Loki and I walked through the door and the moment we stepped through, the dam broke. And I felt everything. The very essence of who I had been disintegrated into nothingness. The fire that had once burned in my veins was extinguished, leaving behind an emptiness so profound I thought I might vanish entirely.

I tried reaching for Loki's hand as the surroundings began crumbling down like an earthquake was about to swallow us whole. But my hand never reached his as we began falling down at incredible speed, through infinite darkness.

What felt like a whole eternity stretching out, I was falling. I no longer saw anything around me until I finally fell to what felt like the ground but looked nothing like it. And just as I landed, I realized that the will-o'-wisp from Alfheim was, indeed, predicting my future.

There was no beginning, no end. Just the void.

It wasn't the darkness that unsettled me but rather the absence. No sky to anchor the heavens, no ground to steady my steps. The void was infinite, stretching in every direction, pressing against me like a suffocating weight. Time didn't move here; it unraveled, slipping through my grasp like grains of sand in a storm.

I looked around myself and noticed Loki sitting just a few places away from me. Although distance meant nothing here. His figure was a faint outline against the nothingness, shifting like smoke on a nonexistent breeze. He had been silent for an eternity, or perhaps it was only moments.

I couldn't tell how much time had passed. It had been forever. It had been a second. The void made such distinctions meaningless. But one thing was for certain - Loki did end up finding me to bother me even in the center of a boundless void. I couldn't help but smile.

"Well, Loki, nice to see you again," I said. Almost instantly, he turned around and his face beamed in joy. Without a word, he got to his feet and ran towards me before slamming his body into mine as he wrapped his arms around me.

I fell back due to Loki not being light and also because he literally crashed into me. I hugged him back and I started laughing as I felt this intense calm spread through my being. Peace because I knew that now that he was here, I would be okay.

"I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" He screamed and then leaned back, looking directly in my eyes. "I was here for eternity!" He whined.

"Time is really weird here, right?" I joked and his face softened as he realized he wasn't alone in feeling that way. "I missed you too. I am so glad I found you again." I said, now softly.

"I told you that you will never escape me," he chuckled, now vastly more calmed down. He leaned back down and pulled me into a deep kiss and I relaxed even more which apparently was possible. I realized then what an absolute chaos to my life Loki was back in Astral but, here, he was the only peace I'd known.

Eventually, he pulled back and with a big sigh of relief, he sat next to me and I quickly joined him. Suddenly, sitting in the void for an enormously long time didn't seem like such a chore.

"Ugh, I've been here for so long I memorized every miserable detail of this... whatever this is." He gestured vaguely at the void, though his hand dissolved into shadow as he moved

"That long? I've been here for about a second and I still did it." I shrugged, chuckling. Loki looked at me, a bit confused.

"How are you so... jolly? We are in the void." He frowned lightly.

"Well, now that you're here, we'll get out. We always do. That's what you told me." I said, still smiling.

He managed a smile back and sighed once more, "you're right." He stared off into the distance before adding, "it's been a while since I was trapped somewhere for eternity." He joked before laughing. I snorted as I remembered that not long ago he was also trapped in a cave in the Norse world too.

His laugh echoed, though it didn't seem to come from him. " I've named every nonexistent star, written entire epics in my head, and debated with myself whether this is the punishment or the reward. What's next? Shadow puppets?"

I leaned back—or I thought I did. The void played tricks on me, on my sense of self, my body, my mind. I could still feel the ghost of the wound that had nearly killed me, though there was no flesh here to bear its scars. "This is worse than dying. But what can you do?"

"Now this is not the time to discover absurdist philosophy, Asmo." He grumbled although there was a lightedness to his tone.

"But, really, Loki, what can we do? We'll be trapped here whether we like it or not. At least we got each other to keep us company. Who knows how Belial's handling it." I shrugged before frowning slightly and looking around. "Where is Belial?" I hoped he was fine.

Loki was silent for a moment before breathing out heavily. "Maybe I should embrace absurdism as well. At least we know there is an end to this but then again so did I in the cave. And I had Sigyn. And now I have you."

"Well I sure hope I am much better company than her. And you're not tied or anything. You're free to roam. It's like a never-ending cage."

He smirked at that, the faintest trace of his old mischief flickering to life. "You're definitely more entertaining. Sigyn was... dependable, but she lacked your flair for self-pity and dramatics."

I rolled my eyes, though his words managed to coax a weak chuckle out of me. "Flair for dramatics? Coming from the god of chaos? That's rich."

"Chaos has nuance," he shot back, leaning into the banter with a glint in his eye. "Your dramatics, on the other hand, are a blunt instrument. Effective, sure, but hardly subtle."

"Subtlety doesn't work in a void," I muttered, gesturing vaguely at the nothingness surrounding us. "No audience to appreciate the nuance."

His gaze softened then, the teasing giving way to something quieter. "No audience but me," he said, almost too softly to hear.

The weight of his words settled between us, heavier than the void itself. It was true. We were all we had now. No battles to fight, no schemes to plot, no realms to conquer or protect. Just each other, adrift in an eternity of nothingness.

"Now who's being the dramatic one?" I snorted and he shot me a glare. I think that time was the first time I managed to be the one to mock Loki in times of trouble.

"You're truly... oddly in the mood. You were dying literally moments... eons... eternity ago?"

