Chapter 312: Dragon of the End
13th May 2013, Royal Palace Asgard
(Jasmine Sayre POV)
"Fear makes companions of us all. What you're going to do is very hard, and very scary. You're right to be afraid, but don't let it rule over you, remember why you're doing this, why you're prepared to risk everything for this, and you'll pull through."
Loki gave Thor and his mother a longing look, "Glorious purpose indeed."
I chuckled, but stayed silent to Loki, "Good luck, God of Mischief."
I waved my hand and opened a portal, and Loki stepped through it, "Morrigan!" he spoke up. I turned and looked at him, "If anything happens, if I don't make it. I just wanted to say thank you. You have helped me more than you realize, and for that, I will forever be grateful."
I nodded, "It was a pleasure, Loki."
"Yes, it was."
He turned around and left through the portal. It felt oddly final, but I guess he knew the risks of his gambit. As for me, I had an army to lead, and parasites to slay. I slowly walked towards my allies, and prepared myself for one of the most important conflicts in my life, hoping that everything would be alright.
13th May 2013, Realm of the Shadows
(Loki Odinson POV)
Loki Odinson was many things, but brave wasn't one of them. He loved his family; well, he would always deny seeking Odin's approval even if he craved it most of his life. But most of all, he loved his freedom. The God of Mischief never felt free on Asgard, always being judged by everyone around him. They called him a coward of a prince, the black sheep of the royal family, and their disgrace, just because his powers worked differently than Thor's. He was not mighty like Thor, but he treasured his mind most of all. Loki was devious, cunning, and a true trickster. He was simply different; he thought differently.
He tried to do his best, but it simply wasn't enough. He wasn't one of them. But what always grated Loki the most, was the fact that he was always the villain in the story. It was like his whole purpose was to present his brother with an opponent that he would triumph over, something that he resented all his life.
When Loki learnt how to fight, he always sparred against Thor, and he couldn't compete against his brother's natural talent. All he felt, was that his purpose was to act as a stepping stone for Thor, and he hated it with all his heart.
Odin did not seem to care about his suffering, but Loki always felt like he was fated to be the antagonist to Thor's story. It was a quaint way of looking at it, considering the truth of the matter. Who knew that his lamentations during his youth, where the whole world was against him, were partially correct? Those Who Sit Above in Shadow treated his life as a story that they could write, chaining him to a fate of constant suffering and failure. They ruined his life, his relationship with his peers, and his mind, which he cherishes most of all.
They would have scripted his tale to be the villain, and in the end, it was their turn to suffer with the weapon they created themselves. Truthfully, Loki would have been lost if it wasn't for the Morrigan. The witch had taught him how to harness his powers, to truly accept the fact that even though he was different, that didn't mean that he was any less than any other Asgardian.
Still, Loki's domain still grated him somewhat. He was the God of Mischief, and Lies, but he still didn't understand what that truly meant, other than his talent with illusions and magic. But the God of Mischief still had all the time in the world left in him to discover his true strength after dealing with these parasitical creatures.
The moment he landed in the realm of the shadows, he split his consciousness into two. It was a trick that the Morrigan taught him, that he had mastered surprisingly quickly. He had even surpassed the Morrigan in its execution and improved upon it.
The spell was supposed to be a mind spell, that compartmentalized his mind to focus on two problems at once. However, Loki was able to incorporate it into his illusions, conjuring solid copies that he could actually imbue with enough power for a few spells. To act as protection for the copy, Loki gave him the knife that the Morrigan made for him. It could conceptually kill almost anything, and the copy would need it if it ever gets attacked. Loki could easily control the two bodies and have enough power and concentration to focus on a single powerful spell.
Loki immediately clouded himself and went invisible, letting his copy join the enemy's ranks. Meanwhile, Loki himself snuck to the edge of the realm, far enough from the Throne room. It was time for his part of the plan, the part that would start everything.
Taking a deep breath, he took out an orb from his pocket. It was absolutely covered with runes that he did not understand. It was made of some weird Midgardian metal called Vibranium that seemed to absorb and release energy on a massive scale. He didn't know how in the nine hells it worked, but Odin's eyes had bugged out when he saw it, muttering something about Celestial runes, and it being impossible for her to master them all. The God of Mischief didn't care; he was already troubled by the fact that he accepted this suicidal role for the plan. But it would be for the best, after all, this would mean that he would be free, that he wouldn't be the villain anymore.
Inside the orb was supposed to be some sort of dimensional bomb, that could fracture the borders of a realm for a few minutes. It was a very dangerous artifact that could ruin realms and entire planets by giving them up to the void. It wouldn't have done any damage to the Shadows, though, they were the Gods of the Gods, they knew how to navigate the void, it was how they came to this universe in the first place. But this wasn't supposed to be an attack after all, it was supposed to be a distraction.
