Looking Through New Eyes [Sequel to Better Than You]

"Been a long journey for you, hasn't it?" He asked. "Lot of running, lot of pain...and you," He directed it at Loki. Loki returned it with a silent glare, "You're a flea on the back of a dragon. In for one hell of a ride, but managed to hang on. That does count for something." "I'm not sure you quite understand the situation. You've lost, we found you." Loki looked back at Sylvie and (Y/N). That man didn't look impressed, "Duh. Of course you did." Sylvie tried to cut off his head once more, but no dice. "Let's get all of this out of the way," He looked around his desk. Urging (Y/N) to help him pick up some files, they both started opening them until he found the papers he wanted to show. "You can't kill me, because I already know what's going to happen. See?"

It was...a script. Pages of things that the group has done and said down to a tee; every line, every action, every location. Loki denied this of course, and the man surprisingly tried to reason with him in that thought. "Okay," He started. "Don't you wonder how I'm able to get out of the way just before you kill me?" Sylvie pointed out his Tempad on his hand, but he still reversed with how he already had it loaded up before they even got here. "But how do I already have it loaded up with everything I need to know to keep from being killed by you two?" "Three actually," (Y/N) interrupted. She quickly put a gun to his temple, making him freeze in place with that same smile. His body stood still, but his eyes went over to meet hers, "....You're not pulling the trigger, (Y/N). You can't kill me." "Shut up, I....I can kill you." 5 seconds of silence until she slowly put down the gun after her hand started to shake a bit. (Y/N) didn't even have to look at those two to feel the confusion and anger radiating off of them.

"I know it all," The man continued. "Everything you guys did on Lamentis, I saw. All the stuff that TVA didn't know about, I knew. All the scheming, all the talking...That little look by the lake." They all adjusted awkwardly hearing that, but he said one last thing about it. "The flash of anger of bloodlust you have whenever you look at the Loki and Sylvie now." They looked at (Y/N), but she kept her eyes on the man. There was no way to deny that one for sure. "No," Sylvie rejected. "We broke out of your little game. That's how we got here." It sounded like he was about to laugh at that, "No, wrong. Every step you took to get here, Lamentis, The Void, I paved the road. You just walked down it." Sylvie was getting heated now, and of course Loki looked over worryingly to her. Simply observing it made (Y/N) see that flash again, now just rolling with it. The man also pulled out the rest of the 'script', telling them that there was only one way things could go from here. Sylvie asked loudly in an angry tone, "Then why are we here?" "You know you can't get to the end without being changed by the journey. This stuff needs to happen to get us all in the right mindset to finish the quest," He told her.

Loki through the papers a bit, "So it's all a game? A manipulation?" He smiled once more, "Interesting that your head would go that way....Sylvie!" His head quickly turning to her, "You think you can trust this guy? Do you think that you're even capable of trusting anyone at all?" She just looked on in thought, just glancing at Loki and (Y/N), keeping her moth shut. The man turned to (Y/N), "Are you willing to still help him? After everything up to this point?" He looked....actually concerned. (Y/N) didn't say anything, "You know what he has done.." Her eyes started to tear up. "What was my promise, Loki?" She said quietly. He didn't answer, and she asked him loudly, "Loki. Laufeyson. What the hell was my promise?!" He tried to say something, but everything was caught in his throat when he saw that single tear travel down her cheek. The man hugged her softly as she looked angry, "You never did care."

They all eventually sat back down after that, the man leaning against his desk before he started to speak again, "I understand your moral objections against the TVA. And my methods are deceptive. But the mission, it never was." He stepped in front of them. "Without the me, without the TVA....everything burns." "Then what are you so afraid of?" He took a minute to find a word for it, fiddling with his robe a bit as well. He finally found it, looking sad with a smile, "....Me." "A variant of you?" (Y/N) asked. He chuckled sadly, but Sylvie ignored it. "And just who are you?" She asked. He reverted back to the carefree tone, "Oh, I've been dubbed many names by many people. A ruler, a conqueror, He Who Remains, a jerk. It's not as simple as a name."

