The system notification appeared at my funeral.
I know. Bad timing.
[PLAYER DETECTED: Kael Voss]
[STATUS: Deceased — 00:00:03]
[OVERRIDE PROTOCOL: INITIATED]
The priest was mid-sentence. Something about a life cut short. Accurate, technically. I'd been dead for three seconds when the blue window materialized in front of my face — which was strange, because dead men don't have faces anymore. Or eyes. Or the ability to read floating text.
Yet here I was.
[Welcome to the Second Iteration.]
[Your previous save file has been located.]
[WARNING: Save file is 847 years old.]
Eight hundred and forty-seven years.
I stared at the number. The number stared back.
The priest kept talking. My mother was crying in the front row — I could hear her, which meant I still had ears, which meant the "deceased" part of my status was negotiable. My killer was in the back row. Third seat from the left. He'd even worn black, which I appreciated. Respectful.
[LOADING MEMORIES: 2% complete]
[WARNING: Suppressed data detected — forcible recovery in progress]
[Estimated time: Unknown]
Two percent. Great.
I had no idea what I'd done 847 years ago. The system apparently did. And based on the word "forcible," it wasn't planning to ask permission.
My body twitched in the coffin.
The priest stopped talking.
My mother stopped crying.
My killer stood up.
[LEVEL: ???]
[CLASS: Architect — RESTRICTED]
[FIRST OBJECTIVE: Don't die again. You only get one override.]
I sat up, brushed the flower petals off my suit, and looked directly at the man who'd murdered me.
"You should have cremated me," I said.
He ran.
[QUEST ACCEPTED: Find out what you did 847 years ago.]
[HINT: You're not going to like the answer.]
Good start.