With overwhelming awe, Sylvie followed Wanda and Gwen into the Little Universe.
But before stepping through, she paused to study the entrance. The swirling blue mist was the clash of two timelines at their boundary—something that had been casually embedded inside this house. And it was so stable!
How was that even possible? This was beyond incredible.
Once inside the Little Universe...
"Mmm~"
Sylvie was struck again. She stared at the distant mountains and sweeping landscapes, the endless sky above and the vast expanse stretching on and on.
This was a real universe.
An entire cosmos, kept in someone's home as a backyard? Just how powerful did one have to be to make that possible?
She couldn't even begin to imagine. She could only be stunned.
When she looked forward again, Lorien was already reclined on a lounge chair in the garden lawn. Wanda and Gwen were setting breakfast and snacks on the table. The chairs were arranged in a circle with a wooden table in the center.
Once everything was ready—
"Sit."
Lorien's voice came from the chair.
It was clearly directed at Sylvie, and she quickly went over and sat down. Gwen and Wanda took their seats beside Lorien, leaving Sylvie directly across from him.
As the food was laid out, Lorien sat up, speared a piece of watermelon with his fork, took a bite, and said,
"Do you want to know everything about the Time Variance Authority?"
"Mhm, mhm, mhm!" Sylvie nodded furiously.
"Lean your forehead forward."
"?"
Sylvie froze at his words, then obediently leaned closer, offering her forehead.
Lorien raised his hand and tapped it lightly. He had no interest in explaining piece by piece. Far easier to pass along most of the TVA's knowledge directly. Wanda and Gwen already knew it anyway.
Sylvie felt the flood of information surge into her mind. Closing her eyes, she focused on absorbing it. After skimming through the mass of knowledge, she suddenly opened her eyes wide in shock.
"Every Multiverse has a Time Variance Authority—and a Kang the Conqueror?"
"Yes." Lorien nodded.
"Then what do we do? We can't possibly take on every single TVA!" Sylvie felt a wave of frustration rise.
There were so many. Even if only one had targeted them, moving against one would mean trouble with the others sooner or later. What could they possibly do?
Each Multiverse contained countless universes. And each Multiverse had its own TVA.
What the hell—was this some kind of nesting doll nightmare?
Seeing her agitation, Wanda and Gwen exchanged a smile.
"Have you thought about this?" Gwen asked lightly. "What if all we need to do is change the TVA in our own Multiverse?"
Sylvie frowned, puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
Both Wanda and Gwen turned to Lorien. Sylvie followed their gaze.
Lorien took another bite of watermelon, then looked straight at her.
"The truth is, you've never really asked yourself whether the TVA's existence is right or wrong."
"The reason you ended up like this—Was it the TVA itself that's wrong? Or the ones controlling it?"
In that instant, Sylvie's eyes widened in sudden realization.
"All this is Kang the Conqueror's doing?!"
Lorien raised an eyebrow. The meaning was obvious.
The existence of the Time Variance Authority itself wasn't wrong. What fault was there in repairing timelines? For the stability of the Multiverse, maintaining timelines was necessary.
The problem lay elsewhere.
It was the people behind it.
In short: reckless meddling.
So the TVA itself wasn't at fault. The ones controlling it were.
Sylvie understood this now.
"Then… should we kill Kang the Conqueror?" she asked.
"Would killing him even solve anything?"
Lorien chuckled.
"There are countless Time Variance Authorities. Kill Kang the Conqueror, and you'll still have Conqueror A, Conqueror B, Conqueror C, and on and on."
"Do you really think killing alone fixes the problem?"
"Use that mind of yours, God of Mischief. Combine it with the information I gave you. Think carefully.
What's the method that can make the universe more stable while avoiding future trouble altogether?"
Hearing Lorien's words, Sylvie fell into deep thought. She wasn't stupid. She would think this through seriously.
And based on what Lorien had said, it was clear: the TVA couldn't be destroyed outright. Destroying it was meaningless. Worse, it would only bring more chaos.
It was like a country—even if its government was rotten, those who toppled it wouldn't destroy the nation itself. They'd establish a new government.
So simple destruction wasn't the answer.
Once that concept sank in, the real solution became clear.
A spark lit in Sylvie's mind.
"We should replace the TVA's leadership, reorganize it completely, and kill Kang the Conqueror."
"Exactly."
Lorien nodded in approval.
"But there's one more problem."
"Hmm?"
"How do you ensure the next leaders won't repeat the same mistakes?"
Sylvie thought again.
"Replace them with our own people?"
Lorien smiled at her.
And in that moment, Sylvie fully understood.
So that was it. The TVA would remain.
But its leaders—all of them—would be replaced with their own people.
That would solve everything. No extra trouble. In fact, it would bring even greater advantages.
So it could be done this way!
But then another problem came up...
Once she calmed down, Sylvie glanced around at everyone.
"Then… who do we replace them with?"
Lorien's smile didn't fade.
Wanda looked at her with a smile too. Gwen as well.
Sylvie stared at their faces, all smiling at her.
"…Me?"
The three stayed silent.
Sylvie froze. A wave of panic rose.
"I can't handle the TVA."
"I can give you the ability," Lorien said calmly.
"But I'd be terrible at managing it..."
"It doesn't matter. As long as the Multiverse keeps turning," Lorien replied indifferently.
"I… I..."
Sylvie was speechless.
But truthfully—what Lorien was offering was incredibly tempting. No, it was overwhelmingly tempting.
Destroying the TVA would only vent her anger.
Controlling the TVA would give her a sense of power beyond measure.
That was true domination—striking both body and spirit.
Sylvie's heart was racing.
Yet she hesitated, weighed down by doubt.
Lorien could grant her the strength and even solve the issue of managing. But one thing still gnawed at her.
Not about him.
About herself.
"But… I'm not really one of you yet, am I?"
At last, Sylvie voiced her greatest fear.
She glanced at everyone's expressions, especially Lorien's.
What she didn't expect was Lorien's soft laugh. He turned his hand over, and a seal appeared in his palm.
Then he spoke gently.
"Simple. Imprint this on yourself, swear you'll never betray me—and we'll trust you completely."
Sylvie's eyes widened in shock.
What Lorien held was...
The Thought Imprint!