Fragmented Thoughts - Chapter 10 (Reader x Loki)

You walk through a park, the sun shining on your skin warmly. A butterfly flies by, its bright orange wings fluttering and reflecting the sun, igniting its form. The grass is soft under your feet, green and lush, the sky a clear blue. You feel a cool breeze blow, tugging at your hair gently and kissing your cheeks. You smile, the serenity of it all making you feel fuzzy inside.
As you walk, you come to a small wooded area. The trees, towering above you, whistle and croon for you. You can make out the soft music of birds, the healing atmosphere of the greenery reaching out to you, picking up your feet, the mysterious endlessness of it enchanting you, pulling you in, hypnotizing your soul...
You enter the forest, wandering aimlessly. You feel yourself falling deeper into the forests' spell, the air trickling with energy that wraps around you and soothes you. The birds' melody eventually becomes a solid tune, a hum, a song. You hear words, spoken in a language you can't understand, sung in the alluring voice of a woman. She comes out from behind a tree, her face hidden by a black cloak. Her voice slips through you, melts you, comforts you...
You feel yourself falling...not quite falling, but not floating...a slow descent, your body seeming to melt away, becoming one with the air and the earth...the woman steps forward, her voice's spell swirling around you as everything begins to fade...her voice forms words that, after the world fades away, finally echo in your mind as things you can understand...
"Hush, child...the darkness will rise from the deep, and carry you down to sleep...Carry you down to sleep....sleep, sleep, sleep..."
Her voice slows as she sings, but still retains its power, holding you, trapping you, as the blackness envelops you in a blanket of comforting nothingness...

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Suddenly, you feel something begin to hold you up, rising from the blackness to push your body. You groan, rolling, trying to hold onto the blackness. You feel your body throb with an almost rhythmic pulse, as if your heart was pounding with twice the strength. The pressure holding you up slowly gains a texture, and you sigh as you recognize the feel of it. Cotton. You're in your bed, and the dream you just had is over. Ugh, this sucks.
But wait...you can still hear the voice singing. Not words, but notes. Except her voice is now deeper, more ominous, more enchanting than before. You can almost hear the crackle of energy floating in the air from the forest, the air tense with movement and life. You sit up in your bed, confused. You never felt this sensation before. You hold your arm out, and you can feel the current of the air around you, moving, shifting, twisting. You can almost see it
...You CAN see it.
You jump out of bed, freaked out. What kind of power is this!? You can see the air! What is this?
You dimly hear a voice singing, its sound too muffled for you to understand it clearly. Curous, you look around, and see your door is wide open. Seeking the source, you wander out into the hallway and look around. You walk through the hallway and notice a bright green glow coming from Loki's room. Hesitantly, you keep going, partly afraid of what you'd see, partly interested in what he's doing.
The voice is clearer now, its words discernable...
"Hush, child, the darkness will rise from the deep and carry you down to sleep..."
The voice...drips with an ominous coo. It pulls you in, numbs your brain, like a creature that draws in its prey by calling to it sweetly, then striking when its prey has given in...
You walk on, your body on autopilot. The voice chants to you, calls to you, begs you to come nearer, nearer...until you're standing in the doorway to Loki's room, your eyes wide with awe.
Inside, the room has become a giant green forest, bright emerald energy flowing and weaving through the air in waves. In the middle, Loki is standing, his body moving in fluid motions. When his hands move, more green energy flows from them, his body a swirling spring of pure energy. He doesn't notice your presence, his eyes focusing on the movements his hands are making.
"Each moment I'm watching my vengeance unfold. My soul will die in returning the birthright he stole..."
His words resonate with anger, with a dirty intention, yet with a streak of desperate longing. He holds his hand out, a small green crown forming in his hand. He crushes it aggressively as he utters the words "birthright he stole." A shiver moves down your spine upon this sight and again, you think of the dangerous beast that lures in its victims...
"...Guileless child, your spirit will hate her..."
Your body almost begins to sway, his words echoing and wrapping around your mind. His tone is soft, an ache, a regret...your heart is tugged towards this, the pain tangible in the tune. You move into the room, but your foot hits against something on the ground.
In an instant, Loki turns to you, his eyes glowing with the same luminescent green as the one that dances on his fingers. The forest fades away, the green energy melting into nothing around you. The spell fades, and you feel your body release its tension, your mind now your own again. You make a short gasp.
"I-I'm sorry-" you try to excuse your intrustion,"I heard you singing-I mean, I was asleep-and your voice, it was in my dreams-I mean, I was dreaming, and-"
He raises his hand and you stop.
"I should have known someone would find me like this," he says. "I should have been more careful in concealing myself."
"What were you doing?" you ask.
"Relieving my mind of its aggravations," he tells you. You nod, pretending to understand what that means. He looks at you, his intense gaze fixing you to the spot again. God, seriously, how does he do that...?
"If I woke you, I did not mean to," he says half-apologetically.
"Oh, no, it's fine," you say. "Your voice was beautiful."
He looks at you, taken aback. "What?"
"Your voice, it's-" you realize what you said. "Um. It's...yeah."
He steps towards you, his tall stature silencing you. You swallow nervously.
"You...heard what I said?" he asks.
"Yes..."
He leans towards you, his face inches from your own. His breath is hot on your skin and you blush from the close proximity.
"Utter a word of this to anyone, and I will erase your mind," he threatens in a whisper. "Do you understand?"
You nod enthusiastically. "Not a word. Never."
"Good." He backs away and turns, facing windows on the opposite side of the room. You exhale, your heart pounding. This guy never got tired of abusing you mentally, did he?
"I don't really understand what you were talking about anyway," you tell him matter-of-factly. He turns his head to look at you, his eyes less intense than usual.
"I'm glad," he says. "I don't like it when others know of my thoughts."
"Is that why I can't read your mind?" you ask.
He nods, turning back to you. "I have many dark secrets I wish to keep contained. But I cannot withhold them forever. I will lose my sanity if I attempt to do so."
"Maybe confiding in someone will help-"
"NO."
You flinch. He takes a deep breath. "No, I will not confide in anyone. Least of all, you."
"Why?" you ask. "What have I done?"
He looks at you, his eyes dark with accusation. "You are a mind reader. A wild card. No one can hide their intentions from you for long. Eventually, you will find them. No one is safe with you. No one will ever be safe."
The truth of his words drives a dagger into your heart. He's right...now that you can read minds, you can tell when someone has a secret or a lie. You shudder. No one can trust you with their secrets anymore, because you'd already know them.
"In time, you will learn how to use your powers," he continues. "Whether or not for good, time will tell. But until then, I trust you only with what you have already learned from me."
"You can help me," you say. "You can show me how to ignore what other people are thinking."
He tilts his head. "Why would you want to know how to do that?"
"Because everyone's mind is their own. I have no right taking their privacy away like that. I don't want to know what other people are thinking. If they can't hear what I'm thinking, why should I be able to know what they're thinking? A person's mind is their last sanctuary. I should give them their space, not take it from them."
Loki's eyes are wide. "You do not wish to know what others think?"
"Hell no! And I never did!"
His body softens, his rigid stance a little more gentle. His eyes no longer stare at you with distrust. "You are kinder than other humans. How interesting."
Your turn to be confused. "Huh?"
He shakes his head. "Do not mind it. Alright, I will teach you. But you have to do something for me, first."
"What's that?"
He smiles, a wicked, mischievous smile. "Try to guess what I'm thinking."