SOMEWHERE UNKNOWN: VICTOR
"Mother?"
"Hello Victor."
"What are you doing here?"
"Victor, your father isn't a bad man."
"No. He killed Balder, he cut Sif's hair. He is fated to cause Ragnarok!"
"Victor, do you really think you father was the only person on Asgard to commit such atrocities?"
"I... suppose not."
"Exactly my dear son. Your father's only wish is to be free from Asgard, and live as a family once more. Please... we can be happy as a family again."
Loki spoke up: "And if you really wouldn't mind, make your decision now son. I've been waiting since the 11th century, and I really can't wait any longer. Only you can use my own Kenaz rune to free me."
Sigyn held out a Kenaz rune. It was inlaid good on a black stone. He was inadvertently cast the rune before, but the power in that was weaker and more dilated than the power emanating from the black rune. Victor tentatively took the rune and held it in his hand. He felt the rune warm up in his hand. He felt the power of Wildfire course through his veins. He looked at his parents, they looked back expectantly.
"Victor, hurry up" Loki urged.
Victor looked back: "What will you do when you're free?"
"We would love together, where you want, with whatever you desire, and do that forever. And I you will help me overthrow all the asgardians for what they have done to our family. You could have been a king, Victor, a prince of Asgard. But no, the Aesir cast our family out. Forced you and your mother to live on the streets. Don't you want revenge?"
Victor let his father's honeyed words sink in. He mulled them over. For a second they caught his attention, they zipped around his mind like pinballs. But Victor remembered Maximilian, his warm eyes, how they had bonded, after Loki had tried to kidnap him. Loki was the reason they almost froze to death, sure, the Aesir may have been ruthless, Odin especially, but their mistakes didn't make Loki anymore right. He thought back to the only person he felt he could trust, Maximilian, and thought about what a hero would do.
He closed his fist around the rune, and flames erupted from his fist.
"No."
And he woke up.
