Continuing off on his investigation, Loki manages to find better focus now that Venti isn't in the room. Currently, he is attempting to find out the other locations of these so-called experiment sites. Scanning through the pages of the notebook, Loki has already ripped out the contents several times but restored them with Time Reversal.
"Holy crap this guy is messed up in the head! Confidence is key, but this dude is on his high horse! He really thinks he can rule over the world with one Adeptus. How stupid!"
"..."
"Hold on a moment. This part here..."
Looking up from the notebook, Loki walks over to the desk. Grabbing a piece of paper, he then opens a container with ink and dips the pen into it.
"Although this isn't really related, it's a key detail. This notebook dates back to...8 years ago. This man who was the leader, met a strange person. He said that their clothes were from another nation, but again, it doesn't describe anything about it. Only that he has never witnessed this attire before."
Writing his findings onto paper, Loki began to write as fast as his mind could process the information.
"They offered a deal with this dude. Assuming that both sides manage to create a weapon entirely for their own purposes."
"However, the dude didn't seem interested at first, so the dealer let him think for three days about this offer."
Stopping his pen from moving, Loki hit an interesting observation as he moved to the next page.
"This is...three days after the dealer made an offer. He agreed for whatever reason and was given a strange item. He was then told to gather people who agreed with him. People who were wronged by the world and suffered from it."
"..."
"The item was then returned...and in doing so, they were commanded to research a certain formula and perform rituals." Loki mumbled, jotting this down. "And when they got the gist of it, the dude got the item back and held onto it for a while."
"Wait. It keeps talking about an "item". Is it possible that the item is somewhere around here?"
Putting the pen down, Loki searched the entire room once more. He uses his Shadows to look through the smaller areas. He kept looking for the item, but just when he was about to give up, the Shadows found an odd box under the bed.
Bringing it towards Loki, he then placed it on top of the table and carefully opened it. Expecting some sort of attack, he was prepared to defend himself. But it didn't seem that way. Instead, there was only a small amount of dust that escaped from it.
Inside the box, there was an odd-looking amulet. The engravings were similar to Khaenri'ah's culture, but not exactly. It was rather plain. One can assume that it was based on Khaenri'ah, but didn't have any intention to.
"...Shadows. Run a diagnostic." Loki commanded.
"..."
"A hypnotizing device. Made with magic spells that trick the mind and invade the body. If exposed for too long, then it will have the power to manipulate those to do the giver's will." Loki read out loud, "So the person who gave this to the guy managed to manipulate him and his followers."
"And when he was told to gather people, they already succumbed to the amulet's power." He concluded, "However, this thing won't work well on Gods or any other divine being. I guess whoever this person is gave it to humans because they were simple and easy to control."
Placing the lid over the box, Loki continued to write down his findings.
.
.
.
(9 hours later)
Standing in front of a large Shadow Board filled with clues, Loki began to pinpoint the locations. Glancing over at each clue, Loki rubbed his chin as he pieced the puzzle together.
"The person who the dude talks about is linked to everything about the rituals." Loki mumbled, "But this person gave the dude a vague description of three other areas."
To help Loki find certain clues, the Shadow Board lit up the clues that he is looking for. A white light glows around the papers, telling him where each clue is.
"From what I can gather, the first clue hints at "abandoned village deep within Minlin's mountains". Minlin is pretty massive, so this is gonna take a while to search."
"..."
"I won't have enough time to explore all three hints." Loki grumbled, "I only have less than three or four days until she wakes up. I can't stop time, and I don't feel like taking the easy way out and using the Shadows to help me. So...I guess I can just go to Minlin for now."
Turning away from the board, the Shadows absorbed all of the contents and moved it into the Shadow Storage. Loki then used his power to collect all of the valuable evidence and store it away. Leaving the room empty with only furniture.
"I don't need this area anymore. Fill it up with rocks or whatever. Just make it so that this place is inaccessible."
