Levi stood upon the Bifrost of Asgard.
The bridge beneath his feet was made of transparent crystal, through which he could see the nebulae deep in space. Asgard in 2013 was still whole—golden palaces gleamed under the sunlight, untouched by the ruins Hela would one day leave behind.
He tapped the Time-Space GPS, confirming the temporal anchor.
November 15, 2013. 3:20 PM.
At this moment, Jane Foster still carried the Aether within her. Thor should have only recently brought her back to Asgard.
At the end of the Bifrost, the gatekeeper Heimdall turned.
His golden eyes locked onto Levi.
His sword was already drawn.
"Stop. Who are you?" Heimdall demanded.
Levi halted.
"My name is Levi," he said. "I'm here to see Odin."
Heimdall frowned. The tip of his sword pointed at Levi's throat, less than half a meter away.
"My eyes can see across the Nine Realms, yet I have never seen you. You are not of the Nine Realms, nor are you a friend of Asgard. Speak—where do you come from?"
"Somewhere far away," Levi replied.
He didn't make a move. Heimdall was doing his duty as gatekeeper. And according to the timeline, Heimdall didn't know him yet—because Levi had never appeared in this timeline.
"I need to see Odin," Levi repeated. "It concerns the Infinity Stones."
Heimdall's sword didn't lower.
"Infinity Stones?"
"The Aether," Levi said. "It's inside Jane Foster. I know how to remove it without harming her."
Heimdall fell silent for a few seconds.
His golden gaze swept over Levi, as if trying to pierce through his very soul. Then, at last, he sheathed his sword—though his hand remained on the hilt.
"Follow me."
They crossed the Bifrost and entered the palace.
The corridors were vast, lined with portraits of past kings. Soldiers stood on both sides, clad in golden armor and holding spears. Their eyes followed Levi, filled with vigilance.
He could feel it.
Strange. Wary.
Not a single one of them recognized him.
They passed the training grounds. Thor was sparring with Sif, the clash of hammer and sword echoing through the open space. When Thor saw Heimdall escorting a stranger, he stopped.
"Heimdall!" Thor called. "Who's that?"
Heimdall didn't answer, continuing forward.
Thor set down his hammer and strode after them, blocking Levi's path, Mjolnir in hand.
"I asked who you are," Thor said.
Levi looked at him, frowning slightly.
Thor didn't recognize him? By all logic, they should have already met by now.
"My name is Levi," he said. "I'm here to see your father."
"I don't know you," Thor replied. "And Asgard has no record of you."
Thor stared at him for a few seconds, then turned to Heimdall. "Is what he said true? About the Aether?"
Heimdall nodded.
Thor hesitated, then stepped aside—but kept Mjolnir ready in his grip.
They continued on.
Passing the medical chamber, Levi saw Jane Foster lying on a bed. Her face was pale, her breathing weak. Red energy pulsed beneath her skin, writhing as if alive.
Queen Frigga stood beside her, using magic to stabilize her condition.
Frigga looked up at Levi.
Her gaze was calm—neither hostile nor familiar.
Levi looked away.
They entered the throne room.
Odin sat upon his high throne, Gungnir in hand. His single eye fixed on Levi, deep as though it could see through time itself.
Heimdall knelt on one knee.
"Your Majesty, this man claims he can help Jane Foster."
Odin said nothing.
He simply looked at Levi.
For a long time.
Levi stood where he was—neither kneeling nor bowing. He met Odin's gaze, waiting.
Odin rose.
Gungnir struck the ground with a heavy thud.
"Leave us," Odin said.
Heimdall hesitated, then stepped back to the door. Thor lingered for a moment before following. The doors closed, leaving only Levi and Odin.
Odin descended from the throne.
His steps were slow but steady. His eye remained fixed on Levi, filled with something complex—not hostility, not warmth, but scrutiny.
"You do not belong here," Odin said.
Levi nodded. "I'm from the future."
"I know," Odin replied. "But not only that."
He stopped before Levi and raised Gungnir, pointing it at his chest—not as a threat, but as if probing.
Golden runes flowed from the spear, forming a complex array in the air. The light swept across Levi's body.
Then—the array shattered.
Odin withdrew Gungnir, frowning deeper.
"I cannot see it," he said. "Your past. Your future. Your fate. All invisible. As if you do not exist within the river of time."
Levi fell silent for a moment.
"What does that mean?"
"Time is a river," Odin said. "Every life is a drop within it, with a source and an end. But you are not. You are like a stone thrown onto the surface—creating ripples, yet with no origin to trace."
Levi felt a tightness in his chest.
"So I have no variants?"
"Variants are projections of the same existence across timelines," Odin said. "But you have no origin at all. You are not part of this river—you are an anomaly forced into it."
Levi clenched his fists.
In this timeline, he didn't exist. No one knew him.
"The TVA," Levi said. "They want to erase me."
