Loki is going to Olympus to meet Zeus as always, he was having a press conference just now, showcasing some things that he would do to keep the people rooting for him and the others supporting him.
After ensuring the people some victory promises. Loki immediately receives a call from Zeus which he immediately gets on the way now.
[ Olympus ]
" Uncle Zeus, it seems you have something to show me. " Loki arrives at Zeus' place as Zeus sits on his throne with one of his eyes covered with a steel blindfold.
Loki witnessed it, witnessing Zeus's covered eye.
" Ummm..., Uncle Zeus? "
" Why are you covering your left eye? " Loki wondered, for Zeus covering his eye reminds him of someone, not, two people.
" Uncle Zeus, are you cosplaying my Father, Odin? Or the White Demon? "
" I'm sorry if I had to mention the two, but for me, there's no other person in the world that could inspire you to wear a blindfold on your left eye. "
" Something wrong? " Loki asks, he begins to worry if there's something behind the left eye covering.
" You're right, I do begin to look like Odin with this eyepatch blindfold, not to mention White Demon. "
" Perhaps I decided to do this in order to fuel my resolve as well as to remind me of the past. "
" You know, Loki..., your Father, Odin, once battled me in a long match before he chose you for the Throne. "
" I believe it happened when [Universal Reboot] thing was still young and perhaps we did it in the earliest [Timeline Reboot]. "
" We battle each other, using our Divine Powers and Skills, fists aimed and weapons used. "
" I felt great at the time, your Father there was an interesting fighter I've seen after my own Father, Titan Chronos. " Zeus tells.
" You honor me, Uncle... " Loki replied.
Loki was honored, as his Father's name is mentioned. Loki's Father, the Previous Asgardian Ruler, and Allfather, Odin. Is one of the most powerful gods of all time after Zeus.
Back then, both Zeus and Odin are literally the two greatest powerhouses of the Divine. Few can rival them before Odin's unrecorded demise, a closed secret that is only known by the handful of gods, particularly speaking, Zeus himself.
"( Uncle must've praised me secretly if he's mentioning Father now... )" Loki thinks to himself.
" As the Son of Odin myself, I should be proud that the Great Ruler of the Earth's Heavens- "
" There was another one, though... " Zeus interrupts while touching both of his mechanically supported hands, immediately changing the topic before even praising Loki per Loki's expectation, for the reality is different.
" The White Demon. " Zeus suddenly mentions, followed with a great laughter.
" Guess both you and I are really paying the price for the Abyss Tower, didn't we? " Zeus suddenly asked as he opened the cover of his left eye, showing Loki his slashed left eye, making him frightened.
" UNCLE, WHAT HAPPENED!? " Loki asks as Zeus gives him the 'Silence' gesture, shutting Loki down.
* Zeus looks around. *
" Hey, Loki... " Zeus calls him.
" Do you believe that dreams and reality could be intertwined? " Zeus asks Loki about it.
" Uncle, wha- "
" Answer me, Loki..., I know you proudly introduce yourself to Mortals as the 'God of Luck', but in truth... "
" We know you were 'once' called the 'God of Trickery', right? The 'Divine Trickster'? " Zeus suddenly mentions it.
" I'm asking you this because things like 'casting illusions' and 'hiding reality' are part of your abilities, so I'm wondering... "
" What could you say, if I tell you... "
" That the goddamn 'White Demon', slashed my left eye in my dream. " Zeus tells Loki, frightening him.
" You must be joking. " Loki chuckles in his disbelief.
" Yes, I was known for 'Trickery' before my constant other-persona exposure to the Mortals, but... "
" Even in my greatest tricks, in my most difficult of illusions in other's thoughts and sight... "
" I never once could, harm people through their dreams. " Loki tells Odin, shaking his head, for such a thing is impossible and already out of the natural law.
" Oh Uncle, speaking of Dreams, I doubt it was him... "
" It must be your Hera's, Oneiroi, was it? "
" The 'Warden of Dreams' or some sort? I rarely met them... " Loki tells Zeus as he rubs his beard.
" That's the thing here, Loki. " Zeus replied to him.
" Even the Oneiroi almost lost their lives while accompanying me. " Zeus tells Loki which startled him.
" You're not serious? " Loki asks in disbelief.
" The 'Oneiroi', almost died in the world of dreams? " Loki asks in his disbelief.
" What kind of a threat the White Demon had become? " Loki asks even more, he begins to panic as he hears more about this.
" No Uncle, there must be an explanation to this. "
" I'm not trying to make you ignore the harm that had been done, but first... "
" Please relay me more about this... "
" Why are you, and the Oneiror..., both Divines..., inside the 'World of Dreams'? " Loki demands some answers, he said it because he was clueless about what exactly going on with Zeus before this very moment.