Exiting the room, the Shadows copied the rock's texture and filled up the entire room with it. Burying the furniture and sealing up the doorway. Creating a dead end.
"Minlin...since I've been there once, I can teleport easily. But I wonder if Birdie will allow my presence."
(At Mt. Aocang)
Arriving, Loki carefully sealed his presence. He knew that Cloud Retainer would not allow him to enter her mountain without notice, so it would be best if he masked his entire body.
"Somewhere...deep within Minlin. Abandoned village..."
"..."
"Well yeah dipshit, there's a lot of them here. But...I guess I can go to the nearest one. As I recall...there should be one to the east at the bottom of the mountain."
Looking down, Loki's sight is blinded by a sea of clouds. He was high above the ground, so it was rather obvious that the clouds would be up to here.
"..."
"Sea...of Clouds...heh. Kinda reminds me of Xenoblade Chronicles 2."
"..."
"No use dawdling on the past. It was pretty fun and all, but I got a mission to do."
Jumping down the mountain, Loki remained calm as he fell downwards to the ground. His black hair flew upwards as his clothes rattled against the wind. Reaching the bottom, Loki used his Shadows to break his fall.
Woosh!
"Thanks." He spoke, fixing his appearance.
As the Shadows retreated back into him, Loki brushed off the dust and continued on his way. However, midway to the destination, he runs into a pack of Geovishaps. Creatures made from Geo, vicious monsters that possess different elements, yet their attacks can cause shockwaves. But to Loki, they were just alligators who were made up of rock and could walk.
"You're in the way." Loki groaned, walking past them.
But as he came close, one of the Vishaps let out a loud roar and punched the earth beneath it.
Boom!
"Tch! I don't have time!" Loki grumbled, dodging the attack.
As he was backing up, two other Vishaps rolled up to him and were about to slam their fists down. But they were unable to land a single hit since they were dead before they could do it.
Shlck!
"..."
The creatures let out one last breath as their bodies hung from the Shadow Spikes. Within a few seconds, they disappeared into smoke. Leaving behind bone fragments on the ground.
Calling the Shadow Spikes back, Loki realized how much time he wasted and decided to continue walking.
While walking through Minlin's terrain, Loki reminisces about the past. Recalling a simpler time when he and Reina would traverse the world.
"..."
"I want to traverse the world one more time with you, Reina."
.
.
.
As Loki's mind goes blank, he finds himself back in the past, standing among the old lands of Minlin. He looked at his hands, wondering if he was dreaming or not. His hands were transparent. He could see through them like glass.
"A flashback? That's weird. I stopped having those since..."
"..."
"Loki!" A voice called out from the distance.
!!!
That voice. That familiar soothing voice. That voice spoke with a kind warmth. That was her voice. The voice of Reina, the Goddess of Light.
"Reina!" Loki shouted, trying to pinpoint her location.
In the distance, he sees Reina skipping around the water. Laughing as she spun and splashed in it like a child. She kicked the water towards someone, but who?
"Reina. I don't have time for your foolishness." A voice groaned, "I have yet to-"
Splish!
"..."
"Is that...me?" Loki thought to himself, "That certainly is me. That's the same appearance I had. And the outfit I wore back then."
"Haha!" Reina laughed, "L-look at yourself...! Ahaha!"
Standing there, drenched, the Loki of the past seethed with anger. He wiped his face with his hand and flicked the water off.
"So that's how it is. Very well. Then let's see you dodge this." Loki smirked, lifting his hand up.
Loki watched as his past self summoned an enormous bubble of Hydro. More than enough to flood the entire area.
"Prepare yourself."
"W-wait! B-brother!" Reina stuttered, stepping back. "I was just-"
"Dodge this."
As he sent the enormous body of Hydro towards Reina, Loki closed his eyes and looked away. He knew what was about to happen, but wanted to remember how this played out.
SPLASH!
