Summary:
Desperately, the god tried to hold on to something.
This wasn't a descent into a timeline..it was like this one moment before falling asleep, when you lose all orientation in a matter of seconds and the only thing you feel is sheer panic.
And then he suddenly had solid ground under his feet again.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in.."
Sylvie stopped instantly, her gaze fixed on the floor.
Loki's safety..
The free multiverse..
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she spoke, her voice was barely more than a whisper.
"And where..where do you want to take me?"
"You are the Anchor Being of the multiverse."
Sylvie saw the wizard's lips moving, heard words coming out of his mouth, words that were obviously directed at her.
But none of it made any sense.
"What..what did you just say?"
There was a seriousness in his gaze that she had never seen in his eyes before.
She would never have thought it possible that she could ever wish for his arrogant, condescending attitude back, but that was exactly what she did now.
Why the hell was he looking at her with that serious, almost pitying expression on his face..and what the hell had he just said?
"Yes, that's a lot to take in, I understand.."
Oh no, that's not how this is going to go..
"No, you don't understand anything!"
Full of rage, Sylvie jumped up from the chair he had conjured up and began to pace restlessly up and down.
"For weeks I've been finding myself in the craziest dreams and the most absurd places, where all sorts of creatures pose me riddles and dump their shit on me..and I've had enough of it!!!"
In the middle of the last sentence, sparks suddenly appeared completely out of nowhere, which developed into a portal within a few seconds. One of the kind she had seen for the first time in the Sanctum Sanctorum.
And just like back then in New York, Wong stepped out of the circle.
"Ah good, I see you didn't listen to me again and waited.."
His expression was a mixture of seriousness and annoyance, his voice deeply sarcastic.
"Hello Miss Laufeydottir..Sylvie."
He nodded to her and then sat down in the chair that the enchantress had just left in a huff.
"What did you tell her?"
"Well, what we know..that she's in danger. That we found out she's the Anchor Being of the multiverse."
While Sylvie was busy thinking feverishly about how she could get out of here as quickly as possible, Wong let out a deep sigh.
"Sure, why be considerate and tell people such important things GENTLY, when you can just as easily go like a bull at a gate..and you really used to look after terminally ill patients for a living?"
Strange shrugged his shoulders, "Well, I mainly did the operations.." he began somewhat meekly, "..most of the time I entrusted the serious conversations to Christine."
"Probably better that way," the Asian commented and turned to Sylvie with a final reproving look towards Strange, "don't you want to sit down so we can talk about this?"
But the goddess shook her head in response to his offer and walked towards the two wizards with a raised index finger.
"No, I'm not going to sit down! You two are going to take me right back to where HE snatched me from!"
She pointed at the bearded wizard, whereupon Wong frowned and looked at his friend and colleague.
"Please tell me you didn't just let her fall through a portal without warning?"
His tone sounded as if he already knew the answer to his question.
Another shrug from Strange confirmed the whole thing, "That was the best option. Quick and easy."
The Sorcerer Supreme held his hand in front of his head, sighing deeply.
"And that's exactly where you're going to take me now! Back to the End of Time" Sylvie announced once more.
She'd had enough of sitting in this absurd place, listening to stories about Anchor Beings and nebulous dangers..enough of people trying to protect her from something.
Enough of not being able to be where she so desperately wanted to be right now.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do that."
Even Wong, who had just been outraged by his colleague's rushing ahead, gave Sylvie a look that confirmed the other man's words.
"It's too dangerous."
"Why?!"
With a wave of his hand, Strange made a third chair appear.
"Would you please sit down. I promise to tell you everything we know."
This was the moment he had longed for with every fiber of his being.
She was here.
Real and true..in flesh and blood.
And while his hand stroked over hers and a cocktail of emotions flooded him with every further touch, Sylvie finally said what he couldn't bring himself to say out of sheer excitement.
"You have no idea how long I've been wanting to.."
And in that moment..the moment in which the timelines took her so naturally into their midst, against all their fears, enveloping them as if in a cocoon..
..a realization hit him..a certainty..a revelation.
Perhaps the burden of this throne had never meant that he was doomed to be alone for all time.
Maybe it had never been what the branches wanted.
With Sylvie, his focus, his whole life, the glorious purpose had turned inside out in the blink of an eye.
Their fates had been intertwined from the moment they first met.
So why had he assumed that had changed after his sacrifice?
Why the hell had he thought he had to shut her out in order to protect her?
With one look into her eyes, the last bit of worry vanished..the last bit of fear..replaced by a warmth that spread throughout his body.
His hand was on her lower back and it felt like it had always belonged there..just like hers on his cheek.
It felt like destiny.
"That makes two of us.."
They drew closer and closer and as Loki gazed at her slowly opening lips, a wave of electricity shot through every cell in his body.
Longing.
Part of him wanted to pull her to him right then and there and hold her so tightly that no one could ever tear her away from him again.