"Void feels more like home than whatever that was that we left behind. Nothing hurts anymore. I feel like I am on a really good high right now. There is nothing bothering me. I am like a baby in the mother's womb." I smiled softly as it finally dawned on me. I did come from the void as an Astral deity so all these surroundings were very familiar and homely to me. And I was quite literally being rebirthed by the universe at this very moment.

Loki's eyebrow arched, his usual smirk making a reluctant appearance. "A baby in the mother's womb? That's quite the image, Asmodeus. What's next? Are you going to start crying for milk or philosophizing about the nature of birth and death?"

I chuckled, a soft sound that echoed strangely in the void, as though it was swallowed and amplified all at once. "I'm just saying, maybe this is where I was always meant to end up. Back to the beginning. Back to nothing."

His smirk faded, replaced by something gentler, more contemplative. "And you're okay with that? With nothing?"

I tilted my head, considering his words. "It's not nothing to me. It's... peaceful. Like a reset. No pain, no power struggles, no expectations. Just being." I gestured to the infinite blackness around us. "This void birthed me once, and now, it feels like it's cradling me again. Like it's telling me, 'You're safe here.'"

Loki leaned back—or whatever approximation of leaning back the void allowed—watching me with an unreadable expression. "Safe. Huh. I guess I've never really associated safety with... this." He waved a hand, and it dissolved into faint, shifting tendrils of shadow. "This feels more like a prison to me. Not a rebirth, but a cage. A very well-decorated cage, mind you, but a cage nonetheless."

I studied him, noting the faint unease that even his wit couldn't mask. "You've always needed movement, Loki. Change. Chaos. This stillness isn't who you are."

"Exactly," he replied, his voice sharper now. "I don't do well with stillness, Asmo. It feels like it's going to swallow me whole. Like if I stay too long, I'll forget who I am, what I've done, what I'm fighting for."

I gave him a small, understanding smile. "Maybe that's the point. Maybe the void strips us down to the barest version of ourselves so we can rebuild, piece by piece. Maybe forgetting isn't the worst thing, Loki. Maybe it's the first step to becoming something... freer."

He snorted, though the sound lacked its usual bite. "You make it sound so poetic. Rebirth, freedom, all that jazz. But what if I don't want to be stripped down? What if I want to hold on to what I was?"

"Then fight it," I said simply, surprising even myself with the steadiness in my voice. "You're Loki. If anyone can defy the void, it's you."

He was silent for a long moment, his gaze distant as though he was peering into the infinite stretch of nothingness for an answer. Then, finally, he looked at me, his smirk returning, though softer now. "You really are full of surprises, Asmodeus. One moment, you're waxing poetic about being a cosmic baby, and the next, you're giving me pep talks about defying existential despair."

I shrugged, letting the faintest hint of a smile tug at my lips. "What can I say? Eternity in the void does things to a guy."

His laughter was genuine this time, cutting through the emptiness like a flicker of light. "Well, if I'm stuck here with you, I suppose it won't be all bad."

"That's the spirit," I chuckled. I supposed that was why Abaddon was always calm and seemingly unbothered. Void was peace.

The silence that followed wasn't oppressive. We were both staring off into the endlessness, processing everything that had happened and everything we had just learned about ourselves. For the first time, I didn't fear what was ahead of me.

"Belial's probably sulking somewhere," Loki said suddenly, breaking the quiet with a shrug. "He never did take well to being powerless. This place is probably driving him mad."

I nodded, though worry gnawed at the edges of my thoughts. "I hope he is not completely alone."

"Nothing that can be done. Besides, he third-wheeled enough." He grumbled.

I raised an eyebrow at Loki as a smirk crept onto my face. So, he was annoyed at Belial's presence. So much for the confident god of mischief.

"You didn't seem to mind him tagging along when he was saving your ass," I teased, the smirk on my face growing wider.

Loki shot me a glare, though it lacked any real venom. "I didn't say he wasn't useful. I'm just saying he's overstayed his welcome. Third-wheeling is an art, Asmo, and he lacks subtlety."

I laughed, a sound that felt almost foreign in the void. "You, complaining about someone else's lack of subtlety?"

He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest in mock indignation. "Subtlety is wasted on you anyway. You barely notice it when it's right in front of your face."

"Are you sulking now, Loki? Because if so, I think that makes you the third wheel in this void."

His eyes narrowed, a playful glint in them. "Careful, Asmo. I might decide to leave you here and go sulk with Belial instead."

I tilted my head, feigning innocence. "Wouldn't that make you his fourth wheel?"

For a moment, Loki stared at me, his lips twitching as if fighting the urge to smile. Then, with a dramatic sigh, he threw his hands up. "You're impossible."

"And you're stuck with me," I replied, grinning as I crossed my arms, mirroring his stance.

He shook his head, the faintest hint of a smile breaking through. "I suppose I could do worse for eternity."Loki looked around the endless void for a moment before he looked at me once more. "It's funny, you're the one mocking me now. How the tables have turned." He laughed lightly. "You've gotten better at making fun of others."

I snorted, shaking my head. "Well, now we're finally on an even ground. I can make jokes about you and not risk getting pounded to the ground by a whole god. Plus, now I'm actually in my element."

He threw his head back as he laughed out loud. Then a mischievous smirk stretched across face as he fixed his gaze at me. "I would pound you either way, Asmodeus."

My breath caught—an involuntary reaction I hadn't experienced in what felt like eons. Heat crept up my neck, spreading to my cheeks, and I realized, with a horrifying jolt, that I was blushing.

Blushing. Like some mortal idiot caught off guard by a flirtatious remark.

