Hours later, the demigod and I found ourselves sprawled out on the floor of the room, with three whole bottles of absinthe nearly drained to nothing. It took us much longer to feel the effects, given that we weren't exactly human. My mind felt like it was floating outside my head, struggling to focus. And yet, there were four more bottles nearby, watching us as if they were concocted by the Devil himself.

Loki, being taller and more powerful than me, had a much higher tolerance. As I leaned against the bed on the floor, my eyes barely open, Loki sat next to me, rambling incessantly. His words were a blur, a buzzing noise that came and went. The sun was setting slowly, its rays casting a warm glow on Loki's hair, giving it a fiery appearance.

For a while, all the thoughts for what happened back in that prison faded. In fact, my mind was incapable of remembering anything. And I didn't want to force it, it was the first time in a long time that I felt at peace.

"I know I'm very drunk right now..." I slurred and Loki immediately stopped talking and looked at me with a puzzled expression. "But thank you." I finally managed to express my gratitude without feeling like a complete idiot. Even Loki seemed to be caught by surprise and didn't respond for a few seconds, just had his eyes locked on me. Then his lips stretched out in a small smile.

"You're welcome."

"I still don't trust you fully... I don't think I ever will. But it's good for now." His expression shifted to a more somber one. It was clear he didn't quite grasp why, but I couldn't blame him entirely. After all, trusting someone again after being betrayed wasn't an easy feat. Loki's gaze turned away, his jaw clenched, indicating my timing might not have been ideal.

Silent, he reached for another bottle, pouring himself a glass without meeting my eyes.

"You want?" he offered, extending the bottle towards me. I accepted it, pouring myself a shot and downing it quickly.

"What happened to Beelzebub?" I asked, hoping to redirect the conversation.

"Well, he organized the whole thing," Loki replied, pouring himself another shot. "I was waiting for you in the field in the human world for ages. You never showed up... and then he did, luckily. Told me what happened. If I hadn't recognized him from before, I doubt I would've agreed to help."

I nodded in understanding, surprised to learn that he had actually waited for me. It was a strange thought, picturing Loki standing there, wondering where I was, while I was stuck in Hell. But even stranger was the feeling of gratitude that welled up inside me. Then, a tense silence settled between us, punctuated only by the sound of pouring liquor.

I sensed his growing frustration, and perhaps my earlier admission had struck a nerve.

"It's not your fault," I interjected after a while, feeling the alcohol clouding my thoughts. In this hazy state, I found it easier to express deeper emotions. "The person I trusted the most was the one who put me in prison in the first place. So... I hope you understand."

There was an instant shift in energy and anger subdued significantly. He finally looked at me and started cracking up at what point I was just completely puzzled. "You trusted the Devil himself?!"

My expression turned blank the moment he said that, and he burst into even louder laughter, ending up sprawled out on the floor. I couldn't defend myself, partly because the alcohol had dulled my senses, and partly because there was a grain of truth in his words.

As Loki finally regained his composure, he turned his head towards me and remarked, "You've got some problems, man."

"The story is more nuanced than that," I mumbled, realizing the senselessness of my response too late.

"I'm sure it is," Loki retorted sarcastically, earning a glare from me, which only made him snort once more. "Tell me about it," he insisted, a slight mocking smile playing on his lips as he shifted to lay on his side, propping his head with his hand.

"I will not," I replied, making a mental note never to share anything personal with him again.

"Oh, come on! Don't be boring!" Loki urged, his emotions shifting rapidly once again. I preferred this side of him, knowing full well that his angry self was capable of murder.

After a moment of contemplation, I downed a few more glasses of alcohol to ease my decision-making process. Suddenly, he kicked me in the knee, prompting me to hurry up, and I shot him another glare.

Taking a deep breath, I continued, "Well, long story short, we were really close before his fall from Heaven, and even closer as he built his empire. He was more than a brother to me." As I spoke, I felt an old wound reopening, aching deep inside. Yet, I decided to bury it beneath layers of hatred. Swallowing a lump in my throat, I pushed forward, "I don't know at what point everything changed, but he's not the same anymore. I can no longer recognize him."

As I spoke, Loki's mocking smile faded, and I sensed a shift in his demeanor. It was a relief to know he could read the room, especially since it was difficult for me to talk about it. I poured another glass and downed it, trying to drown out the sentimental feelings.

