Loki and Sylvie stood before it. The citadel at the end of time. The source of all of it. From the very beginning. The two gods walked the steps, stopping just before reaching the door. It was designed with a very unique art pattern sprawled across it; yellow lines splintered across black stone, resembling the residual cracks of shattered pottery upon being mended.

Sylvie took in an uneasy breath before stepping forward. "Aren't you gonna tell me not to kick the door in?"

Loki shrugged. "It never made a difference."

Sylvie turned back. "Well, if you think it's a bad idea, I prefer you to speak your mind."

"No. Nothing to say."

"That'll be a first." She said turning to the door and clearing her throat. She didn't take a step.

Loki turned to her. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." She answered frantically. "Just need a moment."

"Right."

Sylvie continued staring at the door.

"It's just, normally..."

"Loki, shut up." Sylvie interrupted. "I was pruned before you even existed. I have been waiting for this moment my entire life. I just need a second to get my head straight, okay."

"Sure, of course."

Sylvie turned back to the door. After a moment of contemplation they opened on their own. The design of the palace interior was much like the outside. Yellow lines forming a splintered pattern along the walls, along with two enormous statues posted on either side of the entrance. The two gods entered deliberately, eyeing everything inside with vigilance. Sylvie kept a hand along her blade.

"HEY, YA'LL!" Miss Minutes exclaimed, materializing in front of them.

Sylvie and Loki each drew their blades.

"You again?" Sylvie said.

"Welcome to the Citadel at the End of Time." Miss Minutes greeted.

"Come on." Loki beckoned Sylvie away.

"Congratulations." Miss Minutes said. "Y'all had an awfully long journey to get here. He's impressed."

"Who's impressed?" Sylvie inquired.

"He Who Remains." Miss Minutes answered.

"And who is he?" Loki asked.

"He created all and he controls all." Miss Minutes said. "At the end, it is only He Who Remains. And he wants to offer you a deal. He's been making a few creative adjustments and he's worked it out so we can reinsert both of y'all back into the Timeline in a way that won't disrupt things."

"Won't disrupt things?" Sylvie asked.

"Mhm." Miss Minutes affirmed. "The TVA can keep doing its vital work and y'all can live the lives you've always wanted."

"And what have we always wanted?" Loki questioned.

"Now, don't play coy with me, mister." Miss Minutes told him. "You know how you got into this mess."

"What?"

"The Battle of New York, silly." Miss Minutes said. "You versus those self-righteous Avengers. How would you like...to win? But not just there. You can kill Thanos. Infinity Guantlet? Yours. Throne of Asgard? No problem." She then turned to Sylvie. "And what about you, missy? All those years on the run. Desperate. Alone. How would you like to wake up tomorrow with just a lifetime of happy memories? Two Lokis in the same place."

"Both of us..."Loki began. "...together on the timeline?"

"It's crazy." Miss Minutes said. "But he could make it work. All of it. Everything. Exactly the way you've always wanted. And you can have it all together."

"It's fiction." Sylvie said with a sniffle.

"We write our own destiny now." Loki said confidently.

"Ohhhh, sure you do." Miss Minutes said, before vanishing. "Good luck with that."

Loki and Sylvie looked at each other with puzzled gazes.

"Come on." Loki said and they proceeded forward.

***

Renslayer's Tempad produced a loading bar as a series of files were being uploaded. Renslayer began sifting through files on the couch when she looked down at the coffee table and the series of rings embedded into its wood.

"Hey there." Miss Minutes greeted.

Renslayer looked up from the coffee table. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry. Some things had to get worked out." Miss Minutes apologized. "But I'm downloading the files you need now."

Renslayer took the Tempad and frowned in confusion. "This isn't what I asked for."

"I know." Miss Minutes said. "But he thinks this will be more useful."

"He?"

"Happy reading." Miss Minutes said, disappearing.

***

Loki and Sylvie continued onward through the Citadel.

"He Who Remains." Loki repeated.

"Not for much longer." Sylvie said.

The two cautiously ventured down a set of stairs in a new room.

Loki ran his finger along a heavily dusted column. "We sure he's even alive?"

A door opened. Loki and Sylvie reacted immediately. The doors to the elevator parted to reveal a dark-skinned man in a purple robe and trousers sitting on the bench. As soon as he caught sight of the two Lokis, he hopped up from his seat and stepped forward.

"This is wild." He said with amusement. The man seemed very giddy. "The two of you...same person. I mean it's a little unnatural. But...wow. Wild." He reveled before taking a crunch from his apple.

"He who remains?" Sylvie questioned.

"He who remains?" He chewed. "She still calls me that? Creepy, right? I know. But...I kinda like it."

