"This is Mobius," Loki introduces him to his group. "And this is old me, young me, alligator me, and evil me."

Sylvie rolls her eyes at her introduction.

Mobius raises his brows. "You're all Lokis?"

The Lokis – Sylvie and excluded – all confirm that they are, in fact, all Lokis.

"Even the alligator?"

The alligator roars in what seems to be agreement.

Mobius nods slowly, taking that in. "Wow," he says. "Well, this is gonna be fun." There's a surprising amount of sincerity in his voice, like he really is eager to spend the rest of his miserable life with a group of Lokis, and it's oddly heartwarming, if not a scathing indictment of his poor judgment.

It's Sylvie who brings up the elephant in the room. "You're TVA scum," she says. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah." Mobius waves a hand dismissively. "I guess I didn't share their same contempt for Variants."

Sylvie huffs. "It didn't feel like that when you were hunting me through time and space."

Mobius furrows his brows. "What–" Realization dawns on his face. "You're the Variant."

She fakes a smile. "Lovely to finally meet you," she says, her voice dripping in insincerity.

"Alright, hold on," the older Loki says. "I'm confused. How do you all know each other?"

"Do you remember when I told you I've been on the run from the TVA since I was a child?" Sylvie asks. She gestures to Mobius. "He was the one in charge of tracking me down."

Mobius grimaces at the reminder. "Technically, I wasn't in charge of anything," he says. "And you did kill dozens of my coworkers."

"Only the ones who wanted to kill me," she snaps back.

Mobius presses his lips into a firm line and nods awkwardly. "Well, you were trying to kill the Time Keepers and overthrow the TVA, which would have unleashed a multiversal war–"

"And that's so much worse than destroying entire universes," Sylvie says sarcastically.

"Nobody survives a multiversal war," Mobius says. "Nobody. The way the TVA works, there is one consistent timeline where everybody gets to live–"

"Unless they deviate from their predetermined paths," Loki interrupts, "in which case, they are kidnapped and sent to die in a Void at the end of time." He gestures around at this dreary world they've now stuck in for emphasis. "Do not defend the Time Variance Authority. We've seen the horrors it brings. There is nothing you can say to convince myself or them that the destruction of our homes was for the greater good."

Mobius looks between each of the Lokis, then, rather reluctantly, nods. "I guess I can see that," he concedes. "Sorry."

It's a rather half-assed apology, but the analyst does look uncomfortable, and that's enough to make Loki happy – or as happy as one can be in a Void at the end of time, which, unfortunately, is not very happy.

It takes a minute or two for that awkwardness to subside, but it's not long before Mobius is talking to the older Loki and the child Loki like they're old friends. Loki finds himself rolling his eyes. One of the first things these Lokis learned about this man is that he worked for the TVA, and they've already moved past that? Is he truly that charismatic that his work with the TVA means nothing to them?

With his only other options being talking to Mobius or talking to Sylvie, Loki just leans against the broken wall, peering out at the hilly land in front of him. Thor and Jane are getting closer now, close enough that he could easily interrupt their conversation with a yell if he wanted to – and he does want to; Jane's laughing at something Thor said that truly can't be that funny, and that smile she wears is going to drive him mad – but he keeps his mouth clamped shut, his face as expressionless as he can make it.

His saving grace from Mobius and his uncanny ability to charm unsuspecting strangers is going to be his brother and his brother's soon-to-be-no-longer-ex girlfriend. How did he get to this point in his life?

Finally, Thor and Jane reach their little hideout. Jane looks it over, a look of silent judgment on her face that she's doubtlessly not aware is so easy to read, then turns her attention to Loki and Thor. "So, this is where you guys have been hanging out?" There's nothing in her voice that says that she thinks it's a wreck, but it's obvious she does. The rest of them do, too.

"Only for a short while," Thor answers before Loki gets the chance. He gestures to the other Lokis. "These are the new friends I told you about. They helped us get settled here."

The young Loki looks at her skeptically. "Are you from the TVA, too?" There's an unspoken threat to his question, as though Mobius is the only acceptable member of the TVA's workforce.

Jane's brows shoot up. "No," she says quickly. "No – or, not by choice, anyway. I was with him." She gestures to Loki with her head.

"Who are you?" the older Loki asks. "It's been a long time since I lived the life of a Loki, but you don't look familiar."

