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….
"What is this?" the goddess knit her brows in bewilderment, clearly already sensing the energy of the Living Light herself.
"It's an invention made by a friend of mine. I just tweaked it a bit," I answered almost automatically.
Most of my conscious focus was currently dedicated to directing the raw energy bleeding out of the 'portal' and locking it into a stable cycle.
Thank the Norns I hadn't been too lazy to transmute the reactor's casing into a proper containment artifact. It was primitive by Asgardian standards, sure, but perfectly adequate for this specific task.
"I think you can already feel what it does," I continued softly. "I'm not entirely sure it will pull Father out of the Odinsleep any faster, but it will absolutely do wonders for his overall health."
"This is… incredible," the Queen whispered, rising from her chair. She reached out, her hand trembling slightly as she hovered her palm over the softly humming, brilliantly glowing reactor.
"Living Light…" she breathed, her eyes wide with awe, as if she couldn't quite believe the evidence of her own senses.
"What grand sorcerer forged such a miracle?"
"You're not going to believe this, but the guy didn't even know Living Light existed when he built it," I smiled at her, finally stepping back as the containment spell settled into a self-sustaining loop.
"He is simply a genius idiot. I truly have no other words for him. Oh, by the way," I smoothly shifted to a more serious tone, "I promised to gift him a spaceship, but I haven't had the time to put one together yet. If, for whatever reason, I don't return from Jotunheim, I've logged his address and all the necessary instructions into the Throne's databanks."
"Just… make sure whoever delivers it gives him something not too technologically advanced, please? He'll immediately try to turn it into a weapon of mass destruction, and the man already invents far too many of those."
"Son, what are you planning?" Frigga's maternal instincts instantly overrode her fascination with the reactor. She stood up straighter, her eyes narrowing.
"I'm going to solve the Jotunheim problem. Radically, but elegantly." I reached out and grabbed Gungnir, which was hovering exactly where I had left it.
The golden metal felt warm and eager in my grip.
"Don't worry, the plan is solid. I'm just going to have to play the part of the reckless, vengeance-crazed hero for a little bit."
"Loki. What have you done?" the goddess frowned, her worry amplifying tenfold, exactly as I knew it would.
"It's just one of my classic 'jokes'," I offered a breezy, dismissive smile. "Nothing too serious. Nothing dangerous."
"People do not leave their last will and testament in the Throne for 'nothing serious and dangerous'," Frigga countered, utterly immune to my charm.
"It's just a precaution, Mother," I said, trying to gently steer away from the uncomfortable topic.
"You know, the kind of basic foresight that, had Odin exercised it, would have prevented this entire current mess."
"Loki… do not try to deflect. That trick does not work on me. What. Are. You. Planning?"
I let out a long, heavy sigh, letting the glib mask slip. "Fine. I'm going to go have a little chat with Laufey in my usual, aggravating style. I will push his buttons until he reaches the mental state of a severely hungover Volstagg, at which point he will do something incredibly stupid. Probably several incredibly stupid things. And I will capitalize on those mistakes. Basically, I'll be back by dinner, don't miss me too much!"
I paused, chewing the inside of my cheek for a second before continuing, my voice dropping its theatrical lilt.
"It is the simplest, fastest, most reliable, and most bloodless way to solve this. The alternative is a war of absolute extermination across the realms, and I really, really do not want to let it come to that. So, wish me luck, and wait for me to come home."
"You have grown up so much," Frigga smiled, though her eyes were shining with unshed, sorrowful tears.
"Well, someone has to be the responsible adult in this family," I said, shooting a pointed, reproachful glare at Odin's sleeping form.
I knew damn well he was likely watching and listening to us right now from the astral plane. I hoped he felt ashamed. Highly unlikely, but hey, a guy can dream.
"Keep yourself safe, my son."
She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me. I froze for a second, a sudden, sharp pang of awkwardness and unwarranted guilt piercing my chest.
"Of course, Mother," I murmured, returning the embrace before gently stepping back.
I turned on my heel, my cape billowing slightly. My path led straight to the Vault. If I was going to do this, I needed to do it immediately. No more dragging my feet.
...
"Why have you brought the Destroyer, King?"
Heimdall's booming voice echoed through the Bifrost observatory as I strode in.
Or rather, as we strode in. Trailing right behind me was the semi-sentient masterpiece of Asgardian technomagic, a towering golem of spiked, dark metal capable of vaporizing an entire regiment of elite Aesir warriors without breaking a sweat. I had just withdrawn it from the deepest sanctum of the palace.
"I decided the Rainbow Bridge was in need of a sentry," I stated the painfully obvious without a shred of emotion.
Through my mental link with Gungnir, I commanded the apocalyptic automaton to halt and take up a defensive stance right at the entrance of the spherical golden room.
"You do not trust me?" the Guardian of the Bridge asked grimly, his golden eyes sliding over the massive, hulking figure of the Vault's ultimate guardian.
"I have not the slightest doubt in your honor, your nobility, or your absolute devotion to Asgard, Heimdall..." I caught his gaze, letting my voice drop to a freezing temperature, laced with heavy, biting irony.
"And that is exactly why the Destroyer will stand guard right here. You know how uncomfortable these situations get. When a highly decorated, perfectly loyal warrior suddenly decides that his 'honor' compels him to do something completely idiotic... like aiding in the provocation of a galactic war... or setting the crown prince up for exile. Just... all those awkward little situations."
I let the silence stretch, giving him ample time to process the thoroughly lethal expression on my face. "Do we understand each other?"
Heimdall's face turned to stone halfway through my speech. "What is required of me?" he asked dryly.
"First: you will keep your mouth shut about everything you see and hear in Jotunheim today," I snapped, breaking eye contact and marching purposefully toward the edge of the portal platform.
"You may report it only to my father, my mother, or to Thor, whenever he finally returns."
As I walked, I let my magic wash over me. My tailored Earth suit dissolved, replaced seamlessly by my Asgardian armor, now heavily reinforced with Earth's indestructible adamantium. The familiar weight of the horned helm settled onto my brow.
"And second," I turned back to face him, locking eyes with his mystically burning, amber gaze.
"If the Frost Giants attack me during my parley with Laufey... you will open the Rainbow Bridge. And you will not close it until Jotunheim is reduced to a handful of drifting cosmic dust. Those are my orders as the King of Asgard. My first, and quite possibly, my last."
"..." For several long seconds, Heimdall remained absolutely silent, processing the sheer, apocalyptic weight of the command. Then, very slowly, his heavy eyelids fluttered shut, and he bowed his head. "It shall be done."
Was it just me, or did I hear a faint flicker of genuine respect in the Guardian's rumbling baritone? Or maybe I was just projecting.
"Send me close to the palace," I ordered, turning my back to him and facing the open void. I struck the heel of Gungnir against the crystalline floor.
A low, resonant hum vibrated through the metal and the room, symbolically and literally sealing the absolute authority of the command.
The giant dark-skinned warrior didn't reply with words. Instead, the sharp, metallic shhhk of his greatsword sliding into the control pedestal answered for him.
The colossal gears of the observatory ground into motion. Lightning began to crackle and arc violently behind me.
Through the mental link provided by Gungnir, I could actually see myself from behind, looking through the glowing visor of the Destroyer as if it were a second body.
….
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