The other part savored every second as their faces slowly drew closer together.
And when he finally felt her breath on his skin, her soft lips on his..
..a gigantic maelstrom pulled him down.
"What we know so far is that you two are connected to the multiverse and therefore the timelines through your special bond and the path you have taken together.."
Sylvie, who had reluctantly taken a seat in the third chair, now listened attentively to the explanations despite her impatience.
"Loki Laufeyson's connection is physical, evident..after all it was him who destroyed the Loom and created the tree. Your role in all of this is more difficult to grasp, but no less elemental..quite the opposite. As I said, it was you who, through this..courageous decision, liberated the multiverse in the first place."
"And that makes me this..this Anchor Being?"
Wong took the floor for his colleague, "This whole thing with the Anchor Beings is new territory for us, too. All we know so far is that one of these beings exists on every timeline to stabilize and anchor it..and that it's you that anchors the entire multiverse."
"Wow.."
That was all she could say..it wasn't just hard to grasp.
It was completely surreal.
Even the second time she heard it.
"Who or what determines these Anchor Beings and according to which criteria they are selected is still beyond our knowledge, but we know that they are crucial for the continued existence of the timelines and the multiverse."
Sylvie was lost in thought, "Everything draws me there..the dreams..the conversation with this being...the branches..Loki.."
Wong nodded in agreement, "I guess the best way to think of it is like this - just as children long for their parents, the multiverse longs for its two creators."
"Nicely said" Strange commented with a wry grin, "who would have thought you were such a romantic."
"Well, that's the best way to explain it."
"Got it, Beyoncé."
Sylvie took no notice of the banter between the two wizards and shook her head incessantly in irritation.
"But then I don't understand..why would it be so dangerous for me to be in this place..the End of Time..if I really am this 'Anchor Being'?"
Both men now looked at Sylvie with similarly meaningful expressions.
"What we know at this point is that the cosmic energy emanating from the two of you together is so strong that it draws enormous attention to the center.."
The words evoked an ominous fear that the goddess tried to suppress with all her might.
"..and we assume that in this very moment, evil forces are already in the process of taking notice of you, Sylvie."
"Sylvie..."
Her name echoed in his ears, but she was no longer there.
And neither was he.
He was falling..
Desperately, the god tried to hold on to something.
This wasn't a descent into a timeline..it was like this one moment before falling asleep, when you lose all orientation in a matter of seconds and the only thing you feel is sheer panic.
And then he suddenly had solid ground under his feet again.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in.."
The voice was the first thing he recognized..a voice that seemed to come out of nowhere and was strangely familiar. It reminded him of someone from the past, except that he couldn't put a person or a face to it.
Then he opened his eyes.
And found himself in a room of darkness.
"God of Stories, now that's an unexpected pleasure."
Loki tried to make use of his gift of being able to grasp a situation as quickly as possible. A gift that had improved a lot during the centuries he had spent as a time traveler trying to save the Loom.
Normally, despite the infinity of the timelines, he always knew exactly where he was in the multiverse.
He was shocked to realize that this situation was completely beyond his control.
What he could see was that he was in a building, a structure that looked like a cathedral. A cathedral built of black steel and stone, with floor-to-ceiling windows framed in stained glass, like in an old gothic church.
But despite the high windows, hardly any light penetrated the room.
Loki had no idea whether he was on a planet or in the middle of space.
And even less about which branch he had landed on.
"We're finally meeting."
It had been a long time since anything had triggered a similar feeling in him as this situation..this atmosphere..this voice.
The burden of his sacrifice, the responsibility of the World Tree, had made him one of the most powerful beings in the entire multiverse.
But at that moment, something crept up inside him that he hadn't felt for a long time.
No, that wasn't true..
This anxious feeling, this fear, was in essence similar to the one he had felt in the dream..the vision..of the captured Sylvie.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?"
A green carpet led through the gigantic room directly to a staircase and finally to an enormous throne.
There sat the person to whom the voice belonged.
A figure in massive armor, wrapped in a green cape.
"Why don't you come closer? Then we can talk."
After a brief moment of deliberation, Loki took steady steps towards the man and with each step, the figure revealed itself a little more.
A hood covered half of his head..
A mask on his face..
At the foot of the stairs, the god finally stopped.
"I ask you again, who are you?"
The most obvious and logical explanation was that this was a Variant of He who Remains.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Loki snorted contemptuously and tried to peer into the man's eyes behind the mask and the two slits that allowed him to see.
"I love solving puzzles. I haven't had enough of that in the recent past," the god said with a biting sneer, trying not to let his uncertainty about this whole situation show, "if you won't tell me who you are..why don't you enlighten me on how I got here?"
At his answer, the man's voice sounded amused, almost satisfied.
"You've been hiding really well behind your branches, God. They shield you. One could almost say you're untouchable.."
