Chapter 1: Where's the Fun in That?
"I am Loki, of Asgard. And I am burdened with glorious purpose."
"Right ok sir, so how many are in your party again?"
Five-year-old Izuku Lokison couldn't help but giggle as his father sputters at the restaurant hostess' words. His mother has the decency to at least try to hide her laughter behind her hand. It wasn't working.
After confirming it was just the three of them, the hostess led them through the restaurant. Izuku followed behind his father while his mother stayed behind him. The boy couldn't help but look around as they went. It wasn't often they went out to eat as a whole family. Only for real special occasions. And his parents let him pick out whatever he wanted to wear! So of course he was proud of his tan cargo shorts and lime green shirt that read 'pants'.
They were led to a booth where the hostess put down their menus and told them their server would be there soon. His parents thanked her and slid into the booth on one side. His father first, wearing one of his favorite outfits, a full black suit. Jacket, shirt, tie, and pants, everything black. But it went well with his slightly pale skin, comb-backed greasy black hair, and green eyes. His mother, Inko, flattened her blue skirt and slid in next to his father with her white undershirt and peach-colored cover-up. Izuku sat across from them.
"Honey, you don't need to announce yourself every time we go somewhere," his mom lightly teased.
His father gave a small sigh. "Well yes, I know. But how else will these people know who graces them with his presence?"
Mom rubs his arm. "You know you don't have to be the God of Mischief everywhere we go? You can just be my husband and Izuku's father."
"No!" Izuku decides to chime into the conversation. "I like dad's mischief! More mischief!"
Dad gives Mom a little smirk. "See? At least someone appreciates my work." He shrugs a little before turning back to Izuku. "What do you say? Want to liven up tonight? Maybe I'll make a few snakes appear on some people's plates?"
"Yes!"
"Loki, no!" Mom chastises him while lightly swatting his shoulder. "Besides, I have a feeling there will be plenty of time for that after what happened last night."
Izuku rewound the video on the computer again and hit play. It was the same one he always watched. All Might's debut video. Where he saved over a hundred lives, all while smiling. That's who Izuku wanted to be. A hero who saved everybody with a smile. But no.
"Sorry kid, it's not gonna happen."
The doctor's words rang in his head over and over again. He didn't have a quirk. None at all. Even with a weak quirk, he could've made it work! But no, instead, he had none. Could he even still…
He spun around in his chair, tears falling from his eyes to face his parents who watched him from the doorway. He pointed at All Might's smile. "Do you think…I could be a hero too?"
His mother dropped to her knees and hugged him while crying, apologizing over and over.
"Sorry kid, it's not gonna happen."
Izuku hugged his mother back. Dad watched from the doorway. Seemingly lost for words. His world was crumbling. There was only one thing he wanted to hear.
"Sorry kid, it's not gonna happen."
And it wasn't that! Just again and again in his head. That's all he can see. The doctor in his chair looking bored as he casually crushed his dreams. Just those words! Forever on repeat!
"Sorry kid, it's not gonna happen."
He heard his dad's breathing hitch. Izuku looked up and wiped his tears to properly look at him. But when he did, his father wasn't looking at him. Instead, he was staring off at something to the side of him. He wasn't moving. Wasn't blinking. Izuku turned his head to see what was there-
And promptly screamed, falling off his chair.
Mom whipped her head, screaming as she moved in front of Izuku. All three are now gazing at the new, fourth occupant of the room. It was the doctor. Plain as day. He sat on his chair, head leaning on his hand just as he did earlier.
"Sorry kid, it's not gonna happen."
He just continued to look bored. Waiting a minute before repeating the phrase, giving no acknowledgment to anyone else.
"Izuku!"
Both mother and son jumped as dad rushed over kneeling beside them, grinning ear to ear.
"Do you know what this is? Do you know what you've done?" He asked. He sounded more excited than Izuku had ever heard in his life. He looked over to mom for help but she looked just as lost as he did. Probably wondering why he was asking Izuku for answers instead of demanding them from the teleporting doctor.