Loki's smirk only deepened as he noticed my reaction. His sharp eyes glinted with amusement, the kind that promised he wasn't going to let this go anytime soon. "What's this? The great Asmodeus, flustered? I must be dreaming."

"Shut up," I snapped, my voice coming out far weaker than I intended. I looked away, crossing my arms and trying to ignore the embarrassing warmth blooming in my chest. "It's the void. It's messing with me. That's all."

"Oh, is that what it is?" he drawled, leaning loser, his presence suddenly overwhelming in a way that felt uncomfortably... human. "Or is it that you've finally realized how devastatingly charming I am?"

I scoffed, though the sound lacked conviction. "Devastatingly insufferable, more like."

"And yet," he said, his voice dropping just enough to make the air feel heavier, "you're still blushing."

I turned around, pointing a finger at him as if it might somehow erase the mortifying fact that my cheeks were still burning. "I'm not blushing!"

He leaned in slightly, his smirk taking on a predatory edge. "Oh, you definitely are."

The worst part was, I could feel it. The heat in my face, the tightness in my chest, the way my stomach churned with a strange mixture of irritation and something else I refused to name. These were sensations I hadn't felt since my earliest days, before power and immortality had stripped such vulnerabilities away.

"You're enjoying this way too much," I muttered, clenching my fists to steady myself.

"Of course I am," Loki said, his tone practically dripping with glee. "It's not every day I get to see Asmodeus flustered and acting like a lovesick mortal."

The words hit me harder than they should have. A lovesick mortal. The idea lodged itself in my chest, unsettling and undeniable.

I turned away from him, forcing myself to take a slow breath. "It's just... the void," I repeated, though I didn't believe it anymore. My reactions, my sensations—they were too real, too human.

A hand touched my shoulder, startling me. When I turned back, Loki's smirk had softened into something almost... genuine.

"Asmo," he said quietly, his voice lacking its usual sharpness. "It's okay. You don't have to fight it."

I blinked at him, unsure whether to snap back or let his words sink in. The heat in my cheeks hadn't faded, and the way he was looking at me—steady, unguarded—made my chest ache in a way I didn't want to examine too closely.

"What's happening to me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He tilted his head, his expression thoughtful. "Maybe it's true what you said. The void strips us down, piece by piece, until all that's left is the core of who we are."

"And this is who I am...as a human?"

"Maybe," Loki said, his lips quirking into a faint smile. "Or maybe you're just finally letting yourself feel."

The thought was both terrifying and strangely comforting. As I met Loki's gaze, I felt a flicker of something unfamiliar yet familiar all at once. Vulnerability, yes, but also a strange, tentative hope.

"Don't get used to it," I muttered, though the edge in my voice had softened.

"Oh, I fully intend to," Loki said, his smirk returning in full force.

I groaned, covering my face with my hands. "You're impossible."

"And you're adorable," he shot back, laughing as the void around us seemed to hum with amusement, as if it, too, was in on the joke.

"Jokes aside, I am also feeling a little stranger than usual. I feel this odd sensation of blood flowing through me." He mumbled as he rubbed his arms and then suddenly jolted. "Ugh, now I feel a shiver. This is so disgusting!" He yelped.

"I think we are becoming slightly more human, Loki. And it's only going to become worse." I said and Loki shot me a fearful glare as if I had just insulted him most terribly. He groaned and then sighed.

"Becoming human," he muttered, dragging a hand down his face. "As if being trapped in this void wasn't punishment enough. Now I have to endure... sensations."

I bit back a grin, watching as he shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his arms again like he could somehow rid himself of the offending feelings. "It's not so bad," I said, though my own flushed cheeks and racing heart betrayed me. "Humans live with this all the time."

"And how do they tolerate it?" Loki snapped, pacing now, his steps aimless but restless. "It's like my body has decided to betray me in the most ridiculous ways. A shiver? Really? What's next? Hunger? Sweating?"

"Probably both," I replied, barely suppressing a laugh as he groaned dramatically.

He stopped pacing, turning to glare at me. "You find this amusing, don't you?"

I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant even as the corners of my mouth twitched upward. "A little. It's nice to see you flustered instead of me."

Loki pointed a finger at me, his expression darkening. "Don't you dare enjoy this, Asmodeus. If I'm suffering, you're suffering with me."

I raised my hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I didn't say I wasn't suffering too. My heart's racing for no reason, and every time I think about how close we are to being human, my stomach does this weird... flipping thing. It's unsettling."

Loki's glare softened into something more akin to curiosity. "Flipping?"

"Yes, flipping," I said, gesturing vaguely toward my abdomen. "Like it's tied in knots. I hate it."

His lips stretched into a smirk. "You're blushing again, Asmo."

I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. "And you're shivering like a child caught in the rain. We're both a mess, Loki. Welcome to mortality."

"Mortality is overrated," he muttered, crossing his arms with a pout that only made him look more human.

"It's not all bad," I said after a pause, my voice softer now. "At least we still have each other. If we're becoming human, at least we're doing it together."

Loki blinked at me, his expression unreadable for a moment before his shoulders relaxed. "You're right," he said grudgingly, though his smirk crept back soon enough. "But if I start sweating, I'm blaming you."

I couldn't help but laugh at that, the sound ringing out in the void and somehow making it feel a little less empty. "Deal," I said, shaking my head. "But if I start crying, I'm blaming you."

He tilted his head, his smirk softening into something almost fond. "Fair trade," he murmured, his voice lighter now.

