Feeling the oppressive aura brought by John, Loki suddenly showed a look of surprise and greeted the newcomer, "Hey, Dad."
Hearing Loki call out "Dad," John's body tensed up.
The fierce expression on his face instantly softened into one of warmth, like a spring breeze.
"Dad?"
John let out a hearty laugh and turned to the stern-faced Peter, saying, "Dad, I was just joking with Loki. You know how he always enjoys a bit of mischief, so I decided to play along. I did a pretty good job, didn't I?"
As he spoke, John affectionately gave Loki a light punch on the shoulder. "I almost even fooled you, didn't I, Loki?"
Loki was momentarily speechless.
Was this guy part dog?
The speed at which he changed his demeanor upon seeing their father was so fast that even Loki, a master of deception himself, felt outclassed.
"I need some rest. Hope you and Dad have a great chat."
Loki turned and walked away, heading toward his room.
As he walked, he waved at John and said, "Have a good night, my dear brother."
John clenched his fists in frustration, nearly exploding with anger, but he could only maintain a kind smile in front of Peter.
Just as he was about to explain something, he was caught off guard when Peter ignored him completely and simply turned away.
John stood there, dumbfounded, watching Peter leave.
Why did Dad suddenly ignore him and walk away?
As John was still processing the situation, Peter turned a corner and vanished.
Behind him, the real culprit—Loki, who had used illusion magic to create an image of their father—watched as John stood there in confusion, deceived. A mischievous smirk appeared on Loki's lips.
He had conjured the illusion of their father.
As expected, John fell for it instantly.
"Even though you have a body of steel, my dear brother, you're not without weaknesses."
Loki said smugly.
Nightfall
Loki closed his eyes, but suddenly, time around him seemed to shift.
When he opened them again, he found himself standing inside a magnificent palace, shimmering with gold.
Looking down at his attire, he realized he had taken on the appearance of a young man, dressed in regal robes, with a golden horned crown atop his head.
On the throne above, Peter sat, radiating an aura so divine that it was difficult to look at him directly.
Clad in golden armor, Peter held a long spear in his hand, with two ravens perched on his shoulders.
Below the throne stood John, Star-Lord, Clark, and many others, including several unfamiliar faces.
"Loki, from this moment forward, I bestow upon you the throne of Asgard and the inheritance of the farm. You shall lead everyone toward greatness and guide Asgard to an unimaginably brilliant future!"
"You are my greatest pride, my son!"
As Peter spoke, he stood up and extended the scepter toward Loki.
Overcome with emotion, Loki ascended the steps, barely able to contain his joy as he accepted the scepter—the symbol of kingship—from Peter's hands.
The suddenness and sheer impossibility of it all left him somewhat dazed.
Had he just… obtained everything he had ever dreamed of?
Glancing down at the audience, he saw that John, Star-Lord, and Clark did not seem to object.
Everyone was clapping enthusiastically, celebrating his coronation.
Even the other Lokis he had only ever seen in dreams—Alligator Loki, Lady Loki, and Old Loki—were all below, cheering for him.
Loki was overwhelmed, not just by the joy of being crowned king but by finally receiving his father's acknowledgment.
Just as he was savoring this incredible moment, a sudden commotion erupted below.
A girl in a red dress came running into the grand hall, her face filled with panic.
"Help! Save me! Someone is after me! Please, help me!"
The girl, having burst into the hall, spotted Loki and rushed toward him at full speed, grabbing onto his robe.
"Please! He's coming! Don't let him take me! I don't want to be captured!"
Before Loki could question how she had gotten in, there was a loud boom!
The great doors of Asgard's palace were forced open, and a figure, draped in a pitch-black cloak, slowly stepped inside.
Seeing his palace being defiled, Loki was instantly consumed with rage.
With a resounding boom, he leaped into the hall, brandishing the long spear his father had given him, pointing it at the intruder.
"Kneel!"
"I am the son of Podrick, King of Asgard, ruler of the Nine Realms! By my divine command, I order you, trespasser, to kneel before me!"
Before Loki could finish speaking, his arm was suddenly grabbed, and he was slammed into the ground.
Boom!
Caught off guard, Loki lost his balance and was swung around like a ragdoll, smashed into the floor multiple times.
The impact deformed the ground, scattering stone and dirt in all directions as dust filled the air.
Lying on the ground, Loki stared up at the ceiling, gasping for breath, questioning his very existence.