Izuku shook his head, still holding onto mom.
Dad held his hands out. "No no, it's ok. Really, it's ok! Come here, let me show you."
Slowly, Izuku detached and let himself be led over to the doctor. His father's grin never left his face. "Go ahead," He said, gesturing to the doctor, "touch it."
Izuku began to reach out before pulling back, looking one last time into his dad's own green eyes to be sure it was ok. With a nod, Izuku reached out again and touched the newcomer.
Only to yelp and snatch his hand back when instead of feeling the man's lab coat or just anything solid, his hand went straight through creating a small green glow and what looked like tv static where his hand was.
The green-haired boy stared at his hand, looking back and forth between it and the apparently static doctor. His dad got his attention again, his grin somehow getting wider. "Izuku, that's an illusion."
Understanding dawned on the greenette. "Oh! It's like one of your mischiefs!"
Dad chucked a bit. "Yes, Izuku. I make illusions. They're essentially pictures and movies I can bring to life anywhere. But as you saw, it's not real."
Izuku tilted his head in confusion, some might say he looked like a cute puppy as he did so. "So why did you make this one?"
Dad put his hand on his shoulder. "I didn't."
That just confused the boy more! "Well, then who did?!" His father just continued to stare at him, Izuku could swear he was vibrating. Which is great and all but doesn't answer his question.
Ok, Izuku, let's analyze! There are three alive people in this room since the doctor is basically a hologram. (so cool!) Dad says he didn't make it, and dad doesn't lie. So that leaves his mom. But wait, her quirk just attracts small things. Like pencils, erasers, utensils. Wait, what exactly is a small thing? How does the quirk determine that? Is it weight-based? That would make sense. Because while Izuku wouldn't consider himself too small, to someone like dad or Uncle Thor, he was positively tiny. But he guesses the quirk doesn't count that. But what about the small things attached to Izuku? Like in that movie dad let him watch the other night while mom slept, the villain cut the one hero's eye out! But the eye is tiny, or small. So could his mom use her quirk to grab people's eyes while they're still attached? Or would they have to be cut out first? Dad said he cut out an eye once. Did he let mom try out her quirk at that time? And what about the other body pa-
A light squeeze on his shoulder brought him back. He looked up to see his father with a look of amusement on his face. Oh. He had been muttering, hadn't he? Alright! Focus! The static doctor now. Asking dad about eyeballs he's cut out later. So no, it couldn't have been mom. And there can't be any invisible people in the room. Dad can always tell. So that just leaves…
"Me?" Izuku asked, pointing to himself in disbelief.
"Yes!" Dad cheered while shaking him a little. "Yes! Yes, you Izuku! You created that illusion! Do you know what that means?!" Mom gasped behind them, putting a hand over her mouth. "It means you have my powers!"
"I…I…" Izuku's brain had shut off and the rebooting process was taking a while.
His father laughed at his stunned face. "You may not have a quirk son. But you got something even better. My magic."
"Y-your magic? Y-you mean I can do mischiefs? Like you?" The boy asked, tears starting to fall again.
"You're going to be able to do so much Izuku!" Dad cheered. "You'll be able to create illusions, hide yourself, conjure things, so much! And look at the illusion you just created by accident? At such a young age too, I think your illusions might even be better than mine!"
The tears were in free fall now and there was no stopping them. "Does…does that mean…" Izuku sniffled. "Does that mean I can become a hero?"
For the first time, his dad's smile faltered, but only for a moment before returning. "O-of course Izuku." He clears his throat before continuing, his voice firm. "Izuku, you'll have the power to be anything you want. To do anything you want. And if being a hero is what you want? Then ok. You can be a hero."
Loki felt his breath leave him as a tiny green blur slammed into his chest clinging to him like a lifeline. None of them were sure how much time had passed while Izuku sobbed, but it didn't matter. The doctor faded away at some point.
