Chapter 143: Book 3: Reboot
So much has happened since the last time I allowed myself to properly look over the Interface. So much has happened since I've gained the Interface, for that matter. It doesn't feel like it's been all that long, but it's hard to put the timeline together in my head—I'm aware, in an abstract sort of way, of all the events that have passed. The timeline of everything that's happened, in order? That's a bit more of a jumble.
The notifications are a reminder, in a way. They don't list out everything that's happened, but there's a history recorded in every ping of the Interface. It helps that there's a list that sorts them all out chronologically, all the way back to the very first one I received.
The one welcoming me to Hestia. The one telling me about the Trials.
I skim through those. Reading through these chronologically is... well, if I'm being honest with myself, then it's partly a way for me to put off looking at the raid report even more. But there is a purpose to it beyond that.
It helps me collect my thoughts. Reminds me of all the steps I've taken, everything I've encountered, and all the ways I've grown.
The next few notifications cover my harrowing first few minutes on Hestia, and I grimace as I glance over them. They're basically just me being killed by Ahkelios's Remnant repeatedly, not that I knew that was what it was at the time. The Interface called it a Broken Horror; I have the context now to understand why. To know what it represented.
In retrospect, it's... not a kind name.
I speed up my scrolling. There's me finding the Fracture, then the Cliffside Crows, then the raid on their little village that first put me in touch with Tarin and Mari. There's a bit of a pang in my heart as I remember them—I'm not going to see either of them frequently anymore. Not for a while, at least. I've yet to figure out how to extract the piece of the Interface lodged within Tarin that allows him to remember the loops, but he seems quite determined to stay with Mari from now on.
He doesn't want to move on without her. I can understand that, at least. It's the second reason my next goal is the Empty City.