"One thing I heard that feels heard as humans is orgasms. Sometimes it's healing. See, humans have these chemicals in their brain that when they have an orgasm, they feel better afterwards. But not like in a relief type of way, but they activate these chemicals and for a while they're happier. Isn't that strange, Loki?" I started rambling out of nowhere as my entire body just began trying to adjust to itself.

Loki froze mid-pace, his head snapping toward me so quickly it was almost comical. His expression was a mixture of disbelief and sheer amusement, his eyebrows shooting up as his lips twitched in an effort to contain a grin.

"Asmodeus," he said, his voice teetering on the edge of laughter, "are you seriously giving me a lecture on human orgasms right now? In the void? Of all places?"

I blinked at him, momentarily thrown off by his reaction, before realizing what I'd just said. Heat rushed to my face—again—and I groaned, running a hand through my hair in frustration. "I don't know! My brain just... did that. I wasn't even thinking. I was a demon of lust for a long time, give me a break."

Loki's grin only widened, his sharp eyes sparkling with mischief. "Well, if we're going to discuss the wonders of human biology, perhaps we should test this theory of yours."

I froze, my eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Test it? How exactly?"

He stepped closer, his smirk turning almost predatory. "Oh, I don't know. You seem so fascinated by these chemicals and their effects so why not conduct a little experiment? For science, of course."

I froze for a second as I was trying to see if he actually meant what he said. However, he kept staring at me with a very knowing glint in his eye.

"I would definitely love some happy chemicals," he added, after my silence stretched on too long.

Never, in all my centuries, had I felt this way at the mere thought of sex. I was trembling, blood rushing down to places it shouldn't. My breath hitched in my throat. Was I anxious? Yes. Anxious. About sex. A demon of lust, nervous about sex. Who was orchestrating this human experience?!

Loki noticed immediately, of course. He always noticed. His sharp gaze flicked to me, and the smirk that stretched across his face was equal parts amused and intrigued. "Asmodeus," he said slowly, his tone dripping with mock seriousness.

"I'm not sure I've ever seen you like this." He stepped closer, his movements slow and deliberate, as if he were savoring every second of my apparent discomfort. "The great demon of lust, flustered at the mere thought of a human experience. How delightfully ironic."

I groaned, dragging my hands down my face. "This isn't funny, Loki."

"Oh, it absolutely is," he countered, his laughter bubbling up again, rich and unapologetic. "You, of all people, nervous about sex? I don't even have to make a joke about that—it's already the punchline."

I turned away from him, trying to compose myself, but my body refused to cooperate. My skin felt too tight, my breathing was uneven, and that damned heat was pooling low in my abdomen in a way I couldn't ignore. "This is a nightmare," I muttered, my voice barely audible. "Who is orchestrating this human experience? Because I'd like to file a formal complaint."

Loki circled around me, his smirk softening into something more thoughtful as he studied me. "It's not just the void, is it?" he said, almost to himself. "It's the humanity creeping in. You're feeling things in ways you haven't in... how long?"

"Too long," I admitted, my voice strained. "And I don't like it."

"Why not?" he asked, his tone losing some of its teasing edge. "Isn't this what you wanted? To feel something real again?"

I hesitated, the truth catching in my throat. "Not like this," I finally said. "Not... vulnerable. Not out of control."

"Ah," he said, a glimmer of understanding passing over his features. "That's it, isn't it? Control. You've spent so long mastering yourself, your desires, your power. And now?" He gestured at me, at my trembling hands and flushed face. "Now you're just... human. And it terrifies you."

I didn't respond, couldn't respond. He was right, of course. Loki always had a way of cutting to the heart of things, no matter how much I wanted to deny it.

He stepped closer, his voice gentler now. "You don't have to fight it, Asmo. Humanity isn't a weakness. It's... raw. Honest. And maybe, just maybe, it's exactly what you need. What both of us need."

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to meet his gaze. "You're feeling it too, aren't you?"

His smirk returned, but there was something softer behind it. "Oh, I'm feeling it," he admitted, his voice dropping slightly. "I am terrified of what's coming. But we must try to lean into it."

He was closer now, his presence overwhelming in a way that felt both comforting and unnerving. "Lean into it?" I repeated, my heart racing for reasons I couldn't quite name.

"Exactly," he said, his voice a low hum that sent a shiver down my spine. "You're in a new body, a new experience. Why not... explore it?"

I froze, his words hanging in the air between us like a challenge. He was testing me, pushing me, the way he always did. But this time, there was no power to hide behind, no Astral form to shield me.

Just me. Just him. Just the void.

And for the first time in centuries, I wasn't sure who would come out on top.

Loki settled back beside me, offering a subtle reassurance with the closeness. Then, without warning, his hand reached out, gently gripping my chin and forcing me to meet his eyes. The look there was unmistakable—a blend of intensity and pure lust, one I had come to recognize all too well.

"So why not explore it with me?" His voice was a low murmur, eyes locked on mine, unyielding. I had never seen him like this before—so raw, so real. He was finally in the element I had known very well and oh, boy, did it fit him.

"I might not be most in shape," I chuckled but I leaned into his hand as he brushed my cheek with his thumb. "Although I want to. Desperately."

His gaze darkened as he leaned in, close enough for me to feel his breath, but he didn't touch me. The anticipation twisted in my gut, something unfamiliar and potent stirring inside me. "I'll be in charge, you won't have to lift a finger,"he whispered, his voice a tantalizing promise.

