Hilda: The Elderly Demon

"Who goes there?"

The voice speaks, raspy and dry.

The sudden voice and glowing eyes make his alert powers spike.

Is this someone dangerous?!

Loki is on high alert and his loyalty and devotion to his goddess cause his powers to be fully active and ready to strike at a moment's notice.

He waits for her to answer, trying to be as observant as he can to any details that might pop out about the eyes or the voice.

He is completely on edge, ready to use his trickster powers to their fullest if something is to happen to his Queen.

He'll use any power available to him to protect his Goddess.

Olivia extends her arm in front of Loki and shakes her head, picking up his intention to attack.

He's not sure if he should be impressed that his Queen was so quick to realize his loyalty to her, or the fact that she even understood that is incredible and the way he looks at her shows it.

He's clearly impressed and filled with love for everything she is and everything she will be. Her intuition is incredible, maybe even as incredible as her magic.

However, as they say, love is blindness, and the loyalty and devotion he has to his Queen gives him a singular focus.

His devotion is complete.

His love is real.

His loyalty is absolute.

She turns her head back before speaking to the voice.

"Are you Hilda, the ancient prophet?"

"Who are you?"

"I am Olivia Blackwood I came here for clarification about a vision I had."

With that response the door opens wider, and the voice speaks again.

"Come in."

Loki takes in a sharp breath as Olivia speaks and the door opens.

Who is this being?!

He's trying to make sense of this situation and why Olivia is here. He feels like there's a puzzle to be solved here, trying to figure it out.

His Queen seems unperturbed though. She's standing her ground and he can see her confidence despite the situation, which calms him a little bit.

He's on edge, in attack mode still and he's ready to do whatever it takes to protect his Queen. He walks forward, cautious still, but he's ready to follow her lead.

They both walk through the door and immediately all the lights are turned on to reveal a fortune table in the middle of the room as there are demonic artifacts and statues all across the room.

"Have a seat." The voice says as two chairs are magically moved to the fortune table.

Loki is shocked and surprised by this revelation.

This presence is demonic in nature?!

That is the last thing he expected. He's on the highest alert again when he sees the artifacts and statues in the room.

Is this being really a demon?!

Why is it here?!

What does it want from them?!

He's thinking quickly about the situation, his mind trying to wrap his head around this revelation.

Is this being or demon bad?!

Is it here to do harm?

His whole body is still ready to fight the instant something happens, but his attention is on the demon like a hawk.

Olivia takes a seat as she stares at the person getting a good look of them now in the light.

It's a woman and she is elderly; she looks she has been in this realm for centuries.

The old woman sits across the table, her fingers intertwined with one another as a sly grin appears on her face.

"Olivia Blackwood...I have heard many things about you..."

Loki stands behind Olivia, his focus on the demon. He has a plan, he would let the demon talk, and watch it for any sign of danger or of hostility.

He wants to see why the demon would be here and what it has to say about her. He's tense watching the demon's every move, ready for a fight if it tries anything.

Despite the tension, Loki still feels the warm love he has for his Goddess as it overflows in his chest, his devotion to her absolute.

He watches the demon carefully, waiting to see what it has to say.

Olivia turns her head.

"Loki have a seat, she is not a demon."

"She looks like a demon to me." He replies, but he seems to be in awe of the Queen's authority.

No, her power…

He can't help but stare at her...in her presence, he's filled with awe and admiration. His queen has such incredible abilities and skills.

"How rude of you…" The old lady hisses as tensions rise more between the two of them.

Olivia fully turns her attention to Loki.

"LOKI SIT!!" She shouts.

He nods and sits down in the chair; he's startled by his Queen shouting at him to sit but he immediately complies. Her power and dominance are evident.

He bows his head after sitting down, showing respect for his Queen and her authority.

Olivia sighs before turning back to the old lady before apologizing.

"I'm sorry for his outburst, he is always on high alert in new territory."

The Demon woman nods, her eyes glowing faintly in the room as she holds the gaze of Olivia and Loki.

She's silent for a moment.

What is her plan?

Why is she here?

She's staring Olivia and Loki down for a moment.

She speaks in an angry tone.

"Do you believe that I am here to do harm and that I have ill intentions?"

Her eyes narrow at both Olivia and Loki as she speaks. She is still staring at them as she speaks. Her voice is raspy, the voice of an aged woman.

Olivia shakes her head before answering.

"No, we do not think that at all. I am here specifically for your services."

"Really?"

The demon woman asks, her eyes widening slightly with surprise. She looks at both Olivia and Loki, taking a look at them.

She looks confused, like this isn't what she was expecting. It's like they're a pleasant surprise.

After a moment she shakes her head and nods, a warm smile spreading across her aged face.

"A pleasure."