"I'm Jane Foster," she introduces herself. "Thor and I were..." She pauses as though unsure how to finish that sentence, then tries it again. "We met on Earth. I don't know if your Thor ever went to Earth – but we met in the Dark World? If you remember that? I had the..." She gestures vaguely. "The Aether? Inside me?"

The younger Loki makes a face at that. "You had the Aether inside of you?"

"It was a whole big thing," Jane says, waving a hand dismissively.

"Oh!" The older Loki's eyes light up when he figures it out. "I do remember you. You're Thor's girlfriend, aren't you?"

"Uh..." Jane glances at Thor awkwardly, and he gives her the same uncomfortable look back. "Yeah, we were... we went out. A few times – two, really. Two times. It was... Yeah."

Thor plasters on a smile and nods.

Loki cocks an eyebrow. They must have very different ideas of what their relationship should be like. Who knows how long they were together after what would have been Jane's Nexus event in his timeline? They're doubtlessly in very different stages of their relationship. This might fall apart quite spectacularly.

A part of him hopes it does. It would bring him a nice sort of satisfaction, watching their relationship crash and burn. But deep down, he knows that's not true. He wants them to be happy. He wants them to figure this out – and they will, he's sure, once they've talked about it. They just haven't had that chance.

"Thor said you're all Lokis?" Jane asks.

Much like when Mobius asked, the Lokis – Sylvie excluded – all agree.

Loki supposes he should warn her now, for her safety more than anything else. He gestures toward Sylvie with his head. "She's the Variant we were hunting."

Jane's eyes go wide, and she quickly takes a step away, hand coming up to the wound on her head instinctively. "That's the Variant?"

Sylvie plasters on an obviously fake smile.

Jane glances at Loki warily. "I don't know if this..."

"I said the same thing," Loki says. "Thor decided he did not care." His voice is cold, far colder than it needs to be, but he knows what's going to happen now. Jane is going to voice her own complaints, and Thor is immediately going to flip because he doesn't care that Loki doesn't like Sylvie; he'll only care if Jane doesn't. This is exhausting, and it's hardly even begun.

Thor gives Jane a weird look. "You don't like her?"

Jane scoffs. "No, I don't like her!" she says incredulously. "She did this to me!" She points to her bandaged head.

Thor's surprise shifts to an air of anger. "She did that to you?"

"Actually," Sylvie says, a smug smirk on her face, "Loki did that to her."

Loki grits his teeth and takes a step toward her, conjuring his blade in his hand. "You did that to her," he growls. "You used her as both a weapon and a shield, like the coward you are. I'd told you to leave her be; that she wasn't a part of this."

"If she wasn't a part of it, she wouldn't have been there," Sylvie snaps.

"Alright, hold on." Mobius squeezes his way between them and gently pushes Loki back. "Let's not kill each other."

"Why not?" Loki demands. "She started this fight. Why don't we end it?"

"Loki!" Jane hisses. "Stop it."

"Why?" This time, his voice is a little less cold, a little less sharp. He's not going to snap at Jane. He almost does. He almost wants to. But his hatred for Sylvie is just slightly outweighed by his fondness of Jane.

"Because I don't think fighting people to the death in the Void at the end of time is a good idea!" she hisses.

Loki hesitates, then, almost reluctantly, lets his blade fade away.

"Thank you," she says quietly.

Loki takes a step back, shooting Sylvie a glare before he finally lets his eyes stray from her. Thor looks just as upset – if only he'd listened when Loki told him that they couldn't trust her; it would have saved them a lot of strife – and Jane just looks wary. He doesn't blame her. She's only human; this whole situation must be a lot to process. It's a lot for him to process, even as a god.

Fortunately, Mobius steps in with, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat. I think we should all take a break, get some rest, and circle back around to this in the..." He pauses, a frown on his lips. "Well, I was gonna say in the morning, but I guess there's not really a..." He looks up at the dull gray sky.

The older Loki nods. "Mobius is right," he says. "We should take the night to clear our heads, and hopefully, we can have a civil conversation about this when we wake."

There's a murmur of agreement amongst the crowd – one Loki doesn't join in. He doesn't want to sleep near that monster. He doesn't trust her near his unconscious body – and she's certainly proved that he can't trust her near Jane.

"Somebody should stand guard," Thor says. They'd used that same method not too long ago.