I couldn't remember when it had all shifted—when I went from being the one in control to feeling completely exposed under his gaze. The truth hung in the air between us, and it was suffocating in its own way.

I had known lust, had controlled it, used it, but this... this was something else. Something dangerously close to needing, to yearning. Something far beyond what I was prepared for.

But Loki wasn't waiting for me to catch up. He was already moving, the distance between us shrinking with every second.

"Loki," I managed, my voice barely a whisper, trembling with something I didn't recognize. "Are you sure about this?"

He smiled then, not his usual smirk but something softer, something that made the ground feel unsteady beneath me. "Asmodeus," he murmured, his thumb tracing the edge of my jaw, "I've never been more certain of anything in my existence."

And then he kissed me.

It wasn't rushed or demanding, but deliberate, like he had all the time in the universe to unravel me. His lips moved against mine with a confidence that made me forget how to breathe, how to think, how to be. Heat surged through me, sharp and consuming, as if every nerve in my body had been ignited all at once.

I responded instinctively, my hands finding his shoulders, clutching at him as though he were the only solid thing in this endless void. His hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling me closer, deepening the kiss with a fervor that made my knees—if I still had knees—weak.

When we finally broke apart, I was gasping, my chest heaving as I tried to regain some semblance of control. Loki was watching me, his expression unreadable but his eyes burning with an intensity that left me feeling exposed.

"You're shaking," he said softly, his hand still resting at the back of my neck.

I couldn't deny it. My entire body was trembling, and for once, it wasn't from fear or exhaustion. It was from the sheer magnitude of what I was feeling. "I don't know what's happening to me," I admitted, my voice unsteady. "I've never... felt like this before."

His gaze softened, though the intensity never faded. "That's because you're not the same Asmodeus you were before. I am not the same either. I've never felt like this for anybody. I didn't know it was possible to feel this much but here I am," he said softly through a chuckle and I knew then he was feeling exactly like I was. It was like my own feelings were about to swallow me whole but not in a negative way. It was plunging in the depths of the ocean knowing somehow you'd come back out, renewed. Love no longer felt something unfathomable but rather something so real, something within my reach and it didn't struggle to be felt. It just was.

"Now humans make so much more sense," I laughed lightly.

"They do, don't they?" he murmured, his voice quiet, almost reverent. "Their chaos, their longing, their endless need to connect-it's all so... clear now. And for the first time, I think I understand why they risk everything for it, why they fought wars for it."

"I think I do too," I admitted, my voice trembling as the truth of it hit me. "It's not about conquering or possessing. It's about... being seen. Feeling like you're not alone, even in a place like this."

Loki's thumb brushed over my cheek, a touch so gentle it made my chest ache. "And you're not alone, Asmo. You never were. Not with me."

The sincerity in his voice made my breath hitch, and I felt a tear slide down my cheek before I even realized it was there. The sensation startled me, raw and unfamiliar, but before I could brush it away, Loki leaned in, his lips brushing against the corner of my eye, catching the tear.

"I'll always be here," he whispered, his voice a quiet promise that settled deep into my bones. "Through the void, through the chaos, through whatever comes next. Always."

The words wrapped around me like a shield, dispelling the lingering doubts I hadn't even realized I was carrying. I leaned into him, my forehead resting against his, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I let myself believe it.

We stayed like that for a moment, suspended in the stillness of the void, the weight of everything we'd lost and everything we'd found holding us together. And when I finally pulled back to meet his gaze again, there was no fear, no hesitation—just a quiet certainty that this, whatever this was, was real.

"Humans really are onto something," I said softly, a faint smile tugging at my lips.

Loki chuckled, the sound warm and low. "They are. But I think we've improved on the formula."

And as his lips met mine again, slow and deliberate, I couldn't help but think he was right. We had found something here, in the depths of the void, that was worth holding onto. Something that wasn't just human, wasn't just Astral—it was something entirely our own.

The void itself seemed to shift around us, the nothingness folding inward to create an intimacy that wasn't bound by space or time. His hands were the first thing I noticed—confident and warm, tracing the edges of my jaw before sliding down to my shoulders. Every touch sent ripples through me, as if he were carving me out of the void, shaping me into something new.

Loki's hands slid down my body, deliberate and firm, his fingers tracing every line, every curve as though committing them to memory. His touch ignited something deep within me, a heat that spread slowly, relentlessly, consuming every rational thought.

His lips followed the path of his hands, leaving a trail of warmth along my skin, from the hollow of my throat to the rise of my chest, each kiss lingering as though he was savoring every second. The way his breath hitched against me sent a shiver down my spine, and I felt my body arch instinctively toward him, craving more, needing more.

As he began taking off my clothes, I felt my face become even more flushed. I began feeling even more exposed even though before being naked before someone never posed much of a problem before. But his gaze tracing my body as if he was about to devour it almost drove me to madness. I had never known that just being looked at a certain way could make you lose your mind.

Instinctively, I began almost tearing his clothes off him like it was my last day in Astral, and, in a way, it was.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this," I murmured and he smiled mischievously, with a certain glint in his eye.

"Oh, I think I do," he murmured, his voice low and teasing, the sound alone enough to send a thrill through me. "But don't let that stop you. Show me just how much."

The words sent a surge of heat through me, and I didn't hesitate. My fingers worked feverishly, sliding along the fabric of his clothes, desperate to strip away the barriers between us. Each piece discarded felt like shedding a layer of restraint, until we were both left bare, exposed in ways that went far beyond the physical.

