God of Tricksters

"It will be wrong to leave them alone."

If it were anyone else, they would say the opposite. After all, there was no need for them to mess with someone that could literally kill them in a way that no one could explain.

However, the man in front of him was the guy who wasn't afraid to mess with other Gods and Goddesses even if he needed to put his life on the line.

In fact, Loki might have been too good this whole time that he almost forgot his real intention. Loki earnestly helped and trained him, so he thought he was a good guy that sincerely thought of him.

However, these words actually reminded him of the promise they had.

"The reason why you want me to cause ruckus all around the world…" Theo narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, that? It's only one of the reasons. But I have a few other reasons… It's not the time to tell you that." Loki smirked.

Theo couldn't help but feel overwhelmed in front of this man. This whole time, Theo had been playing the people like a game of chess, controlling them with his tricks, so they went according to his plan.

However, the man before him was a few steps above him. Instead of people, he was playing with the world and even the being that watched over the world.

Even if there was no proof that such a being existed, the man believed that was the case and planned to mess with them.

How long would it take for him to make contact with them? This felt like a never ending journey because there was a chance that the being from a higher dimension would never come. This could keep him occupied for a long time.

'So, this is the God of Mischief, Loki.' Theo thought, feeling the massive darkness that could play with anyone's life. Even he might just be a pawn in the chess he played.

However, Loki soon calmed down as he returned to his collected state, explaining a few things to Theo. "The souls will go to the Spatial Rift to watch over both words, especially the humans.

"In the past, the amount of power would leak from time to time. That's why you know the witches, and other prominent figures like King Arthur or Merlin.

"In this Spatial Rift, the soul won't dissipate, allowing them to live for eternity until they choose otherwise. For what reason? It's simple… If I can stay alive for a long time and continue observing this vicious cycle, I can gradually comprehend those beings."

Theo furrowed his eyebrows. "If that's the case, you should just let the war happen. This way, the end will come."

"No." Loki shook his head. "I already told you that I'm planning to break that vicious cycle to mess with them. So, the first thing I need to do is prolong that cycle.

"This way, they will start making their moves, allowing me to observe every situation. I will gather more data after all.

"Just like the guy that thought about defeating the Frost Saint… Do you think that's coming from his own thoughts? Or is it because of outside interference? Even I don't know.

"That's why I'm going to prevent this cycle for as long as I can to make them impatient. The more I do it, the more reckless they will become or so I thought."

Theo could understand a bit of his reasoning, but he also found a flaw in his argument. "Your current action… explaining all this to me might have been seen by 'them' as well. So, is there any point? In fact, they might be aware of your thinking too…"

"So?" Loki tilted his head in confusion.

"Eh?" Theo became confused this time. It was clear that if they already knew his intention, there was no way they would do it. After all, it would just make them fall into Loki's trap.

However, Loki's thoughts couldn't be any more different. "Isn't that good?"

"Huh?"

"If they know about my intention, they will hold themselves back from interfering in this world, right?" Loki smirked.

"Yes."

"In that case, I want to see how long they will ignore it. I already said earlier that the vicious cycle couldn't be broken. They will eventually reset civilizations again. All I need to do is wait."

"Won't the world erase you?"

"Are you joking with me?" Loki chuckled and pointed at Theo's eyes. "I have understood the world's system and broken a part of it. Do you think I will be that foolish to break the rule that will destroy me? And if they forcefully erase me, it's my win since I have proved they exist."

"…" Theo fell silent. Loki had a clear judgment on what he could do or say. That was why he created this grand plan.

"Do you think I can give you those eyes if I don't break the system? People have special abilities from time to time like your friend, Alea, or other people who can see something different from what normal people see like the future, destiny, and so on." Loki pointed at his eyes. "Your eyes come from the world's system. And I do admit I have been trying to manipulate you to get the Reality Order this whole time. That's why I added that one last rule… never lie."

"Never lie? Manipulate me…" Theo narrowed his eyes. That statement gave him mixed feelings. After escaping from his parents' grand plan, it seemed he was still stuck in God of Mischief's plan.

"Do you think that eyes can only upgrade your skills?" Loki smirked.

"What do you mean?" Theo widened his eyes.

"You don't think the current eyes are the final version, right?"

"…" Theo's expression darkened, answering the question. He was already aware of that possibility a long time ago.

Loki then walked toward Theo and moved his head closer to the point their eyes were only a few inches away.

He was staring so intensely that Theo felt Loki was looking at something deeper inside him.

"When your body and soul are ready, I will give you another opportunity to upgrade those eyes." Loki smiled and stepped back.

Theo gulped down, trying to calm his heart down. He still needed time to process all that information. It was too much even for him.

And there was one thing that stuck deep in his heart. It was about manipulation. His goal was to escape the Griffith Family and his parents' schemes this whole time to get his freedom, so he didn't want to be trapped by the God of Mischief in the end.

Ultimately, Theo asked one question. "In the chess you play… What is my status?"

Status. Theo wanted to confirm this one thing. If he was just a mere pawn, there was no need for him to be serious about this whole scheme since his action would do a little harm to the entire plan.

However, the God of Mischief's smile became even bigger.

"You don't like to be manipulated? That's your role, Theodore Griffith."

"My role?" Theo squinted his eyes, confused.

"That's right. If you don't like to be manipulated by others, just break away from their plan and scam them back. Like what you did to your parents… Just break away from my scheme with your strength. Eventually, you will reach the same position as mine… In the end, we're still getting manipulated by 'them.' You don't like it too, right? Then, break away from their plan and beat them up! After all, you are my…" The God of Mischief raised his hand before snapping his fingers as Theo's consciousness gradually became blank, returning to reality. However, he also gave one last message, telling Theo his identity. "…Joker."