chapter 296

Chapter 296:

– Layla –

Frigga and I stepped out of a purple portal and arrived in Asgard. I deposited us near the palace, which was where the most secure prisons were kept. Some of the prisoners were so powerful that only the royal family had any hopes of stopping them in the event they escaped.

“Let’s hurry,” I urged Frigga to pick up the pace. “We’re on a clock, and it’s ticking down fast.”

She somehow offered a serene smile even while rushing. “I am moving as fast as I can, my dear. But tell me, Layla, if Magneto is so dangerous, why not simply… eliminate him?” Her tone was matter-of-fact, though she was clearly curious. “You have the power. You could blast him out of existence before he even realizes it…”

[She makes a fair point.]

It was nice that she had so much faith in my power, but I was still shaking my head. “I thought about that. But a guy like Magneto… he’d have fallback plans. No way he’d sit back for two years without preparing for me of all people. Who knows? He might’ve stashed nukes around the planet for insurance. No, better to play by his rules, for now. Keeps things under control.”

[You make a fair point as well.]

Frigga tilted her head thoughtfully as we continued down the golden corridor. “Tis sound thinking, I suppose. Though, if anyone were to outwit Magneto, it would be my son.” She gave me a pointed look. “Loki’s the master of trickery, he might help us uncover what this Magneto is hiding.”

We reached the entrance to the underground prison where the two Asgardians guarding it immediately stepped aside at the sight of their princess and the previous queen.

The sight of two beautiful women like ourselves drew jeers and lecherous looks from the majority of the prisoners as we passed cell after cell. We both kept our heads high and ignored all the cat-calling until we reached Loki’s cell..

“Well, well, well.” Loki stepped forward towards the enchanted glass, his sharp gaze flicking between us. “If it isn’t Mother and the fallen angel who ruined everything!” His eyes narrowed on me with a glint of disdain. Clearly, he wasn’t thrilled about my presence.

I let out a scoff, crossing my arms. “I wasn’t even involved in your capture. Or your dumb ass plan to conquer Midgard in my absence.”

Loki sneered. “Oh, believe me, I noticed. You probably thought you were too good for me, and sent your lackeys instead.”

I was actually a bit relieved that's what he thought happened. The villains were less likely to make any overt moves had they thought i was just taking a temporary backseat instead of having completely disappeared.

[Of course, that didn't stop Magneto…]

Loki continued to stare at me hatefully, and I just glared right back at him. Frigga’s sigh broke the tension between everyone. “Can’t I simply visit my son?”

“Of course, Mother. You are always welcome. But a visit with the Fallen Angel feared even by the Celestials?” He glanced my way. “This is no friendly reunion, I think.”

I raised a brow. “Really? The Celestials fear me?”

Loki rolled his eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. I might have slightly misspoke. Rumor has it that they are simply very cautious of coming anywhere near your perceived territory ever since Arishem disappeared after his confrontation with you.”

I grinned, unable to hide my satisfaction. “Good to know.” I took a breath and decided to cut through the niceties. I told Loki what was happening on Midgard and that we were on a short time frame.

Loki’s brows arched in interest, and he began tapping his fingers against the glass. “Sounds like quite the vexing and perilous situation you have on your hands, but I fail to see how any of it is my problem.”

Beside me, Frigga sighed softly. “Loki, how long did Hela sentence you for, again?”

Loki’s posture slumped slightly and he frowned. “...She was delightfully vague,” he replied dryly. “Something about remaining here until the last mortal I harmed in my invasion dies of old age. So… another hundred years or so, I’d guess.” He paused. “Give or take a decade.”

“Then how about an early parole? Help us with this, and we’ll see about getting you out sooner.” I offered.

That certainly got his attention, “Go on… What’s the catch?”

“I may have left out the detail that Magneto’s got the Avatar of the Phoenix Force—and a few other extremely powerful mutants—under his control.” I muttered the last part quickly, hoping it would slide past without too much fuss.

