The Girl Who Held the Universe in her Hands | marvel [1] ✔

FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR
' WHAT ARE YOU ? '

The shrill siren threw Ash out of her daydream, a small gasp pushing from her lips as she sat straight in her bed. She slipped off it, moving around and through the doors to the balcony. Her eyes flickered around Asgard, eyebrows pulling into a furrow as Thor raised into the air before her, hammer in his hand.

"The prisons," he beckoned before turning away and beelining for them. The sigh which escaped caused Ash's shoulders to fall into a slouch, and as she pushed herself to hover on the ground, the black dress shifted into her catsuit, and she guided herself to follow behind Thor. Ash landed outside the prisons with him, and the doors crashed with a bang as he threw them open. "Return to your cells, and no further harm will come to you. You have my word." Thor commanded.

Ash shifted as blank looks spread like a plague across the prisoners' faces. Just in time, she managed to duck as a man tried to knock her out with a pole he had pulled from a wall. Thor grabbed it before he could attack her again and pulled it forward, and he fell off balance. Ash shifted to watch with raised eyebrows as Thor seized the back of his head and pressed it against his hammer, using it to subdue him for a moment. "Very well, you don't have my word."

At Thor's words, the prisoners erupted into a frenzy. Ash threw the energy ball towards one, their body flying backwards and into a group, creating a heap of people against a cell which remained intact. She had to backbend again to avoid one's swipe, curling around to spin before swiping her hand out and forcing them against the wall with black mist. Her other palm circled before Ash whipped around and threw another against the opposite cell. She had to duck from another before she moved out of the way and forced her hands inwards, throwing the three attackers into one another.

Someone grabbed her from behind, arm curling around her neck. They began to crush her airways before Ash circled her hands and pushed them towards her stomach. A black ball passed through her body and into her attacker's body. She gasped in air, whipping around to jump back into the chaos when Thor appeared in front of her, grabbing her arm before she could mistake and send an attack his way. She tried to pull away until she recognised him.

"Get to the shield," he ordered, releasing her and pummeling another prisoner with his hammer. "We'll handle this."

Ash's eyes flickered away as she noticed Sif and the Warriors Three run into the fray. Ash glanced back at him before giving him a nod and erupting into the sprint. She shot down a corridor to the left, mind working hard to recall the directions Thor had given her at some point in the past. Her eyebrows narrowed before she skidded to a halt and ducked into a room. It was vast, with stone walls towering down.

The cold hit her first, and she stopped, for a moment, to take it in. She'd never been here before, and part of her was glad she hadn't. It was off-putting, but the adrenaline rushing through her veins forced it out. She moved to a stone chair, sucked in a large breath and sat down. Darkness enveloped her as her eyes slid shut, and she placed her arms on the rests.

A small black circle started to form around the chair. It weaved, forming a protective shield around Ash's body. Further away, it created another ring but thinner than the first. Ash's eyes became screwed shut, hands holding onto the chair like a vice. Slowly, the magic seeped through the foundations and built a large field around the castle. It grew carefully, the magic knitting around itself.

She winced, a massive outlet erupting from her chest as the shields darkened, and she leaned back, closing her eyes and focusing on her breathing.

"Ash!" An accusing voice wavered with mock hurt as a girl with curly hair whipped around. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as a dark-haired boy rolled along the floor.

She let out an eruption of laughter as she gripped her stomach. "I didn't do anything!" she defended.

"You're such a prick!" He leapt to his feet and tackled her to the ground. Ash grunted as she collided with the harsh floor, gasping for breath. Noah hovered over her, a lazy smirk pulling at his features. Ash struggled under his grip on her arms before she sighed, glaring at him. "Comfortable?"

"I'll rip your throat out," she shot back.

"I'm sure you will," Noah replied, smirking as he leaned closer to her face.

Heavy footsteps brought Ash out of her meditation, her breathing heavy with dark bags forming under her eyes. She breathed in and forced her magic outwards. It hit the intruder in the chest and pushed them back. They tried to fight forward, but she was too strong. Her eyes snapped open, and she set off another powerful surge causing her pursuer to slide further back. Another eruption vented from her body, and she cried out, her body lurching forward.

The area became silent, and Ash went to fall back into her mind when she heard smashing, and the outer field started to break. "What?" she managed out, confusion forming in her eyes. Eventually, the shield gave in, and Ash seemed helpless as she tried to summon her power to rebuild her protection. The footsteps grew louder, vision covered by the black force fields surrounding her. She prepared herself for another burst, inhaling and letting out a scream, throwing them back. The shield still shattered, and suddenly her mind had nothing to focus on, and her power exploded outwards.

She sucked in a breath, her body collapsing into the seat as her chest heaved. Her mouth fell open, hands going to push herself further up in her chair, but her arms failed her, and she collapsed in her seat. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, movement caught her eye. The thing that broke her shield rose to its feet.

"What are you?" she managed to speak, fatigue weighing so heavily on her body that it sat paralysed. The Algrim walked towards her, his form steaming, and all she could do was watch him approach slowly. He moved so slowly that he seemed to mock her. He stopped in front of her, his form towering over her as he stared down at her. He reached down leisurely, hand wrapping around her throat and lifting her from the seat. Her mouth fell open, a strangled gasp escaping her as she fought the burn of her arms and reached up to grab his wrists.

"This is what happens when you don't follow the rules!" Thanos roared, fist pinning her to the wall, her legs hanging in midair. Tears poured from Ash's cheeks, hands desperately clawing at where his fingers curled around her neck. "They are there to protect you! You are here to do a job, Astrid. I saved you from that lab, and you repay me by betraying me?"

The Algrim smacked her head and launched her across the floor. Her body impacted the ground, and she lay there, staring at her cracked surroundings limply. She couldn't tell whether the ceiling was cracking in her imagination or the impending doom was her own doing. The energy required to think too deeply about it was no longer within her. The ceiling seemed to fall in slow motion, the massive boulders making their way towards her, and she let out a breath as blackness enveloped her.