About the retcon!

I managed to get all of it done! ^^

The main changes are concentrated in Chapter 189. I recommend a reread for that one, because it's gotten quite a bit longer. 

Other than that, there's a new bit at the end of Chapter 188, which is kind of unrelated, but still important. Since it's only a small section, there's no need to reread the whole thing, and I'll post it here:

New section of Chapter 188

“Now these, I’ll be wanting back,” Akir warns me. “And that also goes for... this.”

He lifts up a tentacle and, turning it over, reveals a small brass item that flips open.

I blink at it. “A compass? Ooh, that could come in handy with navigating.”

“I doubt it,” Akir grunts. “This is a moral compass.”

I stare blankly at him. “A what now?”

“It was a gift from Mirta,” Akir continues softly, ignoring me.

Reading the melancholy off his face, I take in the item with new eyes.

It’s a little brass box with a glass window at the front, that would easily fit the palm of my hand. Beneath the glass there’s a needle pointing up towards a little tag that reads ‘Good.’ Below, there’s a tag that reads ‘Bad.’

“She gave it to me to aid in my rehabilitation,” Akir explains unprompted. “Back when I first got it, the needle swung wildly back and forth, reaching almost all the way to Bad. It took a long time before it finally stabilised entirely on Good.”

“How does it work?” I ask curiously.

Akir shrugs. “I haven’t the foggiest, to be honest. All I know, is that climbing up through Realm after Realm is a bloody process, which will eat away at your sanity and your sense of self. You won’t be able to prevent that entirely—especially if you’re in a hurry—but hopefully this will help tell you how bad your condition is, might help prevent you from going off the rails entirely.”

I swallow and, with newfound reverence, take a careful hold of the offered item.

“Thank...” I trail off when Akir’s suction cups don’t immediately release it, leaving us hovering in a kind of awkward limbo. Finally, reluctantly, he lets go.

“Thank you,” I tell him sincerely, fighting not to let the muscles next to my eye twitch as I carefully flip it shut and place it in my pocket.

He clears his throat. “Look, I don’t care much for the trident, but... the other stuff, I’d rather you return someday. So you better not die down there, you hear me?”

No longer able to contain myself, I step forward to give him a hug.

Final note:

I made some more minor changes to a bunch of chapters from 189 up, mostly to integrate the new content. You can reread them if you like, but it's not terribly necessary to keep following the story.

Thanks for reading! ^^