"No use crying over spilled milk," Loki remarked, his attempt at humor falling flat. I snorted at his comment and shook my head. He was even worse than me when it came to emotions. Sitting up, he placed a hand on my shoulder, and our eyes met.

"What's important is that now you know not to trust someone who's a ruler of Hell," he said, trying to suppress his laughter. His words ignited a fuse inside me, and I exploded, yelling, "You're such an asshole!" Grabbing my glass, I hurled the remaining liquid at his face. He burst into laughter once more as he wiped his face with his hand. I made a mental note, once again, not to confide in him.

Despite my frustration, I was secretly grateful that he was trying to lighten the mood. I didn't want to dwell on the miserable feelings anymore. After Loki composed himself, he grabbed a bottle of absinthe and poured us each a drink, handing me mine as he took his own.

"On a slightly more serious note, I want you to know that you can trust me. I don't have any use for betraying you. So, let's raise a glass for the Devil's demise and for him to go fuck himself." He grinned and I couldn't help but smile especially because of the last part. There was no reason for me to disagree so we raised our glasses and our glasses clinked against each other before both of us drank the whole glass. Despite Loki saying that I could trust him, it was going to take some time for me to be convinced of that. But until the day was over, I decided it was okay to lay my full trust on him.

"Yeah, fuck the Devil." I said and felt a big chunk of stone falling off my heart when I said it. It felt nice to say it out loud.

"Maybe that Yahweh dude had a point." Loki snickered and I did the same especially because of him adding "dude" at the end. Nobody ever referred to him in that way.

"I'm starting to think he really did." The Creator had many faults but antagonizing the Devil for all eternity may have been the smartest move of all times. Sure, it did antagonize me and other better demons but it was a small price to pay. Especially since everyone knew that the exile still hurt him to this day and he was still carrying serious ego issues. I wished there was a third place where we could all exile him though.

After a while, the alcohol didn't allow us to think anymore. Every few seconds I felt my head falling down and I ended up struggling not to black out yet. Loki, on the other hand, didn't fight it as much as me. Instead, he let himself drop down on the floor and simply started dozing off sprawled out. I chuckled lightly at the sight before letting my head fall back against the bed and letting my mind just black out. Drunken sleep was the only type of sleep where us demons wouldn't receive any sort of information. But considering how long it took us to actually reach that stage, not a lot of us bothered with it. That was why I decided to appreciate this moment and not wake up unless absolutely necessary.

***

I fluttered my eyes open, feeling like I just woke up from being dead, not from sleep considering there were no visions or images throughout the whole experience. I noticed there was a blanket covering me and I assumed it was Loki who did that, making me even more confused. The red-haired demigod was nowhere to be found however. I slowly sat up, feeling like every muscle in my body tensing up each movement I'd make. It wasn't easy for demons to get hangovers but due to my already weakened state thanks to the torture sessions, I was more susceptible.

It was odd waking up and having no responsibilities whatsoever. I didn't know yet if it was a good idea to get out and explore the building so I decided to just sit here until Loki returned. Now I understood how pets felt.

I took a moment to reflect on the events of the past few days, and a familiar pang of sadness welled up inside me, growing in intensity. It dawned on me that the day before I met Loki for the first time was likely the last day I felt genuinely happy. Since then, it had been a steady descent into darkness. It wasn't fair to blame Loki for how I felt, especially since he had saved my life, but it was also true that he might ultimately lead to my downfall.

The saddest part was that we both seemed to understand this, yet we continued on as if we could defy fate. Perhaps we were just trying to make the most of our final days together. No matter how I looked at it, the tragedy of the situation was unavoidable. I pushed these thoughts aside, determined not to succumb to misery once again.

As I noticed Loki wasn't returning anytime soon, I decided to sit up and stretch my legs. Slowly, I approached the door and cautiously started opening it, just enough for a peek. What I saw outside was a long, stretching hallway with a tiled floor of alternating golden and white patterns. The walls were adorned with paintings depicting various landscapes and scenes.