Loki turned as pale as I’d ever seen him. “The Phoenix?” he choked. “Are you out of your mind? You think I’m going to fight the Phoenix? I’m a god, not a lunatic! I wouldn’t stand a chance!”

Frigga and I both nodded without hesitation.

Loki’s mouth fell open, his offended gaze darting between me and Frigga. “No counter-argument? No ‘Oh, Loki, you’re so powerful, you’d be fine?’”

“Come on, son. We all know you were never the most gifted when it came to raw combat,” Frigga told him.

“I have a way to even the odds for you.” I reached into my inventory and pulled out a small yellow stone. The Mind Stone. I expected Loki’s eyes to light up when he saw it, but instead he just glanced at it nervously.

“Of course, you would have that,” he muttered, almost to himself. “That Stone brings nothing but trouble.” It didn’t look like we were getting his help at this point. I hoped this wasn’t a waste of time.

Frigga took a step closer to the glass. “Loki, please help us. Do it for me…”

For a moment, Loki’s mask of irritation slipped, but not for long. He spit out, “Why do you care, Mother? You’re not even my real mother!”

Frigga gasped at the hurtful comment as she took a couple steps back.

We didn’t have time for his little self-pity party. Plus, seeing the hurt in Frigga’s expression—no, I wasn’t letting that slide. Without a second thought, I pulled back and punched straight through the glass of his cell, shattering it completely.

Loki gaped, his mouth hanging open as he stared at the remains of his “inescapable” prison. “How… how did you…?”

“I’m just built different,” I said, seizing him by his collar and yanking him out. I tossed him unceremoniously to Frigga’s feet. “Now, apologize for what you said to her, or I swear I’ll use your face to break open the next cell.”

From behind the other cells, a few prisoners cheered, one whistling and calling out, “Hear, hear!” Another prisoner bellowed, “Oi, Fallen Angel! Fancy breaking me out next?”

I shot them a glare, flipping them off. “I was being metaphorical, you idiots!”

Loki stammered out a quick, grudging apology to Frigga, his eyes darting anywhere but at her. She accepted it with grace, of course—more than he deserved, in my opinion. Satisfied that was over, I turned to the other prisoners who’d been shouting at me the whole time.

“Shut the hell up! I’m not letting any of you out!” I turned back to Frigga and Loki. “Now, let’s get moving.”

The guards stared at Loki as we left the prison. Clearly, they were both very curious as to why we were letting him out, but we didn’t have time to explain. I raised a hand at them. “Just don’t.” That kept them silent. I waved my hand, opening a portal back to my penthouse. The whole prison detour had taken us twenty minutes, leaving us with just forty before Magneto’s countdown ran out.

As we stepped into the penthouse living room, Loki took one look at Natasha standing there and smirked. “If it isn’t the spy herself,” he remarked, giving her a mocking bow. “How’s your partner these days?”

“Clint’s mostly retired nowadays, busy with his family,” Natasha responded.

“A pity,” Loki sneered. “He made such a fine little slave. I particularly enjoyed watching him try to kill you, but I suppose that’s what you get for being friends with a weak-minded fool.”

I saw Natasha’s hands clench, she looked ready to punch him. The next thing we heard was a loud whack—Frigga had already done the honors. Loki stumbled, rubbing his jaw in shock. That was a solid hit.

[Look at her, already keeping her promise to keep him in line.]

Frigga gave him a disappointed look. “I raised you better than that, Loki. Insulting a warrior who’s already bested you? You should know better.”

Loki’s gaze shifted between her and Natasha, a gleam of something nostalgic flickering in his eyes. “Well, that takes me back. Reminds me of the old days, when Thor and I got up to all sorts of mischief.” He chuckled, shaking his head, and then turned to me. “Speaking of the old days, where is the big oaf? And what’s Hela up to?”

“Hela’s on Earth DXD, fighting in Hell with the Asgardian and Grigori armies, finishing off the devil stragglers and plundering the place,” I explained.

Loki blinked, looking genuinely puzzled. “Apparently, I’ve missed out on more than I thought.”

“Yes you did,” I said while pulling out the Mind Stone again.

