Mobius did not understand Loki's wording. He merely looked at him with some concern and asked, "Do you think our Director will come back?"
After saying that, he pursed his lips and lowered his head, his expression filled with worry. "Before he left, he specifically instructed us to keep an eye on that little girl. He also demanded that, when he returned, we give him the answer he wanted. But we already let her go. If the Director comes back and finds that she's gone, we're dead!"
He covered his mouth with one hand and gritted his teeth. "No, perhaps death would be the best outcome. In a place where the flow of time can be controlled, all your suffering can be prolonged into Eternity..."
Seeing the fear on Mobius's face, Loki sighed and reassured him in a calm but firm tone:
"Didn't you say he still hasn't returned?"
"That's right. In the past, he was always punctual. Someone who can travel through time has no excuse not to be." Mobius spread his hands. "Even if he were trapped, he could rewind time and return to the past to escape."
"But this time, he's genuinely late. That means either something happened that made him not want to come back, or he can't come back. Though the latter possibility is far too unlikely."
Loki shook his head, expressing a different opinion. "You said it yourself—he can travel through timelines. Even if something delayed his return, he could rewind time to avoid the trouble and arrive on schedule. For someone with the power to travel through time and universes, being late can only mean he was forced to be."
"Although I can't tell you The Truth—or rather, I don't know all of The Truth myself—something has indeed happened in our universe. Not