Forever. I Promise (Sequel to As one. Always)

Chapter 21

Before anyone could say anything more, the globe began to glow bright. Tyr noticed this and thrust it into Loki's shaking hands. "You need to use this to open the portal to the void."

He shook his head furiously. Loki's magic hadn't been the same since he had died. He had lost considerable power. "You know I can't! I need Noelle present! I need a whole soul to do magic!"

"Can't or won't Loki?" Tyr fought back. "Use this! You know you can find her with this! This is our ticket to defeating Thanos and only you have enough mastery in magic to get us there."

"My magic hasn't been the same since death, you know this!" Loki felt sick. There was so much pressure being thrust at him right now. Tyr was asking something impossible from him.

"Then you have sentenced Noelle and the universe to death!" Tyr shouted at him, shoving him slightly. "Do you love her Loki? Do you truly love Noelle? Are you going to let her die a horrible death because you won't even try to open a void?"

"Quiet you fool!" Loki gripped the globe tighter. "What do you even know about love? I love her! I love Noelle! I'd do anything to save her, anything to help her! I'd die for her!" The others noticed that the globe was now glowing gold.

"Prove it!" Tyr shouted with a grin on his face. His plan was working. They all watched as Loki opened the portal to the void almost effortlessly. He didn't even realise what he had done until Tyr patted him on the shoulder and moved around him to jump into the opened portal. Loki stood there shocked. He had been unable to even duplicate himself for months, so how had been capable to open a portal?

He was still staring at the open portal when Thor put his arm around Loki and gave him a tight side hug. "Maybe all you needed was to stop believing that you couldn't." He smiled at his little brother. "I never told you this, but now's as good a time as any."

"Don't tell me you about to get sentimental on me." Thor chuckled.

"Even though I was getting the throne I still felt that you were the luckier one. You have a woman who loves you almost unconditionally. And you actually have a long future together, depending on the outcome of this, you know, battle."

"Don't you mean had? I had a woman who loved me?"

"No. She still loves you. You know this deep down in your heart." With a smile they both jumped into the portal.

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Noelle's P.O.V

I opened my eyes, feeling like I had just been hit by a bus six or seven times. I tried to remember what had happened to me, gingerly feeling my forehead. There was a bump and when I felt down my face there was a large gash. There were shackles around my wrists.

I looked around me, seeing nothing but purple-blue starry sky. My body ached when I pushed myself up to see, partly from the condition of my body and partly because I was laying on hard rock. The rock seemed to stretch on for miles.

I turned my head to get a better look around when I saw the hulking figure that was Thanos standing a few feet away. He was staring out into the sky and had an odd look on his face. In this moment he didn't look evil. He looked lost, almost sad.

"The universe is a vast place, little Halfling. No matter how much power you acquire, the universe is always that much greater." He didn't look at me as he said this. I stayed silent, wondering who had suddenly replaced Thanos. "I have conquered foe after foe, even beaten death. But no matter how I try, the universe will always be unattainable to me."

"Not if you have to Amaranthe." I spoke up.

Thanos chuckled and it was almost in good humor. "The Amaranthe is the younger child of the universe, created to counter the gauntlet, its eldest child. Possessing the Amaranthe will not give me the infinite power of the universe. It will simply cement my position as most powerful being."