The Time Prison was one of the Time Variance Authority's core facilities. It housed countless beings who had disrupted the timeline.
And there were all kinds. For example, many versions of Loki were locked inside. Not just Loki—there were countless other creatures confined within the Time Prison.
So when Agent Mobius spoke, the outsider Loki stared at him in disbelief. After all, he was already part of the team! Loki had joined Mobius to help track down another Lady Loki. The downside was running around constantly. The upside was avoiding prison.
He had just gotten out of prison life—and now he was being told he might be thrown back in?!
Most importantly... just for this offense, was Mobius really going to send his temporary teammate to the Time Prison?
Was that necessary?
Who mattered more? I'm your teammate—he's the outsider!
Under Loki's stare, Mobius met his eyes for a moment before looking away. But Loki got the message. This one would be overlooked for now. Behave yourself.
The outsider Loki understood immediately. Talk was talk. But in the end, only their own people decided how things would go. That was enough.
He let out a breath of relief, then stood with Mobius to bow in apology. His tone was earnest. His words sounded sincere. On the surface, it seemed fine.
But Loki beside Thor knew better. This man wasn't truly sorry. He knew himself far too well. For Loki to genuinely admit fault, he would have to hit a wall or suffer miserably first.
So he glanced at his brother-in-law, Lorien, giving him a subtle signal.
Lorien caught Loki's look. The meaning was clear: This bastard isn't really apologizing. He knows himself too well.
Lorien shook his head helplessly. He had already made his stance clear in this discussion—this universe was not to be touched.
As for the rest, it was none of his business. He had no interest in interfering.
So, with things settled, Lorien rose and walked to the conference room door. As he passed Mobius and Loki, who had just finished apologizing, he said flatly,
"Handle your own affairs. Choose your own future—whether it's right or wrong."
Then he left with Gwen and Wanda.
Mobius stared at the door. He understood. Lorien was reminding him. He didn't care about Mobius either. But if you made a mistake, you'd better be careful. Choose the right path whenever possible.
When Lorien opened the door and stepped out, a few superheroes were still outside, some sitting, some standing, chatting together.
Venom Eddie lingered in a corner, withdrawn, holding a quiet conversation with himself.
"Eddie, there are so many powerful people here. With all these incredible individuals on Earth, why didn't they put down the riots sooner?"
Eddie stood in the corner, hands in his pockets, murmuring his reply.
"You're oversimplifying things, Venom. Humans have social systems. Even if they're incredibly strong, there are always stronger people or rules holding them back."
"Superheroes have their own set of regulations too. They can't just do whatever they want."
Venom thought about this, then came to a conclusion.
"Then you must not be strong enough."
"What?" Eddie froze.
"Look, Eddie. When that man arrived earlier, they were as obedient as sheep. They all listened to him. And two powerful women followed him—especially the captain from that night. She was with him too."
Eddie paused, considering.
It did seem true. That incredibly strong woman from that night—Spider-Woman—was following that man today as well.
And then there was Scarlet Witch from the Goddess Alliance.
So...
"Wait!" Eddie suddenly snapped to attention.
"What is it?" Venom asked.
"I just remembered! I know who that man is!" Eddie exclaimed, excitement surging.
He fumbled through his pockets, trying to find his notebook and camera. Only after pulling everything out did he realize.
"Oh right... I'm not a reporter anymore. What a shame—this would've been huge news."
Venom grew even more confused.
"What's going on?"
"You really don't know much, do you?" Eddie sighed, then began explaining.
"First off, besides the Avengers, the first independent alliance to blow up online was the Goddess Alliance."
"The Goddess Alliance only has two members: Spider-Woman, the one who led the Spider-Alliance that night, and Scarlet Witch, who used to be one of the Avengers' strongest."
"But that's not all."
"Less than a week before you found me, both members of the Goddess Alliance suddenly verified personal hero accounts on TikTok. And at the same time, they followed one account and announced their partner."