Izuku eventually pulled away, trying and failing to wipe away the last of his tears. He didn't get very far before being pulled into his mother's embrace. Both greenette's crying while Inko told her son over and over what a great hero he would be and how she'd support him every step of the way.
A clap brought their attention back to Loki, who was running his hands together. "Well this calls for a celebration, don't you think? How about we go out to eat tomorrow night?" Izuku nodded so fast, his tears began to splash both parents. "Great then! And after that, we can begin training!"
Izuku's tears finally stopped, staring wide-eyed. "T-training? You mean, you're going to teach me?…"
"Well of course! Unless you happen to know any other sorcerers-"
"YES!" Izuku cried, getting on his feet. "Yes, yes! I wanna learn from you! That's ok, right mom?"
Inko looked at her husband for a few moments. "I'm ok with it. But nothing too intense right away. And…" she paused for another moment. "And where will you be training him, Loki? I don't want to have to replace furniture or dig knives out of the wall after you two are done every time."
"Oh, Inko, you know we have more than enough in our finances to replace anything that might break." The glare from his wife made him reconsider for a moment. "Uh, but! But, I do know a secluded place we could practice."
After a nod of approval from his mom, Izuku jumped into the air clapping. "Yay! Can we start now?!"
Both parents laughed before Loki responded. "Not tonight, how about we go out to eat tomorrow and the next day, we start?"
"Ok!" Izuku pumped his fists in the air. "I'm gonna be a hero!"
Inko pumped her own fists in the air with her son, cheering with him. Loki watched on, only a small smile on his face now. "Yes, Izuku. You're going to do great things."
The waitress walks over to their table smiling. "Hey guys, I'll be your server. Can I get you any drinks or anything to get started?"
"Katsudon!" Izuku helpfully provides.
Inko laughed. "We order our drinks, then our food sweety." Izuku pouts but relented.
After they were done eating and the meal was paid for, the family began to make their way back towards the front of the restaurant but before they could reach the doors, a scream pierces its way through the air. Everyone turns as a woman practically launches herself out of her seat.
"Snake!" She screeches. Before anyone could react, another man halfway across the building, also throws himself out of his booth. More and more people began to scream as small blue snakes slithered on the ground, snapping at people's feet.
Inko grabbed her son as people rush past them, pushing their way out of the building. She could only sigh. "Loki…" the aforementioned man not so subtly holds his hand out to his son, who giggles and gives him a high five.
"Really Inko darling, it was just a good bit of fun."
"Yeah, Mom! It was a funny joke!"
The family was walking back home, wanting to enjoy the crisp night air. Inko had just finished admonishing Loki for his 'prank.' "Is that so Izuku? A funny joke? Were those people laughing? Even after the snakes disappeared?"
"Well…no…" They still look pretty scared. Why? They were never in any real danger.
"And tell me this, what would have happened if while everyone ran, someone tripped and fell?"
The boy stares down at his feet while they were walking. He hadn't thought about that. "They could've gotten hurt…"
"That's right, and a hero doesn't hurt people, do they?"
Izuku has a horrified expression looking back up. "No! No never! A hero saves everybody no matter what!" He always loved his father's pranks and jokes. He thought since nothing his father made was real, no one could ever get hurt but mom was right. He chewed his bottom lip. Can pranks go too far? No, dad had never said anything about that being possible? So it wasn't right? Unless…
"Izuku…" he hadn't even noticed when his mother had kneeled in front of him. "Pranks can be ok. I'm just asking you to think about it a little bit before pulling them, ok?" Yeah, yeah ok that made sense. After repeating it out loud for his mother, she stood up and looked her husband in the eye. "And I expect that lesson to be reinforced during his training as well? Are we clear?"
"They were all going to live uninteresting lives anyway, the least I could do was give them something to remember," Dad tries. Now Izuku had never seen his father get cold before, but even he shivers from how icy the look he got became. "Very well," he concedes.