Readying himself, Loki threw the orb and took cover. Seconds later, the bomb exploded, creating a breach in the realm and for the first time in his life, Loki saw the true chaos that the void embodied.
The explosion was blinding and deafening, and Loki felt the ground shake beneath him. He peeked out from behind the cover and saw that the breach was much larger than he had anticipated. Pure chaos was pouring in, engulfing everything in its path. The once peaceful and shadowy realm was now being consumed by a maelstrom of anarchy. Objects were flying around in random directions, defying the laws of gravity. Fire and lightning were striking everywhere, destroying buildings and trees. The sky was swirling with colors and patterns that made no sense. It was as if the fabric of reality itself was unraveling.
However, Loki thrived in the chaos and started to plan the second part of the plan. He gathered all of his power into a single spell, his greatest spell. He created an illusion shaped by the chaos itself, it didn't control it, one could not control chaos, merely direct it. He shaped it slowly into the shape of a dragon made of chaos, it was the closest thing to what the Dragon of the End should look like. It was larger than Asgard itself, and looked more terrifying than anything in the nine hells. Loki immediately sent a message to the Morrigan, signaling that it was time for them to start the invasion.
Of course, they wouldn't let out Nidhogg, they were not mad men, but why would they let him out, if they planned on using him as a distraction anyway. And the Shadows seemed to believe his trick anyway. He just received a message from his illusion telling him that the shadows have noticed the breach and are moving to fight the illusion of the Dragon of the End, leaving only one of them to guard against Asgard's invasion.
It didn't take long for the Shadows to appear in front of the breach. Truthfully, Loki had felt many things over the years, and he knew that these beings were powerful, but he did not expect them to be able to do this.
The King of the Shadows felt more like a reality manipulator in this realm. He shaped the world around him, trying to create shackles to bind Loki's creature, which seemed to ignore them outright. After all, one could not bind chaos itself.
Suddenly, the King released a beam of light bigger than anything Loki had ever seen before, striking the beast in the chest. The chaotic structure of the dragon was destabilized, and it looked like the dragon was dead for a second, only for Loki to rebuild the dragon again, stronger and bigger than it used to be.
The Shadows kept bombarding it with blasts of power that shook the entire realm, but the Dragon was unstoppable, indestructible, and they knew it. The only way to stop it would be to fix the breach in the realm, and the chaotic matter that remained, unconnected to the void, would have to stabilize according to the laws of the realm.
Loki held his iron control over his creature, giving it his complete focus, while the Shadows fought it, and the invasion started. His double stayed by the throne room with the remaining Shadow, who seemed unconcerned by the attack. He could understand it, after the raw fire power he saw the others of her kind send at his Dragon, it wouldn't take long for only one of them to kill Asgard's entire invading army. And that was them after being weakened by Rune King Thor. It was disturbing to imagine how powerful they would have been in their prime.
Still, it took about fifteen minutes for Asgard to fully breach the realm, and they sent only the Morrigan to the other side, while Thor and Odin remained in Svartalfheim. Leaving his Dragon on autopilot, the Morrigan walked confidently into the throne room and the Shadow spoke up with a mocking tone, "After all of this, they sent you? You're a Midgardian, you're mortal. You do realize that you have no chance here?"
The Morrigan raised an eyebrow, "Perhaps you are correct, and this is where I die. But perhaps, you are wrong and this is the end of your tyranny on the nine realms."
"We are the Gods of the Gods, human. We are so much above you, that it would take barely more than a thought to kill you. You cannot have any delusions of fighting me to a standstill."
The Morrigan shrugged, "As interesting as such a fight would be, it isn't needed. After all, all I needed was to distract you."
The Shadow didn't have enough time to consider what was said until Loki stabbed her with his death dagger from behind. The parasite gasped in shock until it let out a small scream of shock. It was distinctly feminine, unlike her previous neutral voice. Slowly, a light started to gather around the wound, until it consumed her, and she was destroyed with a scream.
The destruction destabilized his clone, but it didn't matter, his purpose was fulfilled. The Throne room was completely unguarded, and it was time for the Morrigan to finish her part of the plan. The loss was felt by the other Shadows as well, especially the King who screamed in fury letting out a giant blast of light that completely destabilized the dragon and even sent Loki flying back, without his invisibility.
The King of the Shadows immediately noticed the God of Mischief and glared at him. With a wave of his hand, he telekinetically sent Loki flying to a wall and kept him frozen.
Without Loki directing the chaos dragon, the dimensional breach started to close, making Loki's main method of attack useless. The God of Mischief gulped in fear as the towering King of the Shadows glared at him with hatred in his eyes, "YOU!"
As usual, I generally post four chapters a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. (The month is over, so I'm going back to the usual schedule)
If you want to support me, check out my Patreon. I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.