"It was just a blank account, nothing on it, except for a bio that read: Husband of the Goddess Alliance."
"That's so cool, Venom!"
"To this day, countless people are trying to figure out who owns that account. What does he look like? What powers does he have?"
"And we just saw him!"
"The Goddess Alliance follows one man. Who else could it be but him?"
As a former top-tier reporter, Eddie's reaction was quick. And upon realizing this, he couldn't hide his excitement.
If he were still in the business, this scoop alone would have been enough to make him rich.
Just think about how many people wanted to know who the Goddess Alliance's husband was. Too many to count.
But now that Eddie was an Avenger, he didn't dare say a word. He knew the consequences all too well. Disappearing without a trace would be the best-case scenario.
Venom, however, didn't seem impressed.
"That's it?"
"That's it?!"
Eddie froze, then cursed inwardly.
"You don't know jack about news, Venom. Tell me, do symbiotes on your homeworld have genders?"
"No. Symbiotes are genderless."
"Right. Now imagine the two strongest symbiotes on your homeworld suddenly declaring loyalty to one symbiote."
"Whoa~! That's wild. Who would they choose?"
"Exactly what humans are wondering."
"Alright, that's pretty interesting. So the Goddess Alliance pledged loyalty to that guy we just saw?"
"Of course."
After some back-and-forth, Eddie finally got Venom to understand just how massive this was.
But the next moment, Venom's voice suddenly grew tense.
"He's coming out. Wait—something's wrong, Eddie! He's strong! Really strong!"
"???" Eddie froze, startled by Venom's trembling voice inside him.
"Why? How did you sense it? Why didn't you feel it before, but now you do?"
"I don't know!" Venom's tone shook with fear. His voice carried a shrinking, almost cowering edge.
"Maybe we just didn't notice him before. But now—I feel it, Eddie. A primal fear! He's insanely powerful! Stronger than anything I've ever encountered! He's a god!"
"!!!"
Eddie's eyes widened in shock. He looked at Lorien in disbelief.
So the Goddess Alliance's husband wasn't an ordinary person at all.
He wasn't even just a superhero.
...
But someone powerful as a god! No wonder.
Hearing this, Eddie felt both terrified and relieved. Terrified because he had actually been bold enough to consider exposing that person earlier. Thankfully, he hadn't lost his mind and dismissed the idea beforehand. Relieved because strength truly belonged to the strong. A man like that should enjoy the finest things in the universe.
If an ordinary person had somehow won the Goddess Alliance, Eddie would have felt it was unfair. Why should someone so ordinary deserve a goddess? Impossible. But this outcome made sense.
At that moment, Lorien, who had just stepped out, immediately sensed Eddie's wide-eyed stare. His eyes swept over Eddie. Eddie quickly pulled his hands out of his pockets and stood stiffly upright. Lorien's gaze lingered on him for less than a fraction of a second before he turned away, leaving with Wanda and Gwen.
As for the other superheroes, a glance and a nod were enough.
After Lorien left, Natasha, Thor, Loki, the outsider Loki, Agent Mobius, and the TVA staff remained inside. The moment Natasha saw Lorien depart, her expression hardened as she turned to Mobius.
"You're fools. This was your only chance to establish contact with this universe, and you wasted it with your ignorance."
After Natasha spoke, Thor, watching Lorien leave, finally relaxed a little and added,
"Anything else to say? If not, then go. This universe doesn't welcome you anymore."
Loki looked at the outsider Loki with a smile.
"If you ever get the chance to return to your timeline, remember this: even the God of Mischief knows the difference between petty tricks and grand designs. Don't cling to the throne as if it matters. It's meaningless."
Natasha and Thor's words, the outsider Loki could accept. But Loki's words—those he couldn't.
He turned to Loki, his voice cold.
"If not for this universe's peculiarity, Thanos would have snapped your neck long ago. What's the difference between grand schemes and petty tricks? As long as I'm happy, that's all that matters."