Chapter 1081: Father and Son (Part Ten) (Patreon)

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Mobius led Lady Loki to a room at the end of the corridor. As soon as they entered, Lady Loki noticed an old-fashioned projector playing what seemed to be a movie.

Lady Loki couldn't be sure if it was indeed a movie because the projector had a peculiar shape and no place to insert a video tape. It resembled the scattered and steam-punk-like machinery that Helen had disassembled in the dressing room, exuding a rough and mechanical beauty.

In stark contrast to the projector was a table and two chairs in front of the wall where the movie was being projected.

These furniture pieces were clearly products of modern industry, with a touch of European luxury. From Lady Loki's aesthetic standpoint, they didn't match the overall style of the room and the building.

However, Mobius seemed to be fond of this set of furniture. He invited Lady Loki to sit across from him and served her a drink, saying cheerfully, "The table and chairs in the interrogation room were broken recently. We had these custom-made elsewhere, and they are much more comfortable than the cold benches we had before."

As Lady Loki sat down on the chair, she realized that they were blocking the view of the projector, and their silhouettes appeared on the wall where the projection was displayed. The light coming from the side was a bit dazzling.

Lady Loki saw that Mobius, sitting in this play of light and shadow, had one side of his face unusually bright, blurring the contours of his features. The other half of his face was immersed in deep darkness.

A hunch stirred within Lady Loki. She felt that this might be an omen of something.

She lowered her head and glanced at the drink in her cup. It was not transparent and looked like coffee. She took a sip and found the taste to be a blend between coffee and tea, slightly bitter yet fragrant. Lady Loki happened to be a bit thirsty, so she drank the whole cup in one go.

"You're very different from the other Lady Lokis," Mobius spoke up. "They wouldn't drink something they don't understand like you did. They always suspect that we might poison their drinks."

"They are right..." Lady Loki looked at Mobius and continued, "But they are also wrong. They are clever, yet foolish."

"You suddenly appeared in my life in such a manner, announcing your intention to arrest and judge me. Therefore, I should be cautious and suspicious of everything you offer me, suspecting that each item is a trap."

"But their foolishness lies in the fact that if you needed to use poison against me, you wouldn't have gone through all these procedures beforehand. The staffs you use and that peculiar machine are enough to set traps for me in my daily life, traps that are difficult to detect."

Mobius leaned forward, gazing at the dark-haired girl's beautiful face. After a while, he spoke, "You are the most beautiful Lady Loki I have ever seen..."

"This is not flattery or compliments. The aura you exude tells me that you are worthy of the title 'God.' You possess an inherent nobility and confidence that the other Lady Lokis lack."

"But they behave more arrogantly than I do, don't they?" Lady Loki touched her elbow with one hand, relaxing against the back of the chair. "They are full of hot air, baring their teeth and claws, constantly uttering phrases like 'lowly humans,' 'feeble ants,' and 'stupid fools.' They are nothing short of a complete Joker..."

As Lady Loki observed Mobius's gradually astonished expression, she slowly revealed a smile and said, "I guess I just spoke the words you had prepared in your mind, the ones that would force me to confront the weaknesses within myself..."

"But unfortunately, you came too late. There's a psychologist who is a thousand times more venomous than you. He has already berated me," Lady Loki blinked and added, "I can even tell you why I became like this."

"I use arrogance to conceal my insecurities, a sharp shell to protect my fragile heart. I employ high self-esteem to mask low self-acceptance. The more dominant I appear, the easier it is for me to collapse..."

Lady Loki let out a sigh. Now, her appearance was no longer as elegant and tidy as when she had first transformed into a woman. It had become somewhat disheveled and weary during her struggle with Helen.

But this was filled with a different kind of beauty, fragile and alienated, yet cold and deadly.

"Do you have cigarettes?" Lady Loki looked at Mobius and asked.

"You're a mother, you wouldn't want to smell like cigarettes when you meet your daughter," Mobius shook his head and said, "It might choke her."

"Don't joke, I may be a mother, but you're not. You neither have the experience nor the understanding, so don't try to represent me," Lady Loki covered her mouth with her hand and coughed twice. Her hand, illuminated by the light, was as cold as snow.

Mobius sighed helplessly and took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Lady Loki leaned forward, took the cigarette, and placed it in her mouth, asking Mobius to light it for her.

As Lady Loki approached, Mobius could even see the shadow cast by her eyelashes and the light from the projector reflecting in her pupils, fleeting and ephemeral.

After taking a puff of the cigarette, Lady Loki leaned back against the chair, tilting her head to look at the ceiling, and asked, "Have you received many Lokis here?"