Seeing Loki get thrown around, the girl in the red dress let out a terrified scream and tried to run.
But the black-cloaked figure moved at an inhuman speed, appearing in front of her in an instant.
The girl extended her hand, and an invisible force rippled through the air, sending the cloaked figure flying backward with a heavy thud.
Seeing her chance, the girl attempted to escape.
But in the next moment, the ground beneath her caved in, and countless tentacles emerged, wrapping around her body and pulling her downward.
Despite her desperate struggles, she was ultimately dragged into the depths below.
Loki staggered to his feet, staring at the now-intact ground, then at the vanished cloaked figure.
He swallowed hard.
What the hell just happened?!
The guests, their excitement thoroughly ruined, soon left the palace.
And so, the grand coronation ceremony ended on an abrupt and anticlimactic note.
Back in his chambers, Loki found himself unable to stop thinking about the girl in red and the mysterious cloaked figure.
The Next Morning
Upon waking, Loki decided to visit the long-abandoned farm.
After teleporting there, he took in the familiar sight of the farm and was about to enter the living room—when the red-dressed girl from before appeared before him once again.
"Hey!"
Loki quickly called out to her. "Who are you? Who's chasing you?"
"You… you again?"
The girl in red seemed equally surprised to see Loki.
"This is my home. This farm is my home," Loki said, frowning. "Who exactly are you? Why do you keep appearing in front of me out of nowhere?"
"I—I'm Sarah. Sorry, I have to go. Now's not the time to talk."
With that, the girl vanished before Loki's eyes in the blink of an eye.
By the time Loki tried to chase after her, she was already gone.
"Damn it!"
Bang!
He punched the farm's fence hard.
A sharp pain shot through his fist, and in the next second, he suddenly opened his eyes, realizing he was lying in bed.
Surrounding him were Peter, Clark, John, and Star-Lord.
Peter looked at him with concern. "Are you okay, Loki?"
Seeing the mischievous troublemaker finally wake up, he let out a deep sigh of relief.
"I… what happened to me, Dad?"
Loki rubbed his head, feeling groggy and disoriented.
"You went to rest last night, but no matter how much we called you this morning, you wouldn't wake up. It's already evening—five in the afternoon, to be exact."
Star-Lord, standing nearby, added, "You've been asleep for an entire day and night."
"A day and a night?"
Loki was in disbelief. "Then… that means my coronation as King of Asgard was all fake?"
The realization hit him like a blow. He had inherited his father's throne, had been crowned King of Asgard… but now he was being told it was just a dream?
If it was fake, why had it felt so real?
A deep sense of loss washed over him.
Arzur crossed his arms and scoffed. "That's the only way you'd ever be crowned king—inside your dreams."
"Loki, what exactly happened?"
Peter frowned, looking at him intently.
Loki didn't hide anything and briefly recounted everything that had happened in his dream.
Of course, he left out the grand coronation and instead focused on the girl.
When he finished, Peter's frown deepened.
Sarah?
Could it be the girl who had just moved into their neighbor's house?
That girl was also named Sarah—and she had been in a deep sleep ever since she arrived.
Could Loki have been pulled into her dream?
Arzur seemed to be thinking the same thing. He glanced at Peter, his expression filled with doubt.
Clearly, they had both arrived at the same conclusion.
"Dad, could it be that girl?"
"There's a high possibility."
Peter nodded, then turned to Loki. "You remember what she looks like, right?"
"Yes, Dad, I remember her face."
Thirty minutes later, Loki stood beside Sarah's bed, looking down at the sleeping girl with a slight frown.
His eyes drifted to the pomegranate flowers in the vase on the bedside table.
In his dream, he had smelled the same floral scent on the girl.
After observing her for a while, Loki stepped out of the room.
Outside, Peter was speaking with Mike.
Seeing Loki emerge, Peter quickly wrapped up the conversation and bid farewell.
On the way back to the farm, Loki turned to Peter with a puzzled expression. "Dad, was I really inside her dream?"
"Brainwave activity increases during deep sleep," Peter explained. "Maybe your frontal lobe acted like a receiver, causing this strange coincidence."
Then he added, "Or maybe… that girl has powers similar to the Dream Lord—someone who can pull others into their dreams."
"Then… who was that man in the black cloak?"
"No idea," Peter replied. "But if I had to guess… he's the one she fears most, appearing in her dream as a nightmare."
Loki nodded slowly. "The Dream Lord…? Dad, do beings like that actually exist in this world?"