Chapter 25: The Price Paid – Resurrection, Repossession, and Refugee Rescue.
[VORMIR – THE ABYSS – MOMENTS LATER]
The fall was absolute, silent, and endless. Yuta's consciousness—the soul of Frigga/Yuta—felt the icy, immediate grip of the **Soul Stone**. It wasn't painful; it was a profound, cold emptiness, the feeling of being utterly erased.
*The price is paid.*
But even as her essence was drawn away, the countermeasures kicked in. The **Reality Stone (Aether)**, pressed tightly against the **Eternal Flame** vial, surged. Yuta used her last conscious thought to force the Aether's chaotic energy to breach the vial and ignite the Flame.
A flash of chaotic **red and gold** energy erupted around the falling body, a massive explosion of creation and destruction at the very nexus of sacrifice.
***
[VORMIR – THE CLIFF – SHORTLY AFTER]
The **Red Skull**, Guardian of the Stone, stood motionless at the cliff's edge, witnessing the most bizarre transaction in Vormir's history. The Soul Stone, satisfied by the genuine, loving sacrifice, materialized into a glowing orange sphere.
But the abyss refused to keep the body.
The ground shook. The void below erupted in a blinding, chaotic pillar of **crimson fire**, fighting the cold darkness. The fire coalesced, forming a familiar figure that shot back toward the cliff.
Yuta landed hard on the red dirt, coughing out ash and gasping for breath. She was alive. The **Eternal Flame** had acted as a metaphysical defibrillator, burning away the Soul Stone's claim just as the price was collected, forcing an immediate, painful rebirth.
She was weak, battered, and her hair was singed, but she was whole.
The Red Skull floated down, its spectral form wavering in confusion.
"The Soul Stone... it has been acquired," the Skull whispered, pointing to the glowing orange sphere now resting on the cliff edge. "But your soul was consumed. You defy the balance."
Yuta stumbled toward the Stone, picking up the beautiful, terrible orange sphere. She felt an overwhelming surge of love and finality—the residual energy of the Stone's contract.
"The price was paid," Yuta managed, clutching the Soul Stone. "A soul for a Stone. **The Stone didn't say the host couldn't return for immediate pickup.**"
She looked at the Skull, and with the last of her strength, sent the signal to Asgard. *Vormir Secure. Extraction NOW.*
***
## Refugee Rescue
[COSMIC VOID – SIMULTANEOUSLY]
Loki, using the Bifrost to leapfrog across star systems, had a grim, focused efficiency. He knew Mother was buying him time with her crazy resurrection scheme, and he wasn't going to waste it.
He located the signature of the **Asgardian Refugee Ship**—a massive, battered vessel that had been diverted far off its canonical course due to Yuta's interference.
Loki phased onto the bridge, startling a small collection of bewildered Asgardian officials and **Heimdall**, who immediately drew his sword.
"Prince Loki," Heimdall said, his eyes scanning the space outside. "We have been searching for you! Thanos's scouts are near! We are defenseless!"
"Don't worry, old friend," Loki said, his voice calm and authoritative. "I am here to fix that. Where is the **Tesseract**?"
Heimdall lowered his sword slightly, sensing the change in the trickster. "It is sealed in a container in the engine room, as per the All-Father's emergency protocol."
"Good. We're taking it." Loki walked over to the ship's control console. "But first, we secure your escape. Heimdall, you saw the future. Where does this ship go next in the original timeline?"
"It... it was intercepted by Thanos. Many were lost."
"Not today." Loki placed a magical rune on the console, cloaking the ship in a powerful, deep-level illusion, disguising it as a common Xandarian freighter. "I have bought you time. You are heading to **Vanaheim**—Hela's compliance audit is the perfect cover. Once there, you will be under the protection of the Queen."
Loki gave Heimdall the coordinates. "Go. Live. Tell Thor I said hi."
Loki then quickly entered the engine room, secured the **Tesseract**—the **Space Stone**—and placed it into his own rune-scribed pouch.
He was just about to signal the Bifrost when a shadow fell across the bridge viewport. A massive, black vessel—larger than Thanos's initial scout ships—materialized directly in front of the refugees.
