Endlessly

Welcome to Jotunheim

Loki's understanding and awareness of hidden pockets between realms was difficult to comprehend. How or why he possessed knowledge that no one else in the nine seemed to have, you promised yourself you would ask him. Someday.

Without the need of being dangerously quick or discrete, the journey to Jotunheim had been surprisingly pleasant thus far; especially when compared to your grand departure from the realm months ago.

A shiver spider walks down your spine at the memory of the gaping hole in the ground.

"Are you ready?" In the middle of a forest, in an unknown realm, Loki slows to a stop, gripping your hand in his.

"Right here?"

"Yes, this next one will take us just outside of the stronghold."

"How do you find these portals? All over and almost always in the middle of nowhere?" You take a moment to look around your surroundings.

A tree. Another tree. And another... There is nothing significant, no landmark or defining feature. At least not one that you can see.

"I just sort of... feel it, I guess." The tips of his ears turn pink. "Ready?"

With a nod, he steps forward, pulling you into a great force that pulls the two you forward, up and then down. Within a blink of an eye, you're standing in tightly packed snow, the sun reflecting off of it temporarily blinding you.

The sun.

You blink as your eyes adjust to the light.

The Casket of Ancient Winters had breathed life back into the land.

While each and every peak of the sprawling mountains surrounding Utgard were still capped with glistening white snow, grass and flowers and trees cover the land now, too. A melody of bird songs unlike you've ever heard before wraps around you, drawing your eyes toward a cloudless sky of deep blue. The sun is warm on your face and the chill in the air is nothing harsher than an average winter's day on Vanaheim. Tears gather in the corners of your eyes as you take it all in... as you take in the exceptional beauty that the Allfather had stolen from these lands so many years ago. The pit of your stomach aches at the thought of it.

This was not the Jotunheim that you'd visited months ago. This was... the most beautiful place you'd ever seen.

When Loki smiles down at you, you sense that he understands every single emotion you're experiencing right now.

"It's..." You stammer, failing to find the proper word or words to describe the frozen utopia.

"Magnificent." He grins at you- that special sort of grin you've only seen him show off once or twice before.

"You did this, Loki."

"I did nothing more than right a colossal wrong."

You open your mouth to respond, but it goes completely dry. Millions of tiny needles of fire prick your skin- the pain causing your knees to become weak. Bile rises up in your throat and you nearly topple over; you manage to support yourself by grabbing firmly ahold of your thighs, resting your weight above your knees.

"Gods-" You conceal a retch the best you can as your rising temperature ripples beneath the surface of your skin- you're going to catch on fire.

"Gersemi! What's going on?" Beginning to panic, Loki grabs hold of your shoulders; there is a hiss as the heat of your skin burns his hands, the smell of his singed flesh dissolves what little restraint you had left, and you throw up into the snow.