His hands returned to my skin, tracing the lines of my torso, my hips, with a reverence that made my breath hitch. Every touch was deliberate, a silent promise that he wasn't going to rush this—no matter how frantic I felt. His lips followed, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses along my neck, my chest, his tongue tracing patterns that left me gasping.

"You're trembling," he said softly, his voice carrying a mixture of amusement and something deeper, more profound. His hands settled at my waist, grounding me as his lips lingered just below my ear. "I didn't know the great Asmodeus could be so undone."

I groaned, clutching at his shoulders, needing something to steady me as my body betrayed me at every turn. "It's you," I admitted, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. "It's always been you."

His movements faltered for a fraction of a second, and when he pulled back to meet my gaze, his expression had softened. "And you," he whispered, his thumb brushing along my cheek as his other hand tightened at my waist. "It's always been you."

The intensity of his words, the way they mirrored my own feelings, made something inside me snap. I pulled him closer, my lips capturing his in a kiss that was all heat and desperation.

Loki carefully pushed me down and got on top of me, my eyes traveling over to his length. And it was considerable. I smiled and he instantly noticed my reaction and smiled back, knowingly. Then as he pushed into me, I let out a gasp, feeling everything in me unravel and then putting me back together whole.

His response was immediate, his body pressing into mine as his hands roamed lower, gripping my hips with a force that sent sparks of electricity shooting through me. The sensation of him pressed against me, of his hands anchoring me as his lips mapped every inch of my skin, was overwhelming in the best way. I could feel every shift, every subtle movement, the heat between us growing unbearable as he moved with a rhythm that left no part of me untouched, no inch of me unexplored.

"You look so beautiful like this," he said softly as he leaned down and kissed me with such gentleness I thought I could never forget. No one ever called me this, especially not in times like these.

I met his gaze, and the intensity in his eyes nearly stole my breath away. There was no teasing in them, no trace of the mischief that usually danced just beneath the surface. Instead, there was something achingly real—admiration, tenderness, and a depth of feeling that made my chest tighten.

His movements then became more intense and urgent. I threw my head back, allowing the heat between us to build steadily. I could feel his breath hitch against my skin, the tension in his body mirroring my own, as if we were two halves of a greater whole finally aligning.

It wasn't just physical. It was a claiming, a surrender, a creation. In the void where nothing should have existed, we made something—a connection that went beyond the limits of our mortal forms or immortal pasts. It was a raw, consuming intimacy that stripped us bare and left nothing but the truth of who we were, together.

When the crescendo came, it was as if the void itself had yielded to the intensity of what we had become. I clung to him as though letting go would mean unraveling entirely, his name spilling from my lips in a broken whisper as he held me through it, his own voice a quiet echo of mine.

The silence that followed wasn't empty. It was filled with the echoes of everything we had just shared, the connection between us humming quietly in the space where the void had once been.

Then he laid down next to me as we were both trying to catch our breath. It was the first time I felt actually exhausted after the deed. It was also quite tiresome trying to get used to all these new sensations during sex. I could finally admit that there was one thing humans were better at. It felt like everything in me was burning with so much desire.

"Out of all places, we could've done it. It's the void," I laughed, trying somehow to ease all these intense feelings that were overwhelming us both.

Loki chuckled, "and yet, the void is oddly... fitting. No distractions. Just us. And, admit it, you liked it."

I laughed softly as I shook my head, "Liked it? Loki, we just made the void feel alive. That's not something most beings can say they've done."

He smirked, looking over at me and our eyes met, "we've always been a bit unconventional, haven't we?"

"That's one way to put it," I said, my tone light, though the weight of the moment wasn't lost on me. The intensity of what we had just shared still hummed in the air, a quiet reminder of how much we'd shifted, how much we'd given to each other.

Then he pulled me close, his arms wrapping around me and for a moment, it felt like sanctuary. My head laid down on his chest as we were staring off into the endlessness before us. It was truly odd. The sex was the only act I was familiar with right now, everything that came with it - I couldn't say I had ever felt. The void itself was shaping me into something I could hardly recognize but the transformation was fitting me like a tailored suit.

None of us spoke for a while, both of us grappling with the reality we had found ourselves in. And all of it was just slightly more bearable because we were not alone.

"I love you."

Words escaped my mouth long before I even thought of stopping them. I felt his grip around me tighten and I realized it might've been the first time I said it before him.

"I love you too," he responded and that was everything. The transformation I had felt—this new version of me—wasn't just shaped by the void. It had been shaped by him too. By us.

***

Eternity wrapped itself around us, infinite and suffocating, as though time itself had ceased to matter. Loki and I had done everything we could to make sense of the expanse we were trapped in—naming nonexistent stars, crafting stories for every silence that stretched between us, debating whether this was our punishment or, perhaps, the only kind of reward we could ever hope for. But no matter how many words we exchanged, how many theories we spun, it all felt like an endless loop. Nothing could fill the void.

Then, as though the universe had grown tired of waiting, the air around us began to hum with an energy we couldn't ignore. The void itself—this sprawling nothingness—began pulsating, a slow vibration at first, like the beat of an ancient heart buried deep within the fabric of reality.

At first, we tried to dismiss it, unwilling to accept that something could finally be shifting in the midst of all this stillness. After all, we'd felt it before—false starts, moments of hope that led to nothing. But this? This was different. The pulse was growing stronger, spreading outward, making the very air tremble. We couldn't deny it any longer.

