"There's one more thing." Levi swept his gaze across everyone present, his tone turning serious. "The Ti Variance Authority."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "The Ti Variance Authority? What's that?"
"An organization that exists beyond the tiline," Levi said, stepping toward the projection and tracing the marked ti nodes in the air. "Their mission is to maintain what they call the Sacred Tiline and eliminate any branching realities that deviate from it. And ti travel… is exactly what they hate most."
Steve frowned. "You're saying that once we start, they'll be watching us?"
"Not necessarily," Levi replied. "Their surveillance isn't all-encompassing. They only focus on events that could cause large-scale tiline divergence. If we move fast and stay subtle, they might not notice. But if we linger too long in the past, or change sothing significant… they'll show up imdiately and take us all."
"Take us?" Clint let out a cold laugh. "Then what—throw us in prison?"
"Worse," Levi said calmly, each word striking like a hamr. "The TVA has the power to erase you from existence—completely, across all tilines. You don't die. You simply… never existed. No one rembers you. No one mourns you. Because in the new tiline, you were never there to begin with."
The temperature in the room seed to drop.
Thor tightened his grip on Stormbreaker, faint arcs of lightning dancing along its edge. "Then how do we deal with them?"
"We avoid them," Levi said. "Get in, take the Stones, and leave. Don't engage with anyone in the past. Don't alter key events. Our objective is only the Stones—nothing else matters."
"And if they still co after us?" Carol asked.
Levi fell silent for a mont, his right hand unconsciously clenching. The black marking in his palm began to radiate faint heat—the Void energy stirring in response to his emotions.
"Then we fight," he said at last. "The TVA is powerful, but not invincible. Their agents use temporal distortion devices to slow or accelerate localized ti. But those only work on beings below Skyfather level. To , they're toys."
Tony leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "Sounds like you've dealt with them before."
"I have." Levi didn't elaborate much. "On the day of the Infinity War, they tried to erase our tiline. When I clashed with their pruning device's laws, it accidentally tore open a multiversal rift… and I ended up in the DC Universe."
"But you ca back," Steve said.
"I did," Levi nodded. "And I learned their weakness. The TVA's power cos from a being called the One Who Remains, who sits at the end of ti and controls the Sacred Tiline. But he's not omnipotent. He has blind spots—variables he can't predict."
"We're that variable?" Natasha asked.
"Exactly," Levi said, looking at her. "He's seen countless futures—but he didn't foresee us using ti travel to undo the Snap. Because in his design, Thanos's Snap had to happen. It's part of the Sacred Tiline. What we're doing now… is breaking his plan."
Thor stood up, suppressed fury radiating from him. "You're saying that bastard allowed Thanos to wipe out half of all life just to maintain his tiline?"
"Possibly," Levi said. "Or maybe he saw a farther future—sothing beyond the Snap—and deed it a necessary sacrifice. Either way, we're not accepting it."
Steve took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Then our plan is this: move fast, secure the Stones, and withdraw before the TVA can react. If they appear, Levi holds them off while the rest complete the mission."
Levi shook his head. "If the TVA shows up, everyone retreats imdiately. Do not engage—you can't win. I'll cover your exit."
"We're not leaving you behind," Steve said firmly.
"You're not leaving behind—you're completing the mission." Levi t his gaze. "Steve, you understand this. There's only one objective: collect all six Stones and reverse the Snap. For that, any price is acceptable—including . And trust —with my strength, even if Earth exploded, I'd walk away unhard."
Steve fell silent. He knew Levi was right—but as a leader, as a comrade, he couldn't accept abandoning anyone.
"We'll minimize contact with the TVA," Tony said, breaking the tension. "FRIDAY will monitor everyone's quantum signatures in real ti. If any abnormal temporal fluctuation is detected, you'll get an alert. When that happens—run. As fast as you can. Don't look back."
Natasha stared at the projection—the six ti nodes, the six Infinity Stones that could decide the fate of the universe. "When do we leave?"
Tony checked his watch, then glanced at the darkening sky outside. "Twenty-four hours. I need ti to fine-tune all the equipnt. Banner has to complete final physiological checks to make sure your bodies can handle quantum stress. And we still need to bring Rocket back from deep space—that raccoon's probably thousands of light-years away right now."
Carol pulled out a golden beacon and weighed it in her hand. "I'll get him. At my speed, I can make a round trip in twelve hours."
"Then it's settled." Steve marked the final ti on the projection. "Tomorrow, 8 PM. Everyone ets here. Bring everything you need. Check your temporal GPS. Confirm your Pym Particle dosage. This is our only shot—no mistakes."
Levi walked to the window, looking out over the barren training field beyond the base. The setting sun painted the sky a dark crimson—like an on.
He could feel the black marking in his palm heating up again. The Void energy inside him stirred restlessly, as if anticipating sothing.
He knew tomorrow wouldn't go smoothly. The TVA wouldn't stand by and watch. The One Who Remains wouldn't allow the Sacred Tiline to be broken.
And the power within him—the fragnt of the Anti-Monitor—could spiral out of control at any mont.
But he had no choice.
People began filing out of the eting room. Tony and Banner returned to the lab to continue calibrations. Rhodey headed to the armory to check War Machine's munitions. Scott went back to his room to rest—he still needed to recover from the aftereffects of ti travel.
Thor walked over to Levi and stood beside him in silence for a mont. "Are you really confident you can take the Soul Stone from the Red Skull?"
Levi didn't turn, still gazing out the window. "Red Skull is just a guardian, not the owner. He's been cursed and bound there for over seventy years—he's long lost his combat ability. The real problem is Vormir itself. That planet is essentially a massive sacrificial altar. Its entire law structure exists to sustain that ritual."
"Then how will you break it?"
"By overriding it with stronger laws." Levi raised his right hand. The black marking flickered faintly in his palm. "I have the Law of Death, Reality manipulation, Ti control… and this." He pointed at the mark. "Residual Void energy—from the Anti-Monitor's projection. It can erase everything, even laws themselves."
Thor stared at the mark, feeling a chill seep into his bones. "That thing is dangerous."
"I know." Levi clenched his fist, the marking fading back beneath his skin. "But I need it."
Thor said nothing more. He patted Levi on the shoulder and turned to leave.
Natasha was the last to go. She paused at the doorway and looked back at Levi, still standing by the window.
"If sothing happens to you on Vormir, I'll co," she said calmly. "Not for the mission—for you."
Levi turned to face her. Her gaze was unwavering.
"You don't have to," he said.
"I know," Natasha replied, pushing the door open. "But I will."
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