Chapter 1
He could remember nothing but darkness.
It had surrounded him, welcomed him, even as it slowly killed him. It would take time; he'd known that when he made his choice. When he'd let go and fallen into the dark, ignoring the look of devistation in his brother's face. He'd known ot would take longer than it would for most, but even the god wasn't imune to space.
And then he'd woken up here.
He didn't know where here was, or how he'd gotten here. He'd just woken up in this small room with no way out and remembered the dark.
The door opened. A digure strode in, smiling slightly, and Loki felt a chill run through him. This man was dangerous.
"Awake, then. Wonderful. Now we can begin."
Loki stood. He would fight, because he had nothing left to do. Maybe if he fought, death would be forced to come quicker.
"Oh, you have fire. Easy enough to snuff out. The tricky ones are the ones with none at all. It's hard to make them useful.
Loki smirked. "I could be one of those, if you'd prefer."
"An interesting challenge, but no. You might be important."
Loki huffed a laugh. "Unlikely." He wasn't worth anything anymore. He was just a forgotten prince from a planet that wasn't his, and a king who'd tried to destroy his own world.
"We shall see."
"Maw." The booming voice came from the door, and both Loki and the other man turned toward its source. Anticipation turned to fear in an instant. This Maw was to be wary of. This new figure, much larger and infinitely more dangerous, was to be feared.
But fear had never been in Loki's nature. He did not cower before the new arrival. "And you are?" he asked.
A cruel smile spread over the man's mouth. "Thanos."
A man used to being feared. Loki knew of him. "Ah." Loki smiled. "If you're here for what I think you're here for, I must disappoint. I haven't seen an infinity stone in centuries, now." He couldn't quite remember when he'd last seen the Tesseract. It had been quite some time ago, but he didn't know much beyond that.
Unfortunately, that comment sparked Thanos's interest instead of Loki's intended effect. "But you know of them."
"Well, yes. My people held one for many centuries before it was lost. I've touched it myself. But, again, it was lost. I know not what happened to it."
"And who are your people?"
"Loki of Asgard, at your service."
Thanos considered him. "Well, Asguardian, you may yet have use. You have earned yourself another day of life." He turned to leave, and the Maw followed him out.
You say that like it's a good thing, Loki thought as they left.