Something was happening.

Loki's eyes met mine, and for the first time since we'd arrived in this vast emptiness, I saw real fear there, flickering just beneath the surface of his usual calm. Confusion rippled through me as well, and in that shared moment of unspoken understanding, we rose to our feet in unison, our bodies braced for whatever came next.

In the distance—at the edge of our perception—figures began to form. They were barely visible at first, just shifting shadows, but as the pulse grew stronger, they solidified, revealing themselves as the very gods and demons we had once known, running toward us with a singular purpose. Their faces were distorted by the emptiness around them, features twisting in unnatural ways, yet there was no mistaking the power radiating from them.

The Norse gods, with their stoic expressions and ethereal forms, and demons—creatures of unimaginable power, long-forgotten in the world we had left behind—charged forward, their movements synchronized like an army of the damned, all drawn to the same force that had awakened the void. They were relentless in their pursuit, but what they were chasing, we had no idea.

And then, as if responding to their approach, the void began to rip open, the fabric of nothingness tearing apart, revealing an expanse of swirling, chaotic light and shadow. The opening stretched wider and wider, like the jaws of some great beast about to swallow us all whole.

The air crackled with energy as the tension in the void reached its peak. The gods and demons were closing in fast, and I could feel it—something ancient and unstoppable was breaking through. Something far worse than any of us had ever imagined. Loki and I stood frozen for a heartbeat, our eyes meeting again in that shared moment of terror and uncertainty.

We could've run, but we both knew it would be pointless. The rebirth had begun, a force so vast and all-encompassing that there was no turning back, no "before" to return to. There was only now, the present, stretching out endlessly before us. Every inch of space felt charged, like the very air was holding its breath, waiting for something terrible or wonderful to unfold.

Loki's hand reached out toward mine, a lifeline in the chaos that was closing in. His fingers brushed against mine, but before we could connect, everything shattered. The gods and demons surged forward, their presence overwhelming, moving like a tidal wave, crashing against us with a force I hadn't anticipated.

In an instant, I was torn away from Loki. His touch, so close and so real, was ripped from me as we were both flung to opposite sides. My body hit the ground with a jarring impact, and for a moment, I couldn't catch my breath. The weight of everything—the fear, the uncertainty, the overwhelming power of the beings around us—pressed down on me, suffocating in its intensity.

I scrambled to my feet, my heart racing, but all I could see were the gods and demons closing in. Their eyes burned with purpose, with hunger, and I could feel their collective will pulling at the very fabric of the world. They weren't just coming for us—they were coming for everything.

I glanced across the chaos, searching for Loki, but he was lost in the sea of figures. His expression was hard to read, his face obscured by the madness around us, but I could feel his presence—felt it like a pull in the pit of my stomach. Whatever this rebirth was, it had torn us apart, but it hadn't broken the connection we shared.

The void continued to crack open, widening like a gaping maw, and I knew, with a certainty that settled deep in my bones, that whatever emerged from it would be the end of everything we had known.

And before I could even think of reaching for Loki, the rift grew wider, the void swallowing up all the space between us. The white light underneath almost blinded me. My heart hammered in my chest as I flailed, desperate to find something to hold onto in the madness. My fingers scraped against the nothingness, but I finally found a sliver of stability—a remnant of the void itself. I clung to it, my body trembling from the force of the energy that surged around me.

Then, as if the very fabric of time itself was bending, the one face I had never expected to see again—would never forget as long as I lived—appeared out of nowhere. It was the Devil. His presence was like a dark cloud that consumed everything around him, his gaze fixed on me with a predatory hunger. My heart skipped a beat, the shock of seeing him here, now, like a jolt of ice through my veins. I tried to pull away, to escape his reach, but his hand shot out with a terrifying speed, gripping my arm in a vise-like hold.

"Ha! Found you first!" His voice rang out, cruel and mocking, as his grin stretched wide, like a Cheshire Cat relishing the moment. The wicked gleam in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine, and every instinct screamed at me to get away, to break free from his grasp.

I pulled away from him with all my strength, my heart racing, my breath catching in my throat as I struggled to shake off his iron grip. But the more I pulled, the more his hold seemed to tighten, a force I couldn't overcome no matter how hard I tried.

It was as if the void itself had betrayed me, drawn him here at the moment of my greatest vulnerability. The Devil—this creature who had torn my life apart before—was here now, in the midst of all this chaos, like a nightmare I couldn't escape.

Suddenly, the very void on the Devil's end began to collapse, and we both plunged into an abyss, falling with relentless, impossible speed. The blinding white surroundings stretched out endlessly, a world of nothingness rushing past us as we plummeted into the unknown. The Devil's grip on my arm remained unyielding, his presence suffocating, as though he was a shadow that refused to let me escape.

I continued to struggle, my body twisting in an attempt to break free, though it seemed pointless. Each movement felt like a defiance against something too powerful to conquer. But in the depths of that despair, the indomitable human spirit—a thing so often underestimated—roared to life. It was a spark, small but fierce, whispering in the back of my mind: It's not over until it's over. And in that moment, I clung to it with everything I had. No matter what was waiting for me, no matter how overwhelming the force that held me, I knew I'd rather face it alone than spend another second in the presence of the Devil, a being I was sworn to destroy.

But then, a scream echoed above us—sharp, piercing, and full of fury. My heart leapt into my throat, and for a moment, I dared to hope. Maybe, just maybe, it was Loki—coming to my rescue, to pull me out of this nightmare. But the moment the figure began to fall, hope shattered, splintering into a thousand jagged pieces. It wasn't Loki.

