Sylvie stood rooted to the spot, staring in disbelief at the structure that was both familiar and strange to her-that was her homeland, the divine realm of Asgard, which she had left a full six hundred years ago!
Sylvie's voice trembled. "How did he do that?!!"
Loki was equally stunned by the incredible sight. He could even make out every blade of grass and tree within it, as well as the distinctive textures of Asgard's buildings.
This was a true miracle! And it was the power of a Loki like them!
"I don't know, but I think we're stronger than we imagined."
Loki promptly came to his senses and turned to Sylvie beside him. "Quick! We can't let him down!"
"Right!"
Sylvie took Loki's hand, and their divine powers, which shared the same origin, mingled and amplified each other. In that moment, the power of their enchantment reached its peak!
Emerald-green light instantly enveloped the enormous dark cloud!
Alioth had its enormous maw wide open, devouring the Asgard conjured by Classic Loki one mouthful at a time. Classic Loki strained with all his might to repair and rebuild it, successfully diverting Alioth's attention until all it cared about was feeding.
And Classic Loki's efforts to buy time had also given Sylvie and Loki a perfect opportunity.
Alioth, engrossed in feeding, jolted and began to struggle violently.
Unfortunately for it, its struggles were ultimately futile. The enchantment of two Lokis working together was simply too effective against it.
The black-and-purple cloud churned incessantly, but emerald-green light eventually covered it completely. It stopped struggling and floated motionless above Asgard.
"Loki! We did it!"
Sylvie pointed at the enormous black-and-purple cloud before them. Under their control, Alioth's body slowly parted to either side, revealing a narrow path. At its end stood a towering, immense black castle.
"What now?" Loki turned to look at Sylvie beside him.
"We find out who's behind all of this, and then we finish him for good!"
Loki raised his hand and gently stroked Sylvie's long blond hair, comforting her as he spoke in a soft, tender voice:
"Sylvie, don't be afraid. I'll be with you."
Hearing Loki's reassurance, Sylvie calmed down. She turned to look at his face and kissed him without hesitation.
Thor did not disturb the two of them. He appeared beside Classic Loki in an instant and raised his hand, intending to use the laws of time and life to heal him.
"There's no need, Thor. I've lived too long, and I'm too tired."
Classic Loki spoke softly, gazing at the gradually fading illusion of Asgard, his eyes full of weariness and acceptance.
Thor crouched down and looked at this fellow Asgardian, who had spent his whole life on the run. His voice was low and solemn:
"Does being tired mean you can give up?
Don't you... want to see the real Asgard again with your own eyes?
Don't you want to see Father again, and Mother?"
Classic Loki's body went rigid.
For the first time, a powerful emotion stirred in his clouded eyes.
Thor spoke slowly, every word striking his heart:
"There are countless other Asgards in the multiverse,
countless homelands destined for ragnarok and destruction.
Don't you want to save them with your own hands?
Don't you want to go back as a hero, instead of dying as a deserter?"
"While you're alive, you still have a chance to see your homeland and your loved ones again.
But if you die...
there really won't be anything left. You won't even be able to make up for your regrets."
Classic Loki smiled, at peace, and disregarding the blood still flowing from the corner of his mouth, looked properly at the Thor from a parallel universe before him for the first time.
"You're different from many of the Thors I've met. You seem to know each of us very well-our stories, our experiences growing up, and the most vulnerable places in our hearts."
"So answer me now, Thor Odinson, king of Asgard, God of Thunder. Are you trying to drag an old man like me back for your own selfish desires, or for..."
Thor raised a hand to interrupt him. "Loki, I've seen far too many tragedies. In the end, I put a stop to ragnarok with my own hands."
"I'll admit I have selfish reasons, too, because I need help. You're the most powerful Loki I've met so far. The multiverse is too vast, and there are countless enemies waiting in the future."
"And ask yourself: do you really want to die, or are you still trying to escape the truth? Frigga died at the hands of the Dark Elves, Odin died of old age, and Asgard was destroyed by Surtur, Hela, and Thanos."
"Now tell me, can you accept that? Can you accept our homeland being destroyed? Can you accept our family, friends, and people dying at others' hands? Can you accept..."
"Enough! Don't say another word!" Classic Loki roared. How could he not know what had happened to his home?
Seeing his reaction, Thor felt he hadn't pushed hard enough. After a moment's thought, he decided to strike right at his most painful wound.
"When the Dark Elves invaded, you were locked in the dungeon, and you showed Kurse the way, didn't you?"