They continue for a few minutes before being stopped by some noise coming from inside an alley they were passing. Izuku and his mom instinctively moved behind Dad. For a few seconds, there was nothing. But before any of them could assume it was a wild animal or something, a young woman, probably early to mid-twenties, was thrown from the darkness, screaming until she hit the ground and went still.
"Oh dear. Is she dead?" Loki asks. After a beat, he shrugs before beginning to walk away.
"Izuku! Wait!" Inko cries but it's too late. Her grip had relaxed due to shock and at that moment Izuku had moved. He was nearly at the woman by the time his brain caught up with him. 'How did I get here?!' Well, he could worry about that later. This lady needs help.
He crouches by her. "Miss? Are you ok?" 'Dumb question Izuku! She's bleeding from the head! She's clearly not ok, stop being a Deku!' Before his thoughts could continue, a new voice interrupted.
"Well, this is annoying." Izuku's head snapped up to see three figures approaching from the alley. The one on the left was big with some type of bull mutation. The middle one was fairly plain looking with brown hair. The only notable feature is his slightly pointy ears. And the one on the right he couldn't tell at all as he wore snow pants, a winter coat with a scarf, a hat, and a ski mask on his face. The only body parts visible were his hands.
It was the bull who had spoken in a deep baritone. He continues, "Listen, folks, there's nothing to see here. We're just collecting some money owed to us and we'll be on our way."
Izuku vaguely hears his mother on the phone as dad walks up beside him. "Come now, Izuku."
That got his attention. "What?! Dad, no! She's hurt! We have to help!"
"Izuku, we don't have to do any-"
"Heroes help people!" Izuku retorts. "They save everybody! No matter what! Please!" He couldn't understand why Dad didn't want to do anything?! He was way more powerful than these villains! If you have the power to help, then you should!
Loki sighs deeply before looking back at the three villains. "Well, I suppose there is something we could get from this." He looks back down at Izuku. "How about an impromptu first lesson on some of your powers?" Izuku nods rapidly. Anything to get Dad to help. He nods, walking forward.
"I am Loki, of Asgard!" He announces, spreading his arms in front of him as a dagger appears in each hand seemingly from nowhere. "God of Mischief. You all will be helping me give my son some important lessons so do try not to embarrass yourselves." He turned his head slightly to address his son. "It's always good to add a bit of flourish, Izuku. Let those you face know they are beneath you."
Pointy Ears laughs, jabbing his thumb at the self-proclaimed god. "Yo, what the fuck even is this guy?" He asks in a high-pitched voice.
The Bull-Man began scraping one leg on the ground, getting ready to charge. Loki took a few steps to the side so he was in front of a wall. "I don't care what he thinks he is. He's gonna be a puddle in a second!" He roars charging at Loki.
However, instead of turning him into a red mist as the Bull-Man expected, he runs through him like nothing's there, crashing into the wall. The bull cries out in pain, collapsing to the ground grabbing his head. Loki appeared from thin air in a green light next to his counterpart, which promptly fades from existence. He half-turned to Izuku.
"What I just did Izuku, was use two techniques at the same time. I created an illusion of myself while at the same time hiding my presence. This will be one of the most important things for you to learn." He turns to fully face the stunned muggers. "And honestly? Attacking one at a time? I asked you not to embarrass yourselves. How is my son supposed to learn?"
The two villains, broken from their stupor, yell and charge in at the same time as requested. Pointy Ears turns one of his arms into a full-length sword while the winter coat villain's hands become blue. Loki lazily raises his dagger and blocks the oncoming sword while lifting his other forearm. The blue hand villain grabs it and cheers. "Got you!" He yells, though his voice was somewhat muffled from his mask.
"You see, Izuku." Loki continues. "Analysis, like your hobby, is very important as well." The villains growl in frustration. Pointy Ears tries a few more slashes but are all easily blocked while the other villain's hand seems to glow a bit brighter on Loki's arm. "I could tell immediately from his stance that this gentleman has absolutely no form or skill with his sword. ("Hey!") And the other is wrapped up warmly with glowing blue hands. Clearly, something to do with the cold." He turns to look at the winter coat villain. "Which I'm sorry to say, does not affect me."
