In the corridors of the Time Management Bureau, Sylvie quickly strode forward, with Loki trailing behind her. He voiced out his concerns to Sylvie, "Do you think what Ravona said is true? Even if we gather Loki's power, we wouldn't be able to fight off the Director?"
"But we have to try; we can't just wait here to die, can we?" Sylvie responded without breaking her stride, continuing as they moved forward. "Even if, as you say, the Director wouldn't be able to return for some time, we have to prepare early."
"Indeed, I have a bad feeling that his departure is only temporary – he will return one day. I just hope that when that moment arrives, we, united as one, can resist him," she said.
Upon opening the door to an office, Sylvie quickly surveyed the room and began, "This should be it. The machine is correct. It's yellow, didn't Ravona say that?"
Loki stepped toward the machine in the room and said as he contemplated, "Ravona said that the Time Management Bureau has the power to split someone else's timeline. A small device used to do this can only split the timeline of one person at a time. Hence she used the explosion of the large device to send away all the pesky Lokis at once."
Sylvie approached the machine and slapped it on its side, saying, "So, if we're going to find those Lokis in the Void, we also need to use this machine, but …"
Sylvie cast a glance at Helen, huddled in Loki's arms, hesitated a moment before admitting, "I know that you and your daughter are always together, but what we're about to do is extremely dangerous. It would be best if you left her here."
"I won't! I won't! I don't want to stay here!" Helen began to yell, sobbing and throwing a tantrum against Loki. Sylvie tried to pull her away, but with no effect. In the end, Sylvie, a bit helpless, said, "I am certain now that she must be your daughter. I remember, when I was young, I used to lie against Frigga in the same way …"
"Don't worry. She's special and should not encounter any danger," Loki shook his head. "The only issue is that she probably won't be very friendly to those Lokis – her bite is quite painful, right?"
Sylvie rolled her eyes and said, "You'd better educate her right away. We are going to enlist their help, not make enemies. If she begins biting people, then there's no hope of collaboration."
Loki whispered something to Helen that seemed like a rebuke, but in fact, he was doing nothing to dissuade her. Lowering her voice, Helen assured him, "Don't worry. I will show them who's boss!"
Sylvie stepped forward and started the machine as Ravona had instructed. Following a flash of golden light, the two appeared in a strange space.
Below them was barren land, while above was filled with countless fragments shimmering with fantastical brilliance. Loki and Sylvie looked up together. Sylvie exclaimed, "These must be the timelines of the cosmos. Unbelievable - there really is a place in the universe that exists beyond time."
Loki looked into the distance and soon spotted two buildings on the plain, one towering over the other - very conspicuous.
The taller one was a watchtower, the smaller, a tent. Loki squinted and lowered his voice, "It seems that they've spotted me. Let's go; right now we should …"
The next moment, a magic wand was pointed at his forehead. Black Loki, with a dark complexion and wearing a horned crown, coldly stared at Loki while holding the magic wand.
Loki promptly raised his hands and smiled at him, "Hey! I'm also Loki. I'm one of you too. I think we can talk peaceably …"
Instantly however, the magic wand glowed, and Black Loki swung it at Loki. Loki snorted and stepped back, "Helen, bite him!"
When Sylvie and Loki were escorted into the tent, Black Loki was covered in teeth marks, giving away a defeated look. Looking at him, Old Loki who sat in the tent turned to Loki who just walked into the tent, "Did you get a dog?"
Spreading out his hands, Loki smilingly said to them, "Nice to meet all of you. As you can see, I'm also Loki. This is my daughter, Helen, and this is Sylvie, who too is a Loki - the only female Loki in the entire cosmos, or at least she used to be …"
Upon hearing Loki's last sentence, the other Lokis furrowed their brows, exchanged glances, and raised their eyebrows.
Sitting on the throne in the middle of the tent was a young Loki, who appeared to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, still a child. He reclined on the throne, exuding an arrogant and domineering aura, but the older Lokis did not seem to mind.
"Which Loki are you?" asked Young Loki.
Loki shook his head, "I have no defining features, just an ordinary Loki - the Time Management Bureau apprehended the wrong person."
Black Loki, looking a bit battered and sitting in a chair, snorted, "Every Loki that's come here has said that. You don't need to lie to yourself."
"I'm speaking the truth. If there is indeed something that differentiates me from you guys, it's probably that I have a daughter. She's adorable, isn't she?" Loki elevated his hand that was holding Helen.