furrow my brow. "What do you mean?"
He points toward me with a trembling finger, his grin widening. "You've forgotten about the girl."
His words freeze me for a moment. My eyes widen. Fenrir.
I quickly spin around, but I'm too late. A massive shadow creeps, swallowing the reflection of myself in the moonlight.
Golden eyes gleam in the darkness, paired with fangs that seem capable of tearing through anything. When I fully turn around, a giant wolf stands there, its gaze sharp and filled with hatred.
This wolf is no mere wild creature. It is another form of Fenrir, a beast that cannot be compared to ordinary humans or even gods. She is one of the greatest threats ever predicted by my father, and I've just allowed her to slip through my attention.
She stares at me as if I'm nothing but prey, ready to be devoured. Her breath is heavy, mingling with blood and fury. The purple mane covering her body makes her look terrifying, especially in the moonlight.
I curse myself for letting that girl live when I had the chance to kill her.
"I'll recover. This stage is entirely yours now," Loki says, sweeping his hand through the air before disappearing again with his teleportation magic, leaving me alone with the wolf of destruction before me.
Fenrir growls softly, but it's enough to make the ground beneath my feet tremble. "Round two starts now, drunkard," she says, her voice low and raspy, full of menace.
I tighten my grip on Mjolnir, though I know this will be far more difficult than I anticipated. "Let's go!" I challenge, full of resolve.
But beneath my burning confidence, I know. This isn't just round two. This is a fight to the death. Between me and the second most dangerous creature of the future.