Loki hummed as he walked through the streets of Chronopolis, ignoring the mortals passing him while looking around at the city he was in.
Some parts, such as the large castle in the background and the advanced technology, reminded him somewhat of Asgard, but everything else was rural in his eyes.
'Still making use of windows instead of hard-light holographic projectors. The flying wagons are a nice touch, but the lack of space crafts is amusing,' He half-expected Midgardians to have figured out new technology by this point, but as expected, the mortals cannot do anything significant without a true leader to guide him.
"It is only unfortunate that I could not achieve my destiny, but perhaps I can alter mine to not end the same way as the 'original' Loki," the trickster god muttered to himself, making himself invisible. At the same time, he also made a clone that took his place, walking off to the side as several figures surrounded him.
"Gentlemen, may I help you?"
"Loki, Variant L1130. You are to come with us," The robotic guard that looked like a weird fusion between human and ant spoke, his clone raising an eyebrow in response.
"Unfortunately, I do not see myself enjoying your company so I shall bid you farewe-" Loki's eyes widened from his hidden position as his collar activated, hissing with gritted teeth as the strong current flooded his body.
Forcing his magic to stay up and making the clone fall to the floor with convulsions, he gasped as the pain finally ceased, taking slow breaths while glaring at the guards.
'I could not even understand the technology behind this...and they not only understand it, but know how to use it without the damned TemPad,' he thought with a growl, watching as the clones picked up his clone and began moving on with their day.
Well, he was told to find out as much as he can and it looks like an opportunity just presented themselves.
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'This is bad. This is all kinds of bad,' I thought as I stood on one end of the rooftop, a bit nervous as I stared at the Kang variant that had red and black electricity racing along his body.
Could I run? I mean, Super Pietro might give me enough of a boost, but even then, it's tough to say.
"You are not fast enough to outrun me. Do not try," It appears that Kang seemed to know the answer, or my thought process at least, as he looked as calm as ever.
Well, time to try.
Gold and silver electricity sparked to life around my body as I spun and lunged, but a wheeze escaped my lips when a hand coated in silver and red electricity caught me by the throat and slammed me into the rooftop.
Forcing myself to concentrate, I heaved and lifted my legs up, land a kick to the back of Kang's head while rolling to my feet. Instead of continuing the attack, I immediately ran away, dashing down the side of the building and through the street.
However, I grimaced as a red and silver blur immediately caught up, sliding to a stop as Kang stopped in front of me. Neither of us said anything as we stared at each other, my eyes flickering about for any exit.
'Streets? No, he'll catch up. Buildings? Maybe, but he might vibrate as well,' I thought as I looked back to see Kang narrowing his eyes at me.
Well, if the streets and the buildings won't work, then there's only one other way.
With a grunt, the ground below me cracked as I launched myself into the air, immediately vibrating my leg and kicking off the air that popped under my foot.
The world around me blurred as I shot through the sky, shooting past the streaks of chaos energy racing through the air above the city.
Taking a glance back, all I saw was Kang crouching down before he shot upwards, my eyes widening as the variant appeared upside down in front of me.
He wasn't even running as he floated with his hands behind his back, almost as if gravity itself had decided to not apply to him.
"Impressive usage of acceleration, but it is also quite predictable unfortunately. You see, you don't stop long enough to see the lines and think outside of them."
"Really? You're really giving me the 'think outside the box' speech right now?" Honestly, I'm not even sure where the burst of arrogant confidence was coming from, but considering that I could die at any point, I think the fear of death itself was just gone.
"I do. Relax, Pietro Maximoff. If I wished to kill you, you would be dead," he replied as he turned back upright and I sighed as gravity vanished around my form, allowing me to stay afloat with ease.
"Fine. Let's have that talk you wanted."
"I could restore your universe, you know?" I froze at his words and looked at him, scanning his features for any sign of deceit.
"Unfortunately, I don't deal with guys that plans to destroy the Sacred Timeline like you do."
"Oh, that's why you're like this. I assume...Renslayer? No, she's still a Judge at the TVA. Mobius, then."
'Right, a time traveller,' I thought as I nodded, to which the man chuckled and nodded.
"Of course, Mobius showed you the results of what you did and then gave you the great speech of how the TVA can only help you if you help them, yes?"
"I feel like there's a point you're trying to get here."
"Why state it out loud when you can do it for me?"
