[ chapter six ] join the whisperer (part two)

THE EMBODIMENT OF DARKNESS, a dark cloud with beaming tusks jumped from behind the tree trunk and was attacking its newest target — Loki.

Nicholas automatically ducked down as he observed the coming peril its weight bent over the trees that came to its way. It flew over the river as a gloomy cloud that was expecting to set a rain yet it descended back drastically as a tsunami, taking off the snowy cover as a destructive flood. The darkness of the beast's body engulfed them.

Nicholas' ear was pressed on the man's chest listening to his heart that was losing its constant beat, dying in the end but soon as the purple flickers appeared and Nick touched accidentally the man's wound as he was trying to get back to his feet, the man came back to life, exhaling loudly but the dark energy consumed him, decayed into purple pieces of dust.

Nick heaved a sigh as the image of a man crumbling into dust carved into his mind which was always pitch black yet now was repeatedly showing him the terror captured in his eyes as the invisible force was ripping him apart.

He jumped back to his feet as a green flare blinded him, needing to cover his eyes with his forearm. The green outline disappeared with viridescent sparkles that set down, illuminating the snow that was sprinkled with bits of the serum.

The beast stopped near to the place Loki stood before, sniffing the liquid as if it needed to track the ampules down which eventually turn out to be true as the monster snarled and begin to follow the atrocious smell.

Nicholas' eyes flashed with regret, observing the vanishing greenish outline.

His heart struck as he tried to get back to his feet, swaddled in snow, discerning that the monster was gazing into his soul.

The white craters that acted as eyes beamed now in crimson red. Nick backed little by little, dragging his knees in the slush. The snow slurry cracked under his weight which made the beast even interested, catching its attention.

His pupils shrank, knowing that this is his end. He touched the man's body which could leave some residues of the blue liquid on his palms as he was pressing the man's wound, attempting to save his precious life. The nostrils of the beast widened as if it was on the track.

Still, it wasn't looking at Nicholas but at something standing behind him.

Just soon as the beast came to any closer something lit the place. Lime green figures brighten up the place as Christmas lights were slowly turning on, illuminating the snow glimmers that reflected the light of the heavens.

These silhouettes appeared around the monster, drawing its attention to the uneven shapes that transpired to be duplications of the one and only — Loki Laufeyson.

The beast was startled by the number of targets so he was turning around, hypnotized by the individual light show. Loki's doppelgangers acted like beacons, whenever the shadow monster glanced at one of the replicas, the other one that was the nearest to it outshined it, brightening the snowfield even more.

The beast snarled as it was dazzled with the scenery of thousand lights. Nicholas noticed how the beast's eyes were reflecting the playful sparks, seeing the specks of glitter and how it was happily looking around, excited to see more, this made him realize that it was just a baby, a newborn perhaps.

Seeing the joy that the lights brought to the beast, made him realize how excited he was when he saw the fireworks for the first time.

Mesmerized monster, a tamed pet.

Nick stood up, shivering in cold, getting startled by a subtle touch on his shoulder that Loki gave him. With a fine-drawn nod, he let him know that the clock is ticking, needing to vanish before it's too late.

"Thank you," Nicholas whispered because this moment was one of a kind, a heroic moment should be appreciated. He started to follow him as he kept going along the frozen streamlet.

"You didn't want to be alone so I brought you whole army," Loki chuckled, referencing Nicholas' statement which was so thoughtful and made him tongue-tied.

"I'm not saying that they're useful but they can do something," a smirk remained on his lips, pushing Nicholas' back to get him in the front and get away quickly.

Nicholas continued walking but an unexplained inquisitive signal indicated him to look back, spotting the beast playing with the lights as a kitten playing with a ball of yarn.

Hitting it with paws like a curious animal trying to feel the fragility of butterflies' wings.

Nick nearly stumbled over the rock that pretended to be a pile of snow as he was studying the monster's behavior that seemed so peaceful. If he could, he would have joined the beast, watching the snow mountains studded with luminescent illusions.

He panted as it calmed his nerves like a child's play.

"Now we need to get out of here," Loki uttered as he perceived Nicholas constantly looking back which could draw attention to them. Soon as Loki said that he started to search up for the tempad he hid in the inner pocket of the suit jacket, however, he couldn't feel the gadget by touch so he stopped walking to look inside the pocket that was surprisingly enough empty.

Loki's eyes widened as he registered that he might have lost somewhere yet he couldn't really tell where. He reckoned, observing the sugar piles that beamed under the light.

Luckily, something flared in yellowish tones in one of the mounds. Instantly as he observed the flat rectangular object, his copies started to pulse and successively fade away in one direction, navigating the monster to follow them as a distraction.

"Just keep going," Loki gave him a command. He was the type of person who never explained their thoughts and most importantly his plans since he had his own secrets. Nicholas was so stupefied with the play of light that he nodded in agreement and proceeded to walk.

Usually whenever Loki wanted to be in command of something he was too quiet, proudly taking control over something as he observed they weren't good at it, therefore him saying that made him suspicious.

"What did you say?" Nick questioned, frowning his eyebrows as he realized Loki's words sounded too forced.

