401

Reunion

"My student?"

Strange smiled. "Yes, six hundred years later, an arrogant neurosurgeon came to Kamar-Taj and became my student after being taught by Master Ancient One."

Nierdi pondered for a moment. "I see, you are the next generation Supreme Mage... It seems you're very skilled in time magic."

"No one masters time magic," Doctor Strange shook his head. He glanced involuntarily at the torrent of time around them. "I've traversed these waters tens of millions of times, far more than I've entered and exited my own home, yet I'm still deeply awed. The majesty of the unbreakable laws of time demands careful observation of its principles and discretion about what cannot be divulged."

"Discretion about what can't be said..." Nierdi thought thoughtfully.

Doctor Strange continued after a pause, "This is the unspeakable principle of time. Anyone who has navigated the river of time can vaguely sense it, and I believe you can too."

He added, "The information carried by the torrent of time often transcends cause and effect. If such information leaks into the real world, it could disrupt the order of the cosmos and lead to devastating consequences... at the very least, outcomes that go against the whistleblower's intentions."

The two conversed at length, and suddenly Nierdi asked, "Will I still be here after six hundred years?"

Doctor Strange shook his head.

Reflecting on recent events, Nierdi fell silent for a moment. "What was it like when I departed? Did you struggle?"

"No," replied Doctor Strange. "When faced with death, you were the calmest person I've known. You taught me the meaning of life."

"Really?"

Doctor Strange said, "Actually, that's a question that doesn't need answering."

Nierdi smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Strange."

Then, a thought struck her. "You mentioned you've traveled here tens of millions of times to prevent a dire future. It must have been an incredibly challenging journey through the river of time."

"Yes, to avert an unprecedented catastrophe," Doctor Strange's expression turned solemn. "Failure would mean universal catastrophe."

"I believe you've succeeded," Nierdi said confidently.

Doctor Strange sighed. "My last checkpoint was before the catastrophe. What follows is a fractured timeline where chaos reigns. I don't know how it will all end."

"A fractured timeline?"

Doctor Strange fell silent for a moment. "It appears two powers beyond the Time Stone are at play. Their existence and struggle render the future indiscernible, twisting the post-catastrophe timeline into a fragile thread. Not just the future, but the past and present across the multiverse are all affected to varying degrees."

With that, he led Nierdi onward through the torrent of time.

In no time, they reached the end of the torrent—a sight that shouldn't exist, yet lay before them. As Doctor Strange had described, the timeline here was chaotic, fragmented even, with colorful energies intertwining to form a colossal curtain that isolated the future.

This magnificent, shimmering curtain didn't just mark the boundary of the future; it branched out in every direction, influencing events in the past as well. It resembled an aurora spanning the heavens.( The scene of branching time line in Loki)

Witnessing this scene, Nierdi couldn't help but feel deeply overwhelmed.

Back in the real world from the torrent of time, Nierdi pondered for a long while until a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Knock knock."

Shaking herself out of reverie, she said, "Come in."

"Supreme Mage." A mage entered. "The Dark Grimoire has been missing from the library for days. Could it be with you?"

The Dark Grimoire?

Nierdi paused, then remembered Kalulu likely stole the Dark Divine Book, its seal broken, now accessible to anyone.

"Don't concern yourself with it," she replied casually, though concern clouded her thoughts.

If the Dark Grimoire fell into the wrong hands, it could spell disaster, she feared.

...

Sakaar.

Surrounded by countless wormholes spewing debris from the sky, the planet's surface was littered with mountains of interstellar junk.

From a nondescript wormhole devoid of trash, a beam of light suddenly flashed—a spacecraft emerged.

As the ship adjusted its course, it streaked northward across Sakaar's skies.

Forseti was aboard, eager to disembark upon reaching Sakaar again. Standing by the viewport, he peered out.

Sakaar had changed significantly since his last visit.

Thanks to Hela's divine power, much of the accumulated interstellar waste had been converted into usable metal, leading to new constructions that reshaped the planet's landscape.

The ship soared until it slowed, eventually landing before a palace steeped in Asgardian style.

Inside the palace, in a specific room.

A bathtub dominated the room's center. Amidst the misty bathwater, Hela reclined on the tub's edge, wringing out her wet, long hair while staring ahead.

Before her sat a palm-sized golden clock, intricate and delicate, its dual sets of hands displaying different times—one steady, the other erratic without pattern.

Observing this clock, Hela's gaze flickered with a hint of complexity.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside. "You can't enter!"

"Who are you? This is Her Majesty's bath!"

Hela turned, suspicion coloring her features as she beheld an unexpected figure.

"Forseti?"

"Your Highness!" Forseti burst in, excitement evident as he joined her in the bath.

Startled yet intrigued, Hela looked at Forseti who had appeared out of nowhere, her hand touching his face. "What... why..."

Their kiss cut short any further words, the water rippling around them.

"Capture the intruder who dares affront Her Majesty!" The female guard, now inside, had chased in only to witness this extraordinary sight, her eyes widening.

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