[No comeback, no satisfying victories, just tender everyday moments of regret and making amends. Slow burn, proceed with caution.]
Other people's Systems can help their Hosts defy fate and change their lives.
My System can only keep me company while I eat the rabbit-shaped apples Grandma made.
When I was ten, I got bound to a useless System. It couldn't do anything:
It wouldn't give me money, wouldn't help me get revenge, and wouldn't even do my homework for me.
I cried and asked it, "Then what can you even do?"
It said, "I can keep you company and help you finish everything you couldn't do as a child."
Only later did I understand that this useless System was me at thirty-three.
He had come back from twenty years in the future just to keep his childhood self company and say a proper goodbye to Grandma.
(If you're trapped in your childhood and can't find your way out, I'll gladly stay by your side and help you grow up all over again.)
A very good book, full of warmth and strength. Highly recommended.