Mom…?
They were talking about my mother…
My COG suddenly beeped and displayed a message.
[Item Acquired: Time Plane Memory #6 – Added to Inventory]
I stared at the message in disbelief, then navigated to the Inventory.
[Inventory]
- Bronze Key x1
- Tantalum – 284g
- Iron – 9.81kg
- Copper – 768g
- Ironwatch Foldable Sword x1
- Aero x1
- Time Plane Memory #6
There it was.
Hesitant, I selected it, and the vision immediately replayed in my mind.
The time on my COG hadn’t moved before or after – meaning time froze while I watched it.
Convenient.
Since items in the Inventory carry over into the next loops as long as they stay there at the end of the loop, that meant I could rewatch this Memory in my next run to regain it.
But where were the other five? Why did I only receive the sixth?
I couldn’t make much sense of everything I’d just seen.
They were talking about my mother like…she hadn’t actually killed herself. Like someone ordered her death. Someone powerful. But who? One of the oligarchs? Some other important person?
And this Richard Watson…Was he her friend? Did he really betray her? He said she had learned Solvane’s dark secrets…what secrets?
And the cloaked figure – was that Valdemar? It had to be him, right? He talked about reshaping this place. And plus, who else uses a voice modulator?!
But if that was Valdemar…it meant he had access to Skyhaven for a year – maybe more. Mom was found dead about a year ago…
Then…why didn’t he strike Skyhaven sooner? Was he waiting for the perfect moment? Was he already working for Erebus back then?
And worse – he sounded like he knew her. Personally. Close enough to know what she wanted to happen after her death. Close enough to pass on her wishes to Watson.
Why did she want her Dematerializer to be left in DGO's Chief Engineer's care? If she knew she was going to get killed off, why hadn’t she told Dad or me? Why hadn’t she left something for us to learn the truth? And don’t give me that bullshit about trying to protect us.
Had she really just forgotten about us?
I sighed heavily.
Too many questions.
No answers.
Could I even trust that this memory was real? Or was it some kind of manipulation?
I need to ask Chronos about this.
But…if it is real…
My gaze dropped to the Dematerializer in my hand. The faint purple aura from before had vanished.
But more importantly – it was hers.
I felt wetness on my cheek. When I wiped it away, I realized it was a tear. How long had that been there? Or more importantly, why had it been there?
My heart pounded, and without thinking, I pressed the Dematerializer to my chest and held it close.
Suddenly, saving Solvane didn’t feel like the top priority anymore.
Suddenly, finding out what really happened to her…took its place.
I need to find Chief Engineer Richard Watson – to understand exactly what kind of relationship they had, and…who killed her.
But for now, let’s not waste time.
I brought the Dematerializer’s narrow end closer to the Integration port.
Before they even touched, it felt like my COG pulled it in by itself as if it was magnetic. The device clicked into place, and my COG’s screen glowed before a message appeared.
[Dematerializer is Active]
[Civic Omni-Gear System]
[Current Level: 3]
[Progress until next Level: 34%]
[Metals needed for Level 4: Iron – 13.63g, Tantalum – 7g]
[You may proceed with the upgrade phase]
I think I could live with my COG staying at level 3 for a little longer.
The Déjà Vu System, on the other hand…
I flipped the switch to DjV mode and saw the Dematerializer was overriding this menu too. Goren wasn’t lying.
[Dematerializer is Active]
[Déjà vu System: Level 5]
[Progress until next Level: 0%]
[Metals needed for Level 6: Iron – 24.25g, Tantalum – 7g]
[You may proceed with the upgrade phase]
Good.
Considering the conversion rates - Tantalum's 2.5%, and Iron's 0.5% - I should have more than enough for one upgrade.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
I was about to summon the metals from my inventory and deal with them manually – like I did in my last level up, seemingly years ago – until a new message popped up:
[Required Metals are present in the Inventory]
[Do you wish to level up?]
[YES / NO]
Perfect. I don’t even have to waste time then.
I selected YES.
The screen glowed brighter for a second. The COG hummed, vibrating on top of my arm. And then –
[You have gained 1 Skill Point]
I disconnected the Dematerializer and immediately stored it in the Inventory.
Then, I opened up the Inventory again, just to make sure it was still there.
[Inventory]
- Bronze Key x1
- Tantalum – 4g
- Iron – 4.96kg
- Copper – 768g
- Ironwatch Foldable Sword x1
- Aero x1
- Time Plane Memory #6
- Dematerializer
I sighed in relief.
And the amount of metal needed for the upgrades disappeared as well. Good. It’s working.
I navigated back to the DjV mode menu. Now, next to each of the system’s functions, I had the option to upgrade.
Obviously, I chose Checkpoint.
[Skill acquired: Checkpoint lvl.1]
[Next Level: lvl.2: Increases the time allowed between setting the temporal anchor point and your death to 1 hour]
Since I was about to go looking for Watson, and things might get ugly depends on where he is, might as well use it now.
[Checkpoint Set: Your progress has been saved at this point in time]
[Current anchor will be lost upon death, or after thirty minutes. The earliest of the two.]
[Checkpoint lvl. 1: Time left until Anchor expires – 00:29:59]
Only half an hour? Damn. I thought I would at least have a few hours.
Should’ve expected as much from something labeled as ‘level 1’…
Well…It’ll have to do for now.
***
As I rushed down the stairs back to the reception desk, my COG beeped, revealing a new message.
[New Quest Available: Memories From the Past]
[Collect the 10 Time Plane Memory Fragments]
[Current Status: 1 / 10]
[Reward: 10 Level Upgrades]
A quest?
I mean I know what the word means, but in this context…?