With that, Loki throws the winter villain off him. He hit the wall with a very audible crack and goes down. A swift kick to Pointy Ears and he was sent back down the alley. The Bull-Man was back on his feet and charging once again. Loki merely stood there again and, like before, the Bull-Man went through an illusion and smacks his head into the wall.
Loki appears again from nowhere, dismissing his double. "Really?" He asks the bull writhing on the ground. "Two times? Really? It's almost like you don't want to help my son."
"I'll help him grow up without a dad!" The winter villain was slowly getting to his feet.
"Ah! Wonderful!" Loki calls out before fully turning to face Izuku. "You won't be just limited to one copy of yourself. You can make plenty!" To demonstrate, a dozen copies of his father littered the alley. "The perfect technique for confusion and distraction. Obviously, it's best if you use this before you're seen but if you are, just hide your presence." He disappears in another green light to make his point.
One of the Loki's went to stab the winter villain but he dodges and thrusts his palm in it's face…only for it to go straight through. He dances around a few more clones, his attacks going through all of them. "Stop hiding!" He yells in frustration.
"Okay!" The villain screams in pain as a dagger stabs him in between his ribs from behind. He went down to one knee. Loki quickly grabs his arms and slashes both of his palms. The villain screams more before a final slap from the Asgardian renders him unconscious.
In another flash of green light, the God was gone again, just before Pointy Ears ran back into the fray, only to be descended upon by just under a dozen clones. "What the hell?!" He squeals, dodging their attacks.
Loki appears crouching next to his son gesturing to the arm swordsman. "See? Distraction." The Bull-Man was rising again. Eyes zoning in on them. Izuku could swear he saw actual smoke coming from his nostrils.
"There are many ways you'll be able to use your illusion, decoys, clones, whatever you want to call them in battle. That was merely a small taste."
The Bull-Man began to ready his charge.
"Umm…Dad?"
"As you saw I slashed his palms. That was to nullify his abilities just in case. Of course, the better way would be to simply cut his hands off or just kill him."
The Bull-Man lowers himself.
Ok, going back to that later. But right now…"Ok, uh, Dad?"
"But I know that can look bad here on Midgard. But knowing how to disable people brings us back to your analysis. Izuku? Are you getting all of this?"
The Bull-Man charged.
"Dad!"
Loki exhales, standing up. With a quick flick of his wrist, two throwing knives fly and bury themselves into the bull's legs. He screeches in pain and falls to the ground, sliding to a stop in front of them. "Along with daggers, throwing knives will probably be your most used weapon." Loki lectures, "I'll make sure you're an expert with both but don't worry, we'll look at other weapons too." A kick to the face and the Bull-Man was out.
"Hey!" The two magic users look to see a very disheveled Pointy Ears glaring at them while panting. It seems he had run out of illusions. "What the hell was that?!"
"As you can see Izuku," Loki began, ignoring the last villain's comments. "Letting enemies fight your decoys can also mess with their head, as well as drain stamina." The God of Mischief saunters over to the man, making sure to literally walk on the Bull-Man. Sirens began to sound nearby. "Any questions, Izuku?"
The boy shook his head, still trying to process all the new information. His dad nods. Pointy Ears attempts to thrust his blade into Loki's stomach but a simple sidestep reveals the man had severely overextended. Loki kicks the back of his knee's sending Pointy Ears to the ground and with a quick hit to the head with the handle of the dagger, he's knocked out.
Loki picks up Pointy Ears, followed by the winter villain, and dumps them over the bull. Izuku tilts his head as his dad places a hand on two of the villain's foreheads and emits a green glow. "Dad, what are you doing?" He asks.
"A simple enchantment," was the reply as a hand was moved to the last forehead. "I'm going to make them forget the last few minutes."