"I will," Loki says without hesitation. He just woke up not long ago – and from a truly wonderful nap, too. He could certainly stand to stay up for another few hours while the others sleep. He'll just have to hope he doesn't die of boredom while he does.

Jane frowns. "Are you sure?"

"Of course," Loki says. "Get some rest. I'm sure you need it."

Jane gives him a small smile. "Alright."

Thor pats him on the back. "Thank you, brother."

And with that, they all head into their little worn-down hut, hunkering down for a good night's sleep – using the word 'night' loosely, of course.

Loki sits down outside the building, crossing his legs in front of him like a child and doing his best to ignore the noise behind him. He lets his eyes scan the horizon and all of its blandness, looking for any signs of danger, any signs of movement, any signs of life.

Nothing.

He props his head up on his hand. This is going to be a long night.

~~~

He doesn't know how long he's been sitting here.

How the end of time can move so very slowly, he does not know, but it certainly does. He feels like he's been sitting here for days, keeping watch for an intruder that will never come. Maybe he shouldn't have agreed to this. Maybe he should have asked to switch with somebody halfway through.

He lets out a long, deep breath. This is just lovely. Why couldn't the pruning stick kill him like he'd assumed it would? Dying sounds so much easier than this mess.

There's a flash of movement in the corner of his eye, and he looks over to see Jane sitting down next to him. She gives him a small, somewhat sheepish smile.

"You're not tired?" Loki asks her.

She shakes her head. "I slept in the car."

Loki nods wordlessly.

"You're not?" she asks. "Tired, I mean?"

Loki shakes his head. "I woke up not all too long ago myself."

"Oh."

And then it's quiet.

They both turn their gazes outward, back to the same dull, gray landscape they've been forced to look at since they arrived. It's a little less miserable now that he has Jane by his side. It's a little more uncomfortable, too. He wants to say something. He wants to break this silence. He just... doesn't know how.

Finally, it's Jane who speaks, and she wastes no time in getting straight to the point. "Why didn't you tell Thor about me?"

Loki lets out a long breath, gazing out at the hills beyond. "I didn't see a reason to," he admits.

"No?"

He shakes his head. "I'd thought you were gone," he says. "I'd hoped I would find you, but I had very little faith that I would, and I saw no point in dwelling on the past." It was just going to hurt him, talking about the friend he lost to the cold, harsh vacuum that is time. And to talk about her to Thor, of all people? It would be nothing but a reminder that she was never his to lose. She's Thor's lover – she was, and she is, even now, even after all that they've been through together.

He sighs and lets his head fall back, closing his eyes as though it will rid him of these thoughts. He doesn't know if he can keep doing this. He doesn't know how much longer he can go on in this lifeless Void, with Thor and Jane (and Mobius, he supposes; he'll likely come with them) as his only company. He doesn't know how much longer he can sit here and watch as they fall deeper and deeper in love.

"Well, for what it's worth," Jane says, "I'm glad you did find me."

Loki just hums in reply. Really, she found him, but the sentiment is the same – and of course she's glad. He'd have to be a fool not to know that. And a part of her relief is doubtlessly because of him, but another part – dare he say, a bigger part – is because of Thor. What good is a partner-in-crime when her lover is right there beside him?

Loki runs his hands down his face and opens his eyes once more. He looks over at her, and she tears her gaze away from the deserted hills to look back at him. She offers him a small smile, and he gives her a halfhearted one in return.

"How's your head?" Loki asks.

Jane's hand moves to cover the bloodied bandage almost instinctively, and she winces at her own touch. "It's definitely better," she says. "It doesn't feel great, but..."

Loki nods sympathetically. At least it's begun to heal. He only hopes it continues to heal while they're in this Void. He'd hate to learn that the passage of time is necessary for wound healing.

She gestures to him with her head. "How's your leg?"

Loki glances down at his leg, outstretched the way it has been most of the night. He moves it every now and then, mostly to assure himself that he can. It hurts every time, but the pain has dulled since he first sat down.

So he answers much the same way she did: "Better." Not perfect, but better.

"That's good," Jane remarks.

And then it's quiet once more.

Loki gazes out at the lifeless plains before them. What a miserable existence this is. And he's supposed to do this for the rest of eternity? That's not going to happen. He's not going to let it happen. He's not putting himself through this.

Jane rests her head against his shoulder, and he glances down at her, almost sheepishly. She doesn't seem to notice, her attention drawn to their surroundings much the way his was just moments ago. He looks away as well before it gets weird. The last thing he wants is to make this weird.

