Die. Respawn. Repeat.

As satisfying as Naru's fear of me is, there's a part of me that recoils from it. It's a well-deserved reversal of our first meeting, but our first meeting was me punching him in the face after he was particularly crass about Tarin being in a coma; there's a difference between that and... whatever this is. It's like he thinks I'm going to tear him apart just for touching me with his Firmament, and that I don't particularly like.

Not that I'd prefer his usual reaction, either. I haven't forgotten the way he talked to me about his own parents. Or the way he treated Mari in that fight.

"You're the Trialgoer," he says, recovering. That conclusion's probably easy enough to reach now that I'm stronger—only a Trialgoer would be able to reach the third layer, and he already knows all of Hestia's Trialgoers. Naru's eyes dart left, then right, as if assuring himself that there's a means of escape. "This is your fault, isn't it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I say. Which is a lie, mostly; I'm pretty sure he's talking about how the Integrators have been cut off from the Interface. I just want to figure out what he's doing here before I say anything else.

"Ethan!" Tarin pokes his head out of his hut. "You finally here! Why you die so much?"

I blink, then let out a snort of laughter—so much for intimidating Naru. The old crow is acting like his son isn't even there, and the way Naru glares at his father in protest almost makes me feel bad for him. "Now you come out of your hut?" he demands. "When the Trialgoer shows up?"

"He earn it," Tarin says dismissively. It almost makes me wince, the way he says it. Naru flinches at the words, then scowls, turning his attention to me instead.

"So you've been dying a lot, have you?" Naru asks, the words a half-sneer. "You might as well give up on your Trial—"

Tarin baps him in the side of the head with a wing, making him sputter in protest. "You quiet. I need talk to Ethan."