SOMEWHERE UNKNOWN: VICTOR
They hurtled through a mess of psychedelic colours, before they landed in the center of a large cave. Victor and Maximilian hit the floor of the cave as a loud bombastic, sinister, and eccentric laugh rang out.
"And he hits a home run!"
Victor and Maximilian whirled around to see Loki lying and Sigyn standing before them. Victor reacted without hesitation and stormed over his father: "You! Everything that has happened is because of you!"
Victor noticed that his father's hair didn't have the same lustre or shine that it had in the dreams. His father's skin wasn't as radiant. And his eyes had bags under them. However as frail and as emaciated his father looked, the charisma that exuded from his voice and eyes remained. He laughed again: "My dear Victor, it's the first time in 17 years since I've seen my little boy in the flesh."
Victor went for his sword and struck Loki, suddenly there was such a blowback from the deflection Victor was sent through the air. Maximilian went to pick him up.
Loki chuckled: "I have one final task for you before I let you and your charming boyfriend, greetings by the way, go back to Midgard."
Maximilian wrapped his hands around Victor protectively: "What's that?"
Loki smiles wolfishly: "Why free me of course!"
Victor responded: "I won't do it."
Loki sighed melodramatically: "Then I suppose it comes to this..."
Without warning Sigyn lashed out and had her hand on Maximilian's throat and pinned him to the wall.
Victor's shocked voice exclaimed: "Mother!"
Sigyn sighed and she turned to look at her son, the skin slowly burned off to reveal a second layer of skin. The disguise of "Sigyn" burned away to reveal a tan skinned woman with fiery eyes and black leather garbs.
"Gullveig." Stammered Victor, to which Gullveig smirked at him.
Victor turned to face Loki: "WHERE IS MY MOTHER LOKI?"
Loki, shrugged as Gullveig materialed next to the trickster god and held Maximilian in a stranglehold. Gullveig spoke: "I'm quite insulted Victor I am your mother!"
Victor shouted: "Liar!"
Loki breathed out: "Okay Victor, you have a right to know, the real Sigyn died 17 years ago." Loki's voice seemed to catch and falter. Loki continued: "So I was found by Gullveig. My oldest lover and friend from the same components of chaos as myself. She decided to help me deal with my loss with some cathartic roleplay and we had you."
Victor picked up Gram from the floor and touched it to Gullveig's neck, almost in tears, he asked: "Is that true...? Are you really my mother?"
Gullveig's eyes turned white as she responded in a monotone: "Yes..."
Victor felt the burning in his chest intensify as the truth was revealed. His head felt light, he pressed his hands to his ears: "No... no... no... I can't... it can't... it's not true." He dropped the blade and fell clutching his head, trying to shut out the voices. Maximilian shouted from his stranglehold: "Victor! We could still do this! Think of Skylar! She wouldn't want you giving up!"
Gullveig hissed: "Enough from your sweetie." Tightened the arm around Maximilian's neck causing Maximilian to struggle, gurgle, and gag.
Victor reflexively looked back up and yelled: "No! Please! He's all I have left!" With tears flowing steadily down his face.
Loki smiled: "Now that's what I like to hear!" And he nodded at Gullveig who slammed the choking Maximilian against the wall to which ghostly spectres of the bonds that held Loki, bound Maximilian. Gullveig smiled sickly sweet: "Now all you need to do is free your friend and through sympathetic magic, you'll free your father and we'll let you go on ways so the two of us can be the harbingers Ragnarok. Or you can leave your friend to suffer in eternal pain." On that cue the bonds sent electric shocks into Maximilian causing him to scream out in pain.
Maximilian groaned once the shocks stopped: "Go Victor, you can't let them win."
Victor was in tears: "Not an option Maximilian. I can't lose you too."
Maximilian groaned as several errant shocks raced into him: "You have to Victor."
Victor shook his head: "I love you and I'm not leaving you."
Loki rolled his eyes: "Do get along with it- GULLVEIG! VENOM!" He exclaimed as a large blob of acid green ooze fell from the snake in the roof. Gullveig snapped her fingers and the venom vanished.
Victor lit his hand up with a quivering uncertain amber flame, he heard Maximilian protest: "Victor don't do this!"
Victor blinked tears out of his eyes: "I'm sorry Maximilian. It must be done." And used the fire to melt the first of the bonds. Both Maximilian and Loki's right hands were freed. Loki stretches his right hand and felt his face with it, curling the fingers tentatively and felt motion in that shoulder. Victor freed the right leg and the left leg, supporting Maximilian and watching Loki bend his knees. Victor finally the left hand. Maximilian fell from the wall into his arms.
And for the first time in millennia, Loki stood. The fur jacket regenerated itself, a black leather tunic replenished itself under the fur pelts and red satin cloak. The tunic had gold decorations on it to mark his status. His brown leather pants had twin gold lines running down each pant. A gold tiara of a single wire thick gold materialised around his head and his red fire horns burst into flame. Loki was back. This was wildfire.
Loki walked over to Victor, looking down on his son and the passed out boyfriend in his arms: "Thank you Victor. I'll see you at Ragnarok."
Loki touched Victor's forehead and suddenly everything was white as the cave trembled violently.