It was Belial.

With an almost brutal precision, Belial tore through the Devil's grasp on me, his power crashing into the darkness around us like a tidal wave. The shift was instantaneous. One moment, the Devil's grip was suffocating me, and the next, Belial's hand closed around my arm, yanking me out of the fall's relentless grip.

I gasped for air, my body jerking as I was pulled into the safety of Belial's hold. The rush of wind and the disorienting sensation of falling stopped in an instant, but the reality of my new situation hit me like a freight train. I was no longer caught in the Devil's vice-like grip, but now I was in Belial's arms, and the weight of that—of his intentions, of his power—pressed down on me just as heavily.

The Devil's snarl echoed behind us, a sound filled with venom and rage, but we were already too far from him, the void between us widening, even as the fall continued.

"You'll regret that," the Devil's voice called out, distorted by the distance, but it was already fading, drowned out by the rush of wind and the intense pressure of the fall.

Belial didn't respond. He didn't need to. His grip tightened around me as we continued to descend, falling together into the unknown, and in that instant, I realized that whatever came next, whatever awaited us in the darkness, it was no longer just about me and Loki. It was about survival. And the fragile alliances that might save us—or break us completely.

At once, everything changed. There was no sensation of air rushing past, no weightlessness, no endless descent. The vast nothingness that had surrounded me, that had swallowed me whole, was replaced by something terrifyingly different. I could feel myself being pulled, drawn into something smaller, weaker, infinitely more fragile than anything I had ever known. The weight of immortality, the certainty of my existence, was ripped away in an instant. I was no longer the creature I had once been. I was... human.

And then, as if the blinding white lights couldn't get any brighter, they did. They pierced through the dark, flooding every corner of my being. The light overwhelmed me, almost suffocating in its intensity, and I screamed. The sound tore from my throat, raw and unfiltered, as the brightness closed in around me. It wasn't physically painful, but in every other way, it may as well have been. The light seeped through me, curling around my very essence and consuming me. I couldn't escape it, couldn't shield myself from its blinding grip.

Everything I had known—the strength, the power, the certainty of who I was—disintegrated in the face of this relentless light. And then, like a snap, it all broke apart.

The world around me shifted, and I was no longer falling, no longer suspended in that vast void. I was... elsewhere. The overwhelming brightness of sterile hospital lights met my eyes as I blinked open a new set of infant eyes—weak, unable to focus. I could barely comprehend what was happening, but the terror, the panic, the suffocating sense of helplessness was immediate. I felt so small, so fragile.

The sharp, sterile smell of the hospital filled the air, and my tiny, infant hands clenched in instinctual fear, trembling with every small, new sensation. I couldn't fully understand what had happened, but I knew one thing for sure: I was no longer who I had been.

Screams filled the air, but they weren't mine anymore. They came from me, from this new body, this helpless new form, as I felt the tears pooling in my infant eyes. The lights above burned brighter, and the fear gripped me harder, stronger than any force I had ever felt. I was being reborn—not as the immortal creature I had once been, but as something vulnerable, something that could be hurt, something that could die.

The nurses rushed around me, their voices muffled but filled with urgency, but I could only scream. My body was no longer mine. It was new. Fragile. Completely foreign.

And I was terrified. Terrified of this new existence that had been thrust upon me.

I should've been angry, maybe even relieved, but there was only a hollow space where those emotions should've been. I had fallen, I had been stripped of everything—my strength, my power, my immortal essence. And now, I was here, reduced to a helpless infant, completely at the mercy of a world that hadn't asked for me and didn't know who I was.

The soft, mechanical beeping of the machines around me seemed almost like a mockery, a reminder of how small and insignificant I had become.

I tried to focus on the faces above me—strangers, their expressions clouded with concern, but their eyes, like everyone else's in this place, only saw what I had become: a baby, a helpless thing, something to be cared for. The demons and gods I had once known, the endless battle, the power I wielded—they were all gone now. All I was left with was this. This fragile, human existence.

My small, infant hands clenched and unclenched in the sterile air, and for a moment, I could almost hear their echoes—whispers of things I could never fully grasp. They were lost to me now, buried in the memories of a time I could no longer touch.

But through the haze of my confusion, through the weight of my new reality, one thought pierced through the chaos, sharp and clear. I was not alone. Even here, in this strange new form, something—someone—was with me. Loki. The thread between us was still there, despite everything, despite the fall, despite the rift between our worlds. He was still part of me, and somehow, in this fragile body, I could still feel him.

I couldn't remember how or when I had fallen, but I knew that if I survived this, if this fragile, fleeting life held any meaning, it was because of him. Because of the love we had once shared, because of the bond we had forged. Even now, in the depths of this new world, it was the only thing that felt real.

And so, as I lay there in the sterile light of the hospital room, the last remnants of my former life slipping away like sand through my fingers, I knew this would be the end of one story. But perhaps, just perhaps, it was the beginning of another. One where I could find peace. One where I could find my place in this world that had given me nothing but fear and uncertainty.

A new beginning—one I wasn't sure I was ready for, but one that, in the end, I would face. Alone, but not truly alone.

Not anymore.

And so, with the light above blinding my vision, and the faintest whisper of a memory in my soul, I drifted into sleep. The final chapter had closed, but I could feel the weight of the next one starting to unfold. And for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I didn't mind.