Natasha raised a skeptical brow, her gaze on the Mind Stone in my hand. “Layla, are you sure about giving him that?”

I nodded, keeping my eyes on Loki. “He’s the only one here besides me who can handle it properly.”

Loki’s expression shifted into a smirk. “Well, thank you for the vote of confidence,” he said, his tone almost teasing. I extended the Mind Stone toward him, and he reached out, hesitating a second before his fingers wrapped around it.

For a moment, I half-expected him to pull something—maybe try using it on me or Natasha. I could even see the indecision flicker in his eyes as he glanced between Frigga and me. But after a long, tense silence, he sighed, looking defeated. “All right,” he muttered, pocketing the stone. “I’ll help for now... ”

There was a thump on the roof, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. A moment later, Carol strode down the stairs.

“People are panicking in the streets,” she said, which we kind of all expected. “But not as many people as I would have thought. The majority around the world are remaining calm, believing you'll save them all.” She shot me a grin. “The world has a lot of faith in you, Layla.”

A small blush crept up my cheeks, and I tried to shrug it off. Even now, I couldn’t quite believe it myself. How much faith the people of this world had in me.

Loki cleared his throat, drawing our attention. “I’d like to see a copy of this Magneto’s speech,” he said. “And I want every detail you know about him at the same time.”

We started up the recording at double playback speed. I was talking over it to fill Loki in on everything I knew about Magneto as he watched. He listened intently, seemingly at ease with focusing on two things at once. When the video finally clicked off, he gave a thoughtful nod, pausing just a moment longer. I glanced nervously at the clock—only thirty minutes left.

Then, with a snap of his fingers, Loki straightened up and looked triumphant. “I have figured it out,” he announced dramatically. “This is all a ruse by another mastermind!”

We all blinked, glancing at each other before back at him.

“Would you care to elaborate, Loki?” Frigga asked, her eyebrow arched.

With a slight smirk, Loki explained, “Magneto is not the true mastermind here. I could see it in the micro-movements and the subtle hesitations. He believes most of what he’s saying, yes, but not all of it.” His gaze flicked between us smugly. “This entire attack is staged. I suspected mind control, and now I’m certain. Your Magneto is also under someone else’s influence!” he declared.

I mulled over his theory. It made sense… probably?

I hadn’t noticed anything off about Magneto’s speech, even after watching it twice, but I wasn’t the god of lies and mischief. I chose to take Loki’s word for it, even if I felt a little out of my depth.

“If Magneto’s not the one behind this, then who is?” I asked, hoping for a solid lead.

Loki scoffed, as though offended at the very question. “I’m a God, not a miracle worker,” he said with a dismissive wave. “I’ve uncovered the most important detail, figure the rest out yourself.”

Well, that was rude. I bit my tongue, keeping my thoughts to myself. Loki was genuinely helping, and we all needed to play nice if we wanted to see this through.

I supposed that whether or not Magneto was mind-controlled didn’t really make a huge difference anyway. Not when I’d still have to fight him either way.

“All right,” I nodded. “I’ll keep an eye out for the mastermind when I head up to space.”

– Magneto –

Magneto cursed silently, trapped within his own body, unable to move a single muscle of his own free will or even reach for his powers. It was a terrifying, helpless feeling—one he hadn't experienced in years. He had always known Charles was a powerful mutant, a force capable of immense control when he chose to be. That was why, even after decades of friendship, he’d never once taken off his helmet around him.

Unfortunately, the helmet he wore now was a fake, swapped out in his sleep by Mystique, the one person he trusted enough to have by his side even in the quiet, vulnerable hours of the night. He realized too late that while he had always ensured his own mind was protected, he’d never extended that security to those he relied on most. The price of that oversight was clear now, as he stood frozen in his own lair, controlled by his oldest friend against his will.

Magneto’s fortress—his sanctuary—was located far above Earth, carved out from a massive asteroid in orbit. It was the ultimate hidden base, painstakingly hollowed out by his own hands and powers. Here, he and the Brotherhood were untouchable by any human government. At least, that was the belief, and perhaps it was that sense of invulnerability that had made them careless.