At those words, Classic Loki closed his eyes in anguish. A glistening tear slid from the corner of his eye, and he slumped to the ground, utterly broken.
How could he not remember?!
How could he forget!
It was because he, Loki, had shown Kurse the way that his mother, Frigga, had died by his own hand!
How ridiculous. He had caused the death of the person who loved him most in the world with his own hands.
Every word this Thor said struck straight at his heart!
Thor said no more. He knew he had already given him a strong enough dose. If Classic Loki still wanted to die, there was nothing he could do; he could only go to another universe to find someone.
Dark Supreme Doctor Strange, for example, would be an excellent candidate to recruit, as long as Thor could bring his girlfriend back to life-that nurse, what was her name again?
Wouldn't that give him a Multiverse Level fighter and ally out of nowhere?
After Thor had indulged in this fantasy for a few minutes, he finally got the answer he wanted.
"I promise you. I'll save every Asgard in the multiverse. I won't let the tragedy happen again..."
Classic Loki slowly rose from the ground, and his bearing changed. The deathly weariness in his eyes melted away like ice and snow.
He straightened the back that had been hunched for so long, a hint of sharpness flashing in his gaze.
The Classic Loki of old was dead, buried by his own hands just now.
The one alive now was Loki, the greatest sorcerer in the Nine Realms and Asgard's God of Mischief!
"Very good, Loki. Here's to working together!"
Thor held out his hand.
Classic Loki took it without hesitation. The next second, the light of two laws, each a different color, shone over him, and his body, on the verge of death, brimmed with life once more.
Before the black fortress, Sylvie drew her lips away from his. Looking at the lover before her, whose eyes were full of tenderness, she curled her lips in a rare smile and teased him. "You're a really bad kisser, Loki."
"Right back at you, Sylvie," Loki retorted with a smile, his fingers still entwined with hers. They exchanged a glance and turned together, about to set foot on the narrow path leading to the end of time.
"Loki! Wait!"
Thor's voice came from behind them.
They both turned at once. Looking at Thor as he approached, and at Kid Loki, Alligator Loki, and the renewed Classic Loki following behind him, Loki raised an eyebrow. "What? Do you want to come with us and see what's out there?"
Thor walked up to him and slowly shook his head. His expression was more solemn than ever, without a trace of a joke.
"No. This path belongs to you alone. I can't interfere, and I shouldn't."
Loki and Sylvie exchanged a smile and said in unison, "Yes, this is our path, and our revenge."
Thor looked at the Loki before him, who had shed his hostility and cunning and whose eyes now held a sense of responsibility and care for others. After a moment's silence, he slowly spoke.
The words that had lingered in his heart for so long finally came out: a blessing from an Asgardian elder brother to his younger brother, concealing his understanding of the destiny already laid out.
They were also words he had long wanted to say to Loki while watching the show in his previous life, and now he finally had the chance.
"Loki, you will be king, but your throne has never been in Asgard."
The smile on Loki's face froze.
The solemnity and knowing look in Thor's eyes held him transfixed. Those words, with no beginning or end, were like a thunderbolt, splitting open a destiny he had dimly sensed in his heart but had never grasped.
"Thor... what do you mean?" His voice tightened and trembled slightly. "What do you mean, I'll be king?"
Thor did not answer. He simply stepped forward and gave him a strong embrace, the embrace of an Asgardian brother.
Then he gently raised a hand and gave Loki a push, sending him toward the path to the end of time, toward the long stairway to godhood he was destined to climb.
"Go on, my brother, Loki Odinson."
Thor's voice was steady and deep as it carried through the wind to Loki's ears, every word ringing clear.
"On behalf of Father, on behalf of Mother, on behalf of Asgard, and on behalf of all the free will you protect across the entire multiverse-we are proud of you."
Loki's whole body jolted. He trembled slightly, and his eyes suddenly grew hot.
He wanted to ask something more, but Sylvie gently tightened her grip on his hand.
She said nothing, only nodding to him.
Behind Thor, Classic Loki, Kid Loki, and Alligator Loki also gave him a slight nod, silently saying, "We're proud of you."
Loki looked at Thor before him, then at the variants who shared his origins. At last, he smiled. The tears in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by unwavering resolve.
He asked no more about what those words meant. He tightened his grip on Sylvie's hand and turned, and together they stepped onto the path.
The black-and-purple mist slowly closed behind them, while the towering black castle loomed in and out of sight ahead.
The two figures walked farther and farther away, until at last they vanished completely at the end of time.