ARCHANGEL (Marvel Fanfiction)

Chapter 23. Things We Do For Love

Being a great magician certainly had its perks. Loki could summon endless daggers to his hands no matter how much he already threw off.

Chitauri was not a weak creature, this much he must admit. Their body were tough and sturdy and wouldn't fall merely by one or two knife stabs. Even one Chitauri was still trying to rip his body in two with a knife embedded in the middle of his forehead, seemed even more resentful after what Loki did to his face.

In a different situation, Loki would've found the sight extremely hilarious. He might even use it to mock Thor in the future.

Oh, stop being so sensitive, Thor. You're like a Chitauri with a dagger stabbed in his head.

But right now his mind was occupied by the Chitauri and Elizabeth. He had to make sure they didn't step on her or try to kill her again.

He stabbed, blocked, and stabbed, and blocked again. It kept going on like that.

He threw a dagger to a Chitauri but he missed. It dodged quickly by lowering itself to the ground.

Loki stood stunned. No Chitauri could move that fast.

Until he realized that not only that one Chitauri fell to the ground. Every one of them collapsed, including the Leviathan who crashed on the soil.

Loki looked around puzzled. Meanwhile, The Other looked like he knew what's going on.

"No! Insolent humans, what have they done!" He screamed with rage as he looked to the sky. Loki followed his gaze but saw nothing but a clear blue sky.

"How dare they destroy my ship. My home!" He growled.

"It seemed you have lost," Loki grinned. He didn't expect the Avengers actually did it. He wondered what they did to make the Chitauri army all collapsed.

After Loki said that, The Other turned to him suddenly, like he was reminded that he could take a little something from this defeat, to make it just little better. He floated closer to him.

"You're already lost. Accept it and return to your lord. Tell them that humans are not as defenseless as you have thought."

They stood face to face, Loki could smell the foul smell of his breath.

"True, but at least I have to give him something. A souvenir," he whispered, then he looked at Elizabeth. "That girl seemed to possess quite an enormous power within her. She will be useful. Either as a servant," he smiled, "or as nourishment."

Hearing that, his blood boiled. He took out daggers in both of his arms in a threatening stance.

"Over my dead body," he said.

The Other growled. In the speed of light, the Scepter appeared in his arm and he pierced it through Loki's stomach.

***

Elizabeth blinked her eyes a few times in drowsiness. She didn't know how long she fell asleep. Everything looked blurry at first but as soon as her vision got clearer, she faced the most dreadful sight.

Loki was hanging above the ground, a large spear from The Other's hand cut through his body. His face showed utter pain as he was dying.

She sprang up and screamed in agony as his body fell to the ground. Elizabeth crawled to his side as fast as she could.

"No, no, no, no." She panicked as she saw his blood flowed out profusely. "Please, you can't die like this," tears streamed down her face as she pressed his wounds, uselessly trying to stop the blood from coming out.

"Like what," he said, "saving the woman I love?" He chuckled, which sounded more like a choke. "Well, I don't know. To me it seems like a perfect way to die."

He put his hand on Elizabeth's face, wiping her tears. She grabbed it and kissed it, weeping.

The Other went forward, his hand reached out to grab Elizabeth. She didn't realize it, she was too frightened that Loki might die. Loki opened his mouth and tried to warn her but blood filled up in his throat, making him unable to speak.

He was just about to push her away when suddenly, a powerful bolt of lightning struck The Other. He flew backwards and crashed to the rocks, flinching from the pain. When he saw who came to the rescue, he growled but decided to leave and disappear.

Thor landed beside Loki, tears welled up in his eyes. "Brother what has he done to you?"

Loki's breathing got more uneven, he had trouble keeping his eyes open.

"Stay with me, I'm begging you. I dont know how I'll live," she cried uncontrollably, like a child whining desperately. She trembled from fear that she would lose him forever.

"You will live well. Listen to me. You will live well." He held back a cough. A small stream of blood flowed out of his mouth.

He stared at Thor and said, "I've done a lot of mistakes, brother. I hope someday you can forgive me."

Then he turned his gaze to Elizabeth. He caressed her cheek, and he whispered, "I love you."

As soon as he said that, his hand fell down and his head rolled back as he fell unconscious. Thor kneeled and grabbed Loki's hand to his face.

Elizabeth wailed. Suddenly in the rush of adrenaline, a memory came to her. When she was ten, she found a bird with a broken wing sprawled at the monastery's balcony. She picked it up, and she didn't know where she got that idea, but she touched its wing with her forefinger. She imagined the energy inside her flowed into it, repairing its broken bones and healing the torn tissues. Soon, the bird flapped its wings and flew to the sky.

She tried to control her breathing and put both of her arms on the wound on his stomach. She tried to remember the sensation when her energy flowed out into the bird, and she used that memory to channel her energy to Loki's body.

Her arms started glowing yellow as the energy flowed out from her body into his. Elizabeth commanded it to heal him, reconnecting the torn tissues. It wasn't as easy as healing that bird. Loki's wound was much bigger and much more severe, not to mention that his body tissue was three times stronger than humans'.

Elizabeth grunted as she pushed her energy out as hard as she could. His wound must be healed before his heart stopped beating. When it reached that point, then he's really gone.

She felt something pushing up her throat, urging to come out from her mouth. She held back the cough, but liquid filled her mouth. Some went through her lips and flowed down her chin.

"Elizabeth-" Thor stunned when he saw the blood. Elizabeth ignored him. She figured that her body had reached its limit, but it didn't matter. She would save his life, even if doing it will kill her.

In the next two minutes colour started coming back to his face, his wound started to heal until it was finally half closed.

Loki's lashes moved and he opened his eyes weakly. He stared at Elizabeth, blank and confused. Then his eyes widened as he realized what's happening. He quickly grabbed her arm to stop her from what she was doing.

It didn't matter. She already healed enough of him. He would live.

The glow died from her hand, and she stared into his eyes gratefully. She never felt so much relief in her life.

Thank you for coming back, she whispered in her heart. Suddenly, a sharp ache stroke her heart, as if someone stabbed it with a knife. She moaned in pain and squeezed her chest, trying to reduce the torment. Her head spinned and hurt so bad.

Her vision went red. Soon after, everything just went black.

NOTICE
The next chapter will be the last chapter of Archangel.