"Not just you," Odin replied. "They want to erase your entire timeline. Your existence itself threatens the Sacred Timeline. You are not bound by fate or time—every choice you make creates branches they cannot predict."
Odin turned and walked back to the throne.
"So they must eliminate you—before you grow strong enough to threaten them."
Levi took a deep breath.
"How do you know all this?"
"I have lived for five thousand years," Odin said. "I have seen many time travelers, the TVA's hunters, and the traces they leave behind. But you… you are the first I've ever seen who lies completely outside the flow of time."
He paused.
"You came for the Aether?"
Levi nodded. "I need it to fight Thanos."
"Thanos…" Odin murmured. "That madman. What does he do in the future?"
"He gathers all six Infinity Stones and snaps his fingers," Levi said. "Half of all life in the universe disappears. Including many of your son's friends."
Odin fell silent.
He closed his eye, the lid trembling slightly—as if recalling, or calculating. After a few seconds, he opened it again, gaze even deeper.
"You say you're from the future," Odin said. "Then you should know—removing the Aether from Jane will kill her."
"I know," Levi said. "But in my timeline, I removed it—and she survived."
"How?"
"By using the Laws of Death and Life simultaneously," Levi said. "Death severs the Aether's link to her life, while Life restores her damaged cells at the same moment. The timing difference cannot exceed 0.03 seconds—or she dies."
Odin looked at him, a hint of approval in his gaze.
"You wield two opposing laws."
"More than two," Levi said. "Space, Power, Life, Mind, Time, Reality, Death… and Life again. Eight in total."
Odin's eye widened—just slightly.
But for the Allfather, even that was clear shock.
"Eight laws fused…" Odin said slowly. "No wonder the TVA wants you gone. You walk the most dangerous path—and the most powerful. If you survive, you will surpass all Skyfather-level beings… perhaps even touch the threshold of a single-universe entity."
Levi said nothing.
He knew the risks. Every additional law intensified the conflict within him. He had nearly died multiple times breaking through—each time like dancing on a blade's edge.
But he had no choice.
Thanos was too strong.
"You may take the Aether," Odin suddenly said.
Levi paused.
"Just like that?"
"I trust you," Odin said. "Not because of your words—but because of what you are. The TVA seeks to erase you, which means you threaten their Sacred Timeline. And anything that threatens them… is worthy of my trust."
He stood, Gungnir striking the ground.
"Those who claim to maintain time's order are merely preserving their own rule," Odin said coldly. "They prune every timeline that defies them, erase every variable they cannot control. They are not guardians—they are tyrants."
Levi looked at him.
"You've fought them before?"
"Long ago," Odin said. "They tried to prune a timeline. That version of me refused. They sent hunters. I killed three—but more came. In the end, I compromised and let that branch be cut."
He paused.
"Since then, I knew they were unbeatable—not because of strength, but because they command time itself. They see all possible futures, know your choices before you make them, and erase you before you can rise."
"But they didn't erase me," Levi said.
"Because you are not in the river," Odin replied. "You are their blind spot. They cannot see your future, cannot predict you. So they resort to the crudest method—destroying your entire timeline."
A chill ran through Levi.
—
He followed Thor to the medical chamber. Using the Law of Reality, he connected with the Aether, then channeled the Law of Life into Jane.
Moments later, a red stone formed in his palm.
"The Reality Stone…"
"Take it," Odin said. "Do what you must."
Levi clenched it, storing it away.
"Thank you."
"No need," Odin said. "I am gambling. Betting that you can defeat the TVA… that you can change the fate they've written. If you lose, I lose nothing. If you win… perhaps Asgard will have a future free from their watch."
They returned to the throne room.
The doors opened. Thor and Heimdall entered. Thor gripped Mjolnir, still wary.
"Father, he took the Aether?" Thor asked.
"Yes," Odin said.
"But that's Asgard's treasure—"
"It is a curse," Odin interrupted. "Keeping it invites disaster. Letting him take it is safer."
Thor opened his mouth, then closed it.
Levi looked at Thor—the young god who knew nothing yet of what he would lose: his mother, his father, his home… his wandering, his battles, his failure to stop the Snap.
"Thor," Levi said, "you don't know me—but you will become a great king. Greater than you imagine."
Thor frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Levi didn't explain. He turned and walked toward the exit.
"Heimdall—send me to Vormir. I don't know its location," he called.
Heimdall glanced at Odin. At Odin's nod, he activated the Bifrost.
"Traveler, your power is immense. Do not resist the Bifrost—otherwise, it will not move you at all."
As the teleportation began, Odin's voice came from behind:
"Remember this, lonely one of the timeline. You have no past, no future—only the present. Cherish every moment, for it is all you truly possess."
Levi didn't look back.
Light swallowed him.
When he opened his eyes again, he stood upon the frozen surface of Vormir, surrounded by endless snow.
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