The moment I heard the news, I immediately stood up from the seat, despite the effects of the drugs and alcohol. My mind was racing with so many thoughts as I had trouble gathering them all together to form a coherent thought.

"H-how?" I stammered. I thought we were safe. I thought Loki would be safe. "How many?!" I yelled.

Abaddon looked at me with odd concern in his eyes. Even he did not see this coming, so how could I? He frowned as he looked away as if trying to gather more information from down in Hell. "There's...a dozen of them." He responded as he slowly stood up. "You can't go alone over there, Asmodeus."

"Dozen..." I mumbled as I sank my face into my hands. This couldn't possibly be happening. It felt like everything that I thought I had control over was slowly slipping through my fingers. If I lose Loki to them, we would all be screwed. All of us. Collectively. "I have to go though."

"I'll go with you." Abaddon said firmly and it had taken me aback. I was about to question it when he added, "there's no point in hiding anymore. You helped me with Lucifer, I will help you with Loki."

A glimmer of hope rose in me upon his words and if I had not known him, I would have hugged him. I still couldn't believe that he was going to assist me but there were many things that stopped making sense. It was a high time I stopped questioning these series of absurd events that were snowballing into the end of the world.

"Alright, let's go." I said quickly after. There was no time to waste anymore. Abaddon swiftly nodded and opened a portal as we hurriedly went through it. At this point the high-pitched noise from the void portal didn't bother me at all.

We arrived in front of Hell's palace, but the Norse gods had already advanced far inside. Glancing behind, I noticed Astaroth lying on the ground. My eyes widened in shock and I bolted over to him only to find the blood spewing out from a hole in his stomach as he lay there with eyes open but not moving a muscle.

A familiar fury ignited within me as I witnessed the demise of one of the mightiest demons, all at the hands of those blonde bastards.

"You need to be smart..." Abaddon began with his speech but I couldn't stand around any longer. I bolted towards the door of the palace as I heard Abaddon screaming out my name behind. I knew what he was going to say but I couldn't stop myself.

I ran through the entrance and noticed the twelve of them standing at the center of the hall. I stopped myself in my tracks as I gazed all around me. All demons seemed to have gone somewhere. Probably instructed by the Devil to gather somewhere so maybe they were somewhat safe for now. Loki could've been with them too.

"WHERE IS LOKI?!" At once, a very familiar voice thundered through the room and a hand clutching a hammer rose in the air as he slammed it against the floor. The floor immediately began cracking, creating a line all the way to the entrance where I was standing. Well... I probably should have been smart. They all turned around to face me and I glanced next to me to check if Abaddon was there. Thankfully, he was.

"You! I recognize you!" Thor said with his loud and hoarse voice as he took one step at the front. He seemed the most bothered by all this. The other eleven of them seemed angry but definitely not as much as Thor. My gaze ventured towards the last god in line and I squinted as I saw him. Odin. If there was anyone I could recognize it was him. He appeared the oldest out of them all with a long white beard, and only one eye open with a patch covering the other.

I wondered why he was here. I thought he didn't want to intervene with destiny. But maybe this was part of destiny.

"Hello, Thor. Long time no see." I said as I forced a smile. "And I see you brought your company. How nice of you. Why don't you all stay for a cup of tea?"

Thor frowned as I noticed him growing visibly angrier. "You are still as sassy as the last time I met you." He then began advancing forward and Abaddon grabbed me by the forearm to prevent me from running away.

Stand your ground. Do not move. His voice suddenly protruded my mind and I simply nodded.

"Where did you hide your little friend and our little trickster?" He forced a smile, mirroring my own, yet beneath it lurked rage, ready to unleash if I uttered anything to further provoke him. The other gods maintained an unusual silence, their intense gazes fixed on me, poised to smite me as well.

"Skipping the pleasantries, aren't we?" I snickered, deliberately stroking his anger. His brows furrowed deeper, and he prepared to hurl his hammer at me when, at last, someone materialized at the top of the staircase. It was the Devil.

"Stop right there." The Devil's voice, akin to Thor's thunderous tones, reverberated through the building. However, unlike Thor's rage, his voice carried a darker, more ominous tone, as if evil itself were speaking. His gaze locked onto mine, conveying a silent promise to deal with me later, and then raised an eyebrow as he noticed Abaddon standing beside me.

