The Variant's Shadow - LokixOC - ONGOING

* Loki *

“Why would you give up being in control ?”

Loki didn’t understand how someone with that much power would willingly give it all up. It didn’t make any sense. He erased timelines for eons, and now He was having an existential crisis ?

“Buddy… I’m tired. And I’m older. I’m older than I look. I’ve gone through a lot of scenarios, trying to find the right person to take this spot. It turns out that person came in two. But it’s definitely you two.” 

Loki and Sylvie looked at each other. Sure, there was a small chance that this whole story was an elaborate lie, but Loki saw the tiredness in the man’s voice. He was all powerful, He had no reason to lie to save His life. But Sylvie… Loki saw it in her eyes. She didn’t care. She seemed more decided than ever. 

“No more lies. You kill me, and the Sacred Timeline is completely exposed. Or you take over and return to the TVA as its benevolent rulers. Tell the workforce who they are and why they do what they do.”

Most of them would never agree to this life. They would all have to make the same kind of choice Loki and Sylvie had to make now. Agree to let go of their lives and protect the Timeline, or fight against the mere existence of the TVA. 

Ophelia would probably stay and protect the Timeline. Save as many people as she could. She never wanted revenge, all she wanted was to do something that mattered. Mobius would agree to it too. Until he’d find another way, at least. A better way. But they weren’t there now. 

“You treated real people’s lives like some kind of game.”

“It’s not personal, it’s practical.”

“It was personal to me !” Sylvie pointed at something behind her. Where Ophelia’s door appeared earlier. “It will be personal to them !”

“Grow up, Sylvie ! Murderer ! Hypocrite ! We’re all villains here. We’ve all done horrible, terrible, horrific things. That’s why I asked your TVA girlfriend to leave us. She wouldn’t understand. But now, you have a chance to do them for a good reason.”

Protect the Timeline. All Loki had ever done was for his own interest. His own conquest of Power. To show that he was, in fact, worthy.

And he saw the stones. Nothing more than paper weights. His Glorious Purpose, reduced to nothing. He saw people ready to erase others from reality to protect something bigger than a few lives. If they couldn’t save everyone, they could at least protect what was there. For the greater good. 

The man stopped talking. He was looking around Him. Confused, lost even. 

“We just crossed the threshold.” Whatever He was talking about, Loki didn’t like it. Because now, He looked scared. And also somewhat relieved. This man was weird. “I fibbed earlier when I said I know how everything’s going to go. I knew everything to a certain point, and that point was about… seconds ago.”

Loki took a look in Sylvie’s direction. She could kill him whenever she wanted now. And judging by the look on her face, she knew it too. 

“But now I have no idea how the rest of this is going to go. I’m being candid.”

He looked genuinely happy. The fate of endless timelines was at stake and he was happy. 

“That’s it ? This is what happens at the end of time ? You’re just gonna sit there with all that Freedom and let us decide your fate ?”

“Yes ! What’s the worst that can happen ? You either take over and my life’s work continues, or you plunge a blade into my chest and an infinite amount of me start another Multiversal War, and I’ll end up right back here anyways. Reincarnation, baby.”