Also, there were nine more memories like the one I’d just watched?! I wrongly assumed there were only five more...
That’s actually good. I could get the level upgrades while learning about Mom and what happened to her. If – and only if – the other memory fragments were about her as well.
The main question was: where do I even find the rest? I found this one completely by accident.
Once I reached the reception desk, I found Enforcer Blake leaning over the counter, very visibly flirting with Senior Clerk Wright – who seemed…really into it.
He was playing with the edge of her nameplate, his voice low and smug. “You ever get tired of sitting here all day, Ann?”
She rolled her eyes, but smiled. “It’s not all that bad.”
I had no patience for their little romance.
“He wasn’t there!” I blurted, realizing it came out way too loud. I quickly added. “Excuse me…”
Anastasia shot a surprised, cold glance at the Enforcer. “Didn’t you check before leaving him there?”
The poor Enforcer turned red, stammering hopelessly. “I mean – well, he – I – “
She narrowed her eyes. “Blake.”
“I just thought – if he’s here, he got clearance, right? Figured it wasn’t a big deal if I left him.”
Senior Clerk Wright ignored him and turned back to me. “You shouldn’t have been left on your own, Mr. Halegrim.”
I kept bullshitting my way around this place. “You told me he was waiting for me - that he left a message in case I'm late. I thought Chief Engineer Watson went to the bathroom or something…so I waited in his office, but…he didn’t show up.”
She seemed uncomfortable, but then just sighed and began typing something into the terminal.
Enforcer Blake tried to salvage whatever pride he had left. “Listen, Anna, I – “
“Not now, Blake.” She said sharply, eyes never leaving the screen.
Blake shrank away and slunk back toward the staircase, and the second floor.
“Let’s see.” She said as she continued typing.
I took a few steps forward, trying to peek over and see what she was doing – but the screen was angled away, completely out of my sight. To actually read it, I’d have to climb over the reception desk.
I knew I was on Checkpoint time, but that…that would’ve been a stupid way to burn the anchor I’d just set.
“It’s weird…” Senior Clerk Wright murmured. “He should be in his office. I don’t see any other meetings scheduled for him at the moment. And he even left that message for you. I don't understand...”
Considering how I even got to that office – the clearance, the scheduled meeting, the connection to my mother – I knew better than to take this at face value.
“Did you even see him today?” I asked.
She glanced up, surprised. “Of course I did. I greeted him this morning.”
The dark aura surrounding her writhed for a single moment, making me uncomfortable, but I kept pushing.
This man – Richard Watson – he knew Mom.
“Did you see him leave?” I pressed. “Even for lunch?”
“No. He couldn’t have left without me knowing.” She placed a finger to her chin and seemed to recite from memory. “The reception desk is closed from twelve to twelve-thirty for my lunch , but…”
“So he could’ve left at that time?”
“No.” she said sharply. “Chief Engineer Watson always goes for lunch at 13:00. Exactly.”
I shook my head at the logic.
“Can you send him a message?” I asked.
She hesitated for a moment, but then gave a slow nod. “Sure.”
As she typed, I added one last detail – one I knew he wouldn’t ignore in case he was deliberately ghosting her.
“Tell him Cecilia knows. He'll understand.”
Senior Clerk Wright froze for just a moment. Then she looked up at me, her face unreadable, and gave a small nod, repeating. “Sure.”
I waited, tense, watching the seconds slip from my anchor timer.
After a long minute, she finally spoke.
“Done.” She said softly. “Let’s see what he says.”
I nodded, quickly glancing at my Checkpoint timer.
[Checkpoint lvl. 1: Time left until Anchor expires – 00:23:36]
Okay…there’s still time.
But wait.
What do I even do to get the second life? Do I just stab myself with the sword?
Well…I could. But then I’d lose the weapon permanently since I wouldn’t be able to store it back into the Inventory after death.
Even then – stabbing myself with a sword? That felt…insane.
Even knowing I’d come back, surely my mind would rebel at the last moment. My hands would tremble. I’d hesitate. I’d miss my heart, and then I’d just lie there bleeding out slowly, praying to die before the anchor runs out.
It wouldn’t be as easy as it sounds.
Your brain wants to live. Every part of you fights to survive. The instinct isn’t poetical - it’s biological. A sword to the chest? That’s not something you can just casually commit to.
There had to be a better way.
Maybe I could provoke Enforcer Blake? Force him to act. Make him shoot me? Scary, yeah – but manageable. Cleaner for me, at least.
As my mind was still spinning ideas. The front doors of the building opened.
Someone stepped inside.
Not someone I expected to see.
An Obsidian Crow.
Fully suited in reinforced black armor of iron and titanium, the Ironwatch Elite moved silently toward the reception desk. Every step was heavy, measured, clanging against the floor.
Even Senior Clerk Wright seemed taken aback. Her posture shifted ever so slightly, a subtle straightening of the back that hinted at her surprise.
It made sense. The Obsidian Crows were Ironwatch’s elite unit – only deployed in extreme scenarios. And now one was here. Fully armored as well. In broad daylight.
A faint sense of Deja vu enveloped me as I watched him.
“Hello.” Senior Clerk Wright called out, her voice warm but filled with tension. “Can I help?”
The Crow didn’t answer. He kept walking – right toward us.
“Sir,” Anastasia tried again, “is there something wrong?”
Still no response.
She glanced at me, confused. Nervous.
Suddenly, my COG beeped.
[New Quest Available: Outlast]
[Immobilize the Obsidian Crow chasing you]
[Reward: 5 Level Upgrades]
Wait.
What?
Before the shock could even register fully – before the awe could settle in – the Obsidian Crow raised his armgun and fired at us without warning.