**Ebony Maw** stood on the deck of his ship, his voice amplified across the void. "The Asgardian refugees. I knew you would attempt a flight of cowardice. The Tesseract belongs to the Master."
Maw raised his hands. The airlock of the refugee ship began to buckle inward under his telekinetic force.
Loki cursed silently. *Mother's plan bought me a minute, not a victory.*
He raised his communicator. "Odin! I have the Tesseract, but I'm pinned! I need a strike team and extraction. *Now!*"
***
## A Shocking Extraction
[VORMIR – SIMULTANEOUSLY]
The Bifrost flared on the cliff edge. **Odin**, looking utterly exhausted and relieved, stepped out, Gungnir ready. He rushed to Yuta, who was struggling to stand, the orange glow of the Soul Stone clutched in her hand.
"Frigga! You are alive!" Odin held her, supporting her weight.
"Barely," Yuta rasped. "The Stone... the price was paid. It accepted the sacrifice. And the Flame... it resurrected the body."
The Red Skull watched, utterly bewildered. "The cosmic laws... have been circumvented by... **procedural loophole.**"
Just as Odin raised Gungnir to activate the bridge, Loki's frantic call came through.
*"Father! Maw is here! He has the refugee ship and the Tesseract! I need Hela! Send Hela!"*
Odin looked at the barely recovered Yuta, then at the communicator. He had the Soul Stone, but he was about to lose the last remaining Stone and thousands of his people.
"Get on the bridge, Frigga! Now!" Odin commanded. "I must open a channel to Vanaheim and send Hela!"
Yuta pushed him away. "No! Hela is the asset! We can't waste her on a distraction! Odin, I'm the one who just came back from the dead! I'm already a walking anomaly! **Send me!**"
Odin looked at her—his Queen, his warrior, resurrected by fire and sheer audacity, now holding the Soul Stone.
"The Bifrost is open, my Queen," Odin said, a fierce light returning to his eye. "Go. Save your sons."
Yuta gripped the **Soul Stone** and the communicator. "Loki! Hold on! I'm bringing the cavalry!"
Odin channeled Gungnir, focusing the Bifrost not on the refugee ship, but on a point *behind* Ebony Maw.
Yuta stepped into the light, the **Soul Stone** and the residual fire energy of the **Eternal Flame** now flowing through her veins. She was no longer just Frigga; she was the Queen of Strategy, powered by chaos and death itself.
[COSMIC VOID – MOMENTS LATER]
Yuta slammed down behind Ebony Maw's ship, the Bifrost impact creating a sudden vacuum that slammed Maw against his own shield.
She no longer looked exhausted. Her green robes were pristine, and her eyes were burning with focused, cold power.
She raised the **Soul Stone** high above her head.
"Ebony Maw!" Yuta's voice boomed, amplified by the Stone's cosmic authority. "Your master's claim on the Tesseract is null and void! This entire quadrant is under the jurisdiction of **Asgardian Imperial Holdings!**"
Maw turned, his face a mask of shocked fury. He saw the Queen—who was supposed to be dead—holding the most sought-after Stone.
"The Soul Stone! How dare you acquire it!" Maw shrieked, aiming a telekinetic spike at Yuta.
Yuta laughed, a cold, powerful sound. She channeled the **Soul Stone's** power—not to attack, but to **communicate directly with the souls** of the nearby Asgardian refugees.
"Loki! The Refugee ship! Go!" she commanded, her voice filling their minds.
Loki, recognizing the moment, used the chaos to activate the cloaking rune and send the refugee ship flying toward the Vanaheim coordinates. He then used his own magic to create a massive, explosive distraction on the Maw's vessel.
"I have the Tesseract, Mother!" Loki yelled through the communicator. "I'm coming back for you!"
Yuta nodded, now facing the full, terrifying power of the Ebony Maw alone, the Soul Stone blazing in her hand.
"You want a Stone, Maw?" Yuta challenged, her eyes burning with the resurrected fire of the Flame. **"Come and take it."**
To Be Continued...