His lungs were burning from the desperation for air, he was unable to get air in or out due to the increasing pressure on his throat. He could feel his blood vessels bursting, the bones in his neck starting to bend and crack under the force of Thanos’ hand. Loki was no longer able to struggle, his body was too weak. He knew he was going to die, Thanos was just toying with him. He only needed to close his fingers slightly and Loki would be no more.
As the last little bit of air began to escape, Loki reached inside of himself, grabbing a hold of the last of his seidr and the power of the Aether. It was his last resort. He didn’t want to use it and risk Thanos getting his hands on another Infinity Stone, but it was the only way to save himself from death. The chances of survival were slim, but it was worth a shot. It would be smarter to let the Aether be destroyed, to let it die with him. Unfortunately the Aether would just seek out a new host, his death would do nothing to stop it, and he needed to keep it away from Thanos.
Just as his neck began to snap, he used the Aether to create a solid clone of himself, forming a new reality where Thanos would think him dead. As soon as the Titan and the Black Order left, he would put Thor’s mind at ease and reveal himself. But then things took a turn for the worst when Thanos used the power stone to destroy the ship. Unable to move from his injuries, he only had one choice. Using his ability to walk between realms, he let himself slip between the pathways, a clear destination in mind. He’d been unable to bring Thor with him, he just had to hope his brother would survive.
With a loud thud, he fell upon hard flooring and gasped from the pain. His skin still had a blue tinge from the lack of oxygen, which he was still struggling to get into his body. The Titan had damaged him badly, it would take several hours if not days to recover from his injuries. But he didn’t have that sort of time, the Black Order were on their way and he needed to warn the Avengers. Unfortunately, he still couldn’t move, and he had no idea where on Midgard he was. How was he supposed to help the people of Midgard if he couldn’t even help himself? Being a hero wasn’t his forte, but he needed to become one, he had to stop Thanos, no matter what the cost.