Thor didn't answer. Instead, he looked the utterly ordinary Loki up and down.
Knowing the story, he naturally knew that this unremarkable Loki standing before him would ultimately ascend the long staircase to godhood that belonged to him alone, for the sake of all free will in the multiverse.
He would become a true God of Time, or, to use his more official title, Loki, God of Stories.
"You want my help? My foolish brother! You just played me for a fool, and some rookie who didn't know what was good for him provoked me. Why should I help you, my dear brother?"
Thor took a step forward, coming to stand before Loki and looking down at the ordinary Loki, who was a head shorter than him.
Loki wasn't intimidated by the overwhelming pressure of Thor's presence. He met Thor's gaze and said, enunciating every word,
"It's simple. Because I need you, Thor. In the name of Loki, Asgard's God of Mischief, I ask for your help."
"Haha, how interesting." Thor chuckled at Loki's answer, as though he had just heard the greatest joke in the world. "Loki actually asking someone for help, and so earnestly and sincerely, too? That's a first in my five thousand years of life!"
"So I refuse, because you're not my brother."
Loki paid no attention to Thor's teasing. Instead, he raised a hand and conjured the traditional attire of a legitimate Asgardian prince.
A golden horned helmet, a dark green robe, and a golden staff set with gems.
His expression was solemn, his voice dignified and earnest as he looked sincerely at Thor's face. The staff in his hand gave off a faint green glow.
Loki raised his staff and slowly lowered himself onto one knee before Thor, observing the most formal royal etiquette. This was no act of subservience, but Asgard's highest form of petition.
"Odin above!"
Loki looked up, his gaze resolute and his voice utterly solemn.
"I, Loki Odinson, third prince of Asgard and God of Mischief and Wisdom, formally request aid from Thor Odinson, Wong of Asgard and God of Thunder!"
"In Odin's name, in the name of Asgard's royal family, and in the name of order across the Nine Realms and the multiverse-I need your strength."
Classic Loki and Kid Loki watched from the side with complicated expressions. They were Asgardians too; how could they not know this ritual?
But they had never expected this Loki, who had only recently entered Knowhere, to be willing to use the most orthodox royal etiquette to beg Thor for help.
As Loki variants, it was perfectly normal for them to care about saving face. Yet here was a Loki casting aside his so-called pride before their very eyes, kneeling in person to ask Thor for help.
Alligator Loki lay quietly where he was, watching this utterly absurd scene. At least, that was how it appeared to them as Lokis.
Thor had only meant to tease this Loki, but he hadn't expected him to go this far. He truly was worthy of being the future God of Stories.
He said nothing, merely standing calmly with his hands behind his back. Vast divine power and the aura of laws surged from his body, covering the entire valley in an instant.
After a long moment, he finally spoke. His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable solemnity and echoed in every direction.
"Loki Odinson."
Thor looked him in the eye, his gaze profound, as though it had crossed countless ages.
"You swore in Odin's name, according to the rites of Asgard's royal family, in the name of the Nine Realms and multiversal order. You set aside the pride of the God of Mischief and performed this highest rite of supplication-and I have seen it."
He raised one hand, a faint golden divine light glowing in his palm. It was the acknowledgment of Asgard's rightful god-king.
"I, Thor Odinson,
Wong of Asgard and God of Thunder,
swear by the glory of Odin, by the throne of Asgard, and by my five thousand years of divine life and power!
I grant your request.
I will aid you, protect you, and walk beside you.
Until you achieve your wish, until this void, this timeline, and this multiverse reach the ending you seek."
When he finished, Thor raised a hand. A gentle but irresistible divine power supported Loki's arm and slowly helped him up.
"Rise.
From this day on, you are no variant, no prisoner.
You are... the brother acknowledged by me, Thor, Wong of Asgard and God of Thunder."
Loki slowly rose to his feet. Looking at the Thor before him, not the one he knew from his own universe, he felt a trace of warmth quietly rise in his heart. He stood there in a daze, looking at this Thor of terrifying strength.
It took him quite a while to come back to his senses.
"Thank you, Thor, my brother."
Thor relaxed as well and reached out to give Loki two hearty pats on the shoulder. "We're fucking brothers, so why the formalities? Come on! I'll take you to your little girlfriend!"
Meanwhile, near the cave where Elektra and the others were, the dozen or so people were each eating.
Halfway through their meal, a tremendous boom rang out in the sky, and a vast, dark mass of clouds appeared above the valley in an instant.
Multicolored lightning could dimly be seen flashing within the clouds, and the rumble of thunder could be heard everywhere.
Immense divine power and the aura of laws swept across the entire valley. Fierce winds howled past, whipping sand, stones, dead branches, and fallen leaves into the air.
They were followed by a majestic vow, as though spoken by a god high in the heavens:
"I, Thor Odinson..."
Remy, Gambit, no longer knew how to express his shock. Looking toward Emma Frost and Betsy a short distance away, he muttered, "Ororo isn't even in the same league as him! Is this the difference between a god and a human?"
Feeling the terrifying energy fluctuations, Emma Frost looked up, her beautiful eyes flickering as waves of emotion stirred in her heart.
That big oaf actually held back when he fought me?
He probably knew exactly what he was after from the start.
Emma Frost looked away and clicked her tongue softly.
"That guy... hid his strength pretty well."
Betsy glanced at the sky, then at Emma Frost.
"Your heart's beating faster."
Emma Frost froze.
"No, it isn't."
Betsy said, "It is."
Emma Frost said, "...Shut up."
The corners of Betsy's mouth curled up.
"Fine."
Sylvie watched the seven-colored lightning flashing in the sky, then turned to Mobius, unable to hide the curiosity in her eyes.
"So? How did you throw him in here in the first place?"
Mobius was too shocked to close his mouth. He shook his head and replied in utter bewilderment, "I don't know. Honestly, I'd like to see for myself which agent was capable enough to throw this Thor in here."
Sylvie listened quietly to Mobius and said nothing more.
It seemed the Time Variance Authority was even harder to deal with than she had imagined. But she had already lost everything, hadn't she?