Thor was utterly bewildered.
"Uh… are you talking about plays? They actually let you act in a play?" he asked, scratching his head in confusion, failing completely to grasp the meaning behind Loki's grand declarations. He even reached out as if to touch Loki's forehead, wondering if his brother had gone mad.
"Is your life really that terrible, Loki? Perhaps I should sell some Uru metal to Kamar-Taj and give you Earth money to make it easier," Thor said, patting Loki's shoulder like a concerned older brother.
"You don't need to worry about Asgard. Although Father still slumbers, Mother is well," Thor continued, trying to offer reassurance.
"And thanks to the Bifrost, the Frost Giant rebellion hasn't caused too much chaos in the Nine Realms."
Loki absorbed the news silently, though only his mother's wellbeing truly concerned him.
"If you want to sell Uru metal, why not give it to me, for my daggers?" Loki asked.
"Daggers? Ha! I actually brought some!" Thor said, producing two gleaming daggers from his belt and handing them to Loki. "I knew you'd want them, so I made sure to bring them this time."
Loki took the daggers, dazed, feeling the cold gleam of their familiar edges.
"Thank you," he murmured, gripping one dagger in each hand. Suddenly, he lunged and plunged both into Thor's waist.
Pfft.
The sound of the blades entering flesh was faint but audible. A few nearby students glanced over, witnessing Loki stabbing Thor while his brother stared at him blankly, shocked by the sinister grin on Loki's face.
"Loki!" Thor roared in fury.
Loki deftly withdrew the daggers, flicked off the blood, smirked triumphantly, and sprinted away with an elegant posture. Pulling out a communicator, he dialed a number.
"Kingo," Loki called deliberately loud, "yes, it's me. You'll play Thor again. I've agreed to your proposal. This time, Thor has to perform a naked Indian dance in the movie!"
"Hey! Loki! Don't run!" Thor shouted behind him. Though he didn't understand Loki's intentions, it was clear it wouldn't be anything good.
Using his mentor privileges, Loki summoned a giant dragon outside the Mage Tower and mounted it, flying toward the entrance of the Small World. Thor hobbled after him, clutching his side, attempting to swing Mjolnir to stop him, but he never succeeded.
"Damn Loki!" Thor muttered, gritting his teeth. "Next time I see him, I'll give him a proper beating!"
"Oh really? But you can't really blame him for this," Tony said, stepping out of the Mage Tower with his usual sharp tongue. "Brother huh, both adopted younger brothers, yet the difference between Loki and Malrick is huge." He patted Thor on the back. "You need to reflect, Thor. The older brother is just… different."
Thor froze. "Malrick is your brother, and adopted?"
"Yes, didn't I tell you?" Tony replied nonchalantly.
"You did?" Thor glanced between Tony, Malrick, and the dragon-riding Loki, deep in thought. Could this really be his fault? He couldn't help but reflect.
Nearby, Malrick chuckled quietly. Tony was unreliable as ever, yet here he was performing theatrics for Thor. Normally, Malrick would expose him, but right now, he had other concerns—specifically the "Kingo" Loki had called.
Kingo was an Eternal resembling an Indian. Centuries ago, ten Eternals, tasked by the Celestials, arrived on Earth. After eliminating nearly all Deviants threatening humanity, they dispersed across the world. Kingo loved acting and settled in Bollywood, performing as multiple generations of actors over more than a century. Recently, he had begun to explore Hollywood.
When Loki filmed 'Thor 1', he sought an actor who could portray Thor with divine charm while making him look less heroic. Kingo fit perfectly. He played Thor in 'Thor 1', adding subtle cultural flair without seeming out of place.
Malrick thought of the Eternals upon hearing Kingo's name. He hadn't forgotten the Celestial infant Tiamut still gestating in Earth's core, which required massive energy from intelligent life to be born—potentially sacrificing humanity.
Malrick considered several solutions:
Using the Space Stone to relocate Tiamut.
Using the Reality Stone to supply the required energy.
However, the plan risked interference from other cosmic-level beings and the reality-altering limitations of the Infinity Stones. Malrick realized the most practical solution was to let his Black Light Clone consume Tiamut, fully utilizing resources while sparing humanity. Only Tiamut would suffer.
As the Celestials didn't need Earth's permission to sacrifice intelligent life, Malrick felt no obligation to consult them. Now a conceptual entity with authority comparable to the Celestials, he could even try to communicate with Tiamut first.
In the comics, Tiamut is a dormant Celestial, capable of destroying entire universes using cosmic energy. Across the multiverse, there were likely many versions of Tiamut, each sacrificing almost one Earth per world on average. Only in rare universes would Tiamut in the core of Earth be allowed to be born.
Malrick processed this calmly, his mind already planning contingencies for the Celestial threat, while Loki's mischief continued to unfold in the background.
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