There didn't seem to be any other rooms on this floor except for a door at the very end, on the right side of the hallway. I was about to close the door, but my curiosity got the better of me, and I stopped just in time before fully closing it. I knew I would probably regret snooping around, but there was still a small possibility that I wouldn't. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the room and made sure to listen for any signs of activity that could indicate someone else's presence. Satisfied that the coast was clear, I crept down the hallway.

As I reached the room at the far end, I glanced behind me to ensure I hadn't missed anything before opening the door. Inside, I found a relatively large space that resembled some sort of storage area, albeit a bit messy. Shelves lined the walls, filled haphazardly with notebooks and books, while papers littered the floor without any apparent order.

In one corner of the room, a giant map of what I assumed was the Norse world hung on the wall. In front of it, a table displayed various trinkets and jewelry, each emanating a faint aura of power. One object, a snow globe, caught my attention. It seemed out of place amidst Loki's belongings, as I hadn't taken him for someone sentimental.

Picking up the snow globe, I examined it closely, noting the depiction of a giant tree with roots buried deep into the ground. It looked familiar, and I vaguely recalled reading about it, though I couldn't remember its significance. Without much thought, I began shaking the snow globe, hoping to see the snow fall. Instead, a strange light emanated from within it.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and pushed the snow globe from my grasp, causing it to clatter to the floor. "Are you stupid?!" came the sharp rebuke.

I quickly looked over at the person, only to see an angry face under the red mop of hair. I immediately sighed out in relief.

"I knew you were going to go snooping around." Loki huffed out. "You were about to get transported into a daily assembly of gods." He explained.

"Well, that doesn't sound like fun." I commented and looked down at the globe.

"Yeah, exactly." He retorted.

"What is this place anyway?" I asked, gazing around the room and walking over towards the shelves. It was odd how his room was so clean and orderly with barely anything there and this one was just brimming with so many objects. There was even a weapon rack with a single longsword in it.

"I don't even know. That's just things I collected over the years."

"Hoarder, I see." I mused.

Loki scoffed, "I'm no hoarder!"

Then he started making his way towards me and reached out his hand towards me, while holding what looked like a chain necklace with runes glistening on it every few seconds.

"Here. It's enchanted to make your presence less visible and noticeable. I had to do some serious negotiations and use my natural charm and wit to gain this item." I laughed at the last part and took the chain from his hand.

"Are you sure it's going to work on me?"

"Well, it should. Dwarves are the best blacksmiths."

"Must've not been fun if you had to charm dwarves then," I remarked, snorting as I slipped the chain over my head, feeling a slight tingling sensation in my fingertips and feet. I hoped that meant it was working.

"Well, not the worst thing I have done in my history," Loki replied casually.

"Oh, I know. I've read your biography," I teased, patting his shoulder and alluding to the period in his life when he transformed into a horse and had to charm another horse. His face turned slightly pink as I mentioned it, and he frowned a little.

"Well, someone had to do it!" he defended himself, laughing to ease his embarrassment.

"Don't worry, I don't judge. I can't point to the type of entity I haven't had sex with," I snickered. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"Well, apparently you've never been to the Norse world," he retorted, his tone hinting at something I couldn't quite grasp.

"You guys have always kept to yourselves. I just haven't come across you until now. Well, if it weren't for you, I still wouldn't have met any of you," I shrugged.

"Mhmm... I'm sure that's the reason," he replied skeptically, turning around and heading towards the door.

"Are you saying I'm lying?!" I protested as I followed after him.

"You can't possibly expect me to believe you had sex with so many deities or humans." He made a little pause before continuing, "Well, I can believe about humans."

"Whatever." I scoffed, not about to sit and try to convince him. Although I didn't know why it wasn't believable. Maybe he just didn't deem me as someone who was capable. Either way, he was gravely wrong. I could hear him laughing but I didn't comment on it, we just made our way back to the room in silence.

"Do you think I'd be able to go to the human world with this at least?" I asked when we got back into the room.

"Well, you can try but I'd say the human world is the most dangerous place to be right now. Apart from Hell obviously."

I let out a frustrated groan and slumped onto the bed. This whole situation was shaping up to be a complete nightmare if I couldn't even leave the room. Sure, I technically had the freedom to go, but it was probably best to stay put for now. Maybe if I ventured out, I could finally confront the Devil face-to-face. Though, knowing him, he'd likely send a horde of demons after me instead.

