> "You talk too fast," Tony said, pacing in front of me in what looked like a sleek, glass-walled lab several stories above Manhattan.
"I'm trying not to die," I replied.
"Yeah? Same."
Tony Stark wasn't wasting time. He had dragged—no, airlifted—me straight from the alleyway into a private lab in Stark Tower. I didn't even have time to marvel at the tech. (Pun not intended.)
Now I sat in a high-backed stool, under surveillance, heartbeat monitored, with at least five drones scanning my vitals.
He hadn't told anyone else yet. Not even J.A.R.V.I.S. was fully looped in.
> "So let me get this straight," Tony said, gesturing with a glass of whiskey. "You've been reincarnated here from another reality. You have a 'system' in your head like some RPG. And you know everything that's going to happen?"
"Mostly everything. It's not a 1:1 copy."
"Uh-huh. And I'm just supposed to believe this isn't a fever dream or some Skrull prank?"
I paused. Then I dropped the bomb.
> "Loki's in Germany tomorrow. Stuttgart. He'll kill a man and steal eyeball data to get into a vault."
Tony froze.
---
[Reputation Update: Tony Stark +5 → (Skeptical Acceptance)]
[New Quest Unlocked: Forked Path – Interfere or Observe Loki's Arrival]
> Choices: A. Observe Loki and follow canon closely.
B. Intervene early to change the timeline.
C. Confront him and test Power Replication.
---
Ding.
Another prompt floated into view. I squinted at it.
---
[Power Replication – Lv. 1 Activated]
Target Proximity Required: 10 meters
Cooldown: 30 days per power
---
I grinned inwardly. I knew exactly who I wanted to target next.
---
> "Stark," I said carefully, "I need to be near Loki. And I mean soon."
"You know, most people say 'Hi, Tony, love your work, big fan' before they ask to shadow a Norse god with daddy issues and a magic stick."
Tony sighed, downing the rest of his drink.
> "I'm letting you out of this lab on one condition. You're coming with me to Stuttgart. You step out of line? I drop you faster than Rhodey in prototype armor."
"Deal."
---
Later That Night – S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, En Route to Europe
Nick Fury was not happy.
> "You brought who on board?" he asked Stark, eye twitching.
"He's like a human early-warning system. Relax. I ran a full scan—nothing alien, nothing hostile."
"And yet you're vouching for someone who talks like he's reading ahead in the script."
I stayed silent. I didn't need Fury on my bad side—not yet.
Wanda Maximoff sat a few seats across, eyeing me curiously. I nodded once. She looked confused—probably sensing the chaos in my mind. Understandable.
And then I felt it.
A pulse.
Power. Magic. Ego. Rage.
The quinjet lurched as a golden glow filled the night sky.
---
LOKI.
Descending like a goddamn dark prince, horned helmet gleaming, scepter in hand. Civilians screamed. Stark jumped into action.
> "Showtime," he muttered, suiting up.
I stayed low, hiding near a pillar. The 10-meter radius was nearly met. My HUD flashed.
---
[Power Replication Scan – Target: Loki Laufeyson]
Abilities Available: Illusion Magic, Minor Teleportation, Asgardian Durability (Filtered)
> Select One:
---
I didn't hesitate.
→ Illusion Magic Acquired.
---
The moment I felt it click—something shifted inside me. My perception expanded. I could sense my surroundings with eerie detail. I could feel how to replicate voices, appearances, even project clones.
It was like Loki had left a piece of himself behind.
And then he noticed me.
Amid the chaos—Iron Man grappling him mid-air, civilians running—his gaze snapped to where I stood.
He smiled.
> "You… are not from this realm."
My blood went cold.
---
[Emergency System Alert]
[Loki Has Detected Temporal Anomaly]
[WARNING: Timeline Interference Detected]
---
He raised the scepter toward me.
> "Curious little glitch."
Tony's voice shouted: "Get down!"
I dove just as a beam of blue light tore into the concrete.
Loki was no longer following canon.
He knew I wasn't supposed to exist.
---