As Hydro met the ground, it created a massive earthquake. Causing mountains to tremble and for rocks to fall from the cliffs. By some stroke of luck, the body of water was not able to sink any mountains.
"..."
Settling down, Loki opens his eyes and sees a completely drenched Reina. She was covered from head to toe in water. Using her power, she was able to stand her ground. But was too late to cast a shield.
The other Loki was unaffected by the water. He protected himself with his Shadows and remained completely dry.
"This is why you need to train more." The other Loki sighed, "You can't possibly protect yourself with such late reaction time."
"Ahaha..." Reina laughed, "But at least I have control over-"
"Simply controlling the elements won't help you." He lectured, "You must learn to properly defend yourself."
"Right..." She awkwardly smiled.
"..."
"How long ago was this? I know that I remember, but I don't know how many years have passed since then."
"..."
"It was the stupid things like this that made me miss her. We fought like siblings but never cared for each other like siblings. I guess...that I was the only one who thought that way. Right? Reina...?"
In the past, Loki's cold yet sarcastic nature made him impossible to approach. Unlike his sister, he often thought about the worst and thought negatively. And he lived thinking that Reina never cared about him as a brother, but hated him.
As Loki lived on Earth, he would later realize that Reina always cared about him. He was just too blind to see that. His dedication to training and mastering his powers made him shut himself away from social interaction. Thanks to Reina, Loki was constantly dragged around the world to socialize.
He thought about disposing of her a few times but failed to because deep down, there was a large part of him that stopped those urges.
"..."
"I...I'm glad I got to see a memory of you. That much is enough for me."
.
.
.
Coming back to the present, Loki stops in his tracks. Realizing that he was sleepwalking, he rubbed his eyes awake.
"How silly. To think that I'd be sleepwalking so easily." He scoffed.
Up ahead, he sees the abandoned village that the dealer spoke about. Assuming that this is the right one. Walking through the gates, Loki senses several hostile beings.
"Hillichurls...Thieves...and a Ruin Guard." Loki mumbled, "Easy opponents. But I'll check out the area where the Ruin Guard is."
Ruin Guards, ancient mechanical giants designed by the people of Khaenri'ah -- a Nation who served no God. Ruin Guards are what the people of present Teyvat call them since they are often found near ruins or abandoned areas. However, that is not their true name.
Heading towards the powered-off Ruin Guard, he takes notice of its surroundings. The humanoid machine sat in front of a moss-covered well, sitting there for what seemed like a decade, it was dirty with roots growing into it. It refused to move unless something triggered it to awaken. But for what it's worth, nothing seemed to activate it.
"It's definitely alive." Loki sighed, annoyed that something would get in his way again.
Walking around it, Loki peered into the well. It was empty. Only dirt, weeds, and insects were inside the well. However, Loki could tell that there was something down there. Past all of the cobwebs, something is hidden underneath.
"Now should I burn the whole thing?" Loki muttered, "It'll probably cause a fire though..."
"..."
"Eh. Whatever." He shrugged.
Pointing his finger down the well, Loki grinned mischievously.
"Burn."
Ka-BOOM!
A pillar of Pyro spouted from the well. It burned everything away within mere seconds. Due to the tremendous amount of power from the fire, it nearly destroyed the well.
"..."
Ashes flew down from the pillar. Touching the ground as if it were snow. However, this caused the Ruin Guard to awaken from its slumber. Mechanized gears began to shift and create sparks. The roots and weeds snapped off of its body. And finally, a high-pitched frequency followed by an orange light brought the worn-down machine back to life.
"All of this for what?" Loki sighed, "You should've stayed dead."
Before the Ruin Guard could get up, Loki had appeared in front of its eye. Smirking as he punched it. Burying his hand deeper until he managed to grab its weak point.
Crush!
Destroying its core, Loki then leaped back and shook the broken parts off of his hand. With no main source to operate, the Ruin Guard powered down forever. Leaving only its body behind until it erodes.