"You can do that?!" Izuku yells incredulously. He remembers his dad mentioning he had powers that could affect people's minds but he never thought it'd be something so in-depth! He also called it 'simple.' Which had to mean there were more complicated versions. How much memory could he erase? Could he make someone forget who they were completely? Could he erase certain memories or did he have to go back chronologically? What about the inverse? Could he make people remember things they had forgotten? Oh my god. He's thinking so narrowly. Could this be expanded? Even to the point of brainwashing? False memories? The possibilities we-
The ruffling of his hair brought Izuku back. Looking up, he saw his dad smiling down at him. "As much as I love your tangents my boy, we should get going." He was right. The sirens were pretty loud by this point. Loki reaches out and grabs Mom's hand next to him (when did she get there?) and gently led her and Izuku away.
"W-wait! Dad…" When the attention of his parents was on him, he turns to look at the woman still lying on the ground. "I just…I just want to make sure she'll be ok…"
Another sigh from Loki. "Very well. We've already gone this far." He stands in between mother and son, holding Izuku's hand and Inko's shoulder. Another soft green glow emerges but nothing changes. They just stand there, staring at the woman. The emergency vehicles were coming down the street, only seconds away.
"Uhh, Dad? Shouldn't we?…"
"It's quite alright. I'm hiding all of our presences right now."
It's official. His Dad is gonna make his brain explode tonight. Thinking about the number of notebooks he'll need for himself and Dad alone filled him with as much dread as it did excitement. "You can hide the presence of multiple people?!" He whisper shouts.
Loki chuckles. "Yes, I can Izuku. And no need to lower your voice. We cannot be heard like this." The childish part of his brain told him to scream and test that theory. He held it in. For now. "However," Dad continues. "Hiding your own presence will be difficult enough with everything I want to teach you. So I'm sorry but it will probably be a few decades before you'll be able to hide multiple people."
Izuku was ready to refute that but the ambulances and police cars stopping on the street took his attention. He feels his shoulders sag seeing the paramedics start to work on the woman while the police work on securing the villains.
"Better?" His Dad asks. Izuku can only nod his head. Now that the victim was safe, his brain had gone back to trying to process everything he had seen and was told. "C'mon. There's nothing else for us here." Loki leads his family away.
"Daaaaaad. I wanna learn about my powers but can't the sun at least be fully up first!" Izuku whines before going into a long, drawn-out yawn. It was true. The sky was still dark, with only a little light peeking over the horizon. Izuku himself wore a loose-fitting All Might shirt and black basketball shorts. Maybe, maybe he could deal with being awake earlier than should be legal, but combine all of that with the smell? Noooo thank you. Why did they have to come to the trash-covered beach anyway?
"Sorry Izuku, but we have a lot to cover and only ten years before you enter that hero school, correct?" Dad turns around from facing the ocean, looking down at him while they stand in the sand between the trash mounds. He wore his usual suit. "So I've brought you to Dagobah-"
"Dagobah? Dad, I think the beach is called Takoba?…"
"No. I prefer Dagobah. Moving on." Loki takes a granola bar from his pocket and begins to eat it. "This is where we'll train Izuku. This spot is secluded so we will not be disturbed while we practice magic, analysis, and combat. The trash should help you stay fit and build muscle. Truthfully, I'm not sure if you have my enhanced physical capabilities as of yet, so better to be safe."
Izuku's eyes widen while he looks at the trash that towers over him. "W-well I guess that makes sense? I think I saw a car in here? And plenty of fridges. So I'll definitely build muscle…oh! And I'll be picking up trash! It'll be like I'm doing something good for the community! Like All Might always talks about!"
Izuku whirls back to face his father in excitement, right as the man froze, throwing his granola wrapper into the nearest mound. "…Right, that too. Now before we start. I'm going to give you some fundamental lessons that you should always remember." Loki crouches down in front of his son. "Ready?"
Izuku nods in even more excitement.
"Your fights will not rely on pure combat ability. You have your illusions and mind. Those are what will decide most conflicts. Your ability to study your opponent and deduce their strengths and weaknesses will decide many contests before the first blow can be struck. You must always, always, be two steps ahead. Make your opponent think they've figured out your trick, then strike. Understand so far?"
