Ten minutes ago.
At the end of time, the roots of the World Tree spread across the green void, their veins flowing with the timelines of all the multiverses.
A figure sat on the golden throne beneath the tree, wearing a green Asgard robe and a golden antler crown hanging above his head.
Loki's fingers rested on the armrest, his fingertips twitching occasionally, as if plucking some unseen string.
"How long have you been watching?"
Franklin appeared there at some point, wearing his ever-present gray T-shirt and flip-flops, hands in his pockets, looking as relaxed as if he were just dropping by a neighbor's house.
Loki didn't turn around. "The moment she followed Thor in."
" The Endless," Franklin clicked his tongue, a hint of displeasure in his voice, "Coming to someone else's multiverse to play around without even saying hello."
Loki's gaze fell on a certain direction in the void, where a very faint black trace was moving, like the shadow of a fish beneath the surface of water.
It was the aura of Death Tetiyu.
"Call her over," Loki said.
Franklin raised an eyebrow, didn't ask any further questions, and simply reached out and casually pulled the black streak towards him.
Space folding and reorganization.
The next instant, Tetiyu appeared beneath the World Tree, less than ten steps away from the two.
Her black tank top was still covered in the white dust characteristic of the Knowhere, and the Anka cross pendant swayed slightly.
Three beings are gazing at each other.
The space itself began to tremble.
Life forms from three different universes were living in the same room. Their presence could crush the structure of any ordinary universe in an instant.
Tetiyu spoke first.
"Let me guess," she tilted her head, her tone as casual as if she were just chatting, "You dragged me here to keep me away from Thor?"
She shook her head, answering her own question.
"That won't do. He promised to take me all over the multiverse."
Franklin didn't say anything, but simply moved half a step to the side, giving Loki his place.
This matter falls under his jurisdiction; he's the master of the end of time, after all.
The figure on the throne made no extra movements, except that his eyes were opened a little wider.
The Law of Time poured forth.
Green-gold patterns lit up on every branch of the World Tree, countless timelines trembled simultaneously, and the entire space at the end of time was filled with an indescribable power.
That wasn't an attack; it was just that he revealed a corner of his true self.
Loki spoke, his voice filled with divinity and majesty, completely different from the usual sarcastic and mischievous God of Mischief.
" The Endless • Death."
Tetiyu's hair was blown back by the force, but her expression remained unchanged; she still smiled as she looked at the two of them.
"This is not your first visit to the multiverse I govern." Loki's voice came from all directions, as if the World Tree itself were speaking.
"But if you are detrimental to this multiverse and to Thor —I have the right to strip you of your permanent residency and send you back."
The moment the words fell, the pressure of the Law of Time converged into a single point, precisely striking Tetiyu.
Franklin then made his move.
He took a step forward, his flip-flops clicking on the air, and his aura began to rise rapidly, reaching the multiverse in just a few breaths.
"Death," Franklin's tone was still languid, but the usual aloofness in his eyes was gone. "What you want to do to the multiverse is none of my business, but Thor, you can't touch him."
Tetiyu blinked as he looked at the posture of the two people in front of him.
She smiled.
"How could I possibly harm Thor?" Her gaze fell on Loki, tinged with curiosity. "With the power you wield, you should be able to see— Thor's special nature."
Loki didn't reply, but the light in his eyes subtly changed.
"I've seen many Thor," Tetiyu counted on his fingers, "from different multiverses, different timelines, various versions, but none as special as him—"
She paused for a moment, then spread her hands.
"Still the first one."
"Why would I lay a hand on him?" She smiled. "Besides, you know me, I hate fighting the most."
Franklin raised his chin. "Coincidentally, I don't like fighting either."
But the pressure emanating from him, so strong from the multiverse, remained firmly attached; he hadn't retracted it.
Tetiyu gave him a rare look, his eyes revealing something. "Self-sealing?"
Her gaze toward Franklin changed, shifting from casual to scrutinizing.
"Interesting."
Three seconds of silence.
The light of the World Tree pulsed, and the lingering echoes of the Law of Time still reverberated in the void.
The three top-tier beings sized each other up, their laws of power mingling and probing each other in the void.
Tetiyu glanced around at the two of them, made sure there was nothing more to say, and then dusted off his hands—nothing that was actually dust.
"Then I'm leaving."
The next instant, she vanished from her spot without even a spatial ripple, as if she had never existed.
Franklin's aura instantly vanished, and he reverted to the big boy in flip-flops. He stretched his neck and looked at Loki with a hint of impatience.
"You specifically called me here just for this?"
Loki withdrew his divinity, leaned back on his throne, and resumed his languid demeanor.
"The multiverse is about to face a new crisis," he said, pausing for a moment. " Thor may be the key."
Franklin's lips twitched, as if he wanted to ask further, but he quickly gave up.
He knows Loki too well; this guy only ever tells three-tenths of what he means, leaving the other seven-tenths for you to guess. Asking him is pointless.
"Never mind," Franklin shrugged. "You're always so cryptic, I can't be bothered to ask. I'm leaving."
His figure vanished from the spot as if erased.
Loki was left alone on the golden throne.
The light of the World Tree stretched out behind him, like an Eternity growing tree, each branch a timeline, each leaf a possibility.
Loki gazed at the distant green void and tapped the armrest lightly with his finger.
" Thor Odinson."
His voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.
"The ending has already changed, and the multiverse will inevitably repeat the same mistakes. I can still hold on for you for a while longer, until the curtain falls."
He slowly closed his eyes.
The light of the World Tree continued to pulsate, with countless timelines intersecting, branching, and converging within it.
One of them was particularly bright, and the end of that line kept extending, stretching towards a direction that even he couldn't see clearly.