"Odd. I expected it to disintegrate like any normal enemy. Then again, this is reality." Loki shrugged, walking back to the well. "Machines can't exactly disappear into thin air so easily."
Jumping down, Loki came to the bottom of the well. As expected, there was something that was supposed to remain hidden here. Some of the stones were out of place. Almost as if they were leading to a pathway.
Boom!
Kicking the wall down, Loki whistles as he sees an empty hallway leading to more rooms.
"I love it when I'm right." He grinned.
(A few hours later)
After scouring the entire hideout, Loki finds more clues than what he hoped for. It turns out that there are several different leaders who have been manipulated by that dealer.
All of the locations consist of different leaders and different ritual methods. However, many of the rituals ended the same -- failing. But something that they all have in common is creating a human weapon. The goal isn't clear, but the dealer wants something or someone that is extremely strong.
"Mmm...but this raises a few more questions." Loki hummed, leaning back in a chair. "Why does the dealer need a human or non-human weapon? What kind of war or fight requires a human weapon to be made? This doesn't make a lot of sense..."
"..."
"I need something. I need a new clue-WOAH?!"
Falling back in his chair, Loki hits his head against a bookshelf. Causing a few dusty books to fall.
Thud!
"Cough cough! Damn...! All this damn dust is gonna make me get asthma...!"
Getting up, Loki brushes off all of the dust that dirtied his clothes. Grumbling angrily as he sneezed. As he was about to place the books back, he found an old letter sticking out of a book.
He then takes it out of the book. Opened its contents to see if there was something of importance.
???,??
It's nearly time. I hope that you finished your task *****. By next week, the ritual should be finished. Although I have no idea whether you're alive or not to answer. I lent you my most val***** **em. If you fail, then you must face the c*n****enc** and accept your *ea**. We cannot allow you or the others to be caught. Therefore, I have ap**o*** to get rid of all of you. **** it work. *** make it ****. T*** is fast approa*****.
"Tch. Some of the letters are smeared." Loki groaned, "Welp. Nothing a little Time Reversal can't do."
Fixing the letter, Loki then gives it another read.
"Hmm. There aren't a lot of clues here. Other than the fact that this person has someone else's "approval" to do this stuff. What does this mean? Is it the Fatui? Or maybe some other organization?"
Restoring the letter back to the way he found it, Loki put it inside the book and placed it on the shelf.
"I understand if it's the Fatui since they've been plotting something. But...it seems a little too...I don't know, strange...? In a way?" Loki mumbled, "Human experimentation is one thing that links with these, but I have a hard time believing it. Could it be the Abyss? Rhinedottir? Celestia?"
"..."
"Gaah...! So annoying! I was sent to investigate, not figure out!" Loki groaned, "Whatever. At least I got some clues. Maybe my lady will be happy with this much information..."
"..."
"It's one thing after another, isn't it?" Loki scoffed, "Come on out."
"..."
"Hiding in the shadows won't help you. The shadows are my favorite, it's what I'm best at."
"..."
Stepping out of the shadows, a young dark-skinned man appeared. He wore clothing similar to Snezhnayan attire, wearing a blank mask as well. Half of his black medium-length hair was tied into a half ponytail. His dark blue highlights dimly glowed in the darkness. A single white horn -- faded light blue tips -- grew from the left of his forehead.
"Well, don't you look awfully suspicious?" Loki smirked.
"..."
"Is this how you speak to someone who gave you a chance to live?"
"..."
"Erebus...Loki..." The young man muttered.
"Eugh...don't call me by my real name." Loki groaned, "It makes me really uncomfortable to hear that from my friend."
"...Loki, then?"
"Yeah, much better. Honestly, I can't ever get used to "Erebus". Such a serious sounding name..." Loki grumbled.
"Loki."
"That's my name."
"It's been...over 4,000 years..."
"Yes, it has. ****."