" You best sit down. " Zeus tells him as Loki invisibly pulls the chair to sit and looks at Zeus more seriously.
" I'm gonna tell you as effectively as I could, for the dream experience can sometimes be blurry and forgetful. " Zeus says while rubbing his left eye.
" The thing is, after the death of My Wife, Hera... "
" The Oneiroi and I decide to venture on the 'World of Dreams'*, seeking answers that we might not see in this Mortal Realm. "
" We venture through, seeing dreams after dreams of the Mortals. "
" Not just them, even the dreams of the Deviants we both had to scour. "
" Thankfully, The Oneiroi is one of the Divine Breeds that had been given unique access through the Universal Reboot Device, a huge access to witness and venture the dreams of the world that existed in the 'Dream World'. "
" But still, even with that great access. "
" We still have not found any dreams related to him. "
" But instead. " Zeus pauses for a bit.
" Carla... " Zeus mentions a name to Loki.
" During our search venture, we often listen to dreams that mentioned the very name. "
" A name so familiar to me, I know the name is common around humans, but... "
" Ah yes... "
" I do know a certain woman with the name and I think you might remember her from the Previous Timelines. "
" Carla Ragna Hikari Kent, our constant Divine Hero over the Timelines. "
" The one we always raised to defeat our enemies and the one we always betrayed once she was too close to winning. " Zeus mentions which makes Loki's eyes widened.
" That's what I thought Loki, as soon both of us heard the name, we immediately looked at the dream's visual to witness what was going on. "
" We both witnessed, an old man raging and crying while holding a poisoned and beaten woman, a woman that I'm sure is the woman whose full name I just mentioned, even better. "
" I've seen both of 'em, both the old man and the weakened woman, in different versions, as if the tragedy is constant and that made me begin to realize. " Zeus stops as he sharply looks at Loki.
" That we have an 'Awakener'*, existing in this Timeline. " Zeus tells Loki about this which makes him startled even more.
" What are you implying? " Loki asks Zeus as he rubs his left eye again.
" You see, as we were both interested in witnessing the mentioned dreams... "
" We were both attacked, as our surroundings became dark as the blackest night. "
" During the darkness, we both receive slashes that disturb our watching experience, especially Oneiroi who is aimed the most. "
" I tried to protect him, but. " Zeus taps his left eye, as he remembers the moment it was slashed, the moment he sees the face of his attacker with his other eye.
The White Demon, in the 'World of Dreams', glaring at him with his scarlet right eye. Glaring at Zeus with a hatred expression. something Zeus could get from him at that very moment.
" So what happens to The Oneiroi? " Loki asks Zeus as he looks at him.
" I make sure to make The Oneiroi leave first during the sudden attack. "
" I don't heard any news from The Oneiroi, nor do I hear any reports of The Oneiroi's Gifted Mortals had their Gifts' disappear. "
" So I guess The Oneiroi are laying low, for now. "
" For the better. " Zeus says it while looking at Loki.
" Loki. "
" Yes, Uncle. "
" Speaking of Carla Kent I mentioned earlier. "
" I remember you had her 'grandfather' on your sight, didn't you? "
" The name's 'Ragna Kent', was it? " Zeus asks.
" I did, I watched him during my free time since I favored his Uncle Andrew. "
" And I also remembered he joined into the Abyss Tower Raid. " Loki tells Zeus which made him more silent, immediately remembering the White Demon's face back in the dream world.
" Loki... " Zeus calls his name again.
" The Last Day before the Tournament is already half-passed. "
" Do we still have time? To do about some research or some sort? "
" A little research, perhaps..., just to fill our last day before 'Your Tournament'? " Zeus asks him.
" About the research, Uncle... " Loki suddenly mentions.
" Some mortals that I watched under, had already doing at the moment... " Loki tells Zeus.
" Really? Who? " Zeus wonders about it as Loki mentions the name.
" I see, so that's why you raised him to the S-Rank. "
" I knew you had planned things perfectly in your side. " Zeus while Loki chuckles and start explaining to Zeus about it.
_____________
Extra:
* 'Awakener'.
The Humans that had been awakened to their Previous Timeline Memories, giving them access on perhaps to their 'Previous Abilities' or some sort. One of 'em, however, is on the run right now, yes, it's Ragna Kent.
More Awakener explanation in Auxilliary Volume Chapter 1: What is going on? Part 1.
* The Oneiroi and I decide to venture on the 'World of Dreams'.
Zeus mentions what happened in Chapter 375: The Regret.