Malekith believed him.
It wasn't just Malekith, either. Psyphon, hiding his true allegiance, bought the performance hook, line, and sinker. While he had diligently gathered intelligence on the Plumbers for his true master, Vilgax, the information he and his underlings had managed to scrape together was superficial at best. None of them had ever set foot on Sakaar, the Plumbers' formidable headquarters, let alone gained any real insight into the inner workings of a realm as guarded as Asgard.
All Psyphon knew for certain was that Loki had refused the throne during the coronation ceremony Odin had held not long ago—a piece of information he and Vilgax had intercepted while en route to Jotunheim. With the Nine Realms separated by vast cosmic distances and connected only by the fragile strands of the World Tree, fresh intelligence was a rare commodity.
From Psyphon's perspective, Loki's apparent rebellion tracked perfectly with the outdated intel provided by Thanos. If that's the case, he mused, a sliver of avarice glinting in his thoughts, perhaps we can persuade him to serve Lord Vilgax as well.
He quickly dismissed the notion. No, that's impossible. Loki's greatest asset here is his perceived loyalty. If Ben Parker hadn't betrayed his trust first, he never would have turned on the Plumbers. There's no chance he would betray Malekith now.
Psyphon's misunderstanding of the God of Mischief only deepened, cementing the false narrative in his mind. In a way, it wasn't a complete misinterpretation; the Loki standing before them was indeed loyal, just not to the master they assumed.
Still, while he's unlikely to betray Malekith, his goal is not merely the throne of Asgard. He also seeks revenge on the Ben Parker who made a fool of him. That makes him useful, Psyphon concluded, his mind already spinning with possibilities.
Loki, meanwhile, continued his masterful performance. "Ever since that day, I have been waiting for this moment," he declared, his voice resonating with fabricated sincerity. "The day of the Dark Lord's return."
He layered on the compliments, the shameful, fawning words spilling from his lips as if he were born to play the part of a sycophantic villain. Any trace of an Asgardian warrior's dignity had been masterfully erased. "I endured the humiliation, continuing to act as the puppet son for that old fool Odin, all for this!"
Loki leaned in, determined to prove his value. "I know of many secret passages into Asgard. With a single ship, I can guide the entire Dark Elf army to its heart."
His words struck a chord, igniting a spark of excitement in both Malekith and Psyphon.
Malekith was thrilled. With Loki as his guide, he could bypass Asgard's legendary defenses and reclaim the Aether that was rightfully his.
Psyphon's excitement was born from a similar logic. He finally understood the immense value of having an insider. If he could somehow sway Loki to their side, Lord Vilgax could march into the Plumbers' headquarters unopposed and claim Ben Parker's head.
As Psyphon lost himself in a daydream of the Plumbers' destruction, a pitch-black blade materialized against his neck. The unnatural cold and the razor-sharp edge jolted him back to reality, a mask of horror spreading across his face.
"King of the Dark Elves," he stammered, "what is the meaning of this?"
"Loki has proven his worth to me," Malekith said, his head held high in an expression of pure arrogance. He stared down at Psyphon with undisguised contempt. "But you… you are nothing but a coward."
Compared to the seemingly straightforward and loyal Loki, this sinister creature reeked of deceit. He served another master, yet he dared to appear here, concealing his true identity. Malekith had no intention of showing him any courtesy. He was, after all, the future Master of the Nine Realms, the god who would soon command the World Tree itself. First, he would conquer the Nine Realms, and then, using the immense energy of the World Tree and the power of the Aether, he would remake the entire universe in his image.
A single drop of cold sweat traced a path down Psyphon's forehead. He was now facing the same deadly scrutiny Loki had just endured. Still, he didn't panic. He had rehearsed his cover story meticulously before his arrival. Revealing Vilgax's name was out of the question.
Psyphon opted for a well-worn alias.
"Forgive me, I have yet to introduce myself." He bowed low in a gesture befitting a sorcerer, his gray palm pressed flat against his chest. His posture was even more deferential than Loki's, his body nearly prostrate on the cold stone floor. "I was once a member of the Black Order. The Mad Titan, Thanos, was my master."
As he spoke, he risked a glance toward Loki. Pretending to be a follower of the Dark Order was a calculated move. A powerful but deceased master provided a convenient cover, explaining the source of his intelligence without revealing his current allegiance. Now, an unexpected opportunity had presented itself.
Thanos and Loki were once enemies, Psyphon thought, but now we share a common foe in the Plumbers. This connection might help me win him over. He subtly threw a wink in Loki's direction, but his grimacing expression made it look more like a pained twitch. Loki, misinterpreting the gesture entirely, merely saw a sycophant trying to curry favor.
So, he's a lackey of the purple potato, Loki thought with disdain. No wonder he knows so much. And of course, he came looking for me. He likely intends to use me to avenge Thanos by targeting the Plumbers.
Loki's own misunderstanding was now as complete as Psyphon's.
"And?" Malekith's voice was flat, unmoved. He didn't lower his weapon. He vaguely recalled the name Thanos from the era before his long slumber, but back then, the Titan was just some unknown vagrant roaming the cosmos.
"Worthless creature!" The blade pressed closer, nearly piercing Psyphon's throat. To Malekith's mild surprise, the dagger didn't slice cleanly through. Instead, it only managed to break the skin, a testament to the unexpected toughness of the creature's hide.
Psyphon scrambled back a step, raising his hands in surrender. "I bring you information of great value!" he yelped.
"Oh?"
"I know you once wielded an impossibly powerful weapon," Psyphon said, the words tumbling out in a rush, fearing that any hesitation would cost him his head. "It was called the Aether. In truth, the Aether is one of the six supreme Infinity Stones that govern the universe."