Now, in his moment of vulnerability, Charles sat nearby in his wheelchair, unmoving. His friend’s face was just as blank as his own, but there were moments when Magneto could see something flicker in Charles’s eyes—small flashes of agony, like the memories of a terrible nightmare playing on repeat. Whatever power held them both captive seemed determined to torment Charles with his worst fears.

A smug, heavy presence loomed in the room, drawing Magneto's attention to the throne that he himself had crafted. A large man sat there, completely at ease, his mouth twisted in a satisfied smile that bordered on arrogance. He wore dark, imposing armor that seemed Asgardian in origin, the metallic patterns and sharp edges unmistakable. He had long black hair that flowed down his back, and a large mustache that practically screamed “supervillain”…

As much as Magneto wanted to confront the intruder, his body remained stubbornly locked under Charles’s influence, unable to resist. It infuriated him. The man in Asgardian armor seemed all too aware of Magneto’s helplessness, his smile widening as he leaned back, tapping his armored fingers on the armrest.

“Do you think she’ll get here soon?” the Asgardian man asked, his gaze fixed on Magneto, a cruel smile twisting his lips.

Of course, Erik couldn’t respond. The Asgardian tapped his finger on the throne’s armrest, and suddenly, Charles gasped in his wheelchair, his expression one of pure horror as he turned his head and cried out. “No more! Please, no more!” Charles’s voice was choked, desperate. He was begging, begging this man to stop whatever torment he was inflicting. Magneto had never seen his old friend so close to breaking—not even on that beach when he’d lost the use of his legs.

“Silence, you crippled fool, or I’ll make the nightmares worse,” the Asgardian snapped, his voice dripping with disdain. He turned to Charles with a commanding look. “Allow Magneto to speak and move, but keep his powers suppressed.”

Relief washed over Magneto as he felt control of his body return. He flexed his fingers, stretching each muscle, savoring the movement, then straightened and fixed the Asgardian with a searing glare. “Who are you?” he demanded, his voice sharp. “And why take control of Charles and the other mutants?”

The intruder chuckled, the sound low and condescending. “Because they are useful,” he replied smoothly, almost bored. “Besides, I thought it might give my enemies pause to see their own friends turned against them.” He paused, a flicker of disgust crossing his face. “It sickens me how sniveling and weak the Nine Realms have become in my absence. They’ve forgotten true fear. They’ve forgotten the terror I used to bring under my father’s command.”

Magneto narrowed his eyes, demanding once again, “Who are you?”

The Asgardian leaned back, his voice swelling with dark pride. “I am the God of Fear, Cul Borson. Odin’s brother,” he declared. “The rightful ruler of the Nine Realms now that my dear brother has passed from this world…”

Magneto raised an eyebrow, a sardonic smile tugging at his mouth. “Pretty sure Odin’s daughter, Hela, has already taken over.” And, reluctantly, he had to admit she’s done more good than bad.

Cul’s face twisted in offense, a furious growl rumbling from him. “A weak woman could never rule the Nine Realms!” he spat. “Nor could either of Odin’s sons, for bowing to a woman. No, it is time for a true god to reclaim the throne. A god of terror!”

Magneto let out a scoff, crossing his arms defiantly. “So, you’ll just be the latest villain for Layla to trample when she gets here.” He shrugged with a mockery of indifference. Once upon a time, he’d thought about fighting Layla himself, but eventually, he’d seen the extent of her influence and power. Fighting her would only end one way for him. So, he’d made the practical choice to avoid her wrath and work around her instead.

Cul’s laughter rang out at Magneto’s words. “You think I will lose to her? That might be your reality,” he sneered. “But it’s not mine.” Cul lifted his right hand, and in his palm, a glowing red stone manifested, radiating with a sinister energy that sent a chill down Erik’s spine. Slowly, the stone dissolved, its power seeping into Cul’s body, a dark aura pulsing around him as he absorbed it. Magneto couldn’t help the shudder that ran through him. “No, my Reality will be much different!”

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