Underworld.
Wails filled the land, and ghostly flames flickered.
Beneath the dark crimson sky, a pale palace of corpses stood silently at the end of the River of Suffering, like a mountain of bones.
Countless pitch-black ravens seemed to fly out of the void. After circling the corpse palace for a long while, they converged into a black-clad figure who stepped onto the stairs leading inside.
Loki brushed at the hem of his clothes, which had been struck by lightning, then raised his head without a care and strode straight into the corpse palace.
As he ventured deeper, the surrounding light gradually vanished, as if some enormous maw were greedily devouring all illumination. After an unknown amount of time, clusters of ghostly green flames lit up overhead like stars.
By the faint glow of the ghostfire, one could see that there was not a single pillar within the dim palace. Its ceiling seemed to be held aloft by some mysterious force, floating majestically in midair.
"Is that you?"
A woman's voice came from the depths of the hall. The instant she spoke, countless ghostfires gathered in the direction of the voice, illuminating a corner of the darkness.
A tall woman in a dark green gown had appeared at some point in the depths of the hall, narrowing her eyes at Loki.
"You're injured?" Her gaze fell on the hem of Loki's clothes as she asked in surprise.
"Just grazed me a little. Just as we expected, Thor has returned in a fury." Loki spoke indifferently. "How's Sif?"
"She suffered a bit. She's behaving herself now."
"That's good." Loki nodded. "As long as Sif remains missing, Thor won't be able to focus on competing with me for the throne. By the time seven days have passed, even if he realizes what's