Chương 194: Chapter 167: Loki, Master of Illusions. 2010 CE
In a makeshift facility made by shield, a man with black hair was standing in front of a hammer that was placed on a stone. He looked calm, as if he was calming himself down. This man was of course Loki, the new King of Asgard, or at least, temporary.
He had just talked to his brother Thor about something, he lied about his father's death, and about his mother not allowing Thor to get back.
No one seemed to notice Loki's existence in the base, everybody just… ignored him for some reason. Loki then took a step, and tried to pull the hammer from the ground. But it was of no use,
"It's not going to work." a voice suddenly sounded, making Loki flinch, and he summoned Gungnir, his new weapon as king of Asgard.
When he turned, he saw someone familiar, a man that had beaten him up so many times that he lost count, but he also taught him many things, including the mastery of illusion magic that Loki knows today.
It was Pluto the Eternal, the lord of all that is golden.
"Uncle…" Loki calmed down a bit, but he was still weary of the being in front of him.
Pluto hummed as Loki greeted him. "Last time I saw you, you're half as tall as me."
"That was… a long time ago." Loki answered.
Pluto shrugged as he walked towards the hammer. "For me, it was only a thousand years ago, almost one per seventh of my life."
"You have lived for quite a long time…" Loki chuckled.
Pluto then looked at Loki, his violet eyes made the god of mischief really nervous.
"So why are you here?" Pluto questioned calmly.
"I'm here to break the news to Thor," said Loki, looking sad. "That father has died on his—"
Before Loki could finish what he started, he felt a sharp and unbelievable pain from his stomach, he looked towards it, and saw that Pluto's hand penetrated his abdomen, making him split blood.
Loki could feel the unbearable pain, but suddenly, it vanished in an instant. He dropped towards the ground, and touched his abdomen, there was no blood, the pain lingered for a bit, before disappearing altogether.
He looked around frantically, he saw that the people around them were frozen… frozen in time.
"W-What—"
"Do not lie to me Loki." said Pluto, his violet eyes glowing in the dark as he stared at Loki like he was but an ant. "Speak the truth when I am in front of you."
"I- I don't understan–"
Loki felt a sharp pain again, this time from his head. He felt that he dropped to the ground, before feeling like he was standing again.
"I said, do not lie." said Pluto.
"A-Alright…" Loki gasps as he feels the dread that he had not felt for a long time. "I- I came here to meet Thor… t-to trick him to not come back…"
"Why? Because you want the throne?"
"Of course not!" Loki yelled. Pluto was about to strike him again, but he paused.
"You… you're not lying…" said Pluto weirdly.
Loki chuckled in desperation. "Why do you think I lied? Because I was hungry for power? You taught me uncle… I know who I am…"
"Then why do you want to stay on the throne?"
"Saving the people of Asgard." said Loki, hatred filled his words. "Do you really think that Asgard would prosper in the hands of my brother? He's vile and arrogant, his brain only thought of battles, Asgard would be doomed in his hands…"
"You're not… lying…" Pluto murmured. "At least one of you actually listened to me…"
Loki was panting heavily as he knelt on the ground. "I am… weak… uncle… for all this time, I thought father preferred Thor as his heir rather than me because I am not good enough… but… turns out, I'm not even his son…"
Pluto sighed as he heard Loki. "Stand up."
Loki stood in front of him, still panting from the pain before.
"If I said that I know that you're a frost giant since the start, would you hate me?"
"I would ask… 'why did you not tell me from the start?'"
"Well, the answer to that question is that… it does not matter." said Pluto. "Being a frost giant doesn't make you a monster, Loki."
"Asgardian children used to be told that frost giants will eat them if they do not behave…"
"Perhaps, but is it the truth? Or simply a systemic lie?" Pluto questioned again. "You know, for all the things me and Sprite taught you, you still believe in stigma and generalisation… you know all of that is an illusion, built by a society's psyche in order to cope with certain problems of theirs…"
"Then what am I? A prince of Asgard? An heir to Laufey?" Loki questioned calmly.
"You are Loki." Pluto said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Master of illusions."
Loki hummed. "Then what do you want me to do? Give back the throne to Thor?"
Pluto shrugged. "Do what you want," he said, surprising Loki. "You keep your throne, bring Thor back to your world, it's up to you, the one who is king right now is you, until Odin wakes up anyway…"
"So you're telling me…"
"Oh, no, I don't really care about Asgardians' matters." Pluto said. "You can destroy the place, and I won't give any fucks."
Loki frowned a little, suspicious about Pluto's action.
"But…" Pluto said, casually grabbing the hammer and juggling it in the air. "Let Thor stay on earth for a little bit. And please, don't send anything to earth, it's a pain to deal with… I have a son… I'm supposed to be tired already."
"You have a son?" Loki was once again surprised.
"Oh, Odin didn't tell you?" Pluto hummed. "Well, you should meet him, you'll be a good sparring partner for him…"
"Eh… I don't know about that…" Loki chuckled.
Pluto sighed and planted the hammer on the stone again. "Well, you should go, need to talk to your brother after this."
Loki nodded. "Thank you… uncle…"
Pluto raised his brow. "For what?"
"For understanding me."
Pluto smiled. "Well, between the two, you are always my favourite."
Loki chuckled, and started to walk away from him as Pluto deactivated the time lock.
"Loki." said Pluto again, making the man turn around. "Whatever you do, don't lose yourself in power."
Loki nodded. "I'll try."
"Oh and stop by once in a while, it'll be fun seeing you practice your magic, might even teach you some new things myself."
Loki shivered at the thought. "No thanks uncle… I'm a king, remember? Need some things to take care of…"
Pluto chuckled as he shook his head in amusement. "Wimp…"
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