"Just keep going. The clock is ticking. There aren't many minutes left," He repeated yet it sounded like a pre-recorded sound on a tape, compiled with no emotions whatsoever. The sentence was cut so strangely that it made him turn back — to see the truth.

Nicholas glanced at the cast illusion that looked exactly like Loki that had the plain smile on its lips, glaring right through him. The mirage evaporated in tiny speckles, revealing that the real Loki was getting knocked down by the monster as he was trying to reach the tempad placed in the snow.

Loki's body slammed to the ground and right away and just as soon he wanted to get back to his feet as he grabbed the tempad, the beast's limbs incarnated and grasped his leg and pulled him closer.

He groaned as he felt the snow slush on his body, soaking his uniform since he was dragged, digging a trail in the snow.

"Ugh! Give me a break," Loki growled, his magic recalled a knife in his hand that was free as he was clutching the gadget. The blade dug into the snow, waiting for the right time and after that, he stretched out to hit its forearm.

The beast howled in pain as the shining blade cut right into its thick skin, ripping it open yet there wasn't any blood coming from the wound rather its limb transformed into clouds of darkness.

It backed so Loki exhaled in relief but just as soon he wanted to go for another stab he realized that the dagger crumbled in his hand.

His eyes widened as he felt flabbergasted, noticing he held an air and violet granulated powder that later slipped through his fingers.

Loki slid few meters then he stopped as his uniform was soaked in snow, the soft fabrics stuck to his chest. He was gazing at the sky that fully embraced its blushed color.

He breathed in and breathed out, however, there was no time to waste so he shoved the tempad into a pocket.

He jumped back to his feet, of course with a hair flip that was the definition of grace, spreading his arms in which hands appeared a pair of daggers that shimmered beneath the unfurling sun rays. Its blades seemed much sharper than the ones he used before, predicting the bloodshed.

"Now show me what you got!" Loki uttered through his teeth. He pulled his eyebrows, squinting, scanning every move of the beast as his lips tightened.

The monster looked unhappy as its eyes were pointing down at the limb that was now gone as its body became a cloud of pitch-black smoke. Instantly, as Loki called the beast out, it drastically changed its behavior.

Its red eyes grew bright golden orbs that broadened every time Loki made a subtle movement, but its gaze was locked on Loki's torso. It glanced at the blue stain on his shirt, the wet blotch glistened as the spill was fresh, reflecting the light from the fragments of shattered ampules.

The fall crushed the ampules that were placed in his inner pocket. Loki noticed how it stared on his chest, so he looked down, observing the enormous splotch and then back at the beast that bared its teeth.

"Hang on just a minute! I know you're obsessed with me but we need to talk first, cause clearly I wasn't expecting that," he stuttered, frozen by the beast's reaction where it saw the blotch. It was even worse than Frigga when she saw a speck of dust on his Asgardian garment.

Too late the beast sprinted back to him, needing to attack. Loki dry swallowed another protest, clutching tightly the golden handles of daggers as his palms were getting sweaty since he felt the pressure of this moment, counting the seconds where should he attack in silence.

There was no sound coming from the beast as it was getting closer, only plum tones flickering on all sides of the murk that was forming a monster's body.

As the dark fog crossed the trail of footsteps in the snow, it was time to act.

Now! Loki's inner voice yelled, realizing this might be it, the time when he finally managed to kill something mighty and gruesome and eventually became the savior he always wanted to be. Although he wasn't on Asgard anymore, he still wanted to protect his people.

Loki bawled something that could be transferred to a battle shout and swung at the beast with daggers. He already saw the carnage in front of his eyes as the monster took a running jump at him.

He gazed up at the dark cloud that spread over the skyline, releasing specks of gloom that descended and eventually shaped itself into a wall of darkness in front of Loki that absorbed anything that got near to it.

Loki stepped back as he perceived a midnight blue blast that hit the beast right into its face. Its eyes beamed, thrilling for blood.

It yelped.

Another dark blast approached the monster, vanishing right in front of its eyes. Soon as the beast was relieved, the energy clenched its throat, choking it as a noose, pulling it down.

The invisible force hurled it off.

Snow swirled in the air as the beast fell down.

Loki jumped back to safety as he examined the wall of murk solidifying, trapping the beast as its yellow pupils faded behind the bars of darkness.

Loki breathed out, trying to cover his eyes with his forearm since its fall created a raging snowstorm which faded soon as he brushed off the snow dust from his shoulders. He observed tempad's display, noticing that there were nearly forty seconds left.

"How many?"

"Thirty-nine," he responded nervously yet just as his voice became quieter. Loki's pupils expanded, realizing someone's presence. He gazed to the right, observing a familiar snow jacket.

A confusion overtook his facial expression.

"You did that?" Loki asked Nicholas as he connected the two dots.

"Yeah. You're mad?" Nick queried back with a smile on his lips.

"Do I look mad—" His response was cut off as a loud growl resounded behind the tall dark wall.

"Kinda. Maybe we should stop talking and do something about it," Nick shrugged his shoulders as he observed Loki glancing at him.

He nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Or maybe we could wait and leave that alone—" Loki needed to pause as another loud snarl brought attention to itself. "Gosh! Can you stop interrupting me for a moment? It's very disrespectful!" He yelled to nowhere, to the darkest corners of the mountains.

It seemed as everything became silent which brought a sense of peace to Loki's soul.

The yellow pupils, mirroring the smallest stars, widened and shone through the murk as reflectors, leading lights. The light from them went off as someone turned off the light switch.

Only the snow glistened beneath the awakened rays of the morning sun yet the beams couldn't go through the gigantic jet-black border.

A loud shriek that was too far from being human echoed, bouncing off the wall, absorbing it as a raindrop falling into a dirty puddle.

The variants looked at each other and a simple nod let them know that they should do whatever they could to stop the beast.

The wall fell down like a curtain, revealing the main star of the show.

The monster sprinted back to them more furious, enraged than before as both of them had residues of the serum sprinkled on them.

Loki widened his eyes as he perceived the seconds quickly changing on the tempad, being propelled forward with the need to act.

Nicholas created with graceful gestures a dark blue mass that wrapped around his fingers as a leash, which eventually formed into a specter of shadows.

It severally flickered in purples as he the blast at the monster. The dark mass suddenly glistened in green glitters and then duplicated as Loki cast an illusion to draw the monster's attention to something different, something mischievous.

The three copies of the dark blast hit the beast right in the face, however, it didn't stumble, only managed to close its eyes for a moment and it after that seemed more hungry.

They fed the shadowy beast with darkness, making it even stronger.

Nicholas realized it, just as soon he noticed that the attacks were absorbed by its skin, but he already lost his hope as he observed Loki clenching shakily the tempad in his left hand and the monster coming after them.

Just as soon he examined the dagger in his hand, an idea came to his mind.

He grabbed his hand and with a try to take over the knife but Loki wriggled as the sudden move startled him, which made the blade to met with the boy's thin skin on his palm — bloodshed.

This was the carnage he wasn't thinking of, the story taking the wrong turn.

Loki froze as he realized what happened, he hurt the boy he was meant to protect.

Nicholas' palm was cut open, leaving a tear that let out the blood, releasing his inner demons. He hissed as his hand started to tremble due to the pain. The bloody streamlet tinted his skin, noticing the regretful gaze of his friend.

He clutched the hand in a fist to bear with the pain, leading him to raise the hand, show the bloodshed to the beast, in memory of those who died here.

He stepped forward, trying to fight the suffering, which slowly took over his expression as he was biting his bottom lip as unbearable electricity wired straight into his arm.

His nose shivered as he felt his eyes were watering, attempting to embrace this moment as a deed to remember.

Loki's hands started to tremble too, unable to express the regret this action brought to him.

"No! Don't do that! We have to leave now!" Loki tried to stop him as he pressed his shoulder but Nicholas squirmed off his touch.

His mind already was creating many scenarios where both of them are going to die. He didn't want to be ripped apart or see anyone to be ripped.

Hope flashed in Loki's eyes.

Nicholas showed the palm to the flickering mad cloud, completely ignoring Loki's demand.

The beast reached out to touch his hand but he was pulled somewhere by his waist, falling to his back, feeling the dried-out grass blades touching his skin.

The fluorescent portal closed, letting inside a dark fog that ascended as a smoke signal.

THE WIND SWOOSHED, hitting the trunks of trees in the valley. Mobius took off the binoculars, touching his neck as the black strap scraped his nape, also blending with the goosebumps he got after perceiving their escape as he stood at the edge of a cliff.

"They left," Mobius told me, still shocked that they managed to leave on time.

Mobius gave me back the binoculars that were covered in snowflakes. I didn't even hold them for a second and they disappeared in blue glimmer.

"Not alone," Dyatlov added, holding his hip as he was getting weaker and weaker, glancing at the snow hills, the iced sea of many footsteps and corpses.

I froze, as Igor's words echoed in my head: "What do you mean?"

"What a shame it's a failed experiment too," Dyatlov proceeded as he was interrogated, his mouth seemed like a desert, dried out, eluding the ability to stay conscious.

"Who?" Mobius questioned.

"Ask his mother. . ." Dyatlov muttered, his voice was concealed in the cold wind. His hands relaxed falling to his thighs as his body became loose, similar to a rag doll. At that moment his clothes were fully red as a flag that is used as a warning of incoming danger.

His heart stopped as he bled out.

Igor Dyatlov wasn't a lost cause, he wanted to be human too.

author's note:

I swear you're not going to believe this but although Igor was there only one chapter, I really liked him, and writing his death, although we knew he's going to die was one of the things that really hit me. 🤧 Or is it just me? Anyways this is the end of the freezing madness. I liked this part of the plot so much I can't even describe it. It was chaotic, emotional and we managed to create a stronger bond between the four characters. 🥺

Also, I need to point out the development of Nicholas, from being a crybaby about the fact he was lonely at the beginning, and in the end, he really said: I don't want to be alone anymore, let's fight for it together. 🥺💜

The question now is... Who's the failed experiment?