"I should get another bed," Loki muttered, drawing my attention to the cramped space we were in. It was starting to feel a bit too cozy for comfort.

"Thanks, that would be nice," I replied, trying to lighten the mood.

Loki shifted slightly on the bed and then added, "Oh, and don't go into that room again. It's filled with magical items, and I don't want you accidentally activating any of them."

His warning only piqued my curiosity further. The Norse realm was still largely unknown to me, and I couldn't help but feel like a wide-eyed explorer in uncharted territory. It was becoming increasingly clear that bringing me here might not have been the best decision, but with limited options, we had to make do.

***

The days stretched into weeks, and still, there was no sign of the Devil or any other demon coming for me. Perhaps I had underestimated how difficult it would be for them to track me down. Despite their absence, I could sense the Devil's seething rage, a constant reminder of the storm brewing beyond our walls. My concern for the other demons in Hell grew, and I hoped they were managing to look after themselves amidst the chaos.

In the meantime, boredom became my constant companion. Loki made an effort to keep me occupied, filling our days with endless rounds of board games. The stack of games in the corner of the room grew taller with each passing day, a testament to our efforts to stave off the monotony. Monopoly became our game of choice, not only for its entertainment value but also for the cathartic release it provided.

Our games often descended into chaos, with dice being hurled across the room and playful punches exchanged. I ended up with more than a few black eyes, courtesy of Loki's unexpected strength. Yet, compared to the torment I endured in Hell, these minor injuries were nothing but a nuisance.

As the days wore on, Loki even brought a sleeping bag to replace the makeshift bed. While he assured me it was only temporary, I couldn't shake the feeling of being confined, like a pet in a cage. It was a far cry from the freedom I once knew, and I couldn't help but feel like a helpless hamster trapped in its wheel.

I was leaning against the foot of bed, my lip bleeding with my bruised face aching in every spot.I was breathing heavily as Loki had just finished another game as a loser and was glaring daggers at me.

"We should definitely get out of this room soon..." I concluded, his face softening a bit.

"I agree, if another week goes by like this, I think one of us is going to get killed by the other."

I snorted and was also surprised that he actually ended up agreeing for once. I didn't know how one simple human board game could drive you to the limit. It was almost therapeutic.

"Let's go to the dream world." I suggested and he looked over at me with a raised eyebrow. I met his gaze and grinned at him, knowing full well how treacherous the road there could be.

"Are you absolutely sure?" He inquired carefully.

"Yes." I replied simply.

"We might get lost–"

"Let's go. If we get lost, there is even less chance of the Devil and his army finding us." I said pointing finger guns at him like I said the wisest thing ever. He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a deep breath.

"Alright." Huffing, he got up from the floor and I started gathering the board game pieces and placing them back into the box.

Few moments later, Loki brought me a long black cloak, even going as far as putting it on me himself. He was probably making sure that everything was put properly so I wouldn't get noticed. At the end, he pulled the hood up over my face and then went a few steps back, inspecting me from afar.

"Don't you think it'd make me more suspicious?" I asked.

"Yeah, but if somebody starts asking questions, I can just make something up." He quickly responded and I felt my stomach twisting on his words. Knowing his great creativity with lies, I could only imagine what he'd think of on the spot. Nonetheless, I ended up not saying anything while he was doing final adjustments to my cape. I had no idea what was so complicated about a simple cape so I just put it in a mental box of "another weird Norse thing I don't understand". I didn't bother asking either knowing it wouldn't make sense to me either way.

Finally, Loki indicated that we could set off and he opened the door to his room. I wondered why we couldn't just go using teleportation. Norse worlds had so many strange laws. Hell also had some laws but nobody really followed them apart from those that had to do with the Devil.

I followed closely behind Loki as we descended the long hallway, each step echoing in the silence. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder to ensure I was still behind him before continuing down the stairs. As we reached the bottom floor, a spacious room opened up before us, reminiscent of a hotel bar or lounge. However, the walls were lined with large windows, leaving us exposed to anyone passing by outside. It dawned on me why Loki had warned against coming downstairs; this place was far from discreet.

I couldn't help but wonder why there were no deities present in this seemingly relaxing space. Then it struck me—Loki's attempt on Thor's life was likely the reason for their absence. How could I have forgotten such a crucial detail?