But the warmth of her body against his still puts a soft smile on his face. This may be the nicest thing to happen to him since the TVA plucked him from his timeline. He wants to enjoy it while he can.

A few minutes pass, and she still hasn't moved, hasn't lifted her head, hasn't leaned away from him. It's her stillness, her comfort next to him that gives him the confidence to put an arm around her shoulders. He's tense at first, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye to see if she flinches, if she moves away, but she doesn't, and slowly, he feels himself relax.

When he looks at her again, a few minutes later, her eyes are closed, and she looks so... peaceful. It almost feels wrong, to see such a sight in the Void. It's not supposed to be peaceful. It's chaos incarnate; a whirlwind of death and destruction, where entire universes fall to ruin in the blink of an eye.

And yet, here she is, resting peacefully against his shoulder: the one bright spot in the dark, gloomy world.

With her eyes still closed, she says, "I wish the TVA would prune a steakhouse or something."

Loki chuckles quietly, careful not to disrupt her rest with his laughter. "I think that may be too much to hope for, unfortunately."

Jane sighs. "I know. It sucks."

Loki's eyes scan the horizon. He's seen a few small animals running by in the time he's been sitting here. It shouldn't be long before another shows up. Maybe...

"It's not the same as a steak," Loki says, "but would a hastily roasted squirrel help quell your hunger?" That's probably about the best he can get for her – a bunny, maybe, if he's lucky, but not much more than that.

Jane opens her eyes and lifts her head as her face twists in disgust. "Is that what we're gonna have to eat here?"

"Unfortunately so," Loki says sympathetically. "Most plants seem to be dead, and I can't imagine we'll find much processed food. We either have to hunt or starve." Fortunately, he has a fair amount of experience with hunting, so he's not too worried about that – though finding enough animals to hunt could be difficult. He can almost understand where the cannibals are coming from.

Jane shudders at his words. "That's disgusting."

"I know," Loki says, "but we don't seem to have many other options."

Jane shakes her head to herself, then rests it back against Loki's shoulder. Loki gives her a gently, hopefully reassuring squeeze. It's an awful life, but it's the only life they have.

"Not to be a pessimist," Jane says, "but is there even a point anymore?"

"Hmm?" Loki hums.

"Is there even a reason to keep going?" she asks. "I mean, we're practically dead already. Why even bother? This isn't..." She sighs. "This isn't any kind of life. We might as well just let the cloud monster win."

Loki huffs a humorless laugh. "I was thinking nearly the same thing not too long ago. I'm glad to know it's not simply a product of my nihilistic views."

"Well, it's hard to be an optimist in a place like this," she remarks.

And then it grows quiet again, but this time, the silence is more tense. They've both admitted they don't see a reason to continue living. Where do they go from there?

It's Loki who answers the unspoken question. "I don't expect to be able to defeat Alioth," he says. "If it were that easy, it would have been done a long time ago. But if the alternative is running and hiding from its wrath for the rest of eternity..."

"We might as well give it a shot," Jane finishes for him.

Loki nods. What do they have to lose, truly? If they die – when they die – the nightmare ends. At least this way, it ends with the slimmest of chances that they do something good.

Jane takes a deep breath. "When are we going to do it?"

"When the others wake up, I suppose," Loki says. "We'll tell them what we plan to do. I don't expect any of them to be stupid enough to join, but I'd like to give them the option."

"Thor might," Jane remarks. "If we're going to. He might want to come."

Loki grimaces at her words.

Thor.

It always comes back to Thor.

And she's right, which is the worst part. Thor wouldn't just let them take on this suicide mission alone. He would go with them, and Jane would spend her final moments with him. And he doesn't even know why that bothers him because it will only last a moment until Alioth has killed them all, but it does. He will die just the way that he lived: in his brother's shadow.

But at least he won't have to do this any longer.

It will be worth it when this is all over. When they inevitably lose, when Alioth inevitably destroys them, it will be over, and there will be peace.

He's waited a long time for peace. It will be nice to finally have it, even if it only comes in death.

~~~

"Jane and I have made a decision," Loki says, and that earns some intrigued looks from the others – though none so much as Thor, who almost looks... upset. It's absurd, really. Jane is his girlfriend. Their late-night conversation didn't change that.

"And that decision is...?" the elder Loki prompts him.