Sylvie and Loki looked at the man with a hint of skepticism. Almost as if to ask "is this really him?".

"Come on. Come on, let's talk. In my office." He Who Remains beckoned towards the elevator.

Sylvie and Loki looked at each other in confusion then vigilantly conceded.

The three of them were in the elevator together as it rode up. Weapons still drawn. Apple still crunched.

"Not what you were expecting, hmm?"

"You're just...a man." Loki said.

"Flesh and blood." He responded. "Don't tell me I'm a disappointment."

"No." Sylvie said. "Just a bit easier to kill."

Sylvie slashed at him with her sword only for it to etch itself into the elevator wall. He Who Remains chuckled from behind them on the bench. Sylvie swung at him again only for him to press the circular device attached to his wrist and vanish behind her again while chuckling. Loki tried to get her to cease but to know avail. After she swung the final time, he completely disappeared. The sound of the displacement came from above them. The elevator rode up. The doors opened to reveal Him again.

"Come on it." He greeted with a slaphappy grin.

The two Lokis followed him into a big chamber resembling that of a study with a fireplace on the left, several book shelves surrounding, and a big desk at the end accompanied by some side tables.

Sylvie and Loki followed Him in reluctantly, continuing to hold their swords up in anticipation. He Who Remains took the kettle at the desk and poured two cups of tea in them.

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"One. Two." He counted aloud then turned to them. "Please, take a seat." He then took the teacups and set them down one at a time. "Uh, Loki." He said placing a cup closer to Loki's seat then turned to Sylvie's side to set down her cup. "Loki." Then strolled back around the desk. "Two sugars."

Loki and Sylvie slowly took their seats with blades still raised.

***

A knocking came from Renslayer's office.

"I said I wasn't to be disturbed." Renslayer said as she continued packing files into her bag.

"Well then you're not going to be happy to see me." A voice said.

Renslayer turned to see Mobius at the doorway, wielding a Timestick.

"'He's back!'" Mobius mocked with a whisper.

Ravonna turned to face him. "If anyone was ever going to make it back from the Void, I suppose it was going to be you."

"Oh, well you know, one man's Void is another man's piece of cake." Mobius regarded.

Ravonna looked at the Timestick. "So, you're gonna prune me?"

"I like that idea." Mobius said. "But you know my standards might be a little bit higher in that area than yours. You know, with close personal friends."

"I'm sorry, Mobius." Renslayer said. "I couldn't let you get in the way of our mission."

"Mission?" Mobius questioned. "The Time Keepers are fake. We're all Variants. What mission?"

"It can't have been for nothing. That's why I had to prune you." She said before pulling out her Tempad. "Hunter D-90 to my office immediately."

"Yeah, sorry, Ravonna. That's not gonna work out the way you think it is, now that we know you're secret." Mobius said, holding up her pen.

Ravonna looked at the utensil in horror. "What did you do?"

***

Hunter B-15 was hidden behind the wall of lockers when she heard voices coming from across the hallway.

"Stay alert, she's close." Hunter D-90's voice said.

B-15 stepped out into the open for all of the Minutemen to see before exiting into the adjacent cooridor.

"Secure the parameter." D-90 said before making pursuit. "I've got her."

B-15 entered into one of the offices and stood behind the principle's desk. D-90 followed her in soon afterwards and activated his Timestick on sight.

"Stand down, B-15." He said, as he slowly approached her.

"You need to listen to me." B-15 told him.

"There'll be a time for that." D-90 replied.

"Just wait." B-15 urged.

Suddenly the door leading to another room opened as a dark-skinned, curly-haired woman in a cardigan and a dress entered.

"What the hell is going on here?" She demanded as she entered the room.

D-90 turned to face her. "Judge Renslayer?"

"What?" The woman resembling Ravonna said. "Who the hell are you? And what are you doing in my school?"

"That isn't Judge Renslayer." B-15 said.

"How?" He asked in utter confusion.

"We have alot to talk about." B-15 said.

***

"Been a long journey for you, hasn't it? Lot of running. Lot of pain." He Who Remains said to Sylvie, then turned to Loki and expelled a sputter. "And you, pheww. You're a flea on the back of a dragon. In for one hell of a ride. But you did manage to hang on. I guess that counts for something."

"I'm not sure you quite understand the situation." Loki said, pointing towards Him with his sword. "You've lost. We found you."

Sylvie smiled in satisfaction.

He Who Remains produced a blatant look. "Duh. Of course you did."

Sylvie immediately stood up and slashed across the air with her sword. He Who Remains warped back into his chair yet again. Sylvie growled in puerile frustration at him.