As Loki scanned the room for any potential threats, I noticed the familiar longsword tucked behind his coat. He must have retrieved it from the storage room when he fetched my cloak. A pang of unease prickled at the back of my mind. I hoped he didn't intend to use it against me, especially after all he had done to help me thus far.

Just as Loki finished his sweep of the area and motioned for us to leave, an unexpected surge of energy jolted through my left shoulder, causing me to stumble backward with a stifled yelp. Loki spun around instantly, his eyes narrowing in concern as he sought to discern the source of my distress.

"This entire place is brewing with so much power," I said as silently as I could.

"Yeah, welcome to the realm of gods." He replied before quickly going back to walking. Only then did it occur to me how much more powerful these old gods were. It kind of made me feel small in comparison to them.

While we were passing, there were so many different buildings, their roofs reaching the clouds. The road was paved stone and there was nothing that was out of place. Even the grass was growing evenly and the light breeze in the air was blowing in such a non-disruptive way. Loki was extremely lucky to wind up in such a place. I wondered why he was so eager for an apocalypse. Eventually we started distancing ourselves from the town and there was far more nature in that area. The pathway still didn't disappear however. There was an occasional rabbit or a deer on the way too and they didn't even wince upon seeing us. It almost reminded me of Heaven yet somehow much purer. Probably because I didn't know much about it and its residents yet.

Soon, we started approaching what looked like a river. It's needless to say that the water was also so clear and blue that I could see myself in it. Not even human rivers provided such clearness. There was a boat standing next to the shore. Near it was an old man with a very long white beard wearing a black robe. I didn't say anything in fear of the stranger hearing me. I didn't know how good or bad his hearing was. In this case, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"To Álfheim," Loki said as he reached down in his pocket and dropped 3 gold coins into the man's hand. The stranger grunted in response and then he looked up at me, his gaze striking. I tried to remain calm as Loki was stepping into the boat. I was about to step into it as well when suddenly the man grabbed me by the upper arm and pulled me back. Loki was staring at us worriedly while I was standing completely still, waiting for the ferryman to finish his very up close inspection. Suddenly, it sounded like he snorted before quickly regaining his composure and pretending like he was clearing his throat.

"Welcome aboard," he said with a hoarse voice, stretching out his arm towards the boat. I looked at him confused but still remained silent and slowly climbed into the boat, taking a seat next to Loki. The ferryman followed after us and he went to sit in the front, grabbing the paddles on each side before starting to row. The sound of water was starting to calm me down along with the slight rocking of the boat. I was about to completely relax myself but alas, that relaxation was short-lasting.

"I haven't seen you before," the man suddenly said, obviously talking about me. "What have you gotten yourself into now, Loki?" I was starting to get nervous, not knowing which direction this was going to go. However, I decided to put my trust in the greatest trickster demigod. If he couldn't pull this off, no one could.

"He's just someone I befriended." Loki said confidently although I could feel that he was also starting to get a bit anxious. The man in the front snickered a bit at his words.

"One of those, huh?" As soon as I heard what he asked, I looked over at Loki with a look that carried a lot of questions. "Yup," was all Loki replied with and I got even more worried and confused. What the hell was this about?! It didn't sound good though. Especially because Loki was refusing to look at me.

"Whatever you say," replied the ferryman and continued rowing the boat in silence for which I was grateful. I couldn't wait until we were on the land again to ask Loki a couple of questions. At the very least, no more questions were being asked.

The trip was long and tedious, it felt like we weren't going anywhere for what seemed like hours. This was the longest I went without talking and I felt like my jaw was hurting for being shut for so long. Suddenly, we got to the point where we kept going through twists and turns every five seconds. Few times I even had to hold onto Loki so as not to fall into the water. It was hurting me even more that I couldn't complain. I had to go through this without saying anything and blaming Loki for everything that had happened to me. The land around us was starting to show a lot more trees and there wasn't that much of "civilization" if any. The river was also becoming much narrower and we started bumping into a few stones here and there which also almost sent me flying off the boat. But the worst was yet to come.