"You think that the TVA will betray me, right?" I spoke, nodding as Kang just smirked at my words. "Well, to tell you the truth, I knew that. There's no way an organization focused on making sure the Sacred Timeline follows a linear path would send an anomaly back to a point that disturbs said linear path."
"And that is why I like you over your sister, Pietro," The man's words made me narrow my eyes as he nodded. "Yes, you were always the one that chose your own destiny while Wanda's was forced onto her."
"You talking about Oshtur?"
"I'm talking about more than Oshtur, Pietro. Do you understand the concept of Nexus Beings?" he asked and I narrowed my eyes, repeating what little I knew of them.
"...That's it? That's not even the basic explanation," he replied and I hid my frown as I crossed my arms with a shrug.
"I never asked them to elaborate."
"As I calculated. I'm also sure that when Oshtur sent you on that wild goose chase to find the Book of Vishanti for your universe, she spoke in private to Wanda, yes?"
"Yes, she did."
"While she was there, she also explained everything about Nexus beings to your sister, but not to you, yes?"
"If you're going to explain it, then please, let's not beat around the bush," I spoke with a sigh and the man smiled as he looked at me.
"Pietro, please stop interrupting me," I didn't say anything as I raised a hand, dabbing at my neck and looking at my fingers to see red blood covering them.
"Right, my apologies," I apologized and the man nodded before clearing his throat.
"Apology accepted. Now, despite what you believe and what others have told you, you are not a nexus being. Instead, you are what I like to call the tumour to her cancer.
Now, you look confused so allow me to explain further. You are a rare individual that can alter probability and the future with your speed, something that is only see in a nexus being that acts as the keystone to a universe."
"Meaning that the TVA didn't erase me because they wanted to see if my universe survives without me. If it doesn't, they'll put me back. If it does, then they'll prune me."
"Exactly. Now, here's another thing. Have you never wondered why Oshtur did not just erase you from existence for your rude words?"
"I have, but I just assumed that to be the whims of a divine being," I replied and Kang shook his head with an amused smirk.
"Never assume when it comes to divine. The reason she did not is because you are what I like to call the accelerant to Wanda's fire."
"Meaning?"
"The longer and closer you two are together, the closer she grows to becoming what is called the Ultimate Nexus Being. Essentially, when she reaches that point, she would have influence across all possible realities in all possible points of time, meaning that she could indefinitely extend the lifespan of the Multiverse until the concept of concept itself ceased to exist."
"...I feel like I know what you're about to say. I should die?"
"That is why you died in the original timeline where I did not give you access to chaos energy. If you had survived, Wanda would have ascended to becoming the Ultimate Nexus by the time that Thanos started gathering the Infinity Stones."
'So, the entire multiverse and everything in it still thinks that I should die for this shit, huh?' I thought, palming my face with a sigh before shaking my head.
Nope. Nope, Kang could be lying or he could not be, but still, Wanda could not be the Nexus Being. That could be me or...or...what other twins are there across the Marvel multiverse other than us two?
"I see reality is beginning to settle in."
"No, there is still...her kids."
"The one she conjures in many timelines and universes?" he asked and I looked at him before letting out a soft exhale.
"Is that why you got me up here? To kill me?"
"Why would I do that?" His response threw me for a loop and I blinked as he laughed. "Hahaha! Oh! Oh, you thought I wanted to kill you?"
"Yeah, wouldn't that suit your plans to be the strongest?"
"Oh, not in the slightest, no. If I wanted that, I would have just let you die. No, you see, I have my own plans and they require that you stay alive until then."
"You want to enslave Wanda as she's ascending so she's your puppet multiversal god?" That was just a wild guess and I was trying to joke around, but as Kang's smile just widened, I couldn't help but let my shoulders sag. "Okay, what is everyone's obsession with my sister? Like, leave her be. Bother me instead."
"But there-in lies the issue, Pietro. Is Wanda the Nexus Being of your timeline or is that you?"
"I don't know," I answered honestly with a shrug and the man just hummed as he looked at his watch.
"The cracks in your universe are beginning to mend together, but your timeline is cracking at the same time."
"That means I'm not the Nexus Being."
"No, that means you are," he replied and continued when I raised an eyebrow. "Space will always pull itself together no matter what influences it, but time needs a fixed point. It needs someone who can anchor the stream."
Kang's smile was wide and the mad look of glee in his eyes made me wary as he floated closer and nodded. "You are alive, unstable and vibrating across possibilities and pathways that should not overlap. A man that has 'true free will' from the linear path of the universe. You are the Nexus, Pietro."