"What in the world do you all think you are going to find here?" The Devil's anger became evident in his words. Thor was poised to respond when suddenly, Odin stepped out of the line and ascended the stairs. The Devil regarded him with a disdainful look, as though faced with a repulsive insect.

"I'll handle this one," Odin calmly informed Thor before redirecting his attention to the Devil. "I believe you have an intruder on the premises."

The boss's expression shifted from disdain to horror and a touch of offense. "What do you mean by this?" He demanded, his eyes locking onto me as if suspecting my involvement. And, as fate would have it, he wasn't far from the truth. "Do you know something about this, Asmodeus?" His voice intensified with anger. The gods shifted their focus to me once again, with Thor clenching his jaw along with his hammer. "And, what about you, Abaddon?" He added out of nowhere and I glanced at him who was just glaring daggers at the Devil.

"How would I have anything to do with these Norse gods?!" I yelled, trying my best to sound genuine. However, Thor knew the truth, making it harder.

"And you know I was dealing with your little problem all this time." Abaddon responded as well, his voice calmer but dripping with disdain.

"He's lying!" Thor interrupted. "Asmodeus is lying!"

The Devil's eyes sparked with anger and curiosity at the same time. "I long stopped believing words you speak Asmodeus. So I'd rather believe in a Norse god than you."

"Same could be said for me." I spat, no longer attempting to conceal it. Fury ignited within me as the black fog began to envelop me once again.

"Asmodeus..." Abaddon hissed at me. I didn't hear him as I was glaring at the Devil.

"So, Thor is right in saying that you are lying?" He asked as he tilted his head.

"Once again, why would I have anything to do with these peasants?" I said now in a calmer tone but... it was a bad move. They all turned their attention to me when all of a sudden, Thor hurled his hammer at me when Abaddon stepped out in front of me, opening a small black hole in space as it ended up swallowing the entire Mjolnir inside.

A collective pause seized everyone in their tracks as they witnessed one of the most crucial weapons in the Norse realm being engulfed by the void.

"If any of you lay as much of a finger on Asmodeus, I will have you all drowning in the void." He spoke in such a frightening voice, even I felt the goosebumps running through me. It was a side of Abaddon I still hadn't seen and I didn't like it. Even the Devil seemed shaken.

However, the pause was short-lived. One of the Norse gods with emerald teeth picked up a resounding horn and blew into it, the sound resounding through the entire realm reaching the Heavens above even. In the books I had read before that could mean only one thing - Ragnarok. The other gods readied their weapons as they began racing towards us with immense fury. In that instant, Abaddon opened a giant black hole on the floor separating them from us.

"Now, run." He said and we bolted through the door of the palace when we heard behind us someone yelling out,

"SEARCH THE PREMISES!" I stopped in my tracks the moment it reached my ears.

"LOKI!" I screamed in a panicked tone at Abaddon and he also stopped to look at me.

"Are you sure you want to go back?" he asked, genuinely concerned for my safety if I were to return. But I had to. I knew I was risking everything, but Loki deserved nothing less.

"I need to. I can't abandon him." I declared firmly and Abaddon clenched his jaw for a second. Not in anger but rather worry. However, he didn't question my decision any further. He began focusing on locating Loki in the palace when out of nowhere, a portal opened in front of us and a furious Devil stepped out of it. We both looked at him in shock, his eyes flaming red as he stomped over to me and grabbed me by the collar.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?! You're going back there and cleaning up the mess that you've made!" He screamed into my face as he pushed me towards the door of the palace. Then Abaddon stepped in between us.

"I think you're forgetting who I am." Abaddon spat at him and took one step towards him. The Devil's fury slowly was overcome by sudden fear but he still held his ground.

"You shouldn't interfere with dealings in Hell!" He yelled at him. Quite bold of him I'd say.

"I think that stopped the moment you came to me." Abaddon responded grimly and I thought I could sense rage slowly raising in him. The Devil was staring at him with contempt as he was clenching his jaw, knowing far too well if he were to say anything, he'd be done for. So he kept his mouth shut. "Now since you're quiet as you should be, we have other things to deal with. You're either going to help us and rescue Loki or I will send you down the void and entrap you for all eternity. You know I can do that and there is nothing in this whole vast Astral that will stop me."