"You think I am ignorant of this?" Malekith sneered. In some tales, he was credited as the creator of the Aether, but in reality, it was simply a manifestation of the Reality Stone he had once wielded. He still possessed a residual trace of its energy, but it was nothing more than a dead skin cell compared to the living body of the stone itself. Of course, he knew of the Infinity Stones. For a being of his age, their existence was no great secret. The true secret was their location.
"I know where the other stones are!" Psyphon blurted out. "I know the location of at least three of them. They are in the hands of the Plumbers."
The Plumbers again?
Malekith paused. Who were these Plumbers? They had deep ties to Asgard and had somehow managed to acquire three Infinity Stones? A flicker of interest ignited within him, but it wasn't enough to sway him from his primary goal. The other stones were tempting, but he would not abandon his current quest.
However, he mused, after I have claimed the Nine Realms, it would not be a bad idea to pay these Plumbers a visit and relieve them of their stones. From that perspective, this groveling creature before him might have some value after all.
Still, he had no intention of letting Psyphon off so easily. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the strange resilience of Psyphon's skin. Deciding to keep him around to monitor Loki, who he still didn't fully trust, seemed a prudent course of action. Who knew if the Asgardian's ambition stopped at the throne of his home realm, or if it stretched to all Nine?
"Let your true master come and kneel before me in submission," Malekith commanded coldly. Sending a mere servant was a sign of profound disrespect.
A flash of fury crossed Psyphon's face. You dare demand that Lord Vilgax kneel!
"My master, Lord Thanos, was destroyed by the Plumbers through despicable means," Psyphon said, lowering his head to hide his anger. "Otherwise, those three gems would never have fallen into their hands."
Malekith processed this. Damn. What a waste. But a dead waste was no one's concern. He no longer cared. Psyphon himself, however, could be useful.
He finally withdrew his blade and turned his piercing gaze back to Loki. "You said you know of secret passages to infiltrate Asgard?"
"I guarantee it," Loki puffed out his chest, his pride returning. "Not even Heimdall will see our approach."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Malekith retracted the blade fully, turned, and waved a hand. From the oppressive shadows behind him, thousands of pallid Dark Elves emerged, surrounding their king like an army of silent, pale zombies.
Loki froze. "Now?"
Damn it! I haven't passed the intelligence back to Asgard yet!
A cold bead of sweat dripped from his brow. He glanced at the hulking form of Kurse, the Cursed Warrior, and mentally calculated the odds of his illusions holding up against the beast. Before he left, Odin had warned him that the Cursed could see through his tricks and that he shouldn't get clever unless it was absolutely necessary.
If my real body were nearby, I might be able to fool him for a short while, Loki thought desperately, but if I'm too far away, or for too long… He couldn't risk being exposed now.
"I know when Asgard is at its most vulnerable," he said quickly. "Odin is old. He requires the Odinsleep to maintain his strength. The time for his next slumber is fast approaching."
Malekith considered this for a moment. "Then make your preparations."
Despite his words, Malekith had no intention of waiting long. The Convergence, the rare alignment of the Nine Realms, was drawing near. If he didn't have the Aether by then, he would face another five-thousand-year wait, a delay fraught with far too many variables. He gave Loki a final deadline: if Odin hadn't fallen into his deep sleep by then, the attack on Asgard would commence regardless.
In the grand hall of Asgard, Ben, Odin, and Frigga waited.
"Loki has been gone for some time," Frigga murmured, her maternal instincts stirring with worry.
"Don't worry for him," Odin said, shaking his head with a newfound confidence. "Loki is no longer a child who needs us to solve his problems." He had become the one who trusted Loki most. "You were his teacher in the arts of magic, after all."
Ben nodded in agreement. "With Loki's skills, even if the unexpected happens, he can escape easily, let alone send a distress signal." He gestured to the Plumber badge resting on the table before them. If it began to flash, it would signal Loki was in distress, and the Rainbow Bridge would be activated instantly to bring him home. That, however, would also mean the plan had failed. But failure was a minor concern for Odin now.
Hearing their assurances, Frigga's anxiety slowly subsided. She knew her son's capabilities well enough. With his divine power restored, his combat prowess was far beyond what it once was. Not as great as when he wielded the hammer, perhaps, but certainly not a cause for panic.
"How goes the evacuation of Asgard's people?" Ben asked, changing the subject.
Odin had championed peace for nearly two millennia, and Asgard was no longer a realm where every citizen was a soldier. The non-combatants—the elderly, women, and children—needed to be moved to safety.
"A portion have already been relocated to the Genesis," Odin reported. In truth, he had been planning to move Asgard's people long before this crisis. Though the World Tree was now infused with Ben's Mana, it paled in comparison to the vibrant life of Genesis. The very air there was a pink mist, thick with rich, natural energy.
Odin had visited a few days prior and had run into the Ancient One, who was practicing there. The old sorcerer looked revitalized, with no intention of finding a successor. Like Odin himself, he seemed to possess the vigor to work for another five hundred years.
When Odin had mentioned her original plan with the future apprentice Stephen Strange, the Ancient One had simply laughed. "Stephen? Stephen who? The name is wholly unfamiliar to me!"
"It seems true life is beginning to blossom in that dimension," Odin remarked with a sense of wonder. "I can already see the embryos of new life forming." He was genuinely stunned that Ben, who possessed the power to become a being of immense cosmic might, was instead choosing to channel that authority into the creation of life.
"They are a part of me, as well," Ben said with a quiet smile.
At that moment, the space before them shimmered. A flash of dark green light pulsed, and a shadow solidified into a familiar form.
Loki had returned.
"Malekith is wary."