"Okay. Now, what?"
"Don't sound so down, Pietro. This is good for both you and Wanda. The moment one exists in any universe, the other must too and if one ascends, the balance will collapse," He went off on a rant as I floated back, watching as the mad scientist whispered to himself with a manic grin.
"It is not the love between you and your sister that binds you two together. No, it's quantum symmetry. Oh, how could I have missed that?"
"How many times have you gone through this song and dance?"
"8234 times before your success. In some worlds, Wanda tears reality apart because of your death. In others, she never awakens her true powers after you live," he replied before I flinched when he flew closer with a grin. "However, in this one, you not only helped her achieve her true potential, but your own, resulting in a reality where the wrong twin carries the wrong power."
I raised an eyebrow and went to ask a question, but in the blink of an eye, I was gone.
Instead, I was face to face with Wanda, whose eyes glowed red as I felt a foreign presence pulling my hand up to hers. A moment later, I was gone, back in front of Kang whose eyes were a mixture of silver and crimson.
"That's it. You've been made aware of your infinite fragments across the timelines and now, thanks to the TVA pulling you here, the chaos energy around us is letting you see your fragments all running through the same cosmic track.
They follow the same pattern, the same pathway, the same set of lines. All except for one."
"Me," I finished and the man nodded, letting me digest it all as the two of us stared at each other. "So, how do I know you're telling the truth?"
"Because Mobius is going to contact you in ten seconds to tell you to run back because you are being sent back to your timeline right about...now."
"Pietro, it's Mobius. I'm talking to you through the collar."
"What's up?"
"Loki's still on his own, but we're going to have to leave him because this place is about to become a catastrophe. Also, we managed to fix your universe destruction problem so we can put you back in your universe."
"...Got it. I'll be back at our spot."
"Loki is currently halfway towards the castle. Race over and go."
"You're letting me leave?" I asked and the variant just shook his head.
"Yes. After all, your growth from this point will just make my life simpler at the end," he replied and I narrowed my eyes before gravity returned to my form.
Time slowed down as the two of us stared at each other before I vanished, shooting down to the ground and racing across the ground.
Loki's vibrational presence was easy to find as I raced through the streets, grabbing the wary god by the back of his neck and launching out of the city.
At the same time, I looked up as fractures appeared in the sky, my eyes widening at at the white winged monsters with clawed hands and feet as well as red sucker-like faces with clawed finger-like flesh around their mouths.
Now realizing the danger, I went to top speed in the blink of an eye, immediately reaching out to grab onto Mobius before shooting through the Timedoor.
"Mobius! Timedoor! Close it!" I barked out as I stopped and while his mind was still in a state of confusion, his body instinctively pressed a button and sealed the Timedoor behind us.
"What...what just happened?" Loki asked with an eyebrow raised and I shook my head as I sat down.
"I have no clue myself. I just know that the Kang variant we talked about is way too fucking complex and strong for us to deal with."
"I agree. Anyway, you'll be happy to know that your universe is stable, so let me just get that," he murmured as he took off my collar before opening a Timedoor behind me.
"Wait, that's it? No big boss fight or adventure?"
"No, keeping you here any longer may have disastrous effects on your timeline after we already fixed it so, good bye."
"Right. Well, it was fun for as short as it was, Mobius. Loki, get back," I spoke as I appeared in front of his invisible form, to which the trickster just rolled his eyes as he cancelled his invisibility.
"I will not miss you."
"Neither will I. See ya," With that said, I was gone and through the portal, which snapped shut behind me as I raced out onto frozen ground.
Looking back, the Timedoor snapped shut as I saw a flash of blue light in the distance, immediately running over just in time to catch myself vanishing in a flash of light.
A wide crack spread through the air before it snapped shut, leaving me standing in the cold with a frown.
'So, they returned me to the point where I vanished. Seriously, though, what the hell was with the TVA thing, then?' I thought before shaking my head.
I might meet them in the future again along with Kang so I'll focus on that later. For now...
'Time to go beat up a genius that thinks it's good to play around with cosmic weapons.'
A/N: And we end it here~! Like I said, this TVA arc was going to be a short, sweet one. I do have another one planned that's more focused on multiversal and multi-timeline travel, but that's set for the future.
Also, those monsters...Yeah, they're going to be very important later on in the story so pay attention to those.
Anyway, next chapter: Avengers talking to a Speedster.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one...
Ba-Bye~!