"Hold tight!" Loki suddenly exclaimed and my eyes widened in shock as I saw a river going downwards meaning we were about to go through a waterfall.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" I yelled out not caring anymore when our boat rapidly started going down, both of us screaming while the ferryman remained as calm as ever. He had probably gone through this plenty of times. It felt like we were falling forever and then suddenly we crashed against the water, the boat slightly rocking to the side as we landed. Was this how roller coasters felt to humans? Either way, I cursed the day I asked Loki to leave the room.

I didn't really notice the rest of the trip as I felt my head spinning throughout the entire thing. All I knew was that at one point, the boat stopped moving and I got out of it as soon as possible as vomit just started coming out of my mouth. It wasn't a common thing for a demon to throw up but apparently this wasn't in a rulebook of what a demon should do. Even the vomit was just some green acid.

I slowly rose up to my feet only to see Loki just standing behind me and the ferryman gone. "You good?" asked Loki and I briefly nodded as I looked up and down the river.

"Where did he go?"

"Well, remember what I told you. What brought you here isn't what will bring you back." "Oh, great." I grumbled, pushing my hands into the pockets of the cloak.

We were mainly surrounded by trees at first and it was dead silence apart from us making noise by walking. The trees were growing so close to each other that it was hard to make up anything.

"We should probably make camp first." Loki said.

"Sounds good, I'm still a bit dizzy from that boat ride." The greenery around me didn't help the situation either. "I need to be stationary for a bit."

Soon we got to a bit of a clearing where a cave resided and Loki quickly picked up a few wooden sticks. We sat down near the mouth of the cave and he made fire with just one swing of a hand. He then explained that the fire would repel any unwanted beings that might approach us while we relax. Especially the fire that was made by him. Not a lot of beings were apparently happy to interact with the likes of him. I must've been insane then.

"What did that man mean when he said that I'm one of those?" I asked when we finally settled down. Loki cleared his throat and looked away, staring at something in the distance.

"It doesn't matter." He mumbled.

"Hm... " I squinted my eyes at him, once again he was behaving suspiciously. I decided not to press the subject and just let it drop.

"That ferryman's name is Harbard by the way. He sometimes reminds me of Odin with his remarks."

"Maybe it is Odin?" I pondered and he looked at me like I said the most ridiculous thing ever.

"There's no way." He laughed lightly and then spaced off, staring at the fire in front of him. He was going through one of his moody motions again but this time I didn't know what was the reason. He didn't even seem mad, more like sad.

"What's the matter?" I decided to ask in the end, thinking that maybe he wanted to talk about it after all. "Just reminded of old days, it's stupid." He made a little pause and I was about to say something but he was quicker,"I used to come here in my youth during my training. Sometimes I miss how things were."

"Couldn't agree more." If there was anyone who knew what that was like, it was me. And honestly I was surprised he managed to articulate his feelings properly. Loki smiled a little before leaning back against the cave entrance and closing his eyes.

"I'll go for a nap for a bit, wake me up when you feel like you can walk again." He mumbled and it didn't take long before he dozed off completely. It was almost admirable how quickly he could just fall asleep. Eventually, he even started snoring, making me go a little bit mad due to the frequency of it. It sounded like a giant was snoring, not Loki.

The disorientation I felt only intensified as I struggled to make sense of my surroundings. It wasn't just the boat ride that had left me feeling dizzy; the sheer density of power in this realm was overwhelming. Unlike Loki's room, which likely had protective wards in place, there was nothing here to shield me from the relentless energy pulsating around me.

Closing my eyes in an attempt to find some relief, I was instead assaulted by a barrage of vivid, nonsensical images. Feverish dreams danced behind my eyelids, refusing to coalesce into anything coherent. And then, amidst the chaotic whirlwind of my mind, a clear and chilling message emerged.

In my mind's eye, I saw the Devil's face, his gaze piercing through me as though he could see into the very depths of my soul. His words echoed in my head with bone-chilling clarity: "You can run all you want, but you know you can't hide from me. Just the fact that you received this message tells me you're somewhere near. However, I will give you a proposal—either give yourself up to me now and nothing will happen, or I will kill every single friend you hold dear. I know everything."

With a gasp, I shot upright, my heart pounding furiously in my chest as panic threatened to consume me. My gaze darted to Loki, who lay peacefully asleep, oblivious to the imminent danger that loomed over us. It was clear now—we were both trapped in a deadly game, with no escape in sight.