Sitting down back at his desk, he went to mess with his Tempad to fling some kind of blob on the surface. It took shape into the man, but a more younger and clean shaven version, "Eons ago, before the TVA, a variant of myself lived on Earth in the 31st century along with his closest friend....a variant of (Y/N)." What? He continued, "He was a scientist with her as his personal assistant. They both discovered that there were universes stacked on top of each other. At the same time, other versions of me were learning the same thing. Naturally, they made contact. And for a while, there was peace. They shared knowledge and technology, using what they had to improve other universes. Not all of them were...so pure of heart." It was easy to guess that war broke out between them all, trying to stop some from taken over all universes. Try to kill all others for their own home, and eventually it was all stop by a variant of the man sitting before them. Using Alioth after 'being led to him' to win and start the TVA, keeping it all in line so that never happens again.

"You came to kill the devil, right?" He laughed. "Well, guess what? I keep you safe...well, try to with that variant of you," He looked at (Y/N). "Well, if you think I'm evil, just wait until you meet my variants." "Wait," (Y/N) got up. "Try to? What happened to me?" "You were his first victim, it was like losing a little sister....you were the one that led me to Alioth." And that was it. He breathed in deeply, "You may hate the dictator, but something...far worse will fill that void if you dispose of him. I've lived a million lifetimes, this is the only way. The TVA, it works." "Or you're a liar," Sylvie suggested. In that minute, both (Y/N) and the guy just had the same face and feeling, with (Y/N) probably feeling much more 'can you please shut your mouth and actually listen.'

"So you just...continue to prune innocent timelines?" Loki asked. He shook his head, "You two would." They all looked confused when he said that. "Or (Y/N) if you don't want to. Honestly, she's the best choice for it." What the hell was he talking about? He started, "There's two options! One, you kill me and destroy all of this, so you don't have one devil you have an infinite amount. Or....you two, all three, or just (Y/N) run the thing." Why was (Y/N) considering that offer, only she knows that answer. "You're lying," Loki accused. "Why would you give up being in control?" "He's tired.." (Y/N) answered for him. The guy nodded as she stood up, slowly approaching his side, "This kind of job is for someone like us, young and full of energy. While you're..." "An old man?" She stopped beside him, "You look good for your age, let's be honest." They both laughed a bit.

Once that laughter died down, he sighed, "I've gone through a lot of scenarios trying to find the right person to take my place. It turns out that person, as well as my first pick, came in two." That was the choice; kill him and risk more damage then Thanos or take his place. They could even tell the TVA why they're doing this, and run it like benevolent rulers. (Y/N) thought about it more and more, and she was leaning a bit more on letting him live...maybe even taking his place. Sylvie shook her head slowly, "You treated real people's lives like some kind of game." Don't do this...not now. "It was personal to me," She said sternly.

"GROW UP! GROW UP SYLVIE!" (Y/N) yelled at her. "MURDERER! HYPOCRITE!" She looked offended by (Y/N)'s tone. Loki stepped in, "You're on his side?" "He speaks no lies, unlike you! He chooses between two awful futures, and doesn't run from them! He treats me like a human!" He was about to say one more thing, but (Y/N) got out her pistol to point it at him. "Shut your fucking mouth, and listen to me. For once, stop talking." "....It's because of Sylvie, am I correct? You've been chasing after me for so long, and when I don't go your way-" She shot right beside his head, getting him to stop talking. "Loki," she said to him. "I'm not jealous of Sylvie 'taking my place.' I'm angry because you are pushing me away and treating me like less." (Y/N) started to rant,

"I was okay with the down talk, since you can't trust people that easily, I get that. But all of a sudden when she shows up, I'm suddenly not important. You don't care what happens to me, you forget me. THE ONE THING YOU PROMISED NOT TO DO, YOU FUCKING DID! You can like anyone you want, but the least I ask is treat me like an equal. I thought I was getting close with Sylvie, but then you BOTH left me to die before even coming here!" They started to look sad, "Both times when Alioth went to kill you two, I held his mouth open and somehow absorbed it's power. It was killing me from the inside out, and when that path opened up you two just walked in like nothing. The only reason I'm here is because I'm strong willed. You both left me to die, and it was only when I was close to death or when I'm crying alone and hurling insults at you, you seem to fucking care! Sylvie, I know you want to kill this man, I really do. But do you want billions to die, having a worse fate then what you already have or do what's necessary to keep them alive."

(Y/N) then felt a hand grab her forearm, it was him. He looked worried, not saying a word, until she started to feel it too. A rumble crawling up her spine, what the hell was happening? It was like her subconscious pushed her to look into the darkness, as she quickly saw a woman wearing red with red curly hair. She was reading a book while floating in the air, and her eyes glowed bright red. "The line..." (Y/N) trembled.