She says in an earnest tone, her voice no longer raspy and dry but kind and friendly.

"I am Hilda, the ancient prophet." She says in a more kind, cordial tone.

Olivia smiles as she nods.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Hilda. Thank you for letting us into your home."

"The pleasure is mine." She says, the smile growing a little bigger on her face.

"What is your request?" Hilda asks kindly, her demeanor a complete 180° from her previous way of speaking and acting.

She's much kinder and more polite, but she still has something to her voice that makes Olivia feel she's a powerful being despite her kind and friendly demeanor.

Her smile and her kindness seem honest and real. However, she's still a demon, so her honest sincerity could be a facade meant to lull people into a false sense of security.

"I had a vision last night of a tragic war coming to Asgard and need to know if it is real. If it is, I would like to know how to prevent it from happening." Olivia finishes as the feeling of sadness washes over her.

Hilda's expression goes serious at Olivia's words, her voice grows slightly somber.

"What exactly did you see in your vision?" She asks as her eyes narrow again, like she's trying to get more details or clues.

Her smile disappears for the moment as she's clearly concerned after Olivia's words.

"I saw a kingdom ambush Asgard and kill all of our people and soldiers. The only ones who remained were me and Loki" Olivia speaks as her voice becomes shaky at the end.

Hilda's eyes glow the brightest they have so far, and a dark shadow washes over her. She's clearly filled with anger and hatred.

She looks mad at the very idea of what Olivia is saying. It's as mad as she'll let herself get for the moment.

"Go on." She says, her voice much more sinister now.

Her eyes are still glowing, but her smile has turned into cold steel. There's a clear malice to her now.

It's different than the anger she had earlier. This anger feels malicious, cold, hateful.

"I involuntarily began to use my powers to do something as the soldiers are breaking down the throne room door Loki is shouting behind me to stop. Then it abruptly ends... I don't know what happened... or what I did then..." She speaks softly as tears begin to form in her eyes.

Revealing the rest of the vision she didn't tell Loki.

Hilda's eyes narrow more and more. Her stare feels like fire and brimstone. That malice seems to increase as Olivia goes on, a deep anger is starting to take over.

"Is that all you remember?" She asks, her voice cold and hateful. Her eyes glow a deep red, her voice filling with a sinister edge.

Her hands ball into fists from the anger she feels at what Olivia is saying.

Her gaze seems to be the most intense thing in the whole room right now as it feels like it's boiling hot and full of anger.

Olivia nods.

"Yes, that's all I can remember." She states while wiping the tears from her eyes.

Hilda's eyes narrow more. The malice and anger are almost tangible in the air. She's clearly angry and full of hate.

Her eyes are a glowing red. She's looking at Olivia like she's about to kill her.

"You lie!" She yells, her voice like a deep roar.

"You hid part of it from him! Why?!"

There's so much anger in her voice right now, it feels like she's on the brink of killing the mortal in front of her or doing something just as terrible.

Olivia eyes widen as she stumbles to form a sentence.

"I...I didn't want him to worry more than he already was about it. I thought if I hid it, it would ease his troubles and worries and would protect him." She confesses.

Hilda's eyes are still glowing, the anger growing more and more. She moves closer to Olivia and looks down at her as a deep hatred fills her eyes.

This hatred and malice in her eyes seem like it's capable of killing a mortal with just a look.

"What happens in the rest of the vision?" She asks.

"Tell me everything you remember." She says this time with hate and malice in her voice and eyes.

Olivia lifts her hands as they shake.

"I swear to you that is all I remember from it."

Hilda's eyes narrow even further. The red glow in them is almost blinding, like they're glowing with the heat of hellfire. She stares at Olivia with so much hate.

"If you're lying to me, I will kill you."

That's not a threat, it's a promise.

Her voice is like a snarl and she's glaring at Olivia with so much hatred.

Her voice holds incredible venom as she speaks. There can almost be no doubt that this demon is capable of making good on that promise.

There's a deep, powerful hatred there. There's no remorse, only hate.

Olivia shakes her head.

"I'm not lying, that's all I remember from the vision."

Hilda's eyes narrow even more until there's just a small slit of red light left in them.

"Very well then."

Hilda takes a moment to stare straightly into Olivia's eyes with that single slit of red light still in hers. Her eyes are intense, and her stare is as powerful as her anger.

There's no wavering in her hatred or her intensity.

She feels like a predator hunting its prey, she's so focused and determined on Olivia.

Olivia stares back into Hilda's eyes, feeling the cold relentless rage coming from them.

Hilda's gaze is unrelenting still. She's staring so hard at Olivia, it's hard to look away.

A cold and hateful stare that is very hard to look at. Her cold fury is almost like it's coming off her as if it were a heat wave.

