"Of course… there are very complex reasons for all of this."
Shen Loki raised both hands, the timelines swirling in his grasp as he gestured toward Malrick.
"Seeing as my hands are full, let me finish first," he said.
"Go ahead," Malrick replied, crossing his arms and gesturing for him to continue. "As long as your reasons are sound, I'll be a willing listener."
Shen Loki smiled, tinged with nostalgia.
"This is a long story, but I'll keep it brief." He noticed Malrick raising an eyebrow and added with a grin, "Don't worry, I'm not speaking of my own life. In this world, no one knows my story better than you, right?"
Malrick wasn't surprised by Loki's revelation that he was a transmigrator. "You know me well, just like Eternity and the others. Were you watching me before?"
Loki did not deny it. "I know you better than anyone. I watched your story unfold firsthand, saw you pinned to Tony Stark's chest while he danced."
Malrick groaned. "You peeping tom, really? No need to bring up babyhood stories."
Loki shrugged. "If you had sat on a golden throne for eons, witnessing Universe after Universe rise and fall, you could afford such detachment too."
"Detached?" Malrick asked skeptically.
"If I mentioned someone being tossed around by the Hulk at Stark Tower, and someone falling for their variant from a parallel world, would you still call that detachment?"
Shen Loki chuckled, then refocused.
"Speaking of that distant story… that was before I assumed my seat at the End of Time. In the history of the current Multiverse, the origin of the TVA is closely linked to me. But before I ascended, the TVA was created and governed by Kang the One Who Remains. Countless Kangs exist in the Multiverse, each wielding advanced time technology and seeking to dominate all timelines. Long ago, they waged the Multiversal War, and Kang the One Who Remains emerged victorious. To prevent future chaos, he pruned the Multiverse, leaving only the singular Sacred Timeline. This, of course, is the past as you know it."
Shen Loki glanced at Doctor Doom, his eyes reflecting the green, pulsing timelines behind him.
Malrick hesitated. "So… the past I know is incomplete?"
"No, it's not wrong, just incomplete," Loki replied. "I learned the full story only after ascending to the divine seat and witnessing countless worlds. When Kang pruned the timelines, he also separated them. Do you recall the Mutant Universe that invaded your world? Mutant, Ghost Rider, Blade, and Doom's Universes—originally independent—were once part of the Sacred Timeline. Kang separated them, creating the other main timelines on the World Tree."
Malrick mused, "So Doom doesn't just want to destroy the Multiverse and create Battleworld. He intends to merge these main timelines back into the Sacred Timeline, restoring the Multiverse's original order."
"Exactly. That is why I entrusted him with a portion of my power," Shen Loki admitted.
Malrick squinted. "Wait, there's more, isn't there?"
"One reason you intervened was because you grew tired of sitting at the golden throne and wanted to find Sylvie," Loki said.
Malrick activated his Super Vision. In an instant, he saw through the Loki before him—it was only a temporal projection.
"Hey, you didn't even show up in your true form, just a time afterimage!"
Tracing the timelines, Malrick found the real Shen Loki on a cliff in Battleworld. He leaned against Sylvie, both gazing at the sea. Loki's hand rested on her shoulder, still clutching the green timeline. The sea breeze tousled their hair and clothes, a scene both sacred and strangely romantic.
The afterimage in the Great Hall explained awkwardly, "This… I'm merely meeting an old friend before Doom completes his plan."
Malrick teased, "Is that so? If you showed up in the adjacent Universe like that, Wizard Shazam would accuse you of having an impure heart."
"Impure…" the projection muttered, speechless, before bursting into laughter. "As Loki, I've been called evil and ambitious, but never impure. Your remark is… novel." He shook his head and refocused.
"Alright, back to the topic," Malrick said, holding up two fingers. "You stopped me from killing Doom to allow him to reset the timeline. And the other reason… you wanted to step down from your divine seat and spend time with Sylvie, correct?"
Loki's mouth hung open. "Actually… the first reason alone is sufficient."
"Only the first reason?" Malrick chuckled. "Then I have a question. Doom wants to merge the main timelines, but with insufficient power, they are only contracting toward each other, threatening to destroy the Multiverse. If the goal is simply to reset the timeline, why not give him all your power?"
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