"Life in the Void is no life at all," Loki begins, "especially with Alioth looming overhead, intent on destroying anything and everything in its lair. It seems pointless to fight to survive in a place like this, and, as such, we've decided we are not going to play this game."

Thor cocks his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"This is all we've got is 'the game,'" Mobius remarks.

"As long as that monster lives, you're correct," Loki says. "Which is why I've decided to try to kill Alioth."

The outcry from the others is so sudden and so loud that Loki can't help but flinch. He glances at Jane, who glances back up at him warily. This is about the reaction he'd expected, but it's not overly comforting.

"Are you mad?" Thor demands. "You cannot kill the beast!"

"Likely not," Loki concedes, "but I refuse to sit in this fishbowl for the rest of eternity."

"Alioth is going to kill you," the young Loki says.

"Probably," Loki admits, "but it's preferable to the miserable existence that you all live."

"How're you gonna kill it?" Sylvie asks, an amused look on her face.

"I suppose we'll find out," Loki answers evenly. Magic, probably, but what magic he'll use, he's not sure – but that's for his instincts to decide as he's staring death in the face.

"So you have no plan," Sylvie remarks, "you admit that you are absolutely going to get yourself killed, and you're not only doing it anyway, but you're taking your girlfriend with you, too."

Loki clenches his jaw. "Yes," he says, "that is the plan. Does anybody else want to join, or should we be on our way?"

Thor's frown only deepens, his gaze darting between the two of them with desperation in his eyes. "You can't think this is a good idea."

"Of course it's not," Jane says. "But I'm not going to eat squirrels and hide from cloud monsters for the rest of eternity, either."

"So you're going to get yourself killed in a fight you have no place in to begin with?" Thor asks, incredulous. He looks between her and Loki. "Whose idea was this?"

"We decided on this together," Jane says, audibly irritated, "and I do have a place in this fight, because, in case you haven't noticed, I am stuck in a void at the end of time! With a giant cloud monster that eats entire universes for breakfast! There has never been a fight that's more my fight than this fight!"

Thor shakes his head. "It is not your duty to stop Alioth."

"I don't plan on stopping him!" Jane exclaims, and Thor's brows draw together in confusion. "We already know this isn't going to work! We're clocking out! We're done!"

"So you're going to let Alioth eat you," Thor says, his incredulity only growing. "Of your own volition."

"That's exactly what I'm gonna do!"

Thor clenches his jaw, shaking his head in disbelief. He looks to Loki, who responds with a minute shrug. This is what she wants to do. This is what they both want to do. They've made their decision. Now he has to make his own.

Sylvie clears her throat, stepping toward them with a smug smirk. "This is a brilliant plan," she says, her voice dripping with insincerity. "Truly, truly brilliant."

Jane shoots her a look. "Can you not?"

"I can do you one better," Sylvie says.

Loki just rolls his eyes. He doesn't even want to know.

"Let's enchant it," she says.

Loki huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yes, I'm sure that will work," he says sarcastically.

"It will work better than stabbing it with a butter knife," she says.

Mobius chuckles, and Loki shoots him a look. That was not funny. There is nothing funny about anything that's happening right now.

"What's the worst that happens?" Sylvie asks. "Alioth eats you, and you're right back where you started."

"And Alioth eats you," Loki reminds her. There has to be a catch. She wouldn't risk her life for a chance to save theirs.

Sylvie just shrugs. "You were right," she says. "This is a miserable existence. If there's a chance we can get out of here, I'm going to take it – and then I'm going to finish what I started."

Loki eyes her skeptically. So that's it? She's going to help them? It makes sense, to some degree – she's in the same situation that he is; death can't look like too poor an option for her, either – but he can hardly believe...

"Do you think you can do it?" Thor asks her. "Do you think you can enchant the beast?"

Sylvie shrugs one shoulder. "I guess we're going to find out."

Thor looks between her and Loki and Jane, then sighs. "Alright," he concedes. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Distract it," Sylvie answers. "There's no bait like live bait."

Mobius shakes his head to himself. "You guys are crazy," he tells them. "Got room for one more?"

Jane grins. "Always."

Sylvie nods her head at him. "I hope it eats you first."

Mobius purses his lips. "And I deserve that."

Thor looks over at the other two Lokis and their pet alligator. "And you?"

The older Loki shakes his head. "We've spent too long staying alive to give up now."