"Yes, father." Izuku replies.
"You have to understand Izuku that you will not fight like All Might. Or like most heroes. You will have to use trickery and deceit. If an opponent is stronger, that is no excuse to lose. You will have to be able to mentally manipulate them if you must. Make them see what you want them to see. Be in control of every situation. Is that something you think you can do?"
Izuku looks down for a minute thinking it over. He always wanted to be a hero like All Might, saving people with a smile. It didn't sound like that would be exactly what he would be doing. But in the end, saving people and making sure they were safe is what mattered right? Besides, after they were safe, he could always make them laugh with some pranks.
Izuku looks back up at his father, determination burning in his eyes. "I can do it."
"Good!" Loki breathes out. "There is one more thing." Izuku dips his head slightly. "Due to the nature of your abilities and how you'll fight Izuku, you must never allow anyone to see through them. If someone can see through your illusions and tricks, you lose control. Then, you and the people you are trying to save, die."
"H-how do I make sure no one can see through them?"
"You can never let anyone get too close to you. You, Izuku, have to become an illusion yourself to others. Again, make them see only what you want them to see. No living being is perfect. If you allow others to get close, they may be able to start to notice the difference between you and your illusions. They may even predict how you move when you erase your presence. Understand?"
Izuku shrugs and nods. Not like that would ever be hard. Since his quirk was late, Kacchan had made sure he was isolated at school and everywhere else. Whatever it takes to save people.
"Alright!" Dad hit his knees standing back up. "Shall we begin, my young Prince of Mischief?"
Loki Laufeyson opens his eyes with a gasp. Then immediately closes them, wincing in pain from the throbbing in his head. Right. Astral projecting himself so far in the universe always took a toll on him. He stands up and looks around the usual meeting spot. A comet floating listlessly in space. The terrain was hard and jagged. The stars above him, endless. He looks down to see, as he wanted, he's in his green and gold armor. A dark green cape behind him and a gold helmet with curved horns sticking out.
"Asgardian." An annoyingly familiar and somewhat nasally voice says from behind him.
Loki turns to meet the other occupant of this lovely rock. His gray skin was wrinkled with white hair coming from the back of his head. He stands with his hands behind the back of his grey and gold armor. Loki mirrors his posture. "I was expecting to finally meet him tonight," Loki began, only hiding his frustration a little.
"He will meet with you when he declares you are worth meeting. For his judgment is absolute."
"Right," Loki responds, only years of practice stopping him from rolling his eyes. "Well I thought since I am not only preparing Asgard for your forces, but Midgard as well, he might wish to speak with me in person. Or, as close as this is."
"Terra is merely a bonus as of now." His conversation partner drawls on. "Now that it's people have had time to settle with their new abilities, they could make excellent conscripts for our forces. A nice bonus, but not required. Not nearly as important as the item Odin protects."
"And you shall have it. So long as I also have what I desire. Now, why did you call upon me?"
The master of wrinkles took his time in answering. "Terra is unimportant as of now. However, there have been, shall we say stirrings? The piece Odin protects may not be the only one left."
"I beg your pardon?" Ok, that threw Loki for a loop. And he should know. He made his entire life on throwing people for loops. "What do you mean not the only one? The rest were destroyed centuries ago, there are no more."
"Perhaps. Still. If even one other remains, it must be found. Only he is mighty enough to wield them. And with Terra being left to it's own devices for quite some time now, it may be there. We will need you to confirm this."
Loki clenches his fist behind him. "I will do what I can."
"Very well." Taking the dismissal for what it was, Loki turns around and begins to let his projection go, but before he could, the other spoke up again. "Curious." Loki turns halfway to look back. "I am curious. We do not have much information on Terra. How do you plan to prepare mankind for our arrival? Tell me."
The God of Mischief merely smiles.
"Now where's the fun in that?"