♤The Conqueror's Dagger♤

~Chapter 7: I Found You~

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The sounds of war rung all around her. Explosions a violent purple burst like balloons all around her. Sprite struggled to stand, supporting herself with the debris she landed on. The stone dug into her palms, scraping them. When she removed them, they left behind bloody prints. Yells of panic and battle sounded from around her. She was dusted with ashes and dust from yet another infrastructure destroyed, blood dripping from her forehead. Sweat layered her skin, blood staining her clothes. She ran amongst the other warriors, shooting out beams towards the other side's mechanical warriors bearing weapons of unimaginable destruction. She put up a barrier surrounding herself, so the blasts would deflect from it like needles. She ran on, shielding her face with her elbow as creatures created with the same machinery growled, triumph in their beady eyes. The air smelled smoky and copper. The scent of sulphur permeated the air as she and the group ducked into a nearby building to take cover. Glass exploded onto the street, the explosions knocking Sprite down. The glass cut her wrist and hands, but she simply flicked the shards away in annoyance. She quickly joined the others in the building, crowded in a room with whimpering children and sobbing women. The lights flickered, the warriors murmuring to one another nervously. She strained to hear the sounds of battle, the shots, more explosions. The hum of a familiar energy. Then... silence. For a moment, all was quiet. No one spoke. They all tensed, waiting for another sign of movement. That was when the shots came, clear as day, right near them. And Sprite's world literally exploded before her eyes as unbearable heat scorched her. Glass sprayed in all directions, people shouting in horror. Rocks pelted her head and body... and the structure collapsed all around them, collapsing on top of them, burying all but Sprite. She lay on a flat slab of stone as more stone crumbled around her. She clutched her side, from which leaked a gaping wound. She stared up at the sky, where silent shots rang out. Everything was still and quiet, but only for a moment. She felt tears fall down her cheeks as she stared up at the purple, pink, and blue sky above her. This was it. This was how she was going to end. She'd failed the mission. These people. Her own father and uncle. A few more shots rang out, then all was still as the mad Titan completed his rampage. Her vision blurred. Everything seemed to grown darker. The breeze ruffled her hair. Then, the familiar sound of the Bifrost transporting someone. She heard footsteps grow closer to where she lay. "Loki!" Thor's voice rang out. More footsteps running towards her. Then... they stopped as Loki walked through the destruction. He let out a breath as he fell to his knees beside his weak daughter. "Oh, Gods..." He sobbed, stroking her cheek, tears running down his face. "No..." He stroked her hair back. Sprite lifted a shaking hand, wiping his tears away. He kissed her weary head. Thor stood away from them, his own eyes full of tears of rage. "I... I've failed them, Dad. I couldn't save all of them..." Loki continued to stroke her hair away from her filthy face. "Oh, my darling. You did all you could. There are still survivors. I sense them." He leaned his head against hers, kissing her wet hair. "You've done well. We shall return to Asgard where you will rest and heal more, while your uncle and I shall search for the injured and survivors." He carefully adjusted her once he lifted her from the rocks, and turned to Thor, speaking to him in the lowest of tones. Thor simply nodded, walking past them while Loki returned to the site where they'd been dropped off by the Bifrost. Sprite weakly twisted her head around to survey the burning and crumbling world she was leaving behind, and screwed her eyes shut as her father shouted to Heimdall to return them at once. 'I swear- I will never let anything that I can change go wrong again.'
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Loki was left clinging to the edge of the sink, his breathing ragged and fast. His heart was squeezing as if being embraced by Thor, his palms moist. The betrayal and anger he'd felt was nothing compared to when Thor had defeated him. He took a deep, shuddering breath, standing up shakily. "Why, Sprite, why?" He buried his face in his hands, letting out another breath. He stood up, his rage subsiding, reminding himself why she'd done it. In a way, it was his fault. He should have masked his despair, not just with Sylvie, but throughout the course of the centuries. Then, she wouldn't have been so tempted to act in that manner. He took a few moments to collect himself as he rummaged through the drawers in the room, and fished out another device. He had suspected she would lash out like this, and knew he would need to take steps to follow her. All he needed was to follow her steps. And that required... concentration. And a quiet place. He had both. He clutched the TemPad in his hands tighter, surveying the room, gathering in her aura of everything she'd touched, remembering Frigga's lessons. He then closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. After a few seconds of scanning... searching, looking into different universes as if they were open houses, trailing a hand along the fine, white branches that formed a tree, different sounds coming from each of them. Laughter. Cries. Distinct conversations he would usually have attempted to pick up on. There were many of them to look through, but he needn't look further as he felt her pulse, heard her breath, her emotions speaking to him through her. He opened his eyes. He'd found what he was looking for. He opened the portal from the TemPad, and immediately stepped through it without a moment's hesitation.
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