"But good luck," the younger Loki adds. "I hope your deaths will be swift."

Loki shakes his head to himself, but he can't even be upset. He's hoping the very same thing. He doesn't trust that Sylvie's enchantment will work. He certainly doesn't trust that she won't wait until Alioth's eaten him before she does anything to stop it. He is going to die. There's no doubt in his mind about that. The most he can hope for is that his death is swift and pain-free.

Loki glances at Jane, who looks back at him. This is it, then. It's the five of them – three gods and two humans – against the giant cloud monster that rules over the Void. He wonders if she actually believes they may have a chance at surviving this. He wonders if any of them believe they may survive this. He certainly doesn't. He's not naive enough for that.

"Alright, then." Mobius claps his hands together once. "Let's go enchant a cloud."

~~~

It's Sylvie who creates the "plan," which explains why the plan is so awful. She is going to enchant Alioth; the rest of them are simply supposed to draw Alioth's attention away from her while she does it. It's not much of a plan, really. It certainly doesn't inspire confidence.

But it's the only plan they have, so, once they've all agreed, they approach the beast together.

Loki glances at Jane, walking a few steps ahead of him and oblivious to the attention he's giving her. He wants to talk to her, just one last time before Alioth kills them all. He wants to thank her. Her presence is the only thing that's made this experience at all bearable. He doesn't know that he would have made it through this all without her. He owes her a lot.

But then Thor approaches, and then he's walking by her side and he's talking to her and taking her attention for himself – and there's no reason he shouldn't do that. Jane was his girlfriend. He has every right to want to talk to her. But it's yet another reminder that Thor will always come first. In everything they do, Thor always comes first. Even a trip to the end of time can't change that.

And now he's walking alone again. He slows down, letting himself fall further behind. He doesn't want to intrude. He doesn't want to hear a word that they're talking about. He just wants to face Alioth, and he wants to put an end to this misery. That's all he's here for.

Unfortunately, Mobius exists only to cause problems, so it's only a matter of time before Mobius is by his side, and it takes all Loki's willpower not to roll his eyes. He should have approached Jane while he could. It would have been very much preferable to talking to him.

"What do you think the odds are that any of us will survive this?" Mobius asks him.

"Very slim," Loki answers evenly.

Mobius nods slowly, taking that in; then, "So, are you gonna tell her how you feel?"

Loki shoots him a look.

"I mean, if we're all gonna die anyway," Mobius says with a half-shrug, "what's the worst that could happen?"

Loki clenches his jaw and shakes his head to himself. This is ridiculous. Mobius is ridiculous. They're going into their deaths, and his first concern is Loki's love life.

"Hey, I'm just sayin'," Mobius says, "it can't hurt."

"Will you stop?" Loki asks irritably. What is with this man's constant obsession with being the most obnoxious version of himself possible?

"Alright, alright." Mobius puts his hands up in a mock surrender. "I'll stop – but I really think you're making a mistake."

"I really don't care what you think," Loki tells him. "If I am going to die, I am going to die with my dignity intact."

"No, you're going to die a coward who's too scared to admit to the girl he likes that he likes her," Mobius corrects him.

Loki makes a show of rolling his eyes. "Your insults don't phase me. You certainly cannot use them to manipulate me."

Mobius waves a hand dismissively. "Eh, it was worth a shot."

Loki looks over at him, and after a moment, Mobius looks back, flashing him a much-too-friendly smile that he doesn't acknowledge.

"Why do you care?" Loki asks him. He's awfully invested in their 'relationship' for someone who's not affected by it in the slightest.

Mobius just shrugs. "I don't know; I like my Lokis," he says. "And if there's a chance that one Loki in one timeline can be happy, even just for a minute until he's eaten by a giant cloud monster, I'd like to see it happen."

Loki shakes his head. "You're absurd."

"Probably," Mobius admits, "but hey, just 'cause you don't like me doesn't mean I can't like you."

Again, Loki shakes his head to himself, but the more he thinks about it, the more he finds it amusing. This man really is absurd. That's why he's here is because he's absurd. He threw his life away for them, trying to save them when they were already gone, and now he's here, throwing his life away again just because they decided to do it and he wouldn't let them do it alone. It's oddly endearing, in an annoying sort of way.

As a show of goodwill – an olive branch of a sort – Loki looks over at him and says, "You're not quite as bad as I'd thought."