Then, in one powerful move, he stood up and took a step down.
"..but apparently not as untouchable as you think. A fact that is truly gratifying."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Loki's voice was a mixture of annoyance and a steadily growing uncertainty.
The World Tree was outside of space and time..and he WAS untouchable.
"A moment of inattention coupled with a blast of energy of cosmic proportions.."
The man walked down another flight of stairs as a frightening thought spread through Loki.
The touch..
The kiss..
Sylvie..
~"The multiverse is becoming more and more unstable and so are your walls, God of Stories." ~
At that moment, Loki was struck by the being's words..about the barriers between worlds becoming more porous..the system becoming unstable..
That it would collapse eventually..
"I'm not really here..this is a mirage," the god interpreted the situation according to the facts, but hated how uneven and alarmed his voice sounded.
"That's right," the masked man confirmed with only two steps separating him from Loki, "but soon we will meet face to face, God of Stories."
Loki snorted, "I doubt that. I have no idea how you managed to create this illusion. But you certainly won't succeed in finding me."
The man's laughter was muffled by the mask, but it was strangely familiar, too.
"Maybe I don't have to find you. Perhaps it will be you who will come looking for me."
With these words, he pulled the mask from his face and Loki's breath caught.
This was no Variant of He who Remains.
What the hell was this?
"Stark..? Tony Stark?"
It was him and it wasn't.
"Not quite. I'm the one who Stark was always meant to become. The best version of him, so to speak."
Loki gazed into the scarred face, the brown eyes tinged with a strange, ominous glint.
"You'll never get past me. I protect the multiverse against the likes of you!"
The man's grin reminded Loki of his encounter with the Avenger in New York.
Only that there was no Avenger in front of him.
"Arrogant and narcissistic to the bitter end," the man said with amusement, "but who am I to condemn pursuit and ambition."
He raised his hands in a powerful gesture, whereupon lightning lit up the entire room in a fraction of a second.
The cathedral, which had just been completely dark and lifeless, was now filled with an energy that electrified everything around them and seemed to flow straight through his body.
Even his eyes were caught up in it and began to flicker with electricity.
"Maybe you'll manage to protect the multiverse..for now. But does that also apply to the ones you love?"
An icy shiver ran down Loki's spine..and once again the warning words of the Being forced themselves upon him.
And one statement in particular...
~ "He will look for the flaw in the system, the weak spot in the equation.." ~
"I am the downfall of the old and will be the ruler of a new era!"
A wave of electricity shot from his hands and at the same time Loki felt the maelstrom again, pulling him down.
The man's last words echoed in his ears as he lost his footing.
"And when the time comes, your throne will be mine."
The Sorcerer Supreme spoke of evil forces and enormous dangers..
..but Sylvie's head was spinning with only one thought at that moment.
One single fear..
"Does that..does that mean I have to stay away from Loki?"
The two men exchanged glances and even before Wong answered, Sylvie knew she didn't want to hear the answer.
"Right now, that's what it means, yes."
At that moment, tears began to well up in the goddess's eyes.
"No!"
Her shake of the head in denial was punctuated by crossed arms and standing up again.
And this time she had no intention of sitting down again.
"No, I won't accept that!"
With her fists clenched and an unbridled rage in her stomach, she paced back and forth in front of them.
"And not to mention, Loki isn't safe on that throne..those evil forces, whatever asshole is behind it..they'll be out to attack HIM..and they're probably already doing that. These seizures he's having..plus he's getting thinner. He's not safe where he is..especially so completely alone!!!"
Instead of defense, she saw nods of agreement.
"You're right, but that's something we'll have to deal with later."
In addition to anger and incomprehension, her next words contained a fear that overshadowed everything, "I'm not leaving him alone! Now that I know he's vulnerable. We've only just made it to the End of Time..I'm not abandoning him!!!"
"Miss Laufeydottir..Sylvie," Strange began with a mild tone that was really weird for him and leaned towards her, "I understand you and we will do something about this, I promise. But first we have to get you to safety.."
Sylvie snorted angrily and in complete defensiveness.
No one would take that away from her.
No one would take Loki from her.
"..we need to get you to safety so he can be safe too.."
Wong's tone was understanding..his words and the reasoning in them got through to her, though she fought it with all her might.
"..so that your fight for a free multiverse..your fight for Free Will has not been in vain."
Sylvie stopped instantly, her gaze fixed on the floor.
Loki's safety..
The free multiverse..
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
When she spoke, her voice was barely more than a whisper.
"And where..where do you want to take me?"
Through tear-clouded eyes, the goddess looked at the two wizards, who nodded to each other.
Wong stood up and began to create a portal with hand movements. The sparks flew and opened the circle of light bit by bit.
A blue, almost cloudless sky and what looked like a gate appeared on the other side.
A gate on a bridge.
"I assume you've heard of Valhalla?"