1. Courtroom

Daniel opened his eyes, and a rush of thoughts flooded his mind. The first was a memory of pain—sharp, searing pain, as if his nerves had been set on fire. The second was confusion. Just a moment ago, he'd been on the street, walking home from work when a sudden storm had hit. He remembered the flash of lightning, the blinding light, and the feeling of electricity surging through his body. It was so intense, so real—he could still feel a faint tingling in his limbs. Then, as quickly as it started, everything had gone black. Now, as his vision cleared, he realized he was in a completely different place.

"F*ck" Daniel muttered, his voice echoing off the walls of the strange room. He blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of where he was. The space around him was sterile, almost clinical, with high ceilings and walls that looked both ancient and futuristic at the same time. It was nothing like the chaotic street he had just been on. He glanced down at his body, expecting to see his work clothes—a pair of black trousers and a white shirt. But what he saw instead made his heart skip a beat.

His body was different. His clothes were different. The hands in front of him weren't his. They were bigger, more muscular, with veins that stood out against his pale skin.

Daniel was dressed in a plain brownish-beige jumpsuit, a far cry from anything he would ever wear. A collar was fastened around his neck, adding to the sense that he was somewhere he didn't belong.

Panic started to rise in him as he tried to move, and that's when he felt it—a strange disconnect between his mind and his body. It was like he was controlling someone else's body, like wearing a suit that didn't quite fit.

'What the hell happened to me?' Daniel muttered, in his mind. His thoughts raced as he tried to piece together what had happened. Lightning. Pain. Darkness. And now…this. Could the lightning have done this to him? Could it have somehow sent him to this strange place, inside someone else's body?

Before he could make sense of it, a woman's voice interrupted his thoughts, pulling him back to the present.

"Mr. Daniel Reed, did you hear the question?" The voice was firm, commanding, and oddly familiar. Daniel turned his head slowly, his eyes landing on the woman who had spoken. She was seated behind a high podium, looking at him with a mix of impatience and expectation. The room around him was becoming clearer—a dimly lit chamber with a retro-futuristic design, all dull browns and oranges. The walls were lined with guards in armor, their helmets and batons giving off a menacing vibe. Daniel's gaze returned to the woman at the podium. She was wearing what looked like the robes of a judge, her expression cold and unyielding.

Daniel's breath caught in his throat as recognition hit him. He knew this place. He'd never been here, but it was familiar, like a scene from a show he'd seen: *Loki*. This wasn't just any courtroom; it was the Time Variance Authority, the TVA. And the woman who had spoken was Ravonna Renslayer, the same judge who had presided over Loki's trial.

A chill ran down Daniel's spine as the realization set in. This wasn't just some crazy dream or a hallucination from the lightning strike. Somehow, impossibly, he had been transported into the Marvel Universe—and not just as an observer. He was in someone else's body, and that someone was named Daniel Reed, the same as his name.

His mind raced to find an explanation. How could this have happened? Was it the lightning? Had he died, and this was some kind of afterlife? Or was this something entirely different, something beyond his understanding?

But there was no time to dwell on it. Ravonna was waiting for an answer, and he had no idea what she had asked. He could feel the weight of everyone's eyes on him, the pressure building as the silence dragged on. He needed to act fast, to play along until he could figure out what was going on.

"Sorry, could you repeat the question?" Daniel asked, trying to keep his voice steady. He hoped the request wouldn't seem suspicious.

Ravonna raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed, but she repeated herself, her tone crisp and businesslike.

"I asked if you understand the charges against you, Mr. Reed."

Charges? A knot tightened in Daniel's stomach. What had this guy—this Reed—done to end up here, facing charges from the TVA? He had no clue what to say, but he knew one thing: if he didn't figure out what was going on soon, he was in deep trouble.

"Yes," Daniel lied, knowing that asking her to repeat the charges again would only raise suspicion. He had no desire to become a test subject for He Who Remains. "I understand."

Daniel's thoughts were spinning. He was in the Marvel Universe, in the body of a man named Daniel Reed, who had somehow messed with the timeline. The TVA was involved, which meant this was serious—deadly serious. He needed to keep his cool, think clearly, and find a way out of this mess.

The thought of being pruned sent a wave of fear through him. But even as the fear threatened to overwhelm him, a small part of his mind couldn't help but marvel at the absurdity of it all. He was in the Marvel Universe—a place he'd only seen on screen, filled with gods, monsters, and superheroes. It was surreal, unbelievable—but here he was, living it.

He couldn't let fear take over. He had to focus, adapt, and survive. Most importantly, he had to avoid getting pruned.

Daniel considered whether he should beg for his life, plead with them to let him serve the TVA. Maybe he could convince them to make him an agent, like the countless others who worked for the TVA, maintaining the sacred timeline. But as the thought crossed his mind, a wave of horror followed. He suddenly remembered the fate of those who became TVA employees—they lost their memories, their identities erased, leaving them as empty shells with no purpose but to serve the TVA's mission. Their lives weren't their own; they were just tools, pawns in the cosmic game controlled by the mysterious "He Who Remains."

The thought of losing his memories, of becoming a blank slate, terrified him. He'd rather be pruned than live that kind of life—if you could even call that living. The only thing worse than death might be an existence with no purpose or identity.

Judging by the timeline, this seemed to be before Loki's capture, before the TVA's true nature was revealed. They were still obsessed with maintaining the "sacred timeline," still ruthlessly pruning any deviations. This meant the TVA was still blindly following its mission. There was still time before the chaos Loki would bring, time before the cracks in the TVA's foundation would begin to show.

Even if Loki came later and freed the TVA employees by revealing their true pasts, Daniel knew he wouldn't be shown his past life, only this current one.

'Helll no,' Daniel quickly dismissed the idea of working as a TVA employee.

Sweat started to form on his forehead as his mind raced under the pressure, but no clear plan emerged.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For 5+ advance chapters, please visit my patreon.

patreon.com/Wordalchemist