Chapter 389: Loki, God of Stories: "Long Time No See, Ethan"
Every step Ethan took through the Void in search of the so-called exit felt like walking along the very edge of time. All around him lay endless chaos and darkness. The occasional glimmer of starlight was only a lonely speck in the vast emptiness.
He followed Alioth, the demon cloud, the whole way. Just when he was about to reach his limit, he found a hidden entrance.
If Ethan hadn't absorbed the Space Stone's energy, he never would have found the place.
Why go to so much time and trouble to find Loki, God of Stories?
By rights, there was still a real gap between Ethan's power and that of the God of Stories. If Loki meant him harm, Ethan's life would be in danger.
The first reason was that Ethan didn't believe Loki would hurt him. Loki was the God of Stories now, after all. To put it bluntly, who was Ethan that the God of Stories would bother going after him?
Loki had only to snip a single timeline, and Ethan's whole world would vanish.
As Ethan saw it, Loki as the God of Stories held supreme power to rewrite fate and control timelines. If he truly wanted to harm Ethan, it would take no more effort than lifting a hand.
Yet Loki had never shown the slightest hostility. He had even guided Ethan by appearing to him in a dream. That convinced Ethan there was some connection or mission between them that had yet to be revealed.
Ever since Loki had appeared in that dream, Ethan had wanted to meet the God of Stories. He had a great many questions to ask.
Ethan had reasons he could not ignore for coming here.
At last he reached the end of time: the Citadel that had once belonged to He Who Remains, now Loki's palace, and his prison.
As Ethan crossed a threshold that seemed to shut out all noise, the view unfolded before him, more magnificent and mysterious than anything he could have imagined.
The World Tree, the legendary colossus said to hold up all things in the cosmos and connect countless times and spaces, now towered before him. Its height seemed to pierce the sky, while its roots plunged deep into the void. It radiated a majesty and vastness beyond words.
Light filtered through its leaves like shards of time, drifting slowly through the air and bathing the whole space in a soft, living green.
Ethan took a deep breath. The air was thick with the scent of the ancient and the newborn intertwined, and he felt both awe and anticipation.
He set off along a path formed naturally by massive branches, heading deeper in. Every step seemed to cross the boundary of countless growth rings.
Along the way, bubbles floated in the air, dazzling and colorful as a kaleidoscope. Each held a whole, self-contained world and its story.
In the bubbles, Ethan could see Captain America battling Iron Man.
Hawkeye fighting Deadpool.
Natasha and Tony falling in love.
Spider-Man becoming Captain America.
Scenes from every kind of world surfaced in those bubbles.
Yet as tempting and fascinating as they were, Ethan didn't linger. He had a far more important goal in mind: the being on the throne at the very heart of this mysterious place, Loki, God of Stories.
He knew that only by finding Loki could he resolve the questions in his heart, and perhaps even save the entire multiverse from disaster.
The deeper he went, the stranger and more solemn his surroundings became.
At last, guided by a light, Ethan arrived before the throne.
Loki, the supreme being who held dominion over time and reality, sat there in silence.
He wore green battle robes and a horned crown set with gems. His hands gripped a scepter woven from countless branches of the World Tree, and every branch seemed to be a living timeline flowing slowly under his control.
His cape had become countless timelines, woven into intricate patterns that set the mind wandering endlessly over the mysteries of time.
A tangle of emotions filled Ethan's eyes as he gazed at Loki, trying to read something in the god's face.
He didn't know how long Loki had been sitting here like this, without moving.
A thousand years?
Ten thousand?
Longer?
He understood that while Loki had gained power over time and reality, that power had also brought him endless bondage and loneliness.
Of course he could leave the throne. But he couldn't.
The moment he left, the whole multiverse would descend into chaos and collapse, and every story and every history would be mercilessly wiped clean.
In that moment, Ethan felt deeply the price, and the helplessness, of becoming a god.
Loki, the seemingly exalted god of time, was really more like a prisoner held captive by time.
His life was bound tightly to the entire multiverse. He could not escape it, and he could never be free of it.
Ethan couldn't help wondering: if Loki needed to take care of basic bodily needs, like eating or using the bathroom, what was he supposed to do?
His mind couldn't help sketching one absurd, bizarre scene after another, trying to drag this deity back down into the smoke and fire of ordinary life.
Just as his thoughts drifted away, Loki finally opened his eyes.
They were so deep they seemed able to swallow all light, and so distant they seemed to have crossed endless time and space to stare straight into the mysteries of the cosmos.
A flicker of amusement crossed Loki's eyes. He seemed to have seen straight through the question in Ethan's mind. He gave a soft laugh, his voice part teasing, part at ease. "At our level, we no longer need to eat to replenish our energy. Food means nothing to us. Unless, of course, one simply enjoys eating."
Loki's meaning was clear. They no longer needed to eat, and they no longer needed the bathroom.
Ethan knew exactly who Loki meant by "one."
One of the Five Great Gods of the Marvel Universe.
The Devourer of Worlds, also known as Galactus.
The one who loved to devour planets.
Ethan said nothing. He simply looked at Loki. He wanted to know what Loki knew, and what kind of enemies he would face in the future.
"Ethan."
"Long time no see."
"It's been a very, very long time since we last met."
Loki's voice was low and resonant, as if it could pierce every barrier and reach straight into the heart.
Loki knew everything about Ethan: that his soul didn't belong to this world, every experience he'd ever had, even the so-called System inside him.
At Loki's words, a shiver ran through Ethan before he could stop it.
What did that mean?
When had he ever met Loki?
Ethan knew Loki wasn't talking about the time in the dream. He meant some other time.
And by Loki's account, a very, very long time had passed. But Ethan was twenty-three this year, twenty-four at most. That was hardly a long time to the God of Stories.
So when exactly had they met?
Could it be that this trip to the Marvel world wasn't his first transmigration?
Could it be that he hadn't come to the Marvel world from his old Earth at all?
If that were true, then why did he have his so-called memories of Marvel?
Loki found Ethan's grave, stunned expression amusing. He had never seen that look on Ethan's face before.
"Relax. To be precise, the last time we met, it wasn't you. It was your previous life."
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you