Mobius chuckles. "Coming from you, that's the compliment of a lifetime."

The billowing clouds overheard begin to rush toward them, and Loki clenches his fists by his side, looking up at the smoke that fills the sky, its dreary presence blocking any sign of light, any sign of hope.

A flash of lightning strikes the ground, far from the beings below, but Jane stumbles backward regardless. Her sense of self-preservation must be sinking in. Loki wouldn't know what that feels like. He lost his own a long time ago.

A face, its face, peers at them from the clouds. Its eyes glow an ominous red as it stalks its prey below.

Mobius pats him on the shoulder. "Well, it was nice knowing you."

Loki huffs, a slight smile on his face. "I can't say the same," he says, "but you certainly could have been worse."

Mobius chuckles, and they both turn back to the monster before them. This is it. This is where they die.

Sylvie cups her hands around her mouth. "Distract it!" she calls out. "Get it away from me!"

Thor glances back at her. "You really think you can enchant it?"

"I think there's a chance."

Thor nods once, and then takes off running, as far from the others as he can. He waves his arms around, glancing at the monster every few seconds to see if it's worked. "Over here!" he yells. "Come and get me!"

It takes the monster a moment, but then it begins to trail after him, slowly but with obvious intent.

Jane glances over her shoulder, and she runs back to Loki and Mobius. The god holds out a hand – a gesture of goodwill; a hand to hold as it all falls apart – but she simply barrels into his chest. It takes him by surprise, but he wraps his arm around her, holding her close.

Sylvie holds up her hands, and from them shines an all-too-familiar green hue. The struggle is clear on her face, the effort it takes to even attempt what she's trying to do, and he wishes he could help. He doesn't care that he knows it won't work. He wants it to work. He wants to make it work.

But he can't. All he can do is watch.

Alioth looks to the side, and then he's coming back, away from Thor and straight toward Sylvie. Thor yells and he screams and he waves his arms around and jumps up and down, but Alioth is undeterred.

"Um... Loki?" Mobius says cautiously. "You got any magic tricks up your sleeve?"

Loki heaves a sigh. "I suppose I can try."

Though there's so very little that he wants more than to stand here with Jane until they're consumed by this creature, he promised he would try to do something good, and he's not giving up now.

So he lets Jane go and takes a step forward. He raises his arms, and, a fair ways away, on the other side of them as Thor, a light begins to grow. It grows bigger and bigger, taller and taller, until its shape can finally be seen.

It's a lighthouse.

A very big, unnaturally bright lighthouse.

Just as Loki had hoped, Alioth crawls right for it, passing over Sylvie as though she weren't even there. She glances back at him, and he nods once. He saved her life. Now it's time for her to repay the favor.

Alioth dives right into the lighthouse, but the illusion does nothing to satisfy its hunger. It turns around, ready to come back toward them, and Loki raises another lighthouse from the ground, tearing its attention away from them. Alioth opens its mouth, ready to consume it, and it disappears.

Before Loki can spawn another, a loud crash of thunder sounds overheard, louder than he's ever heard before. There's a blinding flash of life from Thor's direction, and Alioth begins to approach him.

Loki marches up to the goddess before him. "Sylvie!" he hisses. What is she doing? Is this going to work or not? He doesn't want to keep putting up a fight if there's no fight to give.

"I can't," she says breathlessly. "I can't do it."

Loki closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Great. At least he has his answer.

"Is there anything we can do?" Loki asks. Does distracting it help? Is there a way to weaken it? There must be something. They've made it so far. He's not ready to give up now, not if he doesn't have to.

Sylvie's silent, and that tells him everything he needs to know.

They've lost.

They're dead.

It hurts more now that he's allowed himself a glimmer of hope that they could survive this.

But then Sylvie whips around to look at him. "Let me enchant you." Her words are rushed, nearly blending together.

Loki scoffs. "I beg your pardon?"

"Let me enchant you," she repeats. "If I am you and you are me, then somewhere deep inside, you know how enchantment works, too. Let me show you. Maybe we can do this together."

Loki hesitates. He glances over at Thor, who's shooting off a blast of lightning at the monster. He glances over his shoulder at Jane and Mobius, who are staring at the creature with wide, fearful eyes. He looks back at Sylvie...

And he nods.

"Enchant me."

So she rests her hands against the sides of his head.

And she enchants him.

It feels... weird.

There is somebody else in his head.