"A swing and a miss." He said with a laugh. "So, so, we're still doing that, hmm?" He stepped down from atop the chair and sifted through a few sheets of paper. "Let's get this out of the way. Okay, here we go. You can't kill me because I already know what's going to happen. See?"

He held out two sheets of paper for the both of them to inspect. The Lokis leaned in to look. It was a familiar document. An exact transcript of the last few lines of their conversation. The document was formatted in the exact same way as the TVA transcripts that Variants are required to sign before their trials.

Loki scoffed. "It's a parlor trick."

"Okay. Don't you wonder how I'm able to get out of the way just before you kill me?" He Who Remains said, swaying left and right as he spoke the words. It was clear from his mannerisms that he was a very expressive man.

"No." Sylvie answered with disdain. "It's because of that little Tempad you have there."

"Right." He said and then more deliberately. "But how do I already have it loaded up with every-thing-I-need-to-know...to-keep-from-being-killed, by you two?"

"It's easy. I know it all. And I've seen it all." He continued. "Everything you guys did on Lamentis, I saw. All the stuff the TVA didn't know about, I knew. All the... scheming...all the t-t-t-talking." He smirked. "That little...look by the lake?"

Sylvie and Loki turned away from him, perhaps in mild embarressment. "Quite sentimental, very touching stuff, by the way." He commented.

"No." Sylvie rejected. "No, no we broke out of your little game. That's how we got here."

"No, wrong." He Who Remains said. "Every...step...you took to get here. Lametis, the Void. I paved the road. You...you just walked down it."

Sylvie looked away, suddenly becoming even more flustered. Loki looked at her in concern.

"And I have the rest, uh. Right here." He said, sifting through more documents. "Everything that's going to happen. There's only one way this can go."

"Then why are we here." Sylvie said with frustration.

"Oh, come on..." He Who Remains beseeched. "You know you can't get to the end before you've been "changed by the journey". This stuff...it needs to happen. To get us all in the right mindset to finish the quest."

"Right." Loki said.

"Right." He Who Remains repeated.

"So it's all a game..." Loki concluded. "It's all a manipulation."

"Interesting that your head, would come to that." He replied. "Sylvie! You think you can trust this guy?"

"Don't listen to him." Loki said.

"Don't listen to him." He Who Remains mocked. "Do you think you're capable of trusting anyone at all?

Sylvie looked away in deep thought.

***

"I think people are ready to hear a little truth now." Mobius stated. "You know like, the TVA is a lie."

"But what if it's a necessary one." Ravonna stated. "Someone created the Time Keepers. They created this whole place. Gave us all purpose. I have to believe they had a reason."

"No." Mobius asserted firmly. "Because I've seen the horror waiting for people when they get pruned and there is nothing necessary about that."

"You know what would happen if we didn't prune the Timeline?" Ravonna said.

"What?"

"Chaos. Death..."

"Free will?" Mobius challenged.

"Free will?" Ravonna laughed. "Only one person gets free will. The one in charge."

Ravonna turned away from him and continued to pack her things.

Mobius smiled in bewilderment. "Friends across time, allies to the end." He quoted.

"Shut up." Ravonna said bitterly.

"That was so beautiful." Mobius said. "And then you sent me to die. What happened to you?"

"Nothing, Mobius. I didn't change."

"You didn't change? You betrayed me."

"No, no, YOU betrayed me!" She exclaimed. "I looked out for you. Hung my neck out for you, and you suffer a crisis of faith and turn to those Variants? Eons of friendship. And you threw it all away on a couple of Lokis. No, Mobius. I didn't betray you."

Mobius sighed. "We can't take away people's free will, Ravonna. Do you not see that?"

Renslayer reached for her Tempad and began to press buttons on it.

"What are you doing?" Mobius asked.

"What I need to do." She answered as a Time Door opened in front of her.

"Wait, stop." Mobius called, stepping towards her. "Look, maybe we can build this into something better together."

"I'm sorry, Mobius."

"I'm not gonna to let you go." Mobius said, activating the Time Stick.

"Please, Mobius." Ravonna said. "Even with that...you're of no danger to me."

"Is that what you think? Come on."

Mobius lunged forward, thrusting with the Time Stick only for Renslayer to disarm him with a grapple, following up with a firm kick. Mobius flew backwards onto the ground. Judge Renslayer stood above him, aiming the Time Stick towards him.

"Yep." Mobius regarded as he got up. "You were right. Back here again."

Ravonna kept the Stick pointed at him.

Mobius gestured in defeat. "Go ahead."

"No." She said, deactivating the Time Stick and grabbing her bag.

"Where are you gonna go?" Mobius asked.

"In search of free will." Renslayer said, before stepping through the Time Door.