"Yes, but none of them have confessed like you," Mobius didn't smoke the cigarette, instead, he put the cigarette box back into his pocket.

"So, I have to counsel them here, to make them repent for their crimes..." Mobius didn't say much, but he took out a small device and pressed a button, and images started playing on the wall.

At first, there were battle scenes. Lady Loki saw herself fighting side by side with Thor, but soon, the scene shifted, and Frigga fell to the ground, with Loki as the killer.

When the image of Frigga's death played, Mobius paid particular attention to Lady Loki's expression, but he didn't see any shock or sadness in her eyes.

"Don't you want to ask something?" Mobius took the initiative to speak. He had never seen a Lady Loki like this before, who, faced with the image of her mother's death, still needed him to bring up the topic.

"For those Lady Lokis who have never seen this image, it would indeed be shocking enough to break through their defenses. But for me, it's far from enough," Lady Loki lightly tapped the cigarette ash with her fingertip.

She stood up, leaned forward, almost touching Mobius's ear, and whispered softly, "I've seen it countless times already."

Mobius widened his eyes and turned his head slightly to look at Lady Loki's profile. He said, "That's impossible! This is a glimpse into the future of Asgard on a certain Space Timeline..."

"In that case, there's no need to play the footage," Lady Loki shook her head and said, "You just need to tell me that this is the scene of Ragnarok. We will all die in this catastrophe, including Frigga."

"Why are you so indifferent?" Mobius looked into her eyes and said, "Every Loki I've encountered deeply loves their mother. When they learn that they will kill their own mother in Ragnarok, they express remorse for their actions..."

"That's because they feel powerless to stop Ragnarok from happening." Loki straightened her body, sat back in her chair, tilted her head to the side, and looked at the images on the wall. "Because at that time, I still believed I was a helpless little prince, convinced that this dark future would inevitably happen, and there was no one I could save."

Lady Loki closed her eyes and sighed softly, saying, "I won't feel sad for a future that will never happen. The future you're showing me is nothing more than a lousy movie."

"What are you hoping for?" Mobius asked, "Iron Man? Do you want to see his fate?"

"I told you, I've seen it already," Lady Loki appeared somewhat impatient, continuing, "Every time I traverse the spaces, everything related to my future plays before my eyes, including how Asgard welcomes Ragnarok and how half of the Avengers meet destruction..."

"You've been peeping into timelines?" Mobius narrowed his eyes.

"I simply stand higher and see farther than other Lokis," Lady Loki looked at Mobius, saying, "Since you exist in the multiverse, you should understand better than me what 'ascension' means..."

"You've ascended??" Mobius widened his eyes in astonishment.

"No, I can only say that I went up and took a look, or perhaps more than just a look," Lady Loki shook her head, "Don't be surprised. I don't possess the corresponding power, otherwise, you wouldn't have the ability to bring me here."

Mobius sighed. He knew that there was probably no way to gain any advantage from Lady Loki today.

The employees of the Time Variance Authority could only view the future of certain timelines within their scope of duty. But according to Lady Loki, she should have seen the future of all timelines in every space. She was the examiner holding all the answers.

"The part within the scope of duty ends here," Mobius looked into Lady Loki's eyes. A hint of hesitation flashed in his expression, but he still spoke, "Next, I have a personal question to ask you. You can choose to answer or not, but thank you for your cooperation regardless."

"Go ahead and ask," Lady Loki lowered her head slightly, her bangs falling over her forehead, and when the smoke dispersed, she looked even more dispirited.

"When you saw your mother's death, did you really not feel any sadness at all?" Mobius straightened his body and said, "This isn't a movie; it's something that truly happened in a certain space..."

"After encountering so many Lokis, hearing so many stories about Asgard, haven't you figured out our relationship?" Lady Loki looked at Mobius through the gaps in her hair. Seeing his bewildered expression, she sighed and said, "Alright, let me start from the beginning."

"Who do you think was Frigga's favorite child?"

"Isn't it you?" Mobius asked with some confusion.

"Maybe now it is, but once upon a time, Frigga's favorite child was Hela, her eldest daughter, the eldest princess of Asgard." Lady Loki slowly closed her eyes, and finally, Mobius saw a trace of sadness in her expression.

Lady Loki looked up at the ceiling, as if lost in memories, and after a while, she spoke slowly, "This is the tragic beginning of a lifetime under the crown. In this matter, Odin, Thor, and I were in agreement. We all hoped she could emerge from this profound tragedy."

"But unfortunately, Frigga never forgot about her daughter."

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 1082: Father and Son (XI)