His mind isn't his anymore; it's shared, as much hers as it is his own. He can feel her poking and prodding, her magic tickling every orifice, skirting over every piece of his being. He wants to kick her out. He wants to pull her essence out of him and never let it back in.

But he can't.

He'd told Mobius only minutes ago that if he was going to die, he wanted to die with his dignity intact. But now, staring death in the face, his dignity is the last of his concerns. He doesn't care what it takes. He wants to take Alioth down. He wants to survive. He wants all of them to survive.

He can feel the moment she unlocks it within him. It's like a flood of knowledge, of power, of warmth, and for a moment, all he can do is stand there, still, silent, letting it wash over him.

It all makes sense.

How did it not make sense before?

She lets go of his head, and slowly, he opens his eyes to this whole new world around him. This is... brilliant. It's amazing. He's never felt anything like it.

Then there's a hand in his, and he looks down to see Sylvie's gloved palm against his own. He looks at her, and she nods once.

This is it.

This is their last chance.

Loki spares one more glance at Thor, who shoots off a bolt of lightning across the horizon, confusing the monster just enough to keep himself alive. Loki glances at Jane, who hides her face behind her hand, and Mobius, who's watching Thor's every move. As though he can feel Loki's eyes on him, he meets the god's gaze, and he forces a smile. Loki manages to muster up one in return.

Then he turns his attention to Alioth.

He raises his hand, and Sylvie does the same.

"Ready?" Sylvie asks.

"Always."

And the power begins to surge through them. It's not his power, not hers; it's theirs, their magic intertwined as it surges around them. It's different than anything he's ever felt before; different than anything he's ever done before, but somehow, it feels... natural. Like he was meant to do this.

He was made to enchant.

He was made to stop Alioth.

And, with Sylvie by his side, that's exactly what he's going to do.

He reaches out, acting on instinct, his body moving on its own, and as he closes his fist around a puff of smoke, a tendril materializes. He is holding Alioth. He is holding the beast. Mere minutes ago, he never would have dreamed it would be possible.

Sylvie reaches out, and she grabs hold as well. It fights in their grasp, twisting and tugging as it desperately tries to pull free, but they hold strong. They have him now. They're not giving up with the finish line so close.

Their magic surges through Alioth, the green hue crawling up its tendrils, inch by inch, enveloping it in their power. With every second that passes, with every piece of it that's been paralyzed, it grows weaker in their grasp.

"We're doing it," Sylvie says breathlessly.

"What do we do once we have full control?" Loki asks. Can they kill it? Is that even possible?

"I don't know," Sylvie admits. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

So for now, they just focus on the problem in front of them. They're doing this. They're taking it over. They are going to be in control of the most powerful being at the end of time. They are going to be the most powerful beings in the Void.

The green of their magic swirls through the clouds before them, and slowly, it begins to part in the middle. Loki glances at Sylvie, who looks back at him. She seems just as confused as he is. So if she's not telling it to do this and he's not telling it to do this, why...?

And then they see it.

There, beyond the clouds, beyond Alioth's grasp, amidst the swirls of blues and purples and pinks of the sky, stands a citadel. The terrain almost seems to disintegrate around it, rocks floating in the air that once belonged to the ground, as though this whole part of the Void is falling apart piece by piece.

Alioth must have been protecting it for a reason...

Sylvie looks up at him. "Explore first, deal with Alioth later?"

Loki nods once. That sounds just fine to him.

He looks over his shoulder, and Jane and Mobius are both watching him, smiling with what seems like... pride? They're proud of him. He can't help it; he smiles, too. He's proud of himself, too. He did this. This was an impossible task, but he and Sylvie did it.

Jane runs toward him, and Loki wishes he could turn around, wishes he could hold his arms out to her, to engulf her in a hug as they both let it sink in that they survived, but he doesn't dare let go of Sylvie's hand. He doesn't dare let his hold on Alioth drop.

Jane doesn't care. She throws her arms around his waist, squeezing him tight. "We're not dead," she breathes.

Loki opens his mouth to speak, but Sylvie beats him to it. "You're welcome."

Loki elbows her in the ribs, and she just laughs. She glances over her shoulder – to make sure that Thor's coming, most likely – and then tugs him forward, taking the lead on their journey toward the citadel.

Jane has to let go of Loki's waist to walk, but Loki offers her a hand to hold instead. She doesn't hesitate to take it in her own.

And together, they walk.