Olivia continues to watch Hilda waiting for the next words or actions to come from her.

Hilda's gaze stays where it is for another long moment. Her cold fury burning.

A moment goes by, and then another.

Finally, Hilda's shoulders go down from their stiff and rigid position. She looks a little less angry, just a little less.

It's not enough to ease the tension from the room. There's still plenty of anger and malice in the air.

Hilda speaks slowly in a much less intense tone.

"Very well then...I will believe you." She says sternly, although it holds much less fury this time.

Olivia nods slightly still on high alert from the tension in the room, ready to attack if things go south.

Hilda stares at Olivia for a moment more.

The hate in her eyes seems a little less intense. She seems to be considering something.

Then her eyes narrow, her jaw clenches, and her cold fury builds up within her eyes as she stares at Olivia.

Olivia clenches her enchanted sword, her eyes narrow now ready to strike at the slightest provocation.

Hilda's eyes go even wider and her eyes glow even brighter. She's about to explode at anything Olivia says that would even hint at hostility.

She's looking more and more aggressive and dangerous every single moment, her gaze becoming stronger and stronger every single moment.

Olivia continues holding her sword before speaking.

"Do you no longer wish to provide your service?"

Hilda's face is filled with so much hatred, rage, and malice that it's terrifying to see.

She's looking right into Olivia's eyes as she speaks slowly.

"How would you have me help?" She asks, her voice cold and sharp like a blade.

"I need all the details." She says, as that anger boils up to fever levels.

Olivia begins to speak the details of her vision from the screams of agony to the clashes of swords and firing of arrows and cannons across the Asgardian realm.

"Please I need to know if this vision is true." Olivia pleads, hoping Hilda would aid her.

The demon's face goes deadly serious as Olivia speaks. The anger is still boiling away, her face seems filled with burning hatred, rage, and malice.

As Olivia finishes her story, the demon starts speaking in a cold, calculating manner.

"...and so, you want my help to prevent this vision from coming true?"

Her voice is cold and calculating, as she begins to plot and scheme.

"Very well then, I will try to assist you with this." She says coldly, sounding more focused now.

There's less hate and malice now, just a burning determination.

Olivia nods.

"Yes, I would greatly appreciate your assistance if you could."

"Very well then."

"However." She says, getting Olivia's attention.

She leans in closer. Her voice is like a snake's right now, cold and calculating, her eyes like a snake's too as they glow that deep red.

She's looking at Olivia with that same powerful, menacing stare again.

"...if you should lie to me..." Hilda says, her voice growing into a snarl. It's filled with anger as she continues.

"...if you should lie to me, I will..."

She pauses just a moment before finishing her sentence.

"...kill you."

Olivia's face frowns into a cold stare.

"I'm not lying. Everything that occurred in my vision down to the details I have told you."

Hilda smiles a cold, menacing smile as Olivia speaks. It looks like a predator's smile, like that of a snake.

Her eyes are like a snake's, too. They're glowing that deep red heat, that hateful malice behind them.

They're dangerous but calculating, not mindless anger anymore. They're filled with a cold fury.

"Good." She says, sounding satisfied now as if her anger has disappeared.

There's a cold, calculating intelligence in her voice now, her eyes not as scary and intimidating as before. The malice is there, but it's different. It's controlled.

"Is there anything you will need from us to complete your service?" Olivia asks.

Hilda is quiet for a moment.

Olivia can almost feel her mind working, thinking about what she could need and what to ask for in return.

She seems to be carefully weighing her words before she speaks.

"...No." She says, her voice cold as ice.

"I'll find what I need myself."

Olivia nods before standing.

"Then we shall leave you to it."

Hilda nods too.

"Fare well." She says as she bows her head.

She bows low and holds it there for a moment. Then she raises her head, it's cold and calculating.

There's a kind of fire in her eyes that makes one feel like she's still capable of anything no matter what she says and does.

She gives Olivia one last intense, powerful, calculating, and scary glance before turning her back to Olivia.

Then, without another word, she disappears. She seems to be a master of both magic and illusions.

Olivia exhales before grabbing Loki and teleporting back to their room.

"Well...that was quite the interesting conversation." Loki says, before turning to face Olivia.

"And...how would you describe it?" She asks, looking at Olivia curiously.

"Interesting? Horrifying? Frightening?" She says, not quite sure what word to use, but she's intrigued, and she seems curious how Olivia felt about the interaction.

"Intense." Olivia says coldly as she turns to leave the room.

"I'm going back home to do more research myself."

Loki nods.

"Very well." She says as she watches Olivia go.

"I think you're smart to do your own research." She says in a way that sounds approving of Olivia.

Just a moment after Olivia is gone, Loki mutters a spell and is suddenly gone too.