Lord Shadow

After the Fall and the leveling up of humanity, one of the side effect of such power that has been bestowed to humanity is the heightening of emotions.

Happiness, sadness, digest, fear, anger, love and hatred are all amplified.

And such the feeling of loneliness is also amplified.

To be feeling that kind of feeling, Loki don’t think it is a pleasant feeling to experience at all.

He could endure such feelings because he came from that future.

And he had managed to control it from bursting out. Add that, he had separated himself into seven part, the burden of feeling is not that obvious on him

But Erika only witnessed the events of the future and not experienced it firsthand like he did.

That is the way, the One Eyed Oracle had intended to give her younger self a chance.

She gave it to her like that instead of merging herself inside her younger self, because she wants her younger self to forge a different path than herself.

It would not have been possible for this current Erika to make different choice and tread a different path if the One Eyed Erika had merged with her.

It is the same way why Morgana could not escape her doom by merging her mind with her younger self.

Such method would only ensure that they probably would make the same mistake down the road

The older one would always think they know better than their younger one. There is nothing wrong with respecting experience and wisdom of people older than you.

But it is in bad taste to discount the young one vitality and their pure hearts and determination. Everyone have been young before

To forget the bravery of the young would be unwise.

Their determination might look like foolishness in the older one eyes, but sometimes, a little bit foolishness here and there is what characterized youth and their belief in a future that is better trumps the older one’s acceptance

The older one had known too much and weather too many storms to still maintain belief that everything is going to be alright.

They know it is stupid to resist so they do not resist. The young one knows that it is stupid to resist, but resisted anyway.

Because only in that way, a chance for a better future could be created

But what keep the young foolish and brave?

Hope. And that is what One Eyed Erika had keep for her younger self.

With the words that Erika said, Loki understand why these four years she never answers his question.

Because, she too wanted a company. Not in the way the company that Antonius provided her. It is a kind of company of similar souls that experience similar things.

The memories that she had and the emotions she felt from her older self is not something she could talk about openly to other people.

But with Loki, she could talk freely because they are old friends in that other life.

And now she answers him because the year after this, she would no longer be here. She, like Yewa Hafar would probably be preparing her chess pieces for the Last Battle.

Loki felt a little sorrowful. This woman life story is too tragic.

To always see a dark future yet still have to hope for a kind resolution, while battling the conviction that it wouldn’t change anything.

He hopes that she also would not become some ghost in his heart like his other friends.

He had lost too many friends. And he had seen so many ghost in his dreams and in his waking moment. He would not like to add another one.

He then asks her

‘You still going to give one of your eyes to him?’

‘Hmm’ she nodded

‘You know what he is going to do after he got that eye, don’t you?’

She did not reply but it is clear she knows. There is no need to many explanations on this matter

‘The Time Crisis did not happen because he got my eyes. You know this’ Loki nodded

‘He would go regardless of the eye or not. It is only after Time Crisis ended, that I give him my eyes. At that time, it is for other selfish reason. This time, it would be for all creations and for the hope of a better future. What would an eyeball matter in the grand scheme of things that would implicate all creation all over the Omniverse?’

Loki then said

‘In the past, you were vengeful against him. And as such you gave him that eye knowing exactly what it is going to do. Seeing the future, is not always a blessing. Sometimes, it is a curse. You remove the hidden danger and give it to him. He sees the future, that is true. But he was also controlled by that vision of future. Thus, tragedy is born’

‘Too much medicine is poison. But sometimes even poison could have some use’ she answered

‘Hmm’ Loki said.

He did not want to argue about this matter.

He just wanted to probe what intention and what plans she concocted this time.

That eye she gave to Azief is one of the reason why Azief had lost in that Final Battle and become the very thing he swore to defeat

‘All manner of dark things would breach the Multiversal Barrier at that time’ he suddenly said. He said it calmly like he was discussing what to eat for lunch

Erika only smiles and she said

‘I think you have prepared for that, didn’t you? I heard what you were doing in Pandemonium. To be more accurate, I see what you were doing in Pandemonium. You are strengthening the army, stockpiling magical weapons that it even alarms the other Great Powers. I don’t believe you if you said you are not doing that to tide the future battle.’

Loki nodded

‘I guess, nowadays, nothing escapes your eyes’ she just smirked. Loki then said

‘If I can’t stop it, I could at least minimize the damage to Azief reputation’

‘Heh. In the other timeline, he was hated all over the world, so doing such thing did not make a dent in his reputation because he had never had been known as some kind of benevolent person. It even enhances his fearsome persona.’ Loki just nodded

She continued

‘But in this life, in this timeline, he is not only a hero of this world, but many people worshiped him as the ideal form of a powerful person. He is a hero that people look up too and one of the leaders of the Seven Great Powers. If it gets found out, that he is the cause of Multiversal barrier broke down and all those creatures form Otherworlds come to invade then that shining reputation would easily be overturned and he probably would become the enemies of the world. But that will not happen if you could solve it for him.’

Loki chuckles.

‘I guess you are not out of touch with the real world as I thought’ he said

‘I see things. You know that is how I always operate. By seeing things’

‘Still, if you don’t tell him the truth, such thing might not come to pass.

‘Maybe, but if I look at his future and he ask, I still have to tell him the truth. Like you always said, everything has a Price. You have your Dark price to pay, and I have my own Price to pay for looking at the future.’

‘And who is to say that by not giving him such abilities, he would still go to the future anyway? Destiny and Fate is not that easily changed or be deceived. It is mystical force that slowly brought people closer to their own fated Destiny.’

Loki just sighed

‘true. I could not guarantee that. I just hope it will not be that painful when the time comes’ he said. There was once again silence between them. Then he asks

‘How long now before he returns home?’

Since his other question could not be answered and he already got a little hint about Void importance, he might as well settle for the other question he had.

Today, for some reason the trickster and the Oracle really talks a lot unlike any other times. They seem to ask question tit for tat.

It is like both of them are treating this meeting like a farewell.

Erika would still be on earth after the Time Crisis and Loki would also still schemes and plots in the dark even after the Time Crisis.

But the way these two talks, the way these tow acted, it is like both of them believes that this is the last time they would have this kind of conversation.

This kind of conversation where they are both an old friend to one another.

It is sad and sorrowful.

But looking at them, no one could see such sorrow and sadness. Maybe because both of them knows what is at stake, they could not be bothered by such emotion

Erika look at Loki and then she asks back.

‘Why do you want to know? Knowing you, you should have prepared all the thing necessary. It didn’t matter if you know the exact moment he is returning. You felt it too, didn’t you? The Time Disturbance’

Loki nodded and he said

‘It is not the Speedster kind of Time Disturbance. And it isn’t some Orvanians rogue travelling through Time. Not a Time Lord machinations either. If it is the All Source would have stopped them’

‘This is the manipulation of Laws. And this kind of manipulation could only be done by someone who have reached the Divine Comprehension. If my guess is right, Azief had already reached the Perfection of his Disk and step onto Divine Comprehension.;

They both sighed

‘This time, a lot has changed’ Erika said

Loki nodded

‘Just hope that you know what you are doing’ she warned.

Loki only smirks and then he said looking above, peering right through the curtain of magical protection that hides them and see rights straight to the sky and stars above

‘With such power, even out there in the Universe, it is hard to find an enemy for him unless those Old Ancient beings comes out. But as you know, some of them would also probably bet on Azief and some of them would probably bet against him.

Erika looked at him and then she thinks she should say what she knew. She sighed and then said to him

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