Chapter 312: Dragon of the End
13th May 2013, Royal Palace Asgard
(Jasmine Sayre POV)
"Fear makes companions of us all. What you're going to do is very hard, and very scary. You're right to be afraid, but don't let it rule over you, remember why you're doing this, why you're prepared to risk everything for this, and you'll pull through."
Loki gave Thor and his mother a longing look, "Glorious purpose indeed."
I chuckled, but stayed silent to Loki, "Good luck, God of Mischief."
I waved my hand and opened a portal, and Loki stepped through it, "Morrigan!" he spoke up. I turned and looked at him, "If anything happens, if I don't make it. I just wanted to say thank you. You have helped me more than you realize, and for that, I will forever be grateful."
I nodded, "It was a pleasure, Loki."
"Yes, it was."
He turned around and left through the portal. It felt oddly final, but I guess he knew the risks of his gambit. As for me, I had an army to lead, and parasites to slay. I slowly walked towards my allies, and prepared myself for one of the most important conflicts in my life, hoping that everything would be alright.
13th May 2013, Realm of the Shadows
(Loki Odinson POV)
Loki Odinson was many things, but brave wasn't one of them. He loved his family; well, he would always deny seeking Odin's approval even if he craved it most of his life. But most of all, he loved his freedom. The God of Mischief never felt free on Asgard, always being judged by everyone around him. They called him a coward of a prince, the black sheep of the royal family, and their disgrace, just because his powers worked differently than Thor's. He was not mighty like Thor, but he treasured his mind most of all. Loki was devious, cunning, and a true trickster. He was simply different; he thought differently.
He tried to do his best, but it simply wasn't enough. He wasn't one of them. But what always grated Loki the most, was the fact that he was always the villain in the story. It was like his whole purpose was to present his brother with an opponent that he would triumph over, something that he resented all his life.
When Loki learnt how to fight, he always sparred against Thor, and he couldn't compete against his brother's natural talent. All he felt, was that his purpose was to act as a stepping stone for Thor, and he hated it with all his heart.
Odin did not seem to care about his suffering, but Loki always felt like he was fated to be the antagonist to Thor's story. It was a quaint way of looking at it, considering the truth of the matter. Who knew that his lamentations during his youth, where the whole world was against him, were partially correct? Those Who Sit Above in Shadow treated his life as a story that they could write, chaining him to a fate of constant suffering and failure. They ruined his life, his relationship with his peers, and his mind, which he cherishes most of all.
They would have scripted his tale to be the villain, and in the end, it was their turn to suffer with the weapon they created themselves. Truthfully, Loki would have been lost if it wasn't for the Morrigan. The witch had taught him how to harness his powers, to truly accept the fact that even though he was different, that didn't mean that he was any less than any other Asgardian.
Still, Loki's domain still grated him somewhat. He was the God of Mischief, and Lies, but he still didn't understand what that truly meant, other than his talent with illusions and magic. But the God of Mischief still had all the time in the world left in him to discover his true strength after dealing with these parasitical creatures.
The moment he landed in the realm of the shadows, he split his consciousness into two. It was a trick that the Morrigan taught him, that he had mastered surprisingly quickly. He had even surpassed the Morrigan in its execution and improved upon it.
The spell was supposed to be a mind spell, that compartmentalized his mind to focus on two problems at once. However, Loki was able to incorporate it into his illusions, conjuring solid copies that he could actually imbue with enough power for a few spells. To act as protection for the copy, Loki gave him the knife that the Morrigan made for him. It could conceptually kill almost anything, and the copy would need it if it ever gets attacked. Loki could easily control the two bodies and have enough power and concentration to focus on a single powerful spell.
Loki immediately clouded himself and went invisible, letting his copy join the enemy's ranks. Meanwhile, Loki himself snuck to the edge of the realm, far enough from the Throne room. It was time for his part of the plan, the part that would start everything.
Taking a deep breath, he took out an orb from his pocket. It was absolutely covered with runes that he did not understand. It was made of some weird Midgardian metal called Vibranium that seemed to absorb and release energy on a massive scale. He didn't know how in the nine hells it worked, but Odin's eyes had bugged out when he saw it, muttering something about Celestial runes, and it being impossible for her to master them all. The God of Mischief didn't care; he was already troubled by the fact that he accepted this suicidal role for the plan. But it would be for the best, after all, this would mean that he would be free, that he wouldn't be the villain anymore.
Inside the orb was supposed to be some sort of dimensional bomb, that could fracture the borders of a realm for a few minutes. It was a very dangerous artifact that could ruin realms and entire planets by giving them up to the void. It wouldn't have done any damage to the Shadows, though, they were the Gods of the Gods, they knew how to navigate the void, it was how they came to this universe in the first place. But this wasn't supposed to be an attack after all, it was supposed to be a distraction.
Readying himself, Loki threw the orb and took cover. Seconds later, the bomb exploded, creating a breach in the realm and for the first time in his life, Loki saw the true chaos that the void embodied.
The explosion was blinding and deafening, and Loki felt the ground shake beneath him. He peeked out from behind the cover and saw that the breach was much larger than he had anticipated. Pure chaos was pouring in, engulfing everything in its path. The once peaceful and shadowy realm was now being consumed by a maelstrom of anarchy. Objects were flying around in random directions, defying the laws of gravity. Fire and lightning were striking everywhere, destroying buildings and trees. The sky was swirling with colors and patterns that made no sense. It was as if the fabric of reality itself was unraveling.
However, Loki thrived in the chaos and started to plan the second part of the plan. He gathered all of his power into a single spell, his greatest spell. He created an illusion shaped by the chaos itself, it didn't control it, one could not control chaos, merely direct it. He shaped it slowly into the shape of a dragon made of chaos, it was the closest thing to what the Dragon of the End should look like. It was larger than Asgard itself, and looked more terrifying than anything in the nine hells. Loki immediately sent a message to the Morrigan, signaling that it was time for them to start the invasion.
Of course, they wouldn't let out Nidhogg, they were not mad men, but why would they let him out, if they planned on using him as a distraction anyway. And the Shadows seemed to believe his trick anyway. He just received a message from his illusion telling him that the shadows have noticed the breach and are moving to fight the illusion of the Dragon of the End, leaving only one of them to guard against Asgard's invasion.
It didn't take long for the Shadows to appear in front of the breach. Truthfully, Loki had felt many things over the years, and he knew that these beings were powerful, but he did not expect them to be able to do this.
The King of the Shadows felt more like a reality manipulator in this realm. He shaped the world around him, trying to create shackles to bind Loki's creature, which seemed to ignore them outright. After all, one could not bind chaos itself.
Suddenly, the King released a beam of light bigger than anything Loki had ever seen before, striking the beast in the chest. The chaotic structure of the dragon was destabilized, and it looked like the dragon was dead for a second, only for Loki to rebuild the dragon again, stronger and bigger than it used to be.
The Shadows kept bombarding it with blasts of power that shook the entire realm, but the Dragon was unstoppable, indestructible, and they knew it. The only way to stop it would be to fix the breach in the realm, and the chaotic matter that remained, unconnected to the void, would have to stabilize according to the laws of the realm.
Loki held his iron control over his creature, giving it his complete focus, while the Shadows fought it, and the invasion started. His double stayed by the throne room with the remaining Shadow, who seemed unconcerned by the attack. He could understand it, after the raw fire power he saw the others of her kind send at his Dragon, it wouldn't take long for only one of them to kill Asgard's entire invading army. And that was them after being weakened by Rune King Thor. It was disturbing to imagine how powerful they would have been in their prime.
Still, it took about fifteen minutes for Asgard to fully breach the realm, and they sent only the Morrigan to the other side, while Thor and Odin remained in Svartalfheim. Leaving his Dragon on autopilot, the Morrigan walked confidently into the throne room and the Shadow spoke up with a mocking tone, "After all of this, they sent you? You're a Midgardian, you're mortal. You do realize that you have no chance here?"
The Morrigan raised an eyebrow, "Perhaps you are correct, and this is where I die. But perhaps, you are wrong and this is the end of your tyranny on the nine realms."
"We are the Gods of the Gods, human. We are so much above you, that it would take barely more than a thought to kill you. You cannot have any delusions of fighting me to a standstill."
The Morrigan shrugged, "As interesting as such a fight would be, it isn't needed. After all, all I needed was to distract you."
The Shadow didn't have enough time to consider what was said until Loki stabbed her with his death dagger from behind. The parasite gasped in shock until it let out a small scream of shock. It was distinctly feminine, unlike her previous neutral voice. Slowly, a light started to gather around the wound, until it consumed her, and she was destroyed with a scream.
The destruction destabilized his clone, but it didn't matter, his purpose was fulfilled. The Throne room was completely unguarded, and it was time for the Morrigan to finish her part of the plan. The loss was felt by the other Shadows as well, especially the King who screamed in fury letting out a giant blast of light that completely destabilized the dragon and even sent Loki flying back, without his invisibility.
The King of the Shadows immediately noticed the God of Mischief and glared at him. With a wave of his hand, he telekinetically sent Loki flying to a wall and kept him frozen.
Without Loki directing the chaos dragon, the dimensional breach started to close, making Loki's main method of attack useless. The God of Mischief gulped in fear as the towering King of the Shadows glared at him with hatred in his eyes, "YOU!"
As usual, I generally post four chapters a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. (The month is over, so I'm going back to the usual schedule)
If you want to support me, check out my Patreon. I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.
