What Comes Next?

Chapter 6: Glorious Battle

The sky was an odd hazy orange when I woke, illuminated by thin webs of golden electricity. The faint outline of a massive doorway shimmered directly in front of us just beyond the garden.

My hair reacted to the change in the atmosphere, lifting of it's own accord. Loki's limp arms slipped off me as I stood, but he continued to slumber. Out of habit I reached to pull my sword out of the pocket dimension where I stored it only to be reminded that it was lost in my last fight for survival.

People began to pour out of the palace gates followed by The Prime, helmet in place and daggers already in hand. I knelt down and shook mine where he still slept. "Loki. Wake up, something's coming." His drowsy smile faded the moment he saw the sky.

He stood pulling his daggers as a slew of other Varients joined us. The muscled one with the hammer that I'd seen on my arrival looked up at the solidifying door pensively, "This is the biggest so far." He rumbled, whipping his hammer in circles.

"You think that could be one of us?" My Loki asked with astonishment. "Well let's hope it's friendly then."

The ground shuttered behind us as a massive green beast with cloven hooves and white curling horns slammed into the crowd. This was a Variant I had yet to meet. He righted himself from his stumble, towering at least three times larger then anyone else. "Uhh Loki sir? This isn't one of us. I was searching for that aura you showed me. I locked onto it and umm it's opening a gate. But my field was too large, it's bringing something else too. It big and it's hostile. " The giant nervously chattered as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

"But you're sure you locked on to the aura I gave you, Val? You found it?" The Prime looked from the flickering sky to the shifty goat man.

"I'm positive sir." Val reaffirmed.

The Primes face broke into a delighted smile, "They can bring whomever they want then."

"I need a weapon." I announced with a sense of mild panic. The Prime flipped his two daggers around passing them to me by the handles. I looked up at him in bewilderment as his grin widened. He sucked in a deep breath and lowered his head as the air around him came alive. He flexed both arms at his sides as green energy poured down them, slowly forming two glowing daggers.

His breathing increased as the daggers flickered. "Drop the illusions." Commanded My Loki from beside us.
As the crowd of Asgardians vanished the Prime raised his head, the green energy around him continued to spread.

"I don't need advice from you." He ground out. The gardens disappeared and his energy pulsed brighter. The palace behind us lost it's golden splendor, fading into an ancient ruin as his daggers grew into longer swords. He lifted his head and with glowing green eyes said, "But perhaps you are right. It is time to drop the illusions."

The doorway split open as a mass of gleaming black tentacles poured through, flattening everything in their path. They curled and lashed out, shredding through buildings with razor tipped points.

Our army rushed the writhing void to a chorus of screams. My Loki and I hacked at an appendage snaking towards us with little effect. "THIS ISN'T GOING TO WORK!" I shouted at My Loki over the chaos.

He gave me a hopeless look then scanned behind us for an escape path. I shook my head no, tossing the daggers into the void to be recalled later and attempted to call my power like The Prime had. I managed a ball of energy that left a gaping hole in a single tentacle, causing it to temporarily withdraw.

My Loki raised his eyebrows, flashing me a double thumbs up as his daggers vanished. His fingers began to crackle with his building power when The Prime severed the tentical we'd been battling. He easily lobbed off the three that followed then jumped, soaring gracefully into the air. His lithe body twisted to face the bulk of the monster, his cape sweeping gracefully. He roared, generating a massive green energy spike that cut the entire entity in half.

The monster screeched once then flopped to the ground in a heap of mess. The Prime landed in a clearing on one knee, fist to the ground. He flipped his hair up, eyes still aflame and stood. His muscles flexed as he made a visible effort to swallow his power.

The Lokis assembled burst into cheers and applause. The Prime cut his eyes at his mirror image then strode over to me his power still held in his voice, "He's right. He isn't me. He could NEVER be me. And I am certainly not him." I hadn't realized until that moment how very close he was to me or how long I'd been holding my breath.

I swallowed loudly, "how?.." the ridiculous breathyness of my voice left my question unfinished. He leaned in until his lips touched my ear and in an impossibly deep voice whispered, "Perhaps I'll teach you if you ask very, very nicely."

"LOKI! BROTHER??" A one eyed man in silver and blue leathers stood in front of My Loki, "Is it truly you?"

My Loki buried his hands deep in his pockets, his eyes on the ground and shook his head. "No. I'm not. The man you are looking for is there."

His eyes turned to where we stood, the dust from The Primes victory swirling between them. The Prime glanced over his shoulder, his curled horns glinting in the sunlight. He turned to face the short haired man, his arms outstretched, a beaming grin on his face and exclaimed, "Brother!"