Taming The Afterlife

Le Esss-kap-eh

Sera's P.O.V.

So basically ever since I told Laufey my weakness I've been in-... Well, Hell. I got a new cell and this one is made of ice that doesn't melt. I don't get to eat lunch with the others because I enjoy socializing so my burnt food is brought to me and then thrown on the floor. Because it's so cold inside I've felt very sick and I can't really use my powers. Every once in a while Laufey will come in and give me my assigned dose of torture.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about forgiveness and loving people but I will never be friend with that guy. Some of the stuff me put me through was, for a lack of better words, cold. There's never a pattern to his appearances but he generally comes whenever I'm done healing. I think he does that because he wants be to be able to know what it feels like to feel healthy so I don't go numb to the pain. 

It sucks but I get through knowing that Loki is safe in heaven. 

Right now I'm laying on the floor in a ball, rubbing my hands together to try and get my powers working again. I'm semi-healthy at the moment compared to how wounded I've been and so far I've been able to get my hands to glow orange but not much heat will come off of them. 

Warming my insides is a little easier but my skin feels like ice so I really want to make it better. A bittersweet smile came to my lips when I remembered how close I was to making lava. My powers had reached new heights but now I couldn't even make a single flame. 

The movement of my hands stopped when I heard footsteps approaching. The thought of Laufey being back made me want to cry. I curled into a tighter ball in hopes that maybe he would just go away or I would melt into the floor and he wouldn't see me. 

That didn't happen.

I heard the sound of something breaking and then the door opened. Silence was the only thing that could be heard and then I felt someone appear at my side. They tried to roll me over but I refused to move. I was too busy trying to think of a way to catch whoever it was off guard so that they couldn't hurt me.

"Sera it's me, I'm here to take you somewhere safe." A gentle and familiar voice said. I poked my shivering head up and raised a frozen eyebrow. "Who's me?" I asked, earning a chuckle. "Your husband." Sure enough, the handsome, pale, green eyed, love of my life was sitting before me.

"What are you doing here?!" I almost yelled, rolling over and trying to sit up only to fall back onto the ground. "There was some kind of mistake and I'm here to bring you back to heaven with me." He explained, pulling me off the ground and into his arms.

"Loki I need to-" I started, trying to explain why I was here, but he cut me off with a gentle shush. Loki helped me stand but was pretty much just holding me because I had no strength. "You can tell me anything once we're out of here. Just sit tight, Tori and Thor are downstairs."

I had zoned out and wasn't even aware of what he was saying because of the person standing in the door. "He's back." I said in a whisper, air freezing before it left my mouth. Loki looked his father dead in the red eyes and I felt his grip on me tighten protectively.

"It's been a long time." Laufey growled, forming an ice spear in his hand. Despite my lack of strength I hugged my husband tighter and felt fear brew in my chest. "Not long enough." My husband fired back.

"You're wife and I have gotten very acquainted with one another. I'm sure you know she's quite pathetic. Even still, she doesn't come close to you." Loki's dad hissed, pointing the blade of ice at us.

Loki gently placed me back on the ground, not once taking his eyes off of the monster before us. "I've grown a lot since we last met." He barked, melting into his frost giant form. "The last time we met you killed me." Laufey reminded, beginning to pace around my husband. "I will happily do it again." Loki growled before charging at him.

The two frost giants fought each other in a frenzy of blue. Shards of ice flew everywhere and audible grunts were exchanged. It was a little hard to keep track of who was who but I kept remembering that Laufey was the taller one. Loki was expertly trained and got the upper hand causing red blood to spurt out of Laufey's arm.

The giant growled before grabbing Loki by the throat and slamming him against the wall. Loki's eyes bulged and has clawed at Laufey's giant hand. "Please stop!" I cried, not being able to watch my husband get killed before my eyes again.

Laufey loosened his grip and let out an annoyed chuckle. "Begging, why am I not surprised?" Loki's jaw tightened and spike ice grew all the way up his arm. In one clean cut, Laufey's head was gone and Loki was standing before the body. 

My heart was thundering inside my chest and my jaw was hanging open. Loki shook the bloody ice off his arm and was quickly at my side. He turned back into his human form and picked me up bridal style. "We need to move quickly, it won't be long before he's conscious again." 

The second we left the cell I felt better. I could feel the heat from the lava outside and felt life spark back up inside of my frozen body, although I knew Loki was going to struggle against the temperature. Thor and a man whom I did not recognize were standing over Surtur while Tori watched from the corner. 

"Time to go!!!" Loki announced before bolting out the door. The three of them followed us and I chuckled when I saw Tori's clothing. "Nice outfit." I commented, earning a glare from my best friend. As a cluster we ran through the lunchroom and past all the cells. When we reached the bridge Loki was sweating and looked as though he might pass out. 

"I can stand." I told him, earning a relieved sigh. Once on the ground, I laced my fingers through his and pulled him along with me over the lava. "Almost there." I assured, wanting to get far away from the heat for his sake. 

Once we crossed the bridge I looked to my husband for which way to go. "Just keep running until we reach the edge." He said, pointing to a small hole in the black barrier. I nodded and we all sprinted to the hole in the rocks. The further we got from the castle, the faster Loki could run. 

We all slid to a stop and Tori was the first one out. Her skin disappeared in magical dust and was replaced by a ghost body. Thor and the man who I had yet to meet were next and then Loki crossed. When I tried to join my ghost family something stopped me. 

"What's wrong?" Loki asked. "I can't get through." I said, pounding on what seemed to be an invisible forcefield. Loki jumped back on my side and tried to pull me through with him. No matter how hard I pushed or he pulled, I couldn't get through. Loki was part ghost and part human as he began to panic when I couldn't cross. 

The pressure of the wall was starting to hurt me and I pushed him away. "Stop! Please, just go before Surtur gets back." I pleaded, worried he would force my family to suffer if he caught them. My stubborn husband shook his head. "No, I didn't come this far to leave you behind! We'll figure out another way."

"There is no other way, Loki! And if there was, we have no time! You need to go back to heaven so I know you're safe." I told him, trying to shoo him away like a dog. Loki crossed back over to my side and pulled me into his chest. "No, if you cannot cross then I will just stay here with you. We can fight our way out of this until we get you out." 

I cupped his face and looked directly into his broken green eyes. "You don't get it. I need to stay here." He want to speak but I cut him off. "You didn't make it to heaven, okay?" This made him stop talking. "So-So I took your place because I know you're not a bad person and you've already been through so much!" I explained, fighting off my own set of tears. 

Loki pinched his eyes shut and shook his head. "Why would you do that, I would never want you to-" His voice broke off and he just looked at the ground. I tilted his head back up to face me and forced a smile. "I know but this is something you don't get to chose, okay? I want to do this for you so please go back. Be happy! Wait for our kids! Make new friends! Do whatever you have to do just get out of here!" I instructed, pecking him on the lips and then pushing him across the border. 

Right that second, Surtur appeared behind me and started pulling me back to his castle. Loki went to help me but Thor held him back. He tried to fight his way out of Thor's hold but it was no use. I smiled a thankful smile at Thor, knowing he would help his younger brother. Loki's heartbroken face was the last thing I saw before they disappeared from sight.