TVA Case: Loki's Daughter

Chapter 20: Citadel of Time

Loki, Soren, and Sylvie make their way down to Alioth, braving the storm's fury and the heavy thunder that looms over the field. Loki pulls Soren to the side behind a giant boulder on the field.

"Stay here. If you see that Sylvie misses her chance, then you can join in," Loki instructs, concern etched on his face. "I beg you, please be safe," he adds.

Soren sighs, understanding her father's words. "I will," she assures him.

"Just in case the plan falls apart," Loki pulls his daughter in for a hug, his emotions evident in his eyes. "I am proud of how far you have come. We can do this, I know we can," he says as he pulls away, and Soren nods in response. Soren settles herself at the back of the rock, feeling palpitations in her chest. She takes a moment to calm herself and touches her nose, noticing it's bleeding. Swiftly, she retrieves a medicine injection from a compartment on her leg, plugging it into her chest without hesitation. After disposing of the empty pen, she feels a little weak but pushes herself to watch the unfolding scene.

Meanwhile, Loki moves away to join Sylvie. "I just need a strand of Alioth, but we're going to have to do it together," she states determinedly.

They move in unison, Loki brandishing his sword and rushing in to grab Alioth's attention. Sylvie positions herself in front of the monstrous dragon, trying to grab hold of its strands. However, her power only flickers with green sparks, struggling to enchant the massive creature. Alioth senses the disturbance and turns its attention away from Loki, heading for Sylvie instead. Frozen with fear, Sylvie watches as the ravenous monster races towards her.

From a great distance, a green light illusion pops out conjuring Asgard from the ground. Old Loki summons as much as he can to get Alioth's attention. "Go!" Old Loki projects his voice louder for the rest to hear. "How is he doing that?" Sylvie questions.

"I think we are stronger than we realize," Loki answers back. Sylvie takes his hand, "We are going to enchant it, together," she says.

"I don't know how," Loki answers back.

"You do, 'cause we're the same," Sylvie encourages. She grabs hold of the dark strands with green flickering on her fingertips. On the other hand, Loki struggles to let his power enchant Alioth. 

Old Loki struggles to keep up the massive projection of Asgard, Alioth completely surrounds the illusions. Exhausted from the effort, Old Loki collapses, and Alioth repositions itself, targeting Old Loki. However, he stands once more, laughing defiantly at the face of Alioth, "Glorious Purpose!" and bravely allows himself to be consumed by the murderous dragon.

Soren shakes her head, mustering all her strength as she removes herself from the boulder. She witnesses Alioth heading towards Loki and Sylvie, knowing she needs to act. With determination in her eyes, Soren unleashes a powerful beam of energy, striking Alioth. The force of the blast causes her to grab her arm in pain, but she keeps her focus.

As Alioth charges at her, Soren readies herself again, summoning all the power she can. She directs another beam straight at the creature's head, attempting to fend it off. However, Alioth's darkness and storms surround her as it passes by, making it challenging for Soren to maintain her assault. She tries for another strike, but her powers seem to diminish, reducing to mere sparks.

Her arm throbs with increasing pain, causing her to stagger and fall to the ground. Breathing heavily, Soren faces Alioth's menacing stare as it roars, preparing to charge again. Despite her exhaustion, Soren musters her remaining strength for one last desperate attempt. She stuns the creature with a burst of power from the power stone, causing it to back away momentarily.