Hearing him speak made even me shiver but watching the Devil's face squirm was the best sight I'd seen in a while.

"I don't know where he is! That's why I need you to clean this mess up!"

"How is it that you don't know? You didn't send demons to get ready to defend the palace?!" I finally spoke up, completely bewildered.

"Norse gods were the last thing I expected, Asmodeus! This is all your doing!"

"Okay, enough you two!" Abaddon yelled out and both of us fell silent as we just continued to glare daggers at each other. He breathed out sharply before closing his eyes and once again began focusing on finding him. He then opened his eyes and huffed in seeming annoyance.

"I can't locate him." He grumbled. I felt my heart sinking the moment he spoke. I wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing. It could've been he sensed them coming and escaped in time. He was Loki after all. He was used to getting pursued by this bunch. Well, there was only one place he could've possibly been and if he wasn't there then I was truly out of ideas.

"I might have an idea. But I'm going there alone. You keep an eye on him, Abaddon, because there's no telling what he'll do." I said and then I glanced over at the Devil once more. His expression grew in contempt as he was aware there was nothing he could do to stop me. At least not at this point in time. He could have never guessed that the being I'd form an alliance with was the one who helped him in the first place.

Abaddon simply nodded in response before I turned away from them and opened the portal leading into the human world. I believed I could count on him to keep the Devil at bay and not to get himself killed while the Norse gods were ravaging the place. I doubted that Abaddon was even capable of dying.

I quickly walked through the portal and soon was back in that very familiar field. I immediately started looking around to catch some glimpse of him. I strongly believed he was here but not being able to see him at all was actually beginning to scare me.

"Loki! Where the hell are you?!" I screamed out and frantically began to pace through the field. Suddenly, flapping of the wings interrupted my panicked movements and thoughts. I turned around to see the raven making a few swift hoops over my head before he transformed into Loki mid-flight as he landed with both of his feet on the ground. A surge of unfamiliar but positive emotions overwhelmed my being upon taking one look at him. However, I quickly shook them off and took a sharp breath in.

"You... You're okay." I said, attempting to smile although it felt so uncomfortable.

"Of course I am!" He said cheerfully as if no worries had ever managed to cross his mind.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"I don't know. They all fled the castle the moment they heard Astaroth's warning." He explained as his lips stretched out in a smirk. "But I'm glad you're here. Where have you been all this time?"

"Hasn't Belial told you?" I asked through a frown. I was pretty sure he saw what was happening.

"I haven't seen Belial in a while." He responded and I felt something in me twisting in a very painful way. I almost collapsed upon hearing that. It felt like everything was spiraling out of control, and I struggled to keep myself steady.

"How come?" I said, fear beginning to be apparent in my voice.

"I just haven't... No one has." He said, almost nonchalantly.

"And no one did anything?!" I yelled out, now actually beginning to get angry. I was honestly wondering what they were even doing all this time.

"I mean, no one really likes him." Loki responded. The moment he said those words, I almost couldn't believe it. Sure, he and I didn't start off on a good note but he did prove his loyalty in the cause by the end of it. And Loki was there and he saw it. He saw it.

"I can't believe you." I spat, clenching my jaw. Once again, rage was engulfing my whole being and sometimes I felt it was the only thing I was capable of feeling to its full extent. Loki seemed quite taken aback by my reaction but he too furrowed his brows.

"You do know he tortured you, right? Or do you have a weird state of Stockholm's syndrome?" He said sharply, now his tone being riddled with annoyance.

"Yes, of course I know this, Loki. But if it weren't for him I'd be dead as well!"

"No, Asmodeus, if it weren't for me, you'd be dead." He pointed out bluntly. He kept glaring at me with such intensity, I thought he could murder me with his stare. I was silent for a bit, only staring back at him because in a way, I knew he was right. Before I could respond, he continued, "Besides, why the fuck would I care where Belial went when you just disappeared?!" He suddenly screamed at me and I took one step back. It was the first time I had ever seen him this mad at me. Usually it would've been just mild annoyance but since I witnessed his rage once before, I wasn't feeling very safe.

"Well, like I said, if you knew where Belial..."

"Enough with Belial! Where were you?!" He interrupted. Was this his attempt to show that he was worried? It seemed like it.

"First I was captured by the Devil and then Abaddon helped me escape." I responded, attempting to stay calm and not provoke him further. He continued to glare at me however, clenching his jaw, trying his best not to lose it completely. I understood that feeling far too well. Then, his gaze softened and he let out a deep breath.

"Okay." He nodded. "Glad somebody was there." He responded curtly.

"Well since that's out of the way, we need to see what's our next move. The Norse gods will not stop until they find you."

"I will go back to Asgard." Loki said. His words felt like a dagger in my gut.

"What?" were the only words I could utter at that moment.

"I already caused enough of a ruckus in Hell. And you seem to have good company helping you, so I'm thinking my job here is done." He said calmly and through a small smile.

"No, Loki, we can..."

"What? Fight this?" He snickered and shook his head. "Demons will be stomped over by the entire horde of Norse gods. You can't fight this unless you want to die." He explained and I frowned. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Besides, I heard the sound of the horn. It's over. I need to go." He continued but there was no note of malice in his voice. Just defeat. I thought I'd never seen him be this way. I thought I'd never have to watch him leave. I stood there, grappling with the sheer disbelief of his decision.

A part of me clung to the desperate hope that we could somehow defeat the Norse gods, but it was a futile dream. Ragnarok was meant to be fought in their realm, where he could mount a defense. Here, in the depths of Hell, that hope seemed even more distant.

Yet, I knew he understood the gravity of his decision to come to Hell. He must have known that they would eventually come searching for him. He must have realized that our time together was always going to be limited. Despite my yearning to keep him here, deep down, I knew he was destined to leave, with or without me. The nagging feeling that I might've been used, for whatever reason, gnawed at me.

"Okay, well," he cleared his throat. "Stay safe. It was fun fighting the Devil with you." He spoke finally before turning around which felt like another punch in the gut.

"Stop." I demanded with a firm tone. I held my breath in before saying, "turn back around, right now. You don't get to just walk out on me." I whispered, my voice breaking.

Surprisingly, he listened and turned around to look at me. In the midst of it all, a tidal wave of emotions engulfed me once more. The hurt cut deep, but above all, despair loomed large. Gazing at him seemed to splinter my heart into a million fragments, and I despised it intensely. He had this power over me, a power I couldn't harness or rein in. Weakness and anger brewed within me, a volatile mix I grappled to contain.

"You don't get to just drop all those words on me and walk away!" I yelled at him and yet the more I spoke, the more it felt like the wound in me was growing larger. "You can't just... walk away. After all this. Like nothing happened and nothing mattered!" Tears welled up in my eyes and I fought hardest to repress them because I desperately didn't want him to see me like this.

"Well, what do you want me to say?" Loki asked softly but I could also sense he was almost as shaken as I was but somehow managed to control it better. I envied it at that moment but that was probably due to the fact he felt emotions all the time. For me it was a strange land I had never even glanced into.

"I want you to say something, anything, beyond 'It was fun fighting the Devil with you'! There has to be more to it... to all this time we spent together," I expressed, words tumbling out uncontrollably. Despite the pain each word inflicted, there was a strange rightness in letting them out.

Loki's eyes softened, and he stepped closer, the space between us closing. "Asmo," he began, his voice trembling slightly. "You know this isn't easy for me either. Every moment we've shared has meant something to me, more than I can express."

I shook my head, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. "Then why are you leaving? Why does it have to end like this?"

"Because if I stay, I put you in danger," he replied, his voice pained. "And I can't live with that. But that doesn't mean what we had is meaningless. Every second with you has been... it's been everything."

Silence took over the moment. Neither of us daring to speak as we continued to stare at each other. He didn't seem to expect me to be so honest with him after such a long time of struggling to. He gazed at me with such gentleness and I felt like I could've fought against any adversity if he just continued to look at me that way. 

Then, with a few short steps towards me, he grabbed my face and pulled me into a kiss and in that moment, something similar to explosion occurred in me. The tears then began flowing uncontrollably as I wrapped my arms around him and held him closer. The embrace felt like a sanctuary, a place where time stood still. Being near him seemed to be the only right thing lately. But then, he gently pulled away, and it felt like the most heart-wrenching act he could have committed.

"Asmodeus, you're... the most amazing being I'd ever got a chance of knowing and I'm glad you're the one with whom I spent the remaining time with." Loki spoke softly, his red hair falling over his face and I couldn't believe this could've possibly been the last time I'd get to see him.

"I am glad for it as well." I replied, tears still running down and I long stopped attempting to stop them. I desperately wanted to ask him if there was something he could do to stay. But I knew the answer would be negative. Some things were greater even when love was involved. I just wasn't sure how I could attempt to go on with my life as if I'd never met him afterwards.

"Now, stop crying, Asmodeus. You're one of the strongest demons I know and there is the Devil to kill and Hell to take over." He chuckled as he let go of my face and took one step back.

"But it wouldn't be the same without you." I said weakly, using the last attempt to make him think it over.

"You know I'd stay if I could. I never want to leave you, Asmo." He smiled faintly. And I knew that too. I knew it far too well which was why all of this looked like a huge cosmic joke. "Now, I really must take my leave. I meant it when I said to stay safe. I'd love to see you again once this whole ordeal is over." He continued to smile and then began walking away again. With one swift motion, he opened a portal and I felt all the life was just snatched out of me.

"You too," I said finally, wiping the tears away and attempting to pull myself together, which was far harder than I had anticipated. He was about to turn away and leave when he stopped abruptly, his eyes locking onto mine.

"I should have never dragged you into all of this," he said, his voice heavy with an unusual guilt that made me frown.

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling a sense of unease.

"You and I... We were never supposed to meet. I'm sorry. I dragged you into all of this not knowing that..." He trailed off, his breath shaky. I stared at him, speechless, trying to grasp what he meant. Had he been lying all this time?

"Not knowing what, Loki?!" I raised my voice, anger bubbling up to the surface.

"That I would actually begin to care about you so much. I've lost in my own game... which is why I must now fix this by myself." His admission was hard for him, and everything inside me felt like it was being pulled apart. Despite the fact that he hadn't been honest, I knew he was a trickster. Maybe, deep down, I knew all along. I couldn't blame him for who he was. No one suspected I would even know what the word love meant either. It seemed that both of us were losers in this game that was never supposed to be played.

His words hung in the air between us, heavy and laden with the weight of unspoken truths. I wanted to scream, to lash out, to make him understand the turmoil he had caused within me. But as I looked into his eyes, I saw the same pain reflected back at me. It was a twisted, cosmic joke that we had found each other only to be torn apart.

"Is that it, then?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Is this where we say goodbye?"

Loki's gaze softened, and for a moment, the trickster facade slipped away, revealing the vulnerability beneath. "I don't want it to be, Asmo. But this is bigger than both of us. If I stay, I put you in even greater danger. I can't let that happen."

Tears blurred my vision as I struggled to accept his words. "I don't care about the danger. I care about you. We can face it together."

He shook his head, stepping closer and placing a hand on my cheek. "You have a future to fight for. The Devil to defeat, Hell to take over. You can't do that if you're distracted by me."

I leaned into his touch, savoring the warmth and connection, knowing it might be the last time. "Promise me you'll come back."

Loki's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I promise I'll try. But no matter what happens, know that meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. And when I come back, I will explain everything. I promise."

 He looked at me one last time before turning away once more and stepping through the portal. Despite the apocalypse being hot on our heels, this alone felt like worse than any apocalypse that could've ever happened.

I remained standing there, fixated on the spot where the portal had been, half-expecting him to reappear and declare that it was all a prank. But it wasn't a prank; it was the harsh reality we found ourselves in. It left me questioning the purpose of pouring my heart out earlier when he was now gone, and the uncertainty of our future loomed over me.

I yearned for numbness, a detachment from everything. A desire to find peace and isolate myself from everyone and everything gripped me. The thought of tearing out my own brain and casting it into the void crossed my mind.

The weight of the situation pressed down on me, immobilizing any attempt to return. The thought of facing everyone in Hell, especially the Devil, paralyzed me with dread. I anticipated his relentless questions and knew it would only intensify my anger. The last thing I wanted was more turmoil; all I desired was to regain a sense of normalcy and be left alone.

Sinking to the ground, I sprawled out on the grass, staring at the sky for solace. Yet, there was no comfort, no magical remedy to mend the ache within. The harsh reality lingered—Loki was gone, and I